Chapter 35: Candied Chestnuts

Once they arrived home, both of them let out a sigh of relief.

Even someone like Zhou Sinian, who was as efficient as a machine, felt a bit tired.

Ming Dai watched him staring at the sack and knew exactly what he was thinking—he wanted candied chestnuts.

She had to fulfill that wish!

Employees needed motivation, after all. Without encouragement, how could they unlock their full potential?

The cunning boss had decided to use candied chestnuts as a sweet tactic to break down Zhou Sinian’s defenses.

She sent him off to wash his face, then took out a basin and picked a small portion of chestnuts.

After washing them and draining the water, she grabbed a small knife and handed it to Zhou Sinian after he was done with his face, asking him to score the chestnuts.

Zhou Sinian was very skilled with the knife. His fingers were nimble, and the crosshatch pattern he made was precise.

Ming Dai then lit the large pot, taking out some oil and sugar from the cupboard to prepare.

Once Zhou Sinian had scored the chestnuts, Ming Dai instructed him to pour them into the pot.

The pot heated up, and the moisture from the chestnuts slowly evaporated. Ming Dai stirred the chestnuts with a spatula, and soon Zhou Sinian took over.

When the crackling sound of the chestnut shells lessened, Ming Dai told Zhou Sinian to take the chestnuts out of the pot.

After washing the pot, she heated it up again, added oil, and poured in most of a bag of white sugar. She stirred it with the spatula until the sugar turned into a glaze.

“Pour them in.”

Following her instruction, Zhou Sinian poured all the chestnuts from the sieve into the pot.

Ming Dai continued to stir until every chestnut was coated with the sugary glaze, which then turned into syrup and seeped into the shells.

Finally, the candied chestnuts were done.

She picked up one chestnut, gently pinched it with her fingers, and it popped open with a soft thud.

Taking out the chestnut meat inside, she peeled off the outer skin and handed it to the eager Zhou Sinian.

“Try it.”

Zhou Sinian immediately bit into it, which startled Ming Dai for a moment.

Seeing Zhou Sinian enjoying it so much, Ming Dai knew that this employee motivation tactic had worked!

She filled a bowl and handed it to Zhou Sinian, instructing him to eat by the stove.

Ming Dai set aside the remaining chestnuts to cool.

After washing the large pot, she asked Zhou Sinian to boil some water while she cooked noodles in a smaller pot.

The two of them had a simple dinner, then used the emergency lamp to tidy up the cellar and continue airing it out.

Tomorrow, they would spread the chestnuts in the yard to dry for two days before storing them in the vegetable cellar. This way, they could last a whole year without spoiling.

That night, in Zhou Sinian’s room.

The sieve filled with chestnuts rested on the kang bed, while Zhou Sinian stood on the floor, cutting some oiled paper with a knife.

Ming Dai used a spoon to distribute the chestnuts onto the paper, trying her best to keep the portions even.

Soon, several bundles of chestnuts appeared on the kang table. Ming Dai counted them—one bundle for each day, enough for Zhou Sinian to eat for a week.

The extra two bundles, she planned to give away.

Zhou Sinian carefully placed his portion of chestnuts into his small cabinet.

Ming Dai took the opportunity to check—he had never eaten everything at once from the food she gave him.

It seemed there was no need to worry about him ruining his stomach.

As usual, she checked his pulse.

After checking his pulse, Ming Dai noticed that while Zhou Sinian’s body still seemed quite depleted, after several days of good food and rest, his mood had relaxed, and he had clearly improved significantly.

Since they had just gotten the chestnuts, it was the perfect time to prepare Zhou Sinian’s medicinal dishes.

The next day, as usual, was spent looking for the phone.

When it wasn’t found, Ming Dai didn’t feel upset. She swiftly got up and noticed that frost had settled in the yard.

It was getting cold!

She stamped her feet, then went to the kitchen to freshen up, amused by the sight of Zhou Sinian crouching in front of the stove, roasting chestnuts.

He certainly knew how to enjoy his food.

It seemed like a charcoal brazier could be set up in the house. Roasting chestnuts on a winter night would be a great option.

After freshening up, they had noodles again—quick and easy. She instructed Zhou Sinian to spread the chestnuts on the clean blue brick ground outside to dry, and then she took a bag of chestnuts to the team leader’s house.

