When she got back home, her brother was still squatting on the steps prying rocks. These rocks were not as hard as they had imagined, so they could be pried loose, and they didn't need them to be neatly arranged like those in the scenic areas, they just needed to create enough space to place their feet.
After returning home, she first cleaned the big iron pot, then added a bit of water, and cleaned the shucked oyster meat, poured it into the pot, and brought it to a boil over high heat. After boiling out that white-colored juice, she let it simmer a bit longer, then scooped out the oyster meat, which could be either stir-fried directly or dried for preservation. The remaining juice was the focus–she slowly simmered it on low heat until it thickened and changed color, before adding salt, sugar, and soy sauce for coloring, and finally a starch slurry to thicken it.
