Chapter 21: Making Tofu

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

However, Second Brother did not have any silver in his pocket dimension. Silver doesn’t fall from the sky, so earning silver was still a concern. Fortunately, they had food. However, they were not appropriately dressed for the winter. 

Although their house was caught in a fire, their lives were much better than most families in the village. Not to mention, the three surviving cottages in their house weren’t only made of mud, they were also spacious. Their house wasn’t as big as some of the brick houses in the village, but they were better than others.

Their grandfather wanted to keep a low profile when he built the house. Although he had built the house out of mud, he made sure that the place was comfortable. Not only was it spacious, but the mud was also patted down with sticky rice paddles. In terms of sturdiness, it was not too different from a brick house. Only their home and their granduncle’s house came with a brick bed. 

As Gongyu Hao could hunt now, the family could eat meat and fish from time to time. He had bought some rice so the family could have three meals a day. Half of the families in the village could only have two meals a day. Even then, they had to eat sparingly.

There was also a lack of clothing. Ninety percent of the village could not afford to use silk cotton, so they had to make do with straw. It was not ideal, especially during winter. However, it has improved over recent years. It was common for people to freeze to death in the earlier years. The empire was strong, but that didn’t mean that its citizens were wealthy. It was a good day as long as no one died from starvation.

Yan Qixun sighed as she went to the vegetable farm to get some cabbage leaves and washed them by the well to feed the rabbits. There were two rabbits, one male, and one female. They were chosen because they had white fur, and they multiplied rapidly. If it weren’t for the urgent need for money, she would not have sold the rest of the rabbits that her second brother caught yesterday. It would have been better if she had kept them for shearing. In the future, if she were to raise rabbits, she would only pick rabbits that were purely white, black, and gray. She had no plans of keeping rabbits that had mixed-colored fur.

After feeding the rabbits, she noticed that the soybeans had been boiled and soaked for a few hours. She brought over a bucket and a small stone mill, then she called Yan Lingsu, who was picking herbs, to help her grind the beans.

By the time the beans were done grinding, it was already dusk. Second Brother and Uncle Lu had also returned from town. They were just waiting for the cloth that Second Brother had bought so they could make a bag for the soy milk to be filtered.

Seeing that Second Brother had entered the courtyard, Yan Qixun went up to him and asked, “Second Brother, did you buy the cloth that I asked for?”

Yan Qixun needed the cloth to filter the soy milk and press the tofu. All in all, the cloth she needed was essential for these processes. 

Gongyu Hao smiled and said, “Yes, I bought it. Apart from the rice noodles, I’ve also bought some fine linen and satin for you. I also bought 30 trays of silk cotton to make four mattresses and six trays of quilts for you and your mother to use during the winter. They can be used to make cotton clothing as well. You won’t have to worry about not having enough clothes in the future.”

It seemