Chapter 78: An Unexpected Scene

Making crooked jujube sugar is not difficult; the process involves simple steps like removing stems, washing, crushing, adding water, extracting juice, and boiling. The tools needed are just a stone mortar, a cloth for filtration, a pot, and a jar that has been scalded with boiling water and dried for storing the syrup.

The challenge lies in the quantity they collected, nearly three baskets full. After removing the stems, they had almost a full bucket, making each step of the process time-consuming. Just the stemming and crushing took a lot of time.

When it came to boiling the sugar, there wasn’t much skill involved; the key was to manage the heat and stir frequently, especially towards the end.

Shen Ning, having watched the process once, felt that she could handle these tasks next time.

The siblings were fascinated as they watched the initially greenish-yellow juice gradually turn red during boiling, finally becoming an enticingly dark brown syrup. It seemed almost magical.

When it was time to fill the jar, they were thrilled. Together, they carried over the dried jar, watching Sang Luo spoon the syrup from the pot into the jar, the sweet aroma making them drool.

By the time the jar was almost full, the sides of the pot had been scraped clean, filling the jar perfectly.

The expressions of the siblings, looking at the full jar of crooked jujube sugar, were those of complete fascination, as if they wished they could embrace and savor the jar like they would with honey.

Sang Luo, amused by their reaction, instructed the two: "Go get a bowl and two pairs of chopsticks."

Their eyes lit up instantly. Forgetting the jar by the stove, they hurriedly fetched a bowl and three pairs of chopsticks, excitedly handing the bowl to Sang Luo.

Sang Luo thoroughly scraped the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. After several scrapes, she lifted the spoon, revealing a half-spoonful of deep brown syrup.

The two children tiptoed, their necks stretched and eyes gleaming as they watched the syrup slowly poured into the bowl, as thrilled as little squirrels. Sang Luo filled the spoon almost full, then scraped it back into the pot for another round. The second spoonful wasn't as much, but it was enough to delight the children.

"Alright, let's twirl and eat it with the chopsticks."

A pair of chopsticks was passed to Sang Luo, "Big sister, you try too!"

Sang Luo, not being bashful, happily accepted the chopsticks, dipped them into the syrup, and then twirled, twirled, and twirled. By now, the syrup had almost cooled and was semi-solid, easily twirlable. With a few swirls, her chopsticks looked like a lollipop.

The children eagerly f