Chapter 33: Malt Candy

Adam and his three younger siblings clutched their coins and hurried straight to Peddler Liew's house.

The peddler wasn't home yet—his wife, Maggie, was manning the stall.

It was the first time the four siblings had ever stood before this small vendor's stall, knocking on the wooden board, passing their coins through the slot to buy malt candy.

When Maggie saw who it was, she was surprised. In past years, she'd never seen these four with money in hand. Not only were they always dressed in rags, they were also filthy and smelly—practically like beggars.

But now, not only did they come to buy candy with coins, they were clean and tidy. Maggie even found herself thinking—the kids from Lester Liew's house were actually quite good-looking.

It was their first time doing this, so Adam was a little stiff. The other three didn't dare speak at all and looked up at their eldest brother expectantly.

Maggie took the four copper coins and asked, unsure, "Four pieces?"

"Yes, four," Adam replied.

She nodded, opened the jar of malt candy, broke four small sticks, twirled candy onto each, and handed them over.

Adam gave one to each of his siblings, holding onto the last one himself. The four of them grinned with delight, immediately sticking out their tongues to taste it. It was sweet with a mellow barley fragrance—better than they had imagined.

No wonder everyone loves it so much, Adam thought happily.

Ben whispered, "I hope Dad asks us to cook again tomorrow."

"He will," Adam said confidently. He knew their father's temperament all too well.

But getting another coin out of Dad wouldn't be easy.

"Hey, Adam—wait a second!"

Maggie suddenly remembered the straw sandals Clara had left on consignment earlier and quickly called the four of them back. She took out twenty-five copper coins and handed them to Adam, instructing him to keep it safe and not lose it.

"This is the money your Mom earned from the sandals. Tell her they've all been sold—twenty-five in total, got it?"

The kids had known about this, so they nodded eagerly. Adam tucked the money into his shirt and asked if there was anything else. When there wasn't, they finally left.

Halfway home, Deb and Ben had already finished their candy.

Adam still had a bite left. Seeing the other two eyeing his candy longingly, he smiled helplessly and offered the rest to them.

But both shook their heads sensibly. Deb's eyes sparkled as she looked at her big brother. "You eat it, Big Brother."

Ben gulped but insisted Adam should finish it himself.

Only Chad was left with his candy—one small hand gripping the stick, the other guarding the melting treat. He'd only taken two licks and then stopped.

Ben asked curiously, "Why aren't you eating?"

Chad replied, "I want to eat it slowly."

The others let him be.

As they passed the riverside, Ben said he wanted to stay and collect stones with Ryder—though really, he just wanted to play.

Chad immediately chimed in that he wanted to stay and play too.

Adam turned to Deb and asked, "Want to stay?"

She shook her head, so the two of them headed home first.

Before leaving, Adam reminded Ben to keep a close eye on Chad and make sure he didn't fall into the river.

But it was the dry season—most of the water had receded, and with so many people nearby, there wasn't much to worry about.

The exposed riverbed was littered with stones of all shapes and sizes—these were what Logan and Ryder were collecting.

Clara was in charge of hauling these stones back for Uncle Caleb and the others to use as foundation material.

She was busy, only glancing once at Ben and Chad playing by the riverside with Ryder. She hoisted a heavy load of stones onto her shoulders, crossed the wooden bridge, and climbed the sloped path back to the house. One trip took twenty minutes; a round trip, over half an hour.

Back at the riverside, Ryder spotted the candy Chad was guarding.

"Let me have a lick," he said, drooling.

Chad ignored him completely—a clear refusal.

Ryder pouted, swallowing hard with envy. Seeing Chad wouldn't share, he scoffed, "Hmph, who cares? My mom just bought me some yesterday—I've already had so much I'm sick of it!"

When Chad still didn't respond, Ryder huffed and dragged Ben off to search for smooth, round pebbles.

These stones were perfect for paving roads—pretty and fun to collect. The two boys happily played and picked stones.

Chad, on the other hand, glanced anxiously toward the wooden bridge. Looking down at his now half-melted candy, he quickly twirled it a few times to keep it in place, then looked back at the bridge again.

Clara returned with an empty yoke. Chad, so small, had crouched under a willow tree. The weeds around him had grown taller than he was.

She didn't notice him and continued through the underbrush to the riverside, set down her empty baskets, and picked up the stone-filled ones prepared by Logan and the other boys.

Just as she passed by again, Chad seemed to realize his hiding spot wasn't ideal. He shuffled over to the bridge and stood beside a pillar.

Another twenty minutes went by, and this time Clara finally spotted him.

"Chad? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

The little boy turned around immediately, his eyes lighting up. He held out the candy stick toward her.

But after so long, the malt candy had partially melted and looked a mess.

Before Clara could respond, the little one lowered his head, visibly disappointed.

"You saved your candy for me?" Clara crouched in front of him, setting down her baskets and reaching out to take the stick, astonished.

Chad nodded vigorously despite his gloomy mood.

"You're not going to eat it yourself?"

He shook his head. "You eat."

His little lips twitched slightly—he swallowed hard.

This misshapen piece of candy, in Chad's eyes, was the best thing in the world.

It was his first time tasting one—how could he not want to eat it?

"You saved it just for me?"

Chad blushed and nodded again.

Clara looked at his expectant little face and smiled softly. "Then how about we share it?"

But Chad insisted she take the whole thing. Clara couldn't bring herself to actually take candy from a child. She took a small taste to humor him and handed the rest back, saying she'd had enough and asking him to finish it for her.

Without suspicion, Chad took the candy back and began licking it carefully, following closely behind Clara, occasionally throwing her a shy but delighted smile.

Clara could tell the little guy just wanted to stick close to her, but was too shy to say it out loud. She simply reminded him to watch where he was going so he wouldn't trip and let him tag along.

With another load of stones, she headed home. Chad escorted her all the way to the bridge, then waited for her to return and followed her back to the river again—over and over.

The candy had long since been eaten, but his joy lingered on.

His little legs didn't move fast. Clara didn't slow down for him, but from a distance, it looked like she had a tiny tail trailing far behind her.

As dusk settled, the relatives and clansmen who had come to help finished their day's work. At Uncle Caleb's call, they all packed up their tools and returned home for dinner.

In the kitchen, Lester nervously brought a large bowl brimming with meat into the main room. He set the table, placed a pot of slightly burnt rice, and called the children over. Everything was ready—just waiting for Clara to return before they could start eating.

(End of Chapter)