“The nearby hills are covered with these red fruits.”
“Uncle Chen, go to the farm tomorrow and buy these red fruits from that household at 2 wen per jin. Start with 500 jin. Also, take these two baskets of red fruits to the kitchen for me.”
Su Lele planned to test things out first.
Although Uncle Chen had his doubts, he obeyed his master’s orders without question.
Su Lele followed him toward the kitchen.
“Miss, aren’t we going to the Young Master’s residence? And what are you going to do with these red fruits?”
Qiuyu had never imagined that red fruits could be used for cooking. Could something so sour really taste good?
Su Lele lifted her chin confidently. “Not yet. I’ll go after I turn these red fruits into something delicious. Trust me.”
“Miss, I believe you.” Qiuyu liked seeing her lady so confident and radiant.
The Su family kitchen wasn’t large. It had four stoves—two big and two small. The head cook was Madam Guan, Uncle Chen’s wife. Their daughter Xiazhi assisted in the kitchen, while Madam Lin handled miscellaneous tasks.
“Madam Guan, wash these red fruits thoroughly and set them aside to dry.”
Hearing the young lady’s instructions, everyone worked swiftly without a word.
It seemed her mother had trained them well.
Su Lele decided to first make candied hawthorn, then later fruit leather. Fruit leather was more complicated to make—without a blender, the hawthorn would have to be ground into paste using a stone mill. And both snacks required sugar, which was expensive in ancient times. The household might not have much stored.
“Madam Guan, do we have a lot of sugar?”
“Is there a stone mill?”
Madam Guan pointed to the corner where seasonings were kept. “Not much sugar—about 3 jin.”
In recent years, the Great Yun Kingdom had enjoyed good harvests, and ingredients were plentiful. However, sugar and salt were still relatively scarce. Sugar cost 100 wen per jin, and salt 80 wen per jin.
Three jin was definitely not enough. These two baskets of red fruits weighed at least 50 jin, requiring about 20 jin of sugar. Su Lele planned to make 10 jin of candied hawthorn and 40 jin of fruit leather.
Candied hawthorn couldn’t be stored for long—the sugar coating would melt. Fruit leather, on the other hand, could last much longer.
After sending Uncle Chen out to buy more sugar, Su Lele saw that some fruits had already been washed. She instructed Qiuyu to wipe them dry.
Letting them air-dry would take too long. Since the quantity was still small, they could just dry them by hand.
The ingredients were ready. The ratio of sugar, water, and red fruits was 1:1:3.
Su Lele poured water and sugar into a large pot and told Xiazhi to bring it to a boil over high heat, then immediately switch to low heat.
She stirred constantly. As the syrup thickened, forming large bubbles that turned into dense small bubbles, she instructed Xiazhi to turn off the fire.
After turning off the heat, she poured in the red fruits and stirred continuously for about a quarter of an hour. The sugar turned white, coating the fruits with a layer of frosty sugar—candied hawthorn was done.
The method sounded simple, but if the details weren’t handled well, the whole batch would be ruined.
Everyone looked at the large plate of frosted red fruits in amazement. Who knew red fruits could be prepared like this?
“Come, everyone, give it a try,” Su Lele said, popping one into her mouth.
Mmm… that’s the taste—sweet and sour, very appetizing.
Seeing how happily their mistress ate, everyone else took one as well.
Qiuyu praised as she ate, “It’s so delicious! Sweet and sour—who knew red fruits could taste this good? Miss, you’re amazing.”
Madam Guan, Madam Lin, and Xiazhi all praised her as they ate.
Su Lele smiled. “Later, I’ll make another snack—it’s also very tasty. Today, I’ll treat you all well. Madam Guan, bring some oil paper. I’ll pack two portions for my elder brother and sister-in-law; two for my parents; and one for my younger sister.”
“And don’t forget to leave one for Grandfather—he’ll probably be back in the evening.”
“Understood,” Madam Guan replied.
As for her third brother, she wouldn’t leave any—by the time he returned in two days, the sugar coating would have melted. Instead, she’d prepare more fruit leather for him to take back to the academy as snacks.
Su Lele left some for the servants, then had them deliver the packaged candied hawthorn to her parents’ and grandfather’s residences.
She personally carried three portions to her elder brother’s residence.
..
Front Hall of the Residence
“Yunniang, are you feeling better? Do you still feel like vomiting?” Su Yixing looked at his wife, who was growing thinner while her belly grew larger. He was both anxious and worried.
Li Chuyun gently comforted him. “Husband, don’t worry too much. My vomiting has eased recently. I just don’t have much appetite and have lost a bit of weight.”
When Su Lele entered, she saw her elder brother—tall, handsome, dressed in a sky-blue robe—caring for his wife.
Her sister-in-law, dressed in a light green blouse and a pale pink pleated skirt, gazed at him lovingly.
Seeing Su Lele, her brother said with concern, “Second Sister, why are you here? You’ve just recovered—you should rest.”
Li Chuyun added, “Yes, Second Sister. Your brother had a day off today and planned to visit you. It’s my fault—I’ve been vomiting after eating, which delayed us.”
Su Lele felt deeply moved by their care. In her modern life, she hadn’t felt the warmth of family, but here, she truly felt everyone’s love.
“Sister-in-law, please don’t say that. You’re already suffering enough from pregnancy. Brother should stay by your side and take care of you. I’m fine now. I made some candied hawthorn for you—you should try it. It helps improve appetite.”
Her brother and sister-in-law looked at the three large oil-paper packages of round, white-coated fruits, skeptical that they were made from red fruits.
Li Chuyun asked curiously, “Second Sister, what’s the white coating?”
It wasn’t surprising—white sugar wasn’t even available yet in the Great Yun Kingdom, let alone such fine sugar frost.
Su Lele held one up and explained, “The white layer is sugar, and inside is the red fruit. I heard you’ve had poor appetite, so when I saw Uncle Chen bring back these fruits today, I thought I’d make something appetizing for you.”
“These candied fruits are sweet and sour and can stimulate appetite. Try one.”
Hearing that, her brother urged his wife to taste it.
Li Chuyun took a bite. The delicate sugar coating and the sour fruit blended perfectly, filling her mouth with a sweet-and-sour flavor.
“It’s delicious! Husband, you should try one too.”
She immediately took another.
Seeing his wife eat so happily, Su Yixing felt relieved. He looked at his younger sister with gratitude.
“Brother, try it! Sister-in-law, since you’re pregnant, don’t eat too many. Just have a few when your appetite is poor.”
“Also, after opening the package, seal it well, or the sugar coating will melt. Later, I’ll make another snack with these fruits—it’s also sweet and sour.”
After tasting it, Su Yixing praised her highly as well.