Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 144: Chapter 82: Huai Zi’s Mother’s Painstaking Efforts

After the pig was butchered, the Yang family had Qingmu deliver ten jin of meat to the maternal grandmother’s home the next day. Each of the two uncles’ families received five jin, and an extra two jin of lard was brought specially for Mrs. Wang.

She had steeled her resolve. In previous years, her family had been poor, and she had to rely on her maiden family’s support. They would give her things both openly and in secret, leaving her with a constant sense of guilt. ’No one wants to be living on handouts, right? Doesn’t that just mean you’re too poor to survive?’ So, now that her family’s fortunes had improved this year, she was sending meat to honor her mother and brothers.

For an average family, that was enough meat to last through the New Year without buying more. And those two jin of lard were a precious commodity, even more valuable than fatty pork.

Today, Juhua’s family was making puffed rice candy.

Making puffed rice candy was a major affair, not something most families could afford to do. Just boiling the sugar syrup required a good deal of rice. Then there was cooking the glutinous rice and sun-drying it into hard kernels, which also consumed precious grain. Better-off families might add sesame seeds and peanuts, but that was even more costly.

But the candy wasn’t just for serving guests during the New Year or pacifying children. In the springtime, after a long day of work in the fields, when you came home with an aching back and a rumbling stomach, chewing on a few pieces of the puffed rice candy would instantly restore your energy.

In years past, Juhua’s family could never have made such a thing—they barely had enough rice to eat, let alone make candy. The most they could do was roast some fragrant corn kernels to chew on. This year, the Yang family could finally hold her head high, having prepared all the traditional New Year’s treats a farming family should. The puffed rice candy, especially, was first on her list. The main reason was seeing how much Juhua loved the pastries Qingmu had bought, and the peanut crisps Mrs. Wang had brought over. Back then, she had resolved to make puffed rice candy for the New Year no matter what, and so she had traded for glutinous rice early on to have it ready.

Since making puffed rice candy was exhausting work, and Juhua’s small frame couldn’t take the strain, she invited Zhang Huai’s mother, He, over to help. He’s family wasn’t making candy, so she wasn’t as busy.

Besides, the Yang family had prepared plenty of peanuts, but since they didn’t grow sesame, she was thinking of trading with He for some. Instead, He brought over several jin of sesame seeds herself, telling her not to worry about a trade. ”Just give me some of the candy when you’re done,” she said, ”so my Yangzi can have a snack.”

The Yang family, of course, agreed. The two families had always been close and wouldn’t quibble over small amounts.

As thatch burned in the mouth of the stove—the fire couldn’t be too strong for roasting things like peanuts and rice—and the peanuts and sesame seeds began to tumble in the wok, a rich fragrance filled the kitchen. It was different from the aroma of meat or fish, but just as tempting. If children ate too many of these roasted snacks, it would spoil their appetite for proper meals.

Juhua sat on a small stool with a large winnowing basket, shelling roasted peanuts. Every so often, she’d pop a kernel into her mouth. She also crushed the shelled nuts to help them spread more evenly through the candy later. Seeing everyone bustling about, Black Dog seemed to catch the joyful, festive mood, scampering in and out of the house without a moment’s rest.

The Yang family finished roasting the peanuts and moved on to the sesame seeds, and after the sesame seeds came the dried rice kernels. Her hands were in constant motion until even she felt her arms grow sore, so she switched places with He, who was tending the fire.

When it was time to puff the dried rice, she brushed the wok with a little sesame oil. Once the wok was hot enough to give off a wisp of green smoke, she tossed in two handfuls of the hard kernels. The moment the glossy, greenish, crystalline kernels hit the hot oil, they underwent a dramatic transformation—exploding into a cloud of puffed rice, just like popcorn.

At that point, they had to be stirred furiously, or else they would burn. It only took a few quick tosses before they could be removed from the wok. The bright yellow puffed rice filled the air with its rich aroma.

Families that couldn’t spare the expense of making candy would often just puff the rice as a treat for the children. When they were hungry, they could soak it in hot water, and it would be just as fragrant and delicious as the crispy rice scraped from the bottom of the wok. Add a little lard and salt, and it was a true delicacy.

As He stir-fried the hard rice kernels, she chatted with the Yang family.

She chuckled and said, ”This aroma... forget the children, even we adults can’t help but crave it. In years past, my Yangzi was always pestering me, ’Ma, when are we making puffed rice candy?’ But this year, when I offered, he told me not to. He said he’s not a little kid anymore, he’s a big boy now who goes to school, so how could he still be so gluttonous? The things he says... it just breaks your heart to hear it. That’s why I wanted to make some with you, so he’ll have something to snack on when he’s tired from his studies.”

The Yang family replied, ”That’s for sure. Studying really wears you out mentally. I heard from Qingmu that your Yangzi is quite the scholar. Is it true he placed first in his master’s recent examination?”

He beamed, her eyes crinkling into crescents. ”Oh, yes! That child just loves his books. School is out for the break, but he doesn’t take a moment off. You see him with a book in his hands all day, either reading or practicing his characters. I worry he’ll strain his eyes burning the midnight oil, so I tell him to go to bed early and get up at dawn to study instead.”