The Transmigrated Farm Girl Has a Cheat Code

Chapter 126 Candied Haws

The group stayed in the city for two days, and returned home after Fu Bo finished shopping.

Back in the county, Lin Yan bought a lot of grain, oil, and seasonings, as these things were cheaper to buy in the county. With her family growing, she needed to stock up, but she figured she could just keep them in her spatial storage.

As the year draws to a close, Rong'an County is bustling with activity.

The stalls were lined up one after another, selling candies and pastries, rice cakes, and peach charms, with shouts rising and falling.

The villagers all went to the county town to buy New Year's goods, and Uncle Li's donkey cart was always full, making several trips a day.

Lin Yan and her companions carried their belongings home in large and small bags. The distillery closed early, and the workers all went home to prepare for the New Year.

Mr. and Mrs. Lin have been tidying up the house these past two days.

Fortunately, it's a new house with little dust, so wiping the dust off the tables, chairs, and counters made the work relatively easy.

Once the younger ones have gone home, the tasks will be assigned and the work will be done much faster.

After dinner, Madam Quan, along with Lin's mother and several children, cut paper-cuts and wrote the character "福" (fortune/blessing).

"Ayan, the 'Fu' character you wrote is so beautiful!" Quan Wenxue exclaimed, picking up the 'Fu' character written by Lin Yan.

Quan Sinian curiously leaned closer, his eyes lighting up. Although he didn't know much about this, he could still tell the difference. "The brushstrokes are unrestrained and free, truly excellent!"

Lin Yu held up his red paper, "How was my writing!"

The three of them crowded around to take a look. Lin Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "Not bad, it's neat and tidy, it's quite interesting!"

Quan Wenxue nodded in agreement, "That's right, it's very good for a beginner!"

Lin Yu nodded in satisfaction; this praise pleased him greatly.

Madam Quan and Lin's mother were cutting paper snowflakes in their hands, watching the four of them play with smiles.

Because the Chinese New Year is just around the corner, the village is quite lively and already has a festive atmosphere. Every household's chimney is emitting smoke as they prepare for the New Year.

Lin Yan started making candied hawthorns. With the county exam approaching, she noticed Lin Yu studying late into the night again and decided to make him something delicious.

The hawthorns were already overripe, but Lin Yan could grow as many as she wanted. After picking some apples and hawthorns, she couldn't help but miss strawberries, wondering if they could still be found in this era.

Split the bamboo into thin skewers, wash the fruit and thread them onto the skewers.

Then she put the sugar into the pot to melt. Watching the sugar slowly melt, she suddenly remembered the sugar that Lin Yu had given her when she first woke up. She couldn't bear to eat it, and the two of them kept pushing it back and forth until it was almost melted.

Fortunately, the Lin family no longer has to worry about money or even a bite to eat.

Once the sugar had completely melted and slowly turned a pale yellow color with fine bubbles, Lin Yan dipped a skewer into the sugar and put it in cold water to cool it down. The sugar solidified into a crispy sugar coating.

"It's done!" Lin Yan said with a smile.

Then Lin Yan rolled the skewered fruit in sugar to coat it with syrup, and placed it on the cutting board. Once the sugar coating solidified and cooled, the candied hawthorn skewers were ready.

Although winters in Yun'an aren't that cold, they still drop below freezing, so you don't have to worry about the candied hawthorns melting too quickly after you make them.

When Lin Yan came out with the candied hawthorns, she called out to everyone.

When Quan Wenxue arrived and saw the bright red candied hawthorns piled on the cutting board, her eyes lit up.

"Tanghulu!"

"Did you buy this? No, wait! Did you make this, Ayan?" Quan Wenxue thought Lin Yan had bought it, but then she realized she hadn't seen anyone leave.

"Correct!"

"That's amazing! You can even make candied hawthorns!"

Lin Yan looked at her, "You pick one!"

Quan Wenxue looked at them, picked up a bunch of hawthorns, and said, "I want this one! It's sweeter!"

Quan Wenxue smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling. A string of candied hawthorns brought out her playful, girlish side.

Quan Sinian doesn't usually buy candied hawthorns, but seeing so many, he took one, tasted it, and said, "Lin Yan, you cooked it just right, it's crispy!"

Lin's mother also said, "That's right, this sugar is cooked just right, it's ready to be sold!"

Madam Quan nodded in agreement; she loved eating it too.

Seeing that almost all of his family members had come, even Bu Huang came in to join in the fun, digging around under the table.

Lin Yan didn't see Lin Yu and figured the boy was probably still studying in the study. She grabbed two strings of candied hawthorns and went to the study.

As soon as they entered the room, they saw Lin Yu reading a book aloud. Lin Yan approached him with a candied hawthorn and waved it in front of him.

"Tanghulu!"

Lin Yu's eyes followed the candied hawthorn skewer, and he grabbed it, asking, "Is this for me?"

Lin Yan nodded, "Let's rest for a while!"

Lin Yu took a bite; it was sweet and sour, and he was extremely satisfied. He asked, "Where did you buy this?"

"This wasn't bought, I just made it!"

Lin Yu's eyes widened in surprise, "You did this!"

Then, winking, she exclaimed, "Wow, amazing! It tastes just as good as the ones sold in stores!"

"Eat up, eat up! Eat more sugar so your brain can work!" Lin Yan said with a smile.

On New Year's Eve, the Lin family got up early to put on new clothes, paste up Spring Festival couplets, and hang lanterns. The red couplets and lanterns filled the whole courtyard with a festive atmosphere.

"Wenxue, how is it this time? Is it correct?" Quan Sinian stood on the ladder, gesturing with the Spring Festival couplets in his hand, and asked loudly.

Quan Wenxue stood below, wearing a pink short jacket embroidered with hibiscus flowers, a peach-colored skirt, and a cloak. The fluffy collar made her look even more gentle and lively. "Perfect, perfect! This is it!"

Lin Yan and Lin Yu pasted the written "Fu" characters and paper-cut window decorations everywhere—on the walls, windows, doors, and even the not-yellow doghouse—adding a touch of red to everything.

Bu Huang seemed to sense the enthusiastic atmosphere as well, and was unusually excited today, running around with the two of them, wagging its tail and having a great time.

Lin's father and Quan Rongxing began moving the wine and transporting ingredients to the kitchen.

The kitchen was filled with smoke as Madam Quan and Lin's mother prepared food: boiled fish, braised pork, stir-fried vegetables... They would cook whatever they knew how to make and whatever they were good at, so that it would all be on the table during the New Year.

Mr. Lin exclaimed, "This is such a feast! I can't wait to have dinner tonight!" He genuinely felt it was a feast; it wasn't that he had never celebrated the New Year before, but rather that he had never eaten so well.

Because at this moment, the Lin family's New Year is still the same as before: pork stew with cabbage and a stewed chicken. Since the eldest son is no longer a laborer, life is even more difficult.

Quan Rongxing wasn't surprised. After all, he had seen far more extravagant things, but he was also caught up in the New Year's atmosphere and smiled happily.

He called to Lin's father, "Let's go have a couple of drinks first!"

Unfortunately, before Lin's father could answer, he was interrupted by two voices.

"No!" Lin's mother and Madam Quan said at the same time, looking at the two of them.

"Stay here and help me!"

"Okay!" Lin's father replied.

Quan Rongxing coughed twice, not daring to refute, and could only stay and do chores under the pressure of Madam Quan's gaze.