I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 21

The method for making osmanthus honey was quite simple. After washing the osmanthus flowers thoroughly, they were boiled in a small pot with rock sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. The mixture was stirred continuously until the liquid in the pot changed color, at which point it was basically done.

Apart from the osmanthus to be boiled, Fu Qiao had also set aside a portion to dry for decoration. She spread a small handful of osmanthus flowers on a plate and took it out to the corridor to dry in the sun.

Xu Yingran idly stirred the bubbling osmanthus syrup in the pot with a spoon, watching Fu Qiao standing in the corridor drying the flowers. The air was filled with a faint, sweet fragrance.

While drying the flowers, Fu Qiao suddenly heard something and ran to the side, craning her neck to look. She leaned against the corridor railing with both hands, lifting one foot as she bounced up and down to see better.

After catching sight of something, she quickly turned and ran back inside, lively as a little rabbit.

“What’s going on?” Xu Yingran asked, stirring the pot with one hand on her hip. “You’re in such a hurry.”

Fu Qiao beamed. “The green plum seller is here!”

Yesterday, Fu Qiao had mentioned that there was a vendor selling green plums at the street corner, pushing a flat cart through the neighborhood. She had wanted to buy more to make preserved plums.

Now, it seemed she was eager to go downstairs and buy them.

Xu Yingran looked up and asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”

Fu Qiao thought for a moment, then nodded. “Let’s go together. I want to buy a lot.”

The osmanthus syrup was almost done, so Xu Yingran turned off the heat, grabbed her wallet, and went downstairs with Fu Qiao.

The green plum seller was an elderly man, sitting on a small stool in front of his cart, smoking a cigarette. A few people were gathered around the cart, picking out plums themselves.

Fu Qiao loved these little things and hurried over. “How much for the plums?”

The old man took a drag of his cigarette and said, “Ten yuan for three jin. Pick them yourself.”

The price seemed reasonable, so Fu Qiao grabbed a bag and started selecting plums.

It had rained a couple of days ago, and some of the green plums weren’t very fresh. Xu Yingran helped Fu Qiao pick out two full bags. After weighing them, they paid fifty yuan and carried the heavy bags back home.

By then, Zhao Yu had finished chatting with the neighbors. Seeing the two girls lugging two large bags of green plums, she asked curiously, “There are still green plums for sale this late in the season?”

Green plums were usually in season around August or September. Now it was October, technically not completely out of season, but they might not taste as good.

Xu Yingran didn’t know much about this. She set the two bags on the table, picked up a plum, wiped it casually, and took a bite. “Aren’t green plums supposed to be sour? They should all be about the same, ugh!”

Before she could finish, the sourness of the plum hit her like a punch, making her eyes water. She immediately spat the bitten flesh into the trash, stomping her feet from the intense sourness.

She had only ever eaten processed green plums before and had no idea they could be this sour.

Zhao Yu and Fu Qiao each tried one too. Fu Qiao immediately jumped from the sourness, while Zhao Yu, being an adult, managed to keep a straight face and asked, “Didn’t you taste them before buying?”

Fu Qiao frowned. “The ones my mom bought before weren’t this sour…”

Zhao Yu chuckled. “You two probably got tricked. How much did you pay?”

“Ten yuan for three jin.”

“It’s not expensive, but you can’t eat them directly. What are you planning to do with them?”

Fu Qiao wiped the corner of her mouth and said, “I want to pickle some preserved plums. I’m not sure if these sour ones will turn out well.”

After speaking, Fu Qiao couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. She was still young and usually bought things without asking the price, never expecting to stumble today. Even if these sour green plums were pickled, they might still be too tart, she wasn’t sure if it would work.

Xu Yingran noticed Fu Qiao’s concern and reassured her, “It’s fine. Don’t you add sugar when pickling plums anyway? Maybe they’ll turn sweet by then.”

After all, little green plums soaked in sugar would eventually sweeten over time.

Xu Yingran gently poked Fu Qiao’s soft cheek and said, “Let’s finish making the osmanthus honey first, then figure out what to do with these plums.”

Work had to be done step by step, just like eating, one bite at a time.

Xu Yingran knew well that haste makes waste, so she pulled Fu Qiao along to make a few jars of osmanthus honey first. The golden osmanthus flowers mixed with syrup, sticky and fragrant, filled the air with their sweet scent.

A whole pot of osmanthus yielded only three small jars, one for Fu Qiao to take home, and the remaining two left with Xu Yingran.

Just as the two were about to start on the green plums, someone called Xu Yingran’s name from the hallway outside.

When Xu Yingran peeked out, she saw Yao Jin standing in the courtyard, looking up at her. The scorching sun beat down, but Yao Jin wasn’t foolish, she had found a shady spot under a tree, the dappled light casting round and flat shadows on her.

“Hmm?” Xu Yingran asked curiously from upstairs, “How did you find my place?”

