With everything out in the open, the two drove home together.
By then, it was already quite late. Once home, they divided the tasks.
Huo Tingzhou assigned Jiang Si the job of peeling oranges while he washed the glass jars and placed them in a pot.
They didn’t need to steam them for long—just two or three minutes after the water boiled would suffice.
By the time he finished sterilizing all the jars, Jiang Si had already peeled half the oranges.
While peeling, Jiang Si followed an idea she’d read in an article and made a few small orange lanterns.
She thought to herself that if she found some candle stubs to place inside later, it would add a charming touch!
At that moment, Huo Tingzhou sat down across from her with a fruit knife, ready to peel pears.
They had bought crisp pears from Anhui Province.
According to the salesperson, these pears had thin skin, small cores, a sweet and crisp texture, and no fibrous residue—perfect for making preserves.
Huo Tingzhou picked a medium-sized pear from the basket, peeled it, and handed it to Jiang Si.
"Have a pear first and take a break."
Jiang Si didn’t hesitate. They had been busy all afternoon and hadn’t even had a sip of water.
She took a bite, and her eyes instantly curved into crescents. "This pear is so sweet! Here, try some—"
As she spoke, she held the pear up to his lips.
To her surprise, Huo Tingzhou leaned back abruptly.
His reaction was so swift that Jiang Si was left stunned.
This man usually ate her leftovers without hesitation. Now that she was offering him a bite, he refused? He actually refused!
Perhaps her shocked expression was too obvious, because Huo Tingzhou chuckled helplessly. "Sweetheart, you shouldn’t share a pear."
If it had been an apple, he would’ve taken a bite without hesitation.
Jiang Si hadn’t expected that to be the reason. "Alright then."
Luckily, the pear wasn’t too big, and she finished it quickly.
After over an hour of work in the living room, they finally completed the initial preparations for the pears and oranges.
Next, they cut the pears into chunks and removed the white pith from the orange segments.
Then, they placed the pear chunks and orange segments into the sterilized jars, added a spoonful of crushed yellow rock sugar, and poured in cool water mixed with a bit of spiritual spring water.
Finally, they steamed the jars over high heat for ten minutes.
During steaming, they made sure not to screw the lids on too tightly to avoid the jars cracking.
They simply placed the lids loosely on top.
Once the ten minutes were up, they tightened the lids while the jars were still hot, then turned them upside down on the counter to cool.
By the time Old Master, Third Uncle, and the others returned home, dozens of jars of preserves were already lined up on the table.
"Wh—why are there so many preserves? Did you buy all these?" Everyone was astonished.
"No, we made them."
"You made them?" The group was even more surprised.
Mother Huo stepped forward. "Jiang Si, why did you make so many preserves?"
Jiang Si gave the explanation she had prepared earlier.
Hearing that the two had spent the entire afternoon making preserves, Mother Huo felt a pang of guilt and immediately took Jiang Si’s hand.
Seeing her drenched in sweat and her fingers stained orange, Mother Huo’s heart ached even more.
And so, Huo Tingzhou got scolded.
"You brat! Didn’t I give you money and coupons? If you needed gifts, you could’ve gone to more supply and marketing cooperatives—couldn’t you find any preserves there?"
"Look how exhausted Jiang Si is!"
Huo Tingzhou: "..."
From the moment Jiang Si decided to make preserves, he had known this would happen.
So he simply stayed silent and took the blame.
"Mom, it was my idea to make the preserves." Jiang Si couldn’t bear to let him take the fall and quickly spoke up.
But Mother Huo patted her hand. "Jiang Si, you don’t need to cover for him."
She might not know everything, but she certainly knew her daughter-in-law wasn’t skilled in the kitchen.
Ever since Jiang Si returned to Beijing, Mother Huo had never let her step foot in the kitchen.
A few days ago, when they went to propose the marriage, she had even promised Jiang Si’s parents in person that she would treat Jiang Si like her own daughter.
And yet, after just one day away, her son had caused such a mess.
Mother Huo was furious and smacked Huo Tingzhou’s back several times.
"You idiot! Who makes their wife cook on the very first day of marriage?"
Anyone who didn’t know better might think they were trying to impose strict rules on the new bride.
Grandma Huo didn’t say anything, but the look she gave Huo Tingzhou was full of disapproval.
Old Master, feeling awkward, rubbed his hands and turned to Third Uncle.
"Family, this is Huo Tingzhou’s fault."
"Don’t worry, this won’t happen again!"
"Family, you’re too kind, too kind."
Third Uncle said this, but inwardly, he felt guilty.
He had lost count of how many times Huo Tingzhou had taken the blame for Jiang Si.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad."
Jiang Si smiled awkwardly. "It really was my idea. I just thought homemade preserves would taste better than store-bought ones."
With that, she had Huo Tingzhou open a jar.
"Try it—it really is better than what’s sold outside."
Mother Huo took a skeptical bite.
Jiang Si grinned. "Mom, how is it? Good, right?"
"..."
Mother Huo couldn’t even argue anymore because it truly was much tastier than the preserves from the supply and marketing cooperative.
"It is better than the ones from the cooperative."
At that, everyone grabbed spoons and took a taste.
In no time, the entire jar of orange preserves was emptied.
They all ate with relish, though they felt a little embarrassed.
Grown adults, yet they couldn’t resist such a simple treat.
Seeing this, Jiang Si had Huo Tingzhou open two more jars.
They had made plenty today, so if the family wanted more, it was no trouble at all.
After finishing the preserves, they didn’t waste the syrup either—that was where all the flavor was.
Jiang Si poured it out and shared it among everyone.
Yang Meina watched as her two sons clung to their bowls, reluctant to let go even after drinking the syrup, and couldn’t help but laugh.
"Jiang Si, how did you make these preserves?"
"Could you share the recipe? I’d love to try making some myself when I have time."
Even Guan Xue, who usually wasn’t fond of sweets, leaned in curiously.
Jiang Si smiled and agreed, then called Huo Tingzhou over.
He was the one who had made the preserves—she had just assisted.
After Huo Tingzhou explained, Jiang Si added,
"Remember to add extra yellow rock sugar when you make them. Let them sit for a few days after—they’ll taste even better."
As for the difference in flavor, Jiang Si wasn’t worried.
Even with the same ingredients, different people would produce different results.
The same went for preserves.
Besides, she had only added a small amount of spiritual spring water this time—just enough to enhance the flavor—so it wouldn’t be too noticeable.
With the preserves finished, Jiang Si left the distribution entirely to Mother Huo.
After a good night’s sleep, Jiang Si woke up early the next morning.
Today was her bridal return visit, and it wouldn’t do to be late.
As soon as breakfast was finished, Mother Huo wrapped the gifts in red paper and urged them to set off quickly.
Father Huo also gave a few words of advice, "There’s nothing much to do today. Go and have a good drink with the Old Master, your father-in-law."
"Got it, Dad."
"Go on, then."
Since Jiang Si planned to stay overnight at the courtyard house, the two decided not to drive and instead walked there.
"Let me carry some of that," Jiang Si offered, seeing Huo Tingzhou’s hands full of packages.
Huo Tingzhou declined with a quick "No need," then added, "Watch your step—don’t slip."
"Alright, alright."
They chatted as they walked, just reaching the gate of the compound when—
Suddenly, a jeep came barreling toward them from behind, swerving recklessly—
