Chapter 146: Chapter 83: Where There Are Women, There Is Much Laughter

Such is a parent’s heart. He had noticed that Juhua didn’t seem to care much for her son anymore, so she was trying hard to paint him in a better light. Besides, she also knew Juhua had a soft spot for little animals like chicks and puppies, so she wanted to get on her good side.

Juhua was tempted by the idea. Raising a few ducks and letting them roam free in the small river out front wouldn’t be much trouble. Theirs was the only family in the area and the fields were far away, so there was no fear of the ducks ruining anyone’s crops.

Ducks cooped up without water were dirty and a nuisance, but they could be quite cute with a pond to paddle around in. At the very least, come next spring, watching them float serenely on the water would bring to mind that pleasant line of poetry: “Ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring.” Besides, salted duck eggs were truly delicious. ’Rich, oily salted duck eggs? How tempting!’

“Auntie, that would be wonderful, of course. It’s just… I feel a bit bad. If you don’t want to raise them, couldn’t Huai Zi’s grandmother just raise a few more herself? It doesn’t feel right to take them for us to raise.” She found it a bit strange. ’Why don’t they just raise more on their side?’

He laughed. “Ah, that’s what you don’t understand. Raising ducks can be a real hassle. A few is fine, but if you have too many, you absolutely need someone to watch over them all the time. His grandmother only keeps six or seven, and she gets four or five eggs a day, which is perfect. Any more would be too much. That’s why I suggested you raise a few. You’d be too busy if you had a whole flock. With just a handful, once they’re used to the routine, they’ll head to the river on their own in the morning and know to come home at night. But if you have too many, they get wild and run all over the place.”

The Yang Family was delighted to hear this, and seeing that Juhua was interested, she chimed in, “Hey! When those ducklings hatch, bring a few over for us. Once they’re grown, we can give you some of the eggs to try.”

The three of them laughed at that—already thinking about eggs when the ducks weren’t even in the picture yet.

With all the chatting, the work went by quickly.

Once all the rice kernels were puffed, they filled two large baskets and a winnowing tray, with some left over. The syrup in the other pot was ready too. After being strained, the syrup was boiled until all the water evaporated, leaving a thick, yellowish-brown liquid. When you lifted a spoonful, the stream wouldn’t break, flowing as smooth as satin.

They had a quick, simple lunch, and in the afternoon, they began making the puffed rice candy.

Just then, Zheng Changhe came in to help. Pressing the candy into the molds required a great deal of strength; most people couldn’t keep it up for long. This task was usually left to the men.

The Yang Family was in charge of mixing. She’d scoop two bowls of puffed rice into a pot, add some peanuts and sesame seeds, and then pour in the syrup. She would ladle a large spoonful of syrup from the other pot, giving it a few sharp shakes to break the sticky thread. Then, she’d vigorously mix everything together, work the mixture into a large ball, and place it in a square mold on the work table.

Zheng Changhe would first wet his hands and press the ball of puffed rice mixture flat inside the mold. Then, he’d use a cylindrical wooden roller, rolling it back and forth to compact the candy firmly. Once it was solid, he would turn the block of candy out of the mold and set it aside to cool. During this process, he had to add more if there wasn’t enough mixture or take some out if there was too much, making sure to fill the mold just right.

The next step was to cut the puffed rice candy.

There was a trick to this as well. If you cut it too early while the candy was still warm, it would fall apart. If you cut it too late, it would have cooled completely and become brittle, shattering under the knife. The timing had to be just right—not too soon, not too late—to get exquisitely neat, square pieces that looked good enough to sell.

And so, the group got to work.

He and the Yang Family kept up a constant stream of chatter about this and that, all without slowing down their work. Juhua was thoroughly impressed. ’How can they have so much to talk about?’ The two of them chatted for what felt like half the day without ever repeating themselves.

Juhua was tasked with stacking the cut, crisp pieces of candy into a large jar, layer by layer. She nibbled on them as she worked, and before long, she was too full to eat another bite and let out a little burp.

Zheng Changhe watched his daughter with a broad, affectionate smile. When he saw her burp, he asked, while still busy pressing the molds, “Is it good, daughter? Better than the kind your brother bought?” This year, he’d finally been able to let his two children eat their fill of all the treats they wanted. Seeing Juhua so content made him incredibly happy.

Juhua smiled. “It’s delicious. I think it’s just as good as the ones my brother bought.”

’Actually, there is a bit of a difference,’ she thought. ’The candy makers are professionals, after all. Of course their candy is better than what we can make just once a year. At the very least, their syrup is bound to be better than ours. But there’s something special about candy you’ve made with your own hands, using ingredients you grew yourself. It just feels different.’

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