131 Making Candied Haws
Meatball knew many things that did not exist in this world, but most of those things could not be made in this backward world.
However, low-level food like candied haws naturally did not require a high-level of intelligence.
“Aiya, it’s the candied hawthorn that’s sweet on the outside and sour on the inside? But that’s not delicious.” Little Ah Yu frowned.
Little Ah Yu was not picky with food. As long as it was given to her, she would eat it.
Even if the candied hawthorn tasted especially bad, she would endure the discomfort in her heart and finish it.
[Your fruit is originally sweet, so it won’t be sour inside. Previously, the one you ate was sour because the hawthorn inside was sour to begin with.]
[Normally, the taste of food would not change. Of course, sometimes, if it’s not handled well, sweet things can turn sour.]
Meatball explained the theory of food to Little Ah Yu, but Little Ah Yu was confused. In the end, she only understood that her fruits might be sweet.
“But we don’t have any sugar at home.”
The w.a.n.g Family only had a little bit of sugar, and they usually did not use it. Sometimes, Old Madam w.a.n.g would mix some sugar water for Little Ah Yu to drink. The others in the family did not have this fortune.
Qin Huai: “I have some at home. What are you doing?”
Little Ah Yu said, “I want to make candied hawthorn, the one I ate in the past, but I don’t know if it’ll taste good.”
Qin Huai recalled that when he brought a stick of candied hawthorn over, he wanted to give it to her, but she said that she didn’t like it.
Even now, Qin Huai still remembers that incident.
“I thought you didn’t like it?” Or was it that she didn’t like it because it was from him.
Little Ah Yu said, “In the past, the candied haws I ate were sweet on the outside and sour on the inside. I want to eat the sweetness inside and outside.”
Hearing Little Ah Yu’s explanation, Qin Huai’s expression finally improved a lot. She was just a gluttonous little girl.
“Let’s go to my house.” Qin Huai said to Chi Jia, “Go and invite Fourth Aunt over.”
When the children of the w.a.n.g Family heard that they were going to use the wild fruits to make candied haws, they were all extremely excited. They had never eaten candied haws before!
Regardless of whether it was delicious or not, this thing had to be made with sugar. Even if it was not delicious, the sugar could not be wasted.
Liu Shi had never made candied haws before. With Meatball’s help, Ah Yu described the taste of the candied haws to Liu Shi.
“Alright, I’ll try first.” Madam Liu probably thought about it in her heart and began to operate.
She was still a little uneasy. Sugar was a very precious thing. If it was wasted, she would feel guilty and uneasy.
“Fourth Aunt, don’t worry and be bold. There’s enough sugar.”
He had a large jar of sugar at home. It was originally prepared for Little Ah Yu. Thinking that Little Ah Yu would like to eat sweet things, he planned to let Chi Jia learn it too.
Liu Shi thought that if she wanted to wrap the fruit with a layer of sugar while ensuring that the layer of coated sugar remained red and hard, she should boil brown sugar. However, Qin Huai only had white sugar here.
Although it was called white sugar, it was not very white. It was mixed with some red and yellow. This was also because the sugar making technology in town was relatively backward.
The more exquisite sugar could only be bought in Wanning City.
“I’ve seen a craftsman do this before. After melting the sugar, he wrapped the fruit in the sugar syrup. After cooling it, it became candied haws,” Qin Huai said from the side.
Liu Shi was skeptical and tried it according to Qin Huai’s instructions. The first time, the sugar had been boiled for too long, causing the sugar to be charred. After wrapping it around the fruit, the fruit also became cooked.
But the children still ate with relish.
“Fourth Aunt, your candied haws are too delicious!”
“That’s right, that’s right. This is the best candied haws I’ve ever eaten!”
“Wow, that’s great. We can go and set up a stall now. There will definitely be a lot of people buying it!”
The boys were especially supportive. Even if they only received one hawthorn each, they cherished it very much.
Little Ah Yu naturally received one too. She took a bite and felt that her mouth was filled with sweetness. When she bit it open, the fruit turned into juice and melted into her mouth.
“Hu hu hu, it’s so hot!” Little Ah Yu curled her tongue and felt that the tip of her tongue was a little painful. She did not like to suffer, but she still smiled and said, “Mother’s cooking is so delicious!”
Liu Shi knew that these children were all flattering her. This was the first time she had tried making candied hawthorns. She did not do it well, but at least it had formed. This gave Liu Shi a lot of confidence.
On her second try, as the cooking time was not long enough, there were still grains of syrup wrapped around the hawthorns. After it dried a little, the texture was a little grainy.
The children all said that it was not as good as the first time, but it was still delicious.
“You little ghosts just want to eat a few more.” Liu Shi’s heart still aches after she failed twice in a row. “Xiao Huai, why don’t we stop trying? I haven’t done this before, and experimenting like this is too much of a waste of sugar.”
“It’s fine, Fourth Aunt. Don’t worry and cook. Look, Ah Yu likes to eat it too.” Qin Huai spoke quickly, his tone naturally carrying a hint of childishness.
He pursed his lips and did not continue.
He was afraid that if he said too much, Fourth Aunt would treat him as a child.
He did not like being a child.
Qin Huai was usually concise because he knew that adults often spoke like this. If they spoke too much, they would be like a chattering child.
Liu Shi did not think too much at all. After receiving encouragement, she felt that it was not good to give up halfway, so she continued.
After making it four to five times in a row, she finally made crystal clear candied haws.
The fruit inside was red and wrapped in a layer of semi-red syrup. After cooling down slightly, the syrup outside turned into a transparent icing.
As she was only making the candied haws one by one, these fruits were placed on a plate and not skewered.
The children could eat the previous failed products without any psychological burden. But now that they saw such complete and especially beautiful candied hawthorns, they did not dare to eat them.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Chi Jia asked first.
w.a.n.g Wulang was embarra.s.sed and touched his stomach. “I ate too much and am a little full. Let’s keep these for now.”
w.a.n.g Liulang was also a little embarra.s.sed. Although the fruits were theirs, the fruits were not valuable. The sugar was more valuable. They had eaten too much.
“Keep these and give them all to Qin Huai. We’ll give you another basket of fruits. We ate too much today.”
Of course, Little Ah Yu was not full. She only ate four or five in total, but she covered her cheek and said, “It’s too sweet, too sweet. Ah Yu can’t even feel my tongue!”
Her playful appearance made everyone laugh.
Qin Huai said, “Do you want to make candied haws to sell? Can I partic.i.p.ate? If you supply the fruits and Fourth Aunt takes charge of the techniques, I’ll be in charge of supplying the sugar. Then, we’ll split the profits. What do you think?”
The children were a little dumbfounded. They did not know what was going on. This sounded a little complicated.
Liu Shi was also a little hesitant. “Can this thing really be sold?”
Although they had tried many times today, they managed to make a complete product in less than half a day. The technique of making candied haws was something that could be pa.s.sed down for generations.
Was it really so easy for them to replicate it?