Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 21

The recipe for osmanthus honey is remarkably simple: bring cleaned osmanthus blossoms to a boil in a small pot, add rock sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, and stir continuously. Once the juice of the blossoms changes color, the mixture is essentially formed.

In addition to the blossoms used for the syrup, Fu Qiao set aside a portion to dry. To create these decorative dried flowers, she spread a small handful of blossoms flat on a plate and set them out in the hallway to air-dry.

Xu Yingran idly stirred the bubbling osmanthus syrup with a spoon, watching Fu Qiao tend to the flowers on the balcony. The air was thick with a delicate, sweet fragrance.

As she worked, Fu Qiao suddenly heard something. She hurried to the edge of the railing, gripping it with both hands and standing on her tiptoes to peer down into the street.

Evidently seeing what she was looking for, she turned and darted back into the house like a lively little rabbit.

“What is it?”

Xu Yingran, hand on her hip as she stirred the pot, watched her rush in. “Look at you, all fired up.”

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

Yesterday, Fu Qiao had mentioned a vendor who sold green plums from a flatbed cart, roaming the streets and alleys. She had expressed a desire to buy a large batch to make dried prunes.

It seemed she was ready to head down and make her purchase.

Xu Yingran looked up and asked, “Want me to go down with you?”

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

The osmanthus syrup was nearly finished. Xu Yingran turned off the heat, grabbed her wallet, and headed downstairs with Fu Qiao.

The plum vendor was an elderly man, currently sitting on a folding stool in front of his cart, puffing on a cigarette. A few people were gathered around the cart, hand-picking their own plums.

Fu Qiao loved these little things. She hurried over and asked, “How much are the plums?”

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

Finding the price reasonable, Fu Qiao grabbed a bag and began sorting through the fruit.

Because of the rain over the past few days, some of the plums were no longer fresh. Xu Yingran helped Fu Qiao pick enough to fill two bags. The total came to fifty yuan. Each girl lugged a large, heavy bag back home.

By this time, Zhao Yu had finished her chat with the neighbors. Seeing the two children carrying massive bags of green plums, she asked curiously, “Are there still people selling green plums at this time of year?”

Typically, green plums hit the market in August or September. It was now October; while not strictly out of season, the quality wasn’t guaranteed.

Xu Yingran didn’t know much about fruit. She set the two heavy bags on the table, grabbed a plum, gave it a quick wipe, and took a bite. “Aren’t green plums always sour? They should all be about the—gah!”

Before she could finish her sentence, the sheer acidity of the plum made her see stars. She lunged for the trash can to spit out the fruit, stomping her feet in a sour-induced frenzy.

She had only ever eaten processed plums before; she hadn’t realized the raw ones were this tart.

Zhao Yu and Fu Qiao each took one to taste as well. Fu Qiao practically jumped from the shock of the sourness. Zhao Yu, being the adult, managed to keep a straight face while asking, “Didn’t you two try them before buying?”

Fu Qiao said with a long face, “The ones my mom used to buy weren’t this sour…”

Zhao Yu laughed. “I think you two were swindled. How much did you pay?”

“Ten yuan for three catties.”

“Well, it wasn’t expensive, but you certainly can’t eat them like this. What do you plan to do with them?”

Fu Qiao wiped the corners of her mouth. “I wanted to pickle some dried prunes. They’re so sour, I don’t even know if they’ll turn out right.”

Fu Qiao looked disappointed. Being young, she usually just took what she wanted without haggling or checking quality. She hadn’t expected to stumble today. If the plums were this sour, even the finished prunes might be unpalatable.

Sensing Fu Qiao’s mood, Xu Yingran comforted her. “It’s fine. Don’t you have to add sugar to make prunes anyway? Maybe they’ll turn out sweet in the end.”

After all, if the little plums were soaked in sugar long enough, they were bound to sweeten up eventually.

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

One task at a time, one bite at a time.

Xu Yingran knew that “patience is a virtue.” She led Fu Qiao in filling several jars with osmanthus honey. The golden blossoms mixed with the syrup created a sticky, sweet concoction brimming with fragrance.

The entire pot only yielded three small jars. Fu Qiao took one, while the other two remained with Xu Yingran.

Just as they were about to tackle the plums, they heard someone calling Xu Yingran’s name from the hallway.

