"Okay, Brother Cheng, after I get them for you, how should I deliver them to you?" Cheng Hao asked.
After receiving Pei Yicheng’s address and contact information, Cheng Hao went to find self-study books and test papers on math, physics, and chemistry, picking two copies of each kind of paper.
Finally, Cheng Hao glanced at the papers he had chosen and felt that the number was insufficient. He carefully selected another pile, then, after lying to his dad about where he was going, took these items and headed straight for Gaoliang County in South City.
Good Mom Food Factory.
Ji Ying came to the factory with Zhou He in the morning, cleaned the bottles, and at the same time, they both set to work chopping up the dried chilies they had sun-dried.
A long bamboo tub, plus a stick with a small knife at the end—this was a very primitive method of chopping chilies.
After half a month of busyness and accumulating a lot of chilies, Ji Ying began to prepare to make chili sauce.
Ji Ying mixed half hot and half mild dry chilies together, so that the flavor would satisfy most people. Plenty of garlic and cooking oil, as well as firewood, were all things Xu Nianji had brought from home.
Every day she brought a little, taking the chopped chilies bit by bit to the factory, she indeed brought quite a lot of stuff over.
"Mom, I’ll help you make the fire," Zhou He volunteered. Before she was married, she did all the chores at home and was even scolded and sometimes went hungry.
But in the Xu Family, everyone was very kind, and they never kept her in the dark about the family business matters.
Xu Nianji was very fond of her, especially her mother-in-law. Zhou He had heard many stories about awful mothers-in-law, but in the Xu Family, Ji Ying, her mother-in-law, was even more caring than her own mother.
Zhou He felt that life had more purpose and wanted to take good care of them.
Ji Ying had mixed the chilies well and even tasted them for saltiness. It was only then that she got ready to start heating the oil.
This was the first batch Ji Ying made, and she didn’t dare to make too much, just one basinful.
The garlic and dried chilies in the basin looked good just from their color alone.
The scalding hot oil poured over them, causing the contents of the basin to bubble up immediately.
Ji Ying, with a spatula in hand, kept stirring the chilies continuously.
Zhou He helped pour in the remaining oil, and the fragrant aroma of the chili sauce wafted out.
Ji Ying estimated that the oil in the chili sauce was almost enough and told Zhou He to stop pouring. She continued mixing to make sure all the chilies were blended evenly.
"It smells so good," Zhou He inhaled deeply, even just the scent made her want to drool and take a bite.
"I wonder if it tastes as good as it smells."
Ji Ying, looking at the chili sauce that had just come off the stove, was also relieved. It seemed that after all these years, she still had the skill of making chili sauce.
"It must taste good," Zhou He said. She now looked at her mother-in-law as if she were her own mother, especially since Ji Ying’s chili sauce had completely won her over.
Xu Nianhua and Xu Nian’an, brother and sister, took the opportunity to visit the factory during dinner time.
Pei Yicheng, having heard that the chili sauce was ready, had Ling Dong push him to the factory as well.
Upon entering the factory, the aroma of the chili sauce lingered for a long time.
"Come, try it and see how it tastes," Ji Ying washed several bowls, giving each of them a bit to taste, making sure it was good before bottling it.
The chili sauce had been made in the morning, and by the afternoon, it had completely cooled down.
"It’s particularly tasty."
The chili sauce received unanimous praise from everyone, and the anxiety Ji Ying had been carrying finally loosened.