The autumn chill seemed to have deepened. The treetops were a spectacular blaze of red, yellow, and green; leaves drifted down now and then onto the paths between the fields, while the wild grass along the roadside gradually yellowed and withered. Further away, the paddy fields were already completely empty—the rice had been fully harvested. Only neat rows of stubble remained, and among the fields, it seemed only the golden wild chrysanthemums still bloomed stubbornly.
At the end of the narrow path lay the village, where houses mingled with trees and bamboo groves. Twilight was falling, and wisps of cooking smoke rose slowly from every roof. Birds chirped merrily among the branches, while some dog—no one knew whose—barked incessantly by the roadside. If only her family weren't so poor... the mountains behind her, the village before her, and the waters beside it—was this not indeed a beautiful painting?
Because the day's harvest had been truly astonishing, though Li Menglan felt exhausted, she remained in high spirits, as if her entire body were brimming with strength. And truly... at this rate, could happiness still be far away?
Ahem... The only thing that seemed out of place was probably Li Zhihao, whose face was swollen to a terrifying degree as he bared his teeth and grimaced.
Li Menglan had finally obtained the honey she had longed for, but a price had been paid... There wasn't much honey, yet the cost was not insignificant. One only had to look at the terrifying welts on Li Zhihao's face to see how difficult it had been to acquire even that small amount.
"Second Brother, don't be unhappy. Tonight, I'll make you sugar-roasted chestnuts—how about that?" Li Menglan said with a smile, comforting her brother.
Li Menglan's words rendered Li Zhihao even more speechless. Uh... so in his little sister's heart, he was nothing but a glutton! The tragic Li Zhihao grew even more depressed.
After dinner, Li Zhiming followed Li Menglan's instructions and went to the banks of the Yun River to gather pebbles about the size of a finger. However... everyone expressed doubt—could pebbles really be used to fry delicious sugar-roasted chestnuts?
The entire family worked through the night, pouring out the chestnuts picked the previous day. Three small wicker baskets sat on the ground. Young and old alike joined in, including Li Fujin and Lin Sanniang. Following Li Menglan's instructions, they carefully sorted the chestnuts by size into upper, middle, and lower grades, placing each grade into a separate basket.
Li Menglan took a small knife and scored a cross into the surface of each chestnut; this would allow them to absorb flavor more easily and cook faster. The honey from the wild beehive had already been scraped out, poured into a bowl, and mixed with warm water. She then evenly poured the honey water into the chestnuts through the cross-cuts, so as not to waste a drop.
Zhang Yuniang had already scrubbed the large wok in the kitchen until it was spotless. The firebox was stacked with hardwood, burning bright and strong. Li Menglan carefully brushed what little vegetable oil they had onto the wok, then placed the washed and drained pebbles inside. When the bottom of the wok had turned faintly red, she poured in the chestnuts infused with honey water. The rest was left to her father—Li Dazhu!
One must not underestimate these humble sugar-roasted chestnuts; this was hard physical labor, requiring pure arm strength. In the Li family, apart from Li Dazhu, no one else could really manage it.
Standing by the stove, Li Dazhu wielded the large spatula, his arms moving as swiftly as the wind. Zhang Yuniang sat by the stove entrance, tending to the fire in the firebox from time to time. Beside the stove, Li Menglan put on a stern face like a little adult, earnestly observing the color of the chestnuts in the wok and gauging the right heat and timing to take them out.
As Shangliang Village, nestled beneath Crooked Neck Mountain, gradually sank into peaceful slumber, the kitchen in Li Dazhu's home remained lit by a dim oil lamp. The wok still sizzled and popped, and the firebox glowed crimson. The entire kitchen was bathed in a cheerful atmosphere.
Time gradually slipped away. Following the same steps, the Li family worked through the night until all the chestnuts were roasted. Looking at the three baskets placed before them, still steaming and fragrant, every member of the Li family wore a smile of contentment.
Li Zhihao, who had waited so long he was nearly falling asleep, could no longer contain himself. He reached into the basket before him, peeled a chestnut, and tossed it into his mouth. Seeing the blissful expression on his face, everyone else couldn't help but smack their lips in anticipation. This tempted the others to try one as well—of course, they each took from the smallest grade; the good-looking ones were definitely being saved to sell for money.
"Sister, these sugar-roasted chestnuts are really delicious," Li Zhihao said, swallowing his saliva.
"Second Brother, if they're delicious, eat more. I wasn't planning to sell the smallest ones anyway—I roasted them for the family to eat." Li Menglan couldn't help but laugh softly at her brother's greedy expression.
"Really? You're the best, Sister." Without ceremony, Li Zhihao picked up another and popped it into his mouth.
Li Menglan also peeled one for herself. It really did taste similar to what she had eaten before; perhaps because it had been roasted with honey, the texture was even better than she remembered. Sweet but not cloying, with a lingering honey fragrance on the tongue—the flavor was truly excellent! Li Menglan was certain that given the living standards of ancient times, many people would love it.
Li Menglan had her father, Li Dazhu, weigh the roasted chestnuts. Good heavens—the best grade totaled nearly twenty jin, while the slightly inferior ones amounted to about fifteen jin. As for the remaining lowest grade... Li Menglan planned to keep those at home for her family, so she didn't have Li Dazhu weigh them.
Li Menglan also planned to bring some of the lower-grade chestnuts when they went to town, to offer free tastings to those who might buy the sugar-roasted chestnuts. This was a common promotional tactic from later eras, and very effective.
The next day, before dawn had even broken, the entire Li family was up. Shangliang Village was over two hours' walk from the nearest town, and today Li Menglan planned to go to a town even farther away—Qingshui Town. Qingshui Town was much larger and more prosperous than Changban Town, which was precisely why Li Menglan had set her sights on it.
After all, a larger town meant more bustle and prosperity, and naturally, a greater openness to novel things.
Li Menglan had already assigned tasks for the day. The brothers Li Zhihao and Li Zhiming would continue up the mountain to see if they could find more chestnuts, persimmons, Sichuan peppercorns, or the like.
Li Dazhu would take Li Menglan to Qingshui Town to sell the sugar-roasted chestnuts. Zhang Yuniang, Li Fujin, and Lin Sanniang—the elders and women—would stay home to peel and sun-dry the persimmons picked the day before. As for the chili peppers... Li Menglan also planned to start making chopped pickled chilies and chili sauce when she returned today.