Simei was sitting on a small bench in the yard, holding her chin in her hands, her face full of worry.
Brother, why aren't you back yet?
Suddenly, a sweet fragrance wafted in the air. Simei shrugged her nose and looked towards the kitchen unconsciously.
The next second, she followed the smell and walked into the kitchen. She was leaning on the door of the kitchen and peeked inside.
"Second brother, what delicious food are you making?"
"Orange candy."
While Erqiang was answering Simei's questions, he was concentrating on stirring the syrup in the pot.
These oranges were sent by Qiao Zuwang a few days ago. I don’t know where he bought them from, but he bought twenty or thirty kilograms in one go.
I gave ten kilograms to the second aunt's family, but there was still nearly twenty kilograms left. Their children had small appetites, so they could not finish the food.
The weather in July was hot, and Erqiang was afraid that things would break if left out for too long, so he planned to dispose of the remaining oranges.
His elder brother taught him how to make orange candy.
It’s not difficult to make. Peel the oranges, remove the seeds and beat into juice. Add an appropriate amount of maltose and white sugar and mix well.
Then, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low heat, stirring constantly, until a paste forms and is non-stick and ready to serve.
Finally, let it cool, cut into pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar to coat evenly, and the orange candy is successfully made.
The orange candies made in this way are bouncy and chewy, can be stored longer, and are more delicious.
Normally, Simei can only eat one or two oranges at most, but when they are made into orange candies, Simei can eat a large plate in one sitting.
"Orange candy?"
Simei jumped to the stove and looked at the orange-red paste-like object. She couldn't help but swallow.
At this moment, the worries in her heart had long since disappeared, leaving only the desire for delicious food.
As a child, emotions come and go quickly.
'Looks delicious!'
Erqiang obviously knew Simei very well and glanced at her.
"Don't be greedy. It's not ready yet. When it's ready, you can eat it all at once."
"real?"
Simei stared at Erqiang with wide eyes and looked at Erqiang in disbelief. Although she didn't lack food on weekdays, the portion was controlled every time she ate.
Especially my sister, she is always watching from the side, wishing she could take the measuring ruler and measure it again every time.
"real."
Erqiang looked at Simei with a doting look on his face, smiled and nodded.
"When it's ready later, I'll secretly hide a portion for you, and then you can secretly eat it yourself."
Facing the serious Sanli, Erqiang was also a little frightened, so he subconsciously lowered his voice when speaking.
However, the two men's plan ultimately came to nothing.
Because Sanli came back early today, as soon as she entered the yard, she smelled the fragrance coming from the kitchen.
The taste is very familiar, much like the orange gummy made by my elder brother.
'Could it be that the eldest brother is back?'
Thinking of this, Sanli felt happy.
Big brother has been gone for so long and is finally back!
"Brother?"
Sanli almost sprinted towards the kitchen at a speed of 100 meters.
Before the people arrive, the sound arrives first.
The two people who were plotting immediately turned back to the kitchen door when they heard Sanli's voice.
"Second brother?"
Sanli's eyes scanned around the kitchen, but she didn't see the figure she imagined.
Erqiang smiled slightly: "Are you back? I happened to make orange candies. They will be ready soon. Do you want to eat some first?"
"No."
Sanli shook her head, then left the kitchen with her head hanging down.
Looking at Sanli's leaving figure, Erqiang's heart moved. He knew that Sanli missed her elder brother, but whether his elder brother came back was not something he could do.
All he can do is make his brothers and sisters happy.
He remembered that his elder brother once said that sweets can make people feel happier.
At that time, he curiously asked his elder brother, "Why do you feel happy when you eat sweets?" His elder brother explained it to him, but he forgot.
Now he only remembers that 'sweets make people happy'.
It just so happened that his younger brothers and sisters were unhappy now, so he tried to make the orange gummies he remembered.
Although he used up all the candy coupons left by his eldest brother to make gummy candies, the second brother didn't feel bad at all.
As long as his younger brothers and sisters can be happy, he will be happy.
He is the second eldest in the family. When his eldest brother is away, he must shoulder his responsibilities.
"Excuse me, is this the second aunt Qiao Yicheng's house?"
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
After many twists and turns, Principal Zhu finally found the home of a relative of ‘Yi Cheng’. Two days ago, he went to find Principal Hu, only to learn that Old Hu had gone to the countryside to visit relatives.
After waiting hard for two days, Principal Hu just returned home.
However, precisely because of waiting for two days, the excitement in Principal Zhu's heart also subsided, and he turned back into the little old man who smiled when he saw everyone.
After opening the courtyard door, Sanli said with a surprised look on her face.
"Grandpa Hu, how did you find this place?"
"Your neighbor Aunt Wu told me." Principal Hu said while looking towards the yard.
"Sanli, where is your elder brother? Isn't he at home?"
"My eldest brother...went out to visit relatives, but he hasn't come back yet."
Sanli almost spilled the beans.
Li Jie told them before leaving that if anyone asked him where he was, just say that he was visiting relatives and never say that he was going to Pengcheng.
As soon as the college entrance examination was over, Li Jie knew his results in his heart.
As soon as the score comes out, he will definitely attract a lot of attention, so keep a low profile if you can.
Although the existence of self-employed individuals has been recognized above, it will still take a few more years before the market economy is completely liberalized.
He doesn't want to be used as a target by someone with serious intentions.
As for why he went all out to take the exam even though he knew he would become famous.
A large part of the reason is to set a good example for the second strong, Sanli, Simei, and Qiqi.
Knowledge changes destiny is not an empty saying, but a proven saying.
The reason why Li Jie asked them all to go to college was not to help them achieve any achievements in the future, but just to give them more choices.
That's all!
Principal Hu murmured: "You haven't come back yet?"
"Um."
Sanli nodded seriously and asked: "Grandpa Hu, do you have anything to do with my elder brother?"
"I'm here to announce the good news."
Having said this, Principal Hu paused suddenly, turned slightly to the side, and handed over the right to speak to Principal Zhu.
After all, 'Yicheng' is now a student of Jinling Middle School, so of course someone should announce the good news.
Upon seeing this, Principal Zhu shook his head slightly, raised his hand and said, "Old Hu, it's up to you to talk about this matter."
"Isn't this bad?"
"There's nothing wrong with that. You're also a perfect teacher."
"Then...that's what I said?"
"Say it."
Listening to the riddle-like conversation between the two, Sanli was filled with doubts. If it weren't for the smiles on their faces, she would have thought something had happened to her elder brother.