Chapter 659: Cantaloupe, Winter Melon Candy, Pumpkin Strips

Wang Xiaoshun's face, in Zhang Yanping's eyes at this moment, was practically that of a villainous supporting character everyone wanted to beat up.

But a lazy person is a lazy person because until the very last moment, he can still procrastinate—at this moment, he instantly raised his voice: "I'm going to find Guo Yi first!"

It would be best to waste another day or half a day there, so he could avoid the work this afternoon.

Song Tan was carrying a bucket of soybeans and walking out, looking at him with a smile:

"Brother Yanping, why don't you ask Guo Yi to give you some moxibustion while you're at it. That way, after you rest well this afternoon, you'll have more strength to work tomorrow morning. I'll have to rely on you on the mountain!"

Relying only on him wouldn't do!

Whether to work for half a day in the afternoon or go up the mountain to do more work tomorrow, he had to make a choice.

Zhang Yanping stiffened his expression: "Tantan, don't worry, I'll come back immediately after I ask her! It's too hard for a girl like you to do this work. I'm your cousin, after all, I have to lend you a hand!"

Song Tan's smile grew even wider, and even her voice was sweet: "Thank you, Brother Yanping."

Not until his figure had walked far away did Until Wu Lan, while sorting through those boiled beans, ask in confusion: "What's wrong with Yanping? He's even volunteering to come back to work..."

Those beans coated in flour were high in moisture because they were just boiled, and now they were going to get damp, so they needed another layer.

But Wang Xiaoshun became happy: "Me, me, me! My master and I both know how to make them! We'll do it."

He and his master had long wanted to try what Qiao Qiao's ingredients tasted like, but unfortunately, Seventh Cousin held the position of head cook. They were cooking for workers on the mountain, and although they could eat it every day, they couldn't make it themselves, so they were incredibly envious.

"Tell me the truth, which one is sweeter, winter melon candy or cantaloupe?"

Qiao Qiao was holding a bag and sprinkling it evenly over the soybeans. Everyone was squatting there, each responsible for a section, mixing the flour and boiled soybeans evenly, playing happily.

At his age, he really couldn't handle it at all.

That stuff took time, but it wasn't considered troublesome at all.

Now, he had finally found an opportunity.

The sugar frosting on the outside of the cantaloupe couldn't be replaced by glutinous rice flour. Eating the fried dough skin and the sugar syrup inside actually neutralized it, and it wasn't that exaggerated; it even had the fragrance of deep-frying.

"Besides, I asked Seventh Cousin to make a little, I didn't tell you all to eat a basin each, why are you so afraid?"

"This child, why does he want to eat everything? Cantaloupe has such high sugar content, it's so sweet. Eating one is the limit, and it's not worth the trouble."

Everyone looked at each other. If they only ate one, the clear, sweet, and crispy feeling of winter melon candy was truly incomparable to anything else.

"Okay!" Song Tan immediately agreed.

Qiao Qiao, who was turning them over, suddenly looked up at Seventh Cousin: "Cantaloupe is indeed too sweet, no need to make it—how about we make some winter melon candy?"

Lu'e stretched out her two white hands covered in flour and gestured: "This year's winter melons grew so big, so many of us can only eat three circles at a time, making candy is delicious!"

After those pumpkin strips were dried, some were steamed and dried directly to be stored as original flavor. Others were coated with chili powder and some other seasonings by Seventh Cousin, then steamed and dried again.

Winter melon, pumpkin, these things were truly endless to eat.

After he finished mixing the flour and slowly walked to the other end of the plastic sheet, Seventh Cousin quietly let out a breath:

Seventh Cousin instantly cleared his throat: "That... Song Tan, bring two more bags of flour over."

But at this moment, when Lu'e spoke, she immediately looked at Seventh Cousin.

At this moment, everyone looked at Seventh Cousin again.

Then he looked at Seventh Cousin considerately: "Master Song, rest for a while. Whenever everyone wants to eat, my master and I will come over to make it when we're free."

With a light flick of the scissors against the thread, Song Tan quickly reached out to grab the thread, and with a "click," the flour bag was quickly pulled open.

When she was young, that snack was quite popular. But at that time, materials were scarce, so heavy oil and heavy sugar were good things.

Especially appetizing!

Song Sancheng also furrowed his brows. He didn't like sweets, let alone winter melon candy, which he felt was incredibly sweet even in childhood.

The beans that had been boiling since lunch were scooped out bucket by bucket and spread flat on the plastic film. Everyone was there helping out, and the electric fan was blowing hard... By the time all the buckets of beans were spread out flat, everyone was drenched in sweat, and the beans had gradually cooled down.

"Oh." Lu'e turned back silently.

That was true too.

On the outside was a white sugar powder shell, and the inside of the dough was wrapped in sugar syrup, though some weren't wrapped, just soaked directly in sugar water. Once it was about to solidify, it was dipped in sugar powder again.

And Qiao Qiao looked at Song Tan, who was holding the flour bag, and said considerately: "Song Tan, Seventh Cousin doesn't like sugar horns, I asked him to make winter melon candy for you, are you happy?"

"Happy."

At this moment, she spoke tactfully: "Will it be too sweet? Don't you young people pay attention to sugar control? The sugar content is too high, it's not healthy."

With that said, Qiao Qiao glanced at him: "Dad, don't we pay attention to taste when we eat? If it were really about health, we just wouldn't eat anything."

Since that was the case...

Anyway, in Qiao Qiao's memory, there were fewer people eating that kind of thing these years.

It took a long time to make, but after it was really dried, it wasn't as sweet and greasy as sweet potato strips, yet it carried a spicy, pungent flavor...

Lu'e looked at Seventh Cousin eagerly: "Are there many pumpkin strips left from before? Why don't we make another batch!"

And at this moment, Seventh Cousin went to scoop the last portion of beans from the pot, and Qiao Qiao took out two more bags of flour.

Eating it...

"Indeed." Until Wu Lan also nodded deeply: "And it wastes oil."

As for the sugar horns, they had long been forgotten.

Song Tan smiled slyly: "Mom, that proves Brother Yanping actually likes doing these things too. Why don't I add more to his workload tomorrow."

Eating it now, it was so sweet it was unbearable.

Until the first batch of flour coating was finished, Song Tan suddenly sighed: "I really want to eat sugar horns!"

Seventh Cousin:...

Actually, one could imagine it without eating it—that thing was fragrant, but also cloyingly sweet! Although in recent years the outside of the cantaloupe was no longer coated with sugar powder but with fried glutinous rice flour, the sugar inside was still just as sweet.

Seventh Cousin glared unwillingly: "What are you looking at me for? Do you think I can make everything?"

Several people were chatting, but they saw Lu'e's clear eyes looking over again, not knowing if she had heard or not.

But winter melon candy was different; the first bite was clear and sweet, the second bite and your teeth would ache!

Seventh Cousin's eyes instantly widened:

Just like Guo Yi said, one really shouldn't be too lazy. Until Wu Lan thought thoughtfully.

He was getting old and really couldn't handle such sweet things. He didn't want to make it!

The sugar horns he mentioned were a common snack during the New Year in the local area; they were actually called cantaloupe. ===== CHAPTER 660 =====