By then, the team leader had already finished his meal and was preparing to head to work.

However, this time, Tiedan couldn’t go—his cotton pants weren’t dry yet, so he had to stay on the kang.

Ming Dai noticed the door was open, so she knocked lightly and walked in.

She was met by the sight of the team leader’s family emerging from the house, looking as though they were preparing for battle.

Ming Dai was puzzled.

“Oh, it’s just Xiao Ming,” Liu Dazhu and Aunt Huang sighed in relief.

Feeling a bit awkward, Ming Dai explained, “Yesterday, Zhou Sinian took me to gather firewood. We came across a pile of chestnut shells—they looked like they’d burn well, so I wanted to bring some back.

There was too much stuff, and it was hard to carry on my own, so he came to borrow a cart. He didn’t scare you all, did he?”

Liu Dazhu forced a wry smile, while Aunt Huang, ever straightforward, quickly replied, “No, but Tiedan got so scared he wet himself.”  

“Granny!” Tiedan’s angry voice came from inside the house.

Aunt Huang rolled her eyes. “Silly kid, what’s there to be embarrassed about!”

She turned to Ming Dai, complaining, “Ah, yesterday he nearly scared the life out of me. I saw him charging straight toward our house, and I thought our whole family was done for.”

Curious, Ming Dai asked, “Is he really that fierce?”

Aunt Huang’s mouth seemed to open without pause, and she began recounting everything Zhou Sinian had done during his time in Liujiawan over the past half year.

Ming Dai couldn’t help but twitch her lips. It really seemed like he treated everyone equally—whether young or old, he’d hit them all!

She silently thanked Zhou Sinian again for not going that far with her.

“Auntie, I’m really sorry. I’ve noticed he’s been nice to me, and he hasn’t been this excessive. He eats well, listens well, and isn’t trouble. I’ve caused you trouble by bringing him here.”

Aunt Huang grabbed Ming Dai’s hand. “Silly child, you’ve been feeding him so well, of course, he listens. My family hasn’t lost anything. He even gave Tiedan six candies.”

Goudan, who was pouting and standing off to the side, chuckled and added, “If a madman gave me six candies, I’d let him scare me too.”

“Get lost!”

Aunt Huang scolded her mischievous little grandson, but Ming Dai found his cleverness amusing.

She then took out the oiled paper package she had been holding in her arms.

“Yesterday, after picking out some chestnuts from the shells, Zhou Sinian made a fuss in the evening. So, I made him some candied chestnuts. I used up all the sugar at home, but there’s still a little bit left. I thought I’d bring it over to give the kids a treat.”

Aunt Huang widened her eyes in surprise. “What! Candied chestnuts?!”

Ming Dai nodded. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t mentioned that seeing chestnuts made me think of candied chestnuts, he wouldn’t have thrown a fit wanting to eat them. But what could I do? I didn’t want to get hit, and luckily I still had some sugar with me, so I made them. Sometimes, spending a little money helps avoid trouble.”

Aunt Huang stared at the oiled paper package, unable to stop herself from thinking that people from the city really knew how to indulge—candied chestnuts made with sugar.

“We can’t accept this; it’s too precious!”

Ming Dai immediately shoved the package into Goudan’s hands, who, being clever, ran to hide it under his older brother’s quilt on the kang.

“Oh, you little brat!”

Ming Dai pulled Aunt Huang over and said, “Auntie, you know Zhou Sinian’s situation. If he doesn’t see it, he won’t ask for it. If I take this back home, I won’t be able to eat any of it either—he’ll eat it all. The family has enough to leave him, but this is just for my nephews and nieces to enjoy a little treat. It’s not something they get all the time.”

Aunt Huang hesitated for a moment, and Huang Dalian, standing nearby, looked tempted as well.

Who had ever had candied chestnuts before?!

In the end, Ming Dai mentioned wanting some soybean paste and sauerkraut, and Aunt Huang hurried off to get them.

When she returned home, she was carrying a jar of soybean paste and a basket of sauerkraut.

As she passed by the front door of the educated youth quarters, she was spotted by Chen Erhong and Zhou Guiping, who were on their way to work.

The two didn’t say anything but their eyes kept circling around the things she was holding. Ming Dai simply nodded in greeting before heading back home.