Chapter 11: 11 Sugar-Roasted Chestnuts

The autumn atmosphere seemed to have grown thicker; the treetops were a magnificent and colorful tapestry of red, yellow, and green. Leaves drifted occasionally onto the paths between the fields, and the wild grass by the roadside had begun to turn yellow and wither. Further away, the paddy fields were already empty, the rice having been fully harvested; only the neatly arranged rows of stubble remained, and in the fields, it seemed only those small, golden wild chrysanthemums were still blooming tenaciously.

At the end of the small path lay a village where houses, trees, and bamboo groves intertwined. It was late, and wisps of cooking smoke were slowly rising from the rooftops of every household. Birds chirped happily among the treetops, and somewhere by the roadside, a dog was barking incessantly. If only their own family weren't so poor... the mountains behind, the village before, and the water beside the village—wasn't it all a beautiful painting!

Because the harvest of this day was truly staggering, Li Menglan felt very tired, yet she remained high-spirited, as if her entire body were filled with strength. And rightfully so... if things continued like this, how far away would happiness be?

*Ahem*... the only thing that felt out of place was likely Li Zhihao, whose face was terrifyingly swollen and who was currently grimacing in pain.

Li Menglan had obtained the honey she had been longing for, but a price had been paid... there wasn't much honey, but the price was not small; one could tell just by looking at the frightening bumps on Li Zhihao's face. It was indeed not easy to obtain such a small amount of honey.

"Second Brother, don't be unhappy. Tonight, I'll make sugar-fried chestnuts for you—alright?" Li Menglan said, smiling as she comforted her second brother.

Li Menglan's words left Li Zhihao even more speechless. *Uh... so in my little sister's heart, I'm just a foodie!* Consequently, the miserable Li Zhihao became even more depressed.

After dinner, following Li Menglan's instructions, Li Mingming went to the edge of the Yun River and picked up some pebbles about the size of a finger. However... everyone expressed doubt: could one really fry delicious sugar-fried chestnuts using pebbles?

The whole family stayed up through the night, pouring out the chestnuts they had picked during the day. Three small wicker baskets were placed on the ground. The old and the young all joined in; even Li Fujin and Lin Sanniang participated. Following Li Menglan's instructions, they sorted the chestnuts by size, carefully screening them into three grades—top, middle, and bottom—and placing them into different baskets accordingly.

Li Menglan took a small knife and carved a cross pattern onto the surface of each chestnut. This would allow the flavor to penetrate faster and help them cook more quickly. The honey from the wild beehive had already been scraped out and poured into a bowl, mixed evenly with warm water. She poured the honey water evenly into the cross-cut slits to avoid wasting any.

Zhang Yuniang washed the large pot in the kitchen until it was spotless. A fire of hard firewood was burning brightly in the stove. Li Menglan carefully brushed the only bit of vegetable oil their family owned onto the pot and placed the cleaned, drained pebbles inside. When the bottom of the pot turned slightly reddish, she poured in the honey-soaked chestnuts; the rest of the task was left to her father—Li Dazhu!

One should not underestimate these small sugar-fried chestnuts; it was a labor-intensive task that required pure arm strength. In the Li family, aside from Li Dazhu, it would be very difficult for anyone else to manage.

Li Dazhu wielded the large spatula by the stove, his arms moving as fast as the wind. Sitting by the stove entrance, Zhang Yuniang tended to the fire from time to time. By the side of the stove, Li Menglan stood with a serious expression like a little adult, observing the color of the chestnuts in the pot and keeping a close eye on the heat and timing.

As Shangliang Village, nestled at the foot of the crooked-neck mountain, gradually sank into a quiet slumber, the light of a dim oil lamp still burned in the Li family's kitchen. The chestnuts continued to "pop and crackle" in the pot, the stove glowed red, and the entire kitchen was enveloped in a joyful atmosphere.

Time slipped away, and following the same steps, the Li family finished frying all the chestnuts through the night. Looking at the three baskets placed before them, filled with chestnuts still emitting steam and fragrance, satisfied smiles spread across the faces of the Li family members.

Li Zhihao, who was nearly falling asleep from waiting, could no longer restrain himself. He reached into the basket in front of him, peeled one, and tossed it into his mouth. Seeing Li Zhihao's expression of pure ecstasy, everyone couldn't help but smack their lips. It enticed the others to take a taste of their own; of course, everyone took the smallest grade—the high-quality ones were certainly being saved to be sold for money.

"Sister, these sugar-fried chestnuts are delicious," Li Zhihao said, swallowing his saliva.

"Second Brother, if they're delicious, then eat more. I don't plan to sell these smallest ones anyway; they're fried for the family to eat," Li Menglan said, unable to help but chuckle at the greedy look on her brother's face.

"Really? Sister, you're the best!" Immediately, Li Zhihao unceremoniously picked up another and popped it into his mouth.

Li Menglan also picked up a chestnut and peeled it. It really tasted similar to the ones she had eaten before. Perhaps because honey was used for frying, the texture was even better than before; it was sweet without being greasy, leaving a clear honey fragrance on the tongue. The taste was truly wonderful! Li Menglan could guarantee that given the standard of living in ancient times, many people would surely love this.

Li Menglan had her father, Li Dazhu, weigh the fried chestnuts. *Whoa... good heavens;* the best grade weighed nearly twenty catties, while the slightly inferior grade was about fifteen catties. As for the remaining lowest grade... Li Menglan intended to keep them for her family to eat, so she didn't have Li Dazhu weigh them.

Li Menglan also planned to take some of the lower-quality ones to the town to offer free samples to people buying sugar-fried chestnuts. This was a common promotional tactic from later generations, and it was very effective.

The next day, before dawn, everyone in the Li family was up. It took over an hour's walk to reach the nearest town from Shangliang Village, and besides, the town Li Menglan planned to visit today was even further away—Qingshui Town. This was because Qingshui Town was much larger and more prosperous than Changban Town, which was exactly why Li Menglan had set her sights on it.

After all, a larger town meant more bustle and prosperity, and naturally, the degree of acceptance for new things would be much higher.

Today, Li Menglan had assigned tasks to everyone in the Li family. The brothers, Li Zhihao and Li Mingming, would continue to go up the mountain to see if they could find more chestnuts, or perhaps persimmons or Sichuan peppercorns.

Li Dazhu would take Li Menglan to Qingshui Town to sell the sugar-fried chestnuts, while the three elders and women—Zhang Yuniang, Li Fujin, and Lin Sanniang—would stay home to peel and sun-dry the persimmons they had picked yesterday. As for the chili peppers... Li Menglan also planned to start making chopped chili and chili sauce after returning today.