Jiang Xia stepped in to defuse the situation for Shen Mo, explaining, "My mother needs white sugar to enhance the flavor when making pickled vegetables and meat sauce, but we've run out at home. Moreover, if we want to get some from the city, we need sugar coupons..."
This was the topic of discussion that Zhou Lan and Jiang Chuan had just been deliberating upon entering the house. The awkwardness now lay in the fact that while the ingredients and the jars for pickling were ready—with the jars set to be delivered the next day—a large quantity of spices was missing.
It was entirely unexpected that everything would be prepared but would fall short on this detail. Jiang Chuan had even begun to consider finding some free time to drive to the county town's black market to exchange for white sugar.
