Cheng Su entertained Sister Wang and the others with a midday meal before they left, and after a busy lunch service, sat down at two in the afternoon for her own lunch. Only then did she begin to make pineapple jam.
Since pineapple jam was extra work, Cheng Su paid Qiulan and He Yue an additional hardship fee, as a way of asking for their assistance.
As they had nothing else to do in the afternoon, and were being offered an extra fee, Qiulan and the others were naturally willing. Besides, they had seen pineapple jam sold outside and it was expensive. Now that Cheng Su was making it herself, they were eager to learn.
With a large pile of pineapples to peel, soak, and cut, they were fortunate to have a juicer. Otherwise, chopping by hand would have been exhausting.
The three young women, wearing masks and gloves, busied themselves until dusk. When Taiguo came to pick Cheng Su up, she let He Yue and Qiulan leave first, while she and Taiguo finished up together.