Yao Jin shielded her eyes with one hand, the other tucked in her pocket, and said, “Didn’t I come here before? Just asked around a bit and found out where you live.”

Xu Yingran was still puzzled when Fu Qiao stepped out of the room and spotted Yao Jin.

“Oh?” Fu Qiao also asked curiously, “How did you get here?”

Yao Jin craned her neck and said, “Do we really have to shout at each other like this?”

It was tiring on the neck.

Eventually, Xu Yingran went downstairs to greet her and asked, “It’s the weekend, shouldn’t you be at home doing homework? What brings you here?”

Fu Qiao stood nearby and smiled at Yao Jin. “Yao Jin, do you want to help us pickle plums?”

“What’s that?” Yao Jin had never heard of it before. Following Xu Yingran inside, she saw a table full of unripe green plums.

Zhao Yu hadn’t met Yao Jin before but knew she was Xu Yingran’s classmate. She chuckled and said, “I’ll leave the house to you girls. I’m going to visit the neighbors, call me if you need anything.”

Then she asked Fu Qiao and Yao Jin, “Are you staying for lunch?”

Yao Jin had never eaten at a friend’s house before and hesitated slightly. Fu Qiao was about to decline too, normally, her parents would be awake by noon. But Xu Yingran didn’t give them a chance to refuse and directly told Zhao Yu, “They’re both staying for lunch, Mom. Make something extra delicious.”

“Alright.” Zhao Yu smiled warmly and said to the three of them, “Then I’ll go buy some groceries. Let me know if you have any favorites, Auntie’s cooking is really good.”

Xu Yingran casually listed a few dishes, and Zhao Yu grabbed her purse and headed out.

When only the three children were left in the room, Fu Qiao finally spoke up, “My parents will probably wake up soon. I need to let them know if I’m staying for dinner.”

Yao Jin also said, “I just came to check on you because I heard you were sick yesterday. I didn’t plan on eating here.”

“Why are you two being so fussy?” Xu Yingran put her hands on her hips and said to them, “It’s settled. Didn’t you see my mom already went out to buy groceries? Stop talking and let’s hurry up and wash all these green plums.”

As Fu Qiao and Xu Yingran rolled up their sleeves to start washing the plums, Yao Jin pointed at herself in confusion and asked, “Do I have to help too?”

The answer, of course, was yes.

First, they sorted the plums, the greener ones would be used to make plum wine, while those with a slight yellow tint would be pickled into preserved plums.

As she washed them, Yao Jin picked up one curiously and asked, “Are these plums sour?”

Hearing this, Xu Yingran paused her work and looked up at her with a mischievous grin. “Why don’t you try one and find out?”

Fu Qiao also glanced over stealthily, only to see Yao Jin foolishly take a big bite. Instantly, she jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Xu Yingran burst into laughter, doubling over, and ended up being chased around the table by Yao Jin.

The green plums were soaked in saltwater for half an hour, scrubbed with salt, and then placed in clean glass jars with the salt to pickle for a month. After that, they would be taken out to dry in the sun for a few days before being layered with sugar and pickled for another two months to become preserved plums.

As for the plum wine, it was even simpler. The washed plums were placed in glass jars, layered with sugar, and then half-filled with liquor. After three months, it would become plum wine. For a richer flavor, they could let it sit for a year or two without any issues.

The three of them chatted as they worked, making quick progress. By the time Zhao Yu was ready to start cooking, everything was already prepared.

Looking at the table filled with osmanthus honey and plum wine, Zhao Yu was impressed by the children’s handiwork. In the end, they divided the goods, each taking a jar of plum wine, while the preserved plums stayed at Xu Yingran’s house since Fu Qiao would need to take them out to dry in a month, making it the most convenient arrangement.

Yao Jin had only intended to check on Xu Yingran’s recovery, as she was the first friend Yao Jin had made at this new school. It would’ve been rude not to visit.

But to her surprise, Xu Yingran wasn’t just fine, she was even more energetic than Yao Jin herself.

On top of that, Yao Jin ended up taking home a bottle of osmanthus honey and a jar of plum wine.

For lunch, Zhao Yu prepared a feast. Afterward, she packed two extra dishes for Fu Qiao to take home to her parents, saving them the trouble of cooking.

After a busy morning, Yao Jin had her driver fetch her homework in the afternoon, and the three of them sat down to study together.

Among them, Fu Qiao had the best grades, so she took on the role of explaining difficult problems. “Both of you got this question wrong,” she said to Xu Yingran and Yao Jin. “Let me walk you through it…”

Fu Qiao was very serious when explaining, as if she wanted to break down every concept and stuff it into their brains.

Yao Jin listened very attentively, in fact, she approached everything with great seriousness. On the other hand, Xu Yingran gradually began to lose focus as she listened.

Her gaze rested on Fu Qiao sitting across from her, her eyes filled with an indescribable melancholy…