After choosing six buckets, Xu Niannian also planned to buy cloth covers to place on top of the buckets, to prevent dust from falling into the water.
However, after looking, she saw that all the cloth covers sold at the supply and marketing cooperative easily shed fibers, which was even less desirable.
In the end, after much consideration, Xu Niannian simply tore off four feet of blue coarse cloth. Although the cloth was rough, it wouldn't shed fibers because it had no fibers to shed.
The sugar water business would only last for the Dragon Boat Festival, it wasn't a long-term venture; Xu Niannian didn't plan for it to be. This was just a means to earn startup capital for the business.
The buckets were forty cents each, and the coarse cloth was thirty cents per foot. She bought six buckets and four feet of cloth.
The total cost was three yuan and sixty cents, leaving one yuan and forty cents. Xu Niannian then changed forty cents into small change.
This would make it easier to give change when the time came.
After purchasing these items, Xu Niannian took Xu Zhiqiang back home.
Yang Cuihua had been impatiently waiting; if she didn't have work to do, she would have definitely accompanied her daughter.
Even though they were just going to the town and Xu Zhiqiang was with her, Yang Cuihua still felt uneasy; she couldn't help worrying about her daughter's beauty attracting troublemakers.
After finishing her work, she waited at the entrance of the village. Xu Niannian could see Yang Cuihua from a distance.
"Mom, why did you come here?" Xu Niannian hurried over.
Seeing her daughter's face red from the sun, Yang Cuihua felt a pang of distress, "I came to pick you up, why didn't you wear a straw hat when you went out?"
Xu Niannian explained, "It wasn't hot when I left."
From the beginning to the end, Yang Cuihua acted as if she didn't see Xu Zhiqiang, treating him like thin air, which was fine since Xu Zhiqiang didn't mind and was used to it.
On the way home, Yang Cuihua peppered Xu Niannian with questions about the purchases, and Xu Niannian diligently reported everything she had bought.
Once at home, Xu Niannian immediately got to work on boiling the sugar water; Xu Zhiqiang and Xu Dawei helped peel the sugar cane and cut it into sections.
Xu Niannian filled their big iron pot with water, while Xu Duoyu squatted on the ground, picking up sugar cane peels to chew. Seeing this, Xu Niannian gave him a big section to gnaw on instead.
Getting the treat, Xu Duoyu couldn't close his little mouth with joy, hugging the sugar cane with his dark little hands, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, sister."
His dirty hands left several black fingerprints on the sugar cane, but Xu Niannian, amused, didn't scold him.
Before long, Xu Dawei and Xu Zhiqiang finished preparing the big bundle of sugar cane, just as the water boiled. Xu Niannian scooped five scoops full of sugar cane into the pot with a large iron ladle.
She had tasted the sugar cane earlier, and it was sweet enough; with the amount she added, the boiled syrup should turn out fine.
With the sugar cane processed, there was nothing left for Xu Dawei to do, so he simply left the kitchen.
After finishing the sugar cane, Xu Duoyu clung to Xu Zhiqiang's leg, curiously looking up to see what Xu Niannian was doing.
Xu Zhiqiang simply picked him up for a better look.
It didn't take long for the water to boil. In the meantime, Xu Niannian continuously stirred the pot with a ladle. When the sugar cane was nearly soft, she pressed it flat with the back of the iron ladle to squeeze out the sweet juice.
She boiled three large pots in total, with one pot just enough to fill two buckets.
Xu Niannian didn't rush to pour it into the buckets right away. She first used the ladle to remove the large pieces of sugar cane residue, then covered the buckets with cheesecloth to slowly filter out the remaining bits.
After filtering back and forth four times, the syrup was finally rid of residue.
Xu Duoyu and Xu Zhiqiang stayed in the kitchen throughout, with Xu Niannian instructing and Xu Zhiqiang handling the task.
After all, the iron pot was too large, and it became even heavier when filled with water.
Xu Duoyu followed closely, watching Xu Zhiqiang, like a little glutton.
By the time they finished, it was almost dark. Boiling six buckets of sugar water took quite a bit of time, not to mention a good amount of firewood burned.
After finishing these tasks, Xu Niannian was already drenched in sweat.
The family hadn't had dinner yet, their stomachs growling with hunger.
Xu Duoyu's belly made even louder rumbling noises.
There was some wheat flour left in the house, which Yang Cuihua had specifically set aside for Xu Niannian's meals.
Xu Zhiqiang was about to cook rice bran when Niannian said, "Let me do it. Zhiqiang, go to the backyard and pick two heads of cabbage, clean them thoroughly."
Usually, when cooking rice bran, they indeed added greens and cabbage—there was no choice, the family was too poor to eat much rice bran, always afraid they wouldn't make it to the next grain distribution.
Xu Zhiqiang agreed and took Xu Duoyu to the backyard to pick vegetables.
Meanwhile, Xu Niannian poured out the wheat flour, mixed it with water, and began kneading the dough. Once the flour touched the water, she worked quickly and soon had a ball of dough.
When she was on her own, she always liked to make dough drops.
The wheat flour wasn't much, probably just enough for one family meal, which Xu Niannian dumped out completely.
Making dough drops didn't require the dough to rest; it could be kneaded into a ball and torn into pieces and boiled directly once the water boiled.
Soon, Xu Zhiqiang returned with Xu Duoyu, holding two large heads of cabbage.
As soon as they arrived, they saw Xu Niannian kneading the dough. Duoyu's eyes were fixed on the white dough on the board, looking longingly, and even rubbed his eyes vigorously with his small hands.
"Sister, is that white flour?" Xu Duoyu asked eagerly. That was fine grain, and in their family, only Niannian got to eat it while everyone else had to stick to rice bran.
Every time Niannian ate it, they could only watch.
Once, when he took advantage of Niannian going into the kitchen, he sneakily licked the edge of the bowl. He got caught by her and she almost beat him half to death. If it hadn't been for Dawei taking the beating for him, he would have been beaten to death.
Xu Duoyu was forgetful about most things, but he remembered very clearly the many times Niannian had beaten him.
Xu Zhiqiang was also stunned.
He thought Xu Niannian was making it just for herself and hurriedly said, "Sister, you've used too much flour."
Xu Niannian was in the midst of kneading. The better the dough was kneaded, the chewier it would be, and the tastier the meal.
Kneading dough was all about technique, something she had learned from a Lanzhou noodle shop owner she watched.
Hearing Xu Zhiqiang, Niannian wiped her sweat and said, "It's not too much; it's just enough for our family. We may even run short."
"Sister, can Duoyu have some too?" Upon hearing Niannian say it was just enough for the family, Duoyu's eyes lit up.
Xu Niannian loved to see Duoyu's gluttonous little expression—it was simply too cute.
"Why not? Our whole family can eat," Niannian said with a smile.
Overjoyed, Xu Duoyu hugged Xu Zhiqiang's neck, "Big brother, sister said we can eat dough drops."
Xu Duoyu was only bolder when Xu Zhiqiang was around. Normally, he was as timid as a little cat, avoiding everyone.
Xu Zhiqiang didn't say a word, his throat tightened as he looked at Niannian kneading the dough with complex emotions.
He had witnessed Niannian's changes over these few days. Previously, Niannian was the person Zhiqiang hated the most, with his mother being the second. But now, in just the short span of three or four days, he found his hatred waning.
"What are you standing there for, hurry up and wash the vegetables. I'm waiting to use them," Niannian said.
With mixed feelings, Xu Zhiqiang took the vegetables and washed them.