Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Night fell over the town, and Jiang Man dragged his slightly tired but excited body home.

As soon as she opened the door, a warm and cozy atmosphere, carrying the scent of home, rushed towards her. Under the lamplight, the figures of her family members instantly put her at ease.

"I'm back!"

Jiang Man said loudly, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy. Shi An and Shi Ning, who were playing in the living room, heard the noise and came bounding over like two happy little deer, hugging Jiang Man's legs on either side.

"Mom, you're so late today." Shi An tilted her little head up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jiang Man.

At this moment, Qin Yishen came out of the kitchen, holding a dishcloth in his hand, and said with a smile, "You're back. Was the shop busy today?"

Jiang Man changed her shoes, walked into the living room, pulled the two children to sit on the sofa, and said excitedly, "It's incredibly busy! A big client came today, wanting to order 1000 sticky rice cakes for the company's annual meeting. This is a huge deal!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Laosan's eyes lit up immediately: "1000? That's quite a lot! If we can take on this order, the reputation of our Juxiang Pavilion will definitely spread even further."

Qin Yishen was also surprised: "Was it accurate?"

"Of course it's accurate! I even paid a deposit!"

Although Shi An and Shi Ning didn't quite understand what 1000 sticky rice cakes meant, they cheered along with their mother and father when they saw how happy they were.

That evening, the family sat around the dining table, eating and discussing how to complete the large order.

"I have to go to the shop early tomorrow to prepare the ingredients with Wang Xiu. We need to stock up on millet and red beans."

Jiang Man frowned, carefully considering the matter.

Xu Laosan nodded quickly: "It's almost the end of the year, and I don't have much work to do. I'll go help out tomorrow. Having more hands will make things faster."

Shi An and Shi Ning looked at the adults expectantly. Shi Ning whispered, "Mom and Dad, we want to help too."

Jiang Man patted Shi Ning's head and said with a smile, "Babies, you're still young, this work is too hard."

Shi An persisted, saying, "It's not hard work. We can help with some small tasks."

Seeing the determined looks in the two children's eyes, Jiang Man and Qin Yishen exchanged a glance and nodded: "Alright, then you'll come to the store with us tomorrow, but you can't cause any trouble."

The next morning, before dawn, Jiang Man and his family arrived at Juxiang Pavilion. Wang Xiu was already busy in the kitchen. Seeing Jiang Man and his family come in, she greeted them with a smile, "You're here! You're going to be busy today."

Xu Laosan put down his things, rolled up his sleeves, and walked to the large basin of soaking red beans to start washing them. "I'll make the red bean paste; I'm good at this."

As he spoke, he carefully rinsed the beans. Jiang Man, meanwhile, prepared millet flour, adding water little by little and stirring it according to the prescribed ratio.

Shi An and Shi Ning weren't idle either. They brought over small stools, sat down, and helped organize the steamers. The two little ones stacked the steamers neatly one by one with great skill, reminding each other to be careful from time to time.

"Shi Ning, this steamer is heavy, you can't lift it, let me do it." Shi An took care of her younger sister like a little adult.

Time passed slowly, and the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of red beans. Xu Laosan stood guard in front of the stove, constantly stirring the red bean paste in the pot to prevent it from sticking.

"This red bean paste filling needs to be cooked until it's thick and smooth to taste good," he muttered to himself. Jiang Man, on the other side, skillfully kneaded the mixed millet flour into dough.

"Mom, we've finished cleaning the steamer. What else can we make?" Shi An and Shi Ning ran over, looking at Jiang Man and Xu Laosan expectantly.

Jiang Man thought for a moment and said, "Then you can help divide these doughs into small pieces, like this." She picked up a piece of dough and demonstrated how to divide it into even small portions.

Shi An and Shi Ning sat at the table, carefully dividing the dough. At first, their movements were a little clumsy, and the small dough pieces were of different sizes, but gradually they became more and more skilled.

“Little sister, look, this size is just right.” Shi An patiently taught Shi Ning.

As the morning passed, the preparations were gradually completed. Jiang Man and Wang Xiu began to wrap sticky rice dumplings. They were skilled at it, scooping a spoonful of red bean paste into the center of the dough, and gently pinching it to form a round and plump sticky rice dumpling.

Xu Laosan helped arrange the fillings, neatly placing the wrapped sticky rice cakes into the steamer.

Shi An and Shi Ning watched from the side, eager to try as well. "Mom, we want to make them too."

Shi Ning tugged at Jiang Man's sleeve and said coquettishly. Jiang Man smiled and agreed, "Okay, but be careful when you're wrapping them, don't spill the filling."

The two little ones imitated the adults, picking up dough wrappers, placing red bean paste filling on them, and carefully wrapping them up. Although the resulting sticky rice dumplings varied in shape, and some even had filling leaking out, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"Look, doesn't this look like a little ball?" Shi An said proudly, holding up her "masterpiece".

With everyone working together, the making of sticky rice cakes proceeded smoothly. Before we knew it, it was afternoon, and the kitchen was filled with baskets of wrapped sticky rice cakes. "That's about it. A few more baskets and we'll have all 1000."

Jiang Man wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with satisfaction.

Looking at his family who had been busy all day, Xu Laosan was filled with gratitude: "Thanks to everyone today, otherwise this task would have been difficult to complete."

Although Shi An and Shi Ning's faces were flushed with exhaustion, they were still very excited: "Mom, we helped so much today!"

As evening approached, the last batch of sticky rice cakes was cooked.

The steaming hot sticky rice cakes emitted an enticing aroma; their golden-yellow skin and round shape made them look incredibly tempting. Jiang Man and Wang Xiu carefully inspected each one to ensure they were of the correct quality.

"Finally finished!"

Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the room full of sticky rice cakes, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. Xu Laosan, Shi An, and Shi Ning also gathered around, their faces beaming with smiles. This was not just 1000 sticky rice cakes, but the result of the whole family working together.

The next day, when the customer came to pick up the goods, he saw the 1000 sticky rice cakes neatly stacked and beautifully packaged, and he praised them highly: "Boss Jiang, your efficiency and quality are truly outstanding! I will definitely come back to you for any more events like this."

After seeing off their clients, Jiang Man and his family stood at the entrance of Juxiang Pavilion, watching the winter sunset cast its glow on the street.

After this "battle of attrition," they completed a major deal.

"We finally finished it after rushing around for a while."

Jiang Man smiled as she locked the door, saying, "We're closing down starting tomorrow! Let's take a good break and relax!"

Wang Xiu took Jiang Man's hand and walked towards home.

"Sister-in-law, I feel like I'm dreaming." (End of Chapter)