"To grind fresh rice and glutinous rice into powder, if you find it troublesome to do it manually, you can use a blender, which has the same effect..."
"Then prepare the right amount of water and sugar, pour them together and mix them into a flocculent state. Don't worry, the right ratio will be shown at the end of the video. Anyone interested can follow along..."
“Although it has become flocculent, it still needs to be sieved to make the powder finer and taste better…”
"Then you need to sift out a layer of brown sugar powder. You need a finer powder. If the brown sugar at home is clumping, you can use a wall-breaking machine to grind it..."
"Then I took out the square mold we bought in advance, and applied a layer of cake flour, a layer of brown sugar, and then a layer of cake flour. I scraped the surface flat and saw whether I needed to cut it into small pieces depending on the size of the mold. My mold was not big, and if I cut it again, there might not be much left after steaming, so I didn't cut it..."
"Then just steam it for about 30 minutes. When it's cooked, take it out of the mold and put the candied fruit on it."
“You can buy candied plums ready-made. If you think the taste is not good, I can teach you how to make candied plums later.”
Du Rourou pointed the camera at the pastries on the table. The white, square pastries were neatly arranged on a wooden plate on the table. They looked delicate and beautiful.
"Okay!" Du Rourou turned off the camera after filming enough. "I'm going to edit the video! I'll come out and help you later!"
"Go ahead, there's no rush," Ding Sha nodded and brought the pastries out to Xiao Jun.
Every time when she was unable to make a few pastries while filming a video, these would become Xiao Jun's snacks to fill his teeth and stomach.
Since he eats candy every day, Ding Sha seriously suspects that the toothache he has been complaining about recently is due to cavities.
Everyone in the hall gathered together to watch TV. Ding Sha looked around and asked, "Where's Sister Tong? Why isn't she here?"
"Oh, she went out to buy a pair of reading glasses. Da Zhuang's clothes were getting worn out quickly, and she said that he could still wear them if they were mended. But he couldn't see clearly as he was too old, so she said she would go to the flea market over there to buy a pair of reading glasses..." said Aunt Zhuang.
As soon as he finished speaking, Mrs. Tong opened the door and brought Si Le in.
"Xiao Le?!" Ding Sha looked at the black gauze wrapped around his arm with some surprise.
“Sister Shasha…” Si Le was trying to purse his lips stubbornly, but when he saw the familiar and concerned faces in the room, he couldn’t help but burst into tears.
"My mother... I... I don't have a mother anymore..."
Ding Sha was startled and quickly pulled him to sit down, "Don't cry, don't cry, what's wrong?"
"Sister Shasha..." Si Le sobbed, "My...my mother drank too much and got alcohol poisoning. She couldn't be saved..."
Ding Sha was stunned for a moment, "... Oh my God... then... then..."
She quickly asked, "How are you now? Have you arranged the funeral? What are you going to do in the future? Where is Xiao Shitou? Is he okay?"
Si Le cried, "The neighborhood committee helped with the funeral. They said they wanted to send Xiao Shitou to an orphanage. I... I have to go too..."
Ding Sha was a little overwhelmed.
"Can I not go? I've been to the welfare home they mentioned. It's full of bad kids who fight and bully others every day. I don't want Xiao Shitou to go..."
Ding Sha calmed himself down and turned to look at Xiao Jun for help.
Xiao Jun came over and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, tell me what you are thinking now. Only if you tell me can I help you."
"I... I want to continue working for you so that I can support Xiao Shitou..." Si Le said.
"Then have you ever thought about what to do if the money you earn from working is not enough for the two of you to live on? Besides, Xiao Shitou has to go to school in the future, and he also needs to live."
"Also, what if working affects your studies? Have you ever thought about that? And more realistically, what will you do after you go to college? Have you ever thought about that?"
Xiao Jun half-knelt down and looked at Si Le at eye level. "You are grown up now and you are a man. I know you want to shoulder the burden of supporting the family, but you have to consider everything before making a decision, otherwise it will be more trouble than gain."
"I know," Si Le lowered his head, "I can do it. I can endure hardships and persevere..."
For a moment, Xiao Jun didn't know how to say it more clearly, which made him realize that this was not something that could be done with just one sentence.
Xiao Jun was not afraid of spending money, but he was afraid that Si Le would regret it. He was afraid that he would toss and turn in bed regretting it in the days to come.
The decision he makes today will make him think about it for decades to come, and reflect on whether it was right or wrong.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense.
Aunt Zhuang looked at Si Le and then at Xiao Jun, and suddenly opened her mouth, "I have an idea—"
Ding Sha looked at her, "Aunt?"
"I..." Aunt Zhuang hesitated for a long time and then said it directly, "I'll just say it directly."
"I'm thinking of adopting you," Aunt Zhuang said. "I'm alone now. I've lost my husband and children. I don't want to look for another one at my age. I don't want to care about others either. I might as well adopt you and Shitou and live with you."
"I will support you in your studies and food. When I can no longer work, you can just take care of me in my old age."
"Do you think you'd like to?"
Si Le wiped away his tears and said, "I do!"
When he first met these people and accepted their kindness, he couldn't help but think, how nice it would be if they were a family...
It seems to be working now.
Si Le touched the black veil on his arm and made a silent decision in his heart.
Mom, you never got close to me or hugged me after you gave birth to me, and Shi Tou has never enjoyed any maternal love.
I have been working since I was old enough to understand. Over the years, I have earned money to buy you wine and food. I have repaid my mother for giving birth to you.
From now on, I will go find our own happiness.
If we are destined to be together, we will definitely be a very close mother and son in the next life...
Si Le thought so, stood up and bowed to Aunt Zhuang, "I do!"
Aunt Zhuang smiled happily, "Okay..."
"Aunt, if you are willing to adopt us, our house may be shabby, but it can shelter us from the wind and rain. I clean it every day. You can come and live at home anytime." Si Le took out the key from his pocket.
"Here is the key to the house. If you are not busy, I will take you to find the door."
"Don't worry, don't worry," Aunt Zhuang waved her hand and refused to take it. "If you want to recognize your family, you have to go through the formalities first, so that you can be legitimate."
Aunt Zhuang said as she remembered something, "Where's Shitou? Where's the little guy?"
Si Le said, "I asked him to wait for me at the auntie's place in the neighborhood committee. He has been a little sick recently and I was afraid he would catch a cold."
"I have my mother's cell phone with me. Auntie will contact me if anything happens."
As he was speaking, the phone in his pocket rang. Si Le took it out and saw that it was the aunt from the neighborhood committee.
"Aunt?"
"Xiao Le! Oh no! I just went out to get a document, and when I came back I found that the stone was gone!"
"What?" Si Le became anxious.
"I came back and saw the door was open. When I walked in, I saw that the small sofa where Shitou was lying was no longer there!"
"Auntie, please look around, I'll be home soon!" Si Le turned around and ran out.
"I'll drive you," Xiao Jun took off his apron and followed.
Ding Sha asked Mrs. Tong and Du Rourou to watch the store here, and he also pulled Wang Wenhao and Aunt Zhuang to follow. After all, it would be faster with more people.
"Where will the stone go..."
Si Le was so anxious that he was about to cry, but suddenly an idea came to him.
"Ah! I know! The stone must be there!"
Author's side note: There is one more chapter that will probably be posted on time, so you can have a good sleep before reading it~
(But don’t forget to vote for the cats!)