In the room dedicated to sauce-making, a crate of cherries was already placed. Cheng Su glanced swiftly; the equipment was mostly complete. Ice was set in a corner, and the sauce was being prepared over a gas flame.
Taking a deep breath, Cheng Su remained remarkably calm and instructed Ning Ge, "Go put the ice in a basin, add some water, and make an ice bath first. I'll sort the cherries."
She was worried there wouldn't be enough time to cool, so the ice bath needed to be prepared early.
Ning Ge complied, found a big basin, crushed the ice, and asked, "Should I crush it all?"
"No need, it's hot weather, and if it's too crushed, it'll melt easily. Let the water slowly cool it." Cheng Su took a clean basin, crouched in front of the crate of cherries, and sorted through them one by one, occasionally sniffing their fragrance.
Each focused on their task—Ning Ge quickly prepared the ice bath and then asked from behind her, "The ice bath is ready, what's next?"