Xu Yingran leaned out and saw Yao Jin standing in the courtyard, looking up. The hot sun beat down from above, but Yao Jin was clever enough to stand in the shade of a tree, dappled shadows dancing across her clothes.

“Huh?” Xu Yingran called down curiously. “How did you find my house?”

Yao Jin shielded her eyes with her hand, her other hand in her pocket. “I came here once before, didn’t I? A little asking around and I found out where you lived.”

While Xu Yingran was still wondering why she was there, Fu Qiao stepped out and spotted Yao Jin.

“Oh?” Fu Qiao asked, equally curious. “What brings you here?”

Yao Jin tilted her head back and asked, “Do we really have to shout across the air like this?”

It was a real strain on the neck.

Xu Yingran eventually met her at the stairwell and led her up. “It’s a big weekend; why aren’t you at home doing homework? Why come all the way here?”

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

“What’s that?” Yao Jin had never heard of such a thing. Following Xu Yingran inside, she saw a table covered in hard, green plums.

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

She then asked Fu Qiao and Yao Jin, “Will you be staying for lunch?”

Yao Jin had never eaten at a friend’s house before and hesitated. Fu Qiao had also intended to decline, as her parents would likely be awake by noon. However, Xu Yingran didn’t give them the chance. She turned to Zhao Yu and said, “They’re both eating here. Mom, make something extra delicious.”

“Will do.” Zhao Yu beamed. “I’ll go buy some groceries then. Tell me if there’s anything you particularly like; I’m quite the cook.”

Xu Yingran casually listed a few dishes, and Zhao Yu headed out with her wallet.

Once the three girls were alone, Fu Qiao said, “My parents will probably be up soon. I need to let them know I’m eating here.”

Yao Jin added, “I just came to see how you were doing after being sick yesterday. I didn’t plan on imposing for lunch.”

“Why do you two talk so much?” Xu Yingran said with her hands on her hips. “It’s settled. My mom’s already gone for groceries, so stop complaining. Let’s get these plums washed.”

Seeing Fu Qiao and Xu Yingran rolling up their sleeves, Yao Jin pointed at herself blankly. “Me too?”

As it turned out, yes.

First, they sorted the plums: the very green ones were for plum wine, while those showing a hint of yellow were for pickling.

As she washed, Yao Jin looked at a plum and asked curiously, “Are these sour?”

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

Fu Qiao also peeked over secretly. They watched as the gullible Yao Jin took a massive bite, then instantly jumped like a cat that had its tail stepped on. Xu Yingran doubled over laughing while Yao Jin began chasing her around the table.

The plums were soaked in saltwater for half an hour, then rubbed with salt again. Finally, the fruit and salt were placed in clean glass jars to ferment for a month. After that, they would be dried in the sun for several days, then layered with sugar and pickled for another two months to become dried prunes.

The plum wine was even simpler. The washed fruit was placed in jars, layered with sugar, and then topped with half a bottle of white liquor. After three months, the wine would be ready. If one wanted a richer flavor, the wine could be aged for a year or two without issue.

The three of them chatted as they worked, and the pace was fast. They finished everything before Zhao Yu was ready to start cooking.

Looking at the table filled with osmanthus honey and plum wine, Zhao Yu admired the girls’ handiwork. In the end, they divided the spoils: everyone got a jar of plum wine, but the prunes remained at Xu Yingran’s house. Since Fu Qiao would need to bring them out for drying in a month, Xu Yingran’s place was the most convenient location.

Yao Jin had originally only intended to check on Xu Yingran’s recovery. After all, Xu Yingran was her first friend at this new school; it would have been improper not to visit.

She hadn’t expected Xu Yingran to be perfectly fine, leaping about and running faster than she could.

Furthermore, she had gained a jar of osmanthus honey and a jar of plum wine.

Zhao Yu cooked a feast for lunch. Afterward, she set aside two dishes for Fu Qiao to take home to her parents so they wouldn’t have to cook.

After a busy morning, Yao Jin had her driver bring her homework to the house. The three of them sat together to start their studies.

Of the three, Fu Qiao had the best grades, so she took on the role of tutor. She told Xu Yingran and Yao Jin, “You both got this problem wrong. Let me explain it to you…”

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

Yao Jin listened intently—she was serious about everything she did. Xu Yingran, however, found her mind beginning to wander as she listened.

Looking at Fu Qiao sitting across from her, a wave of inexplicable melancholy washed over her eyes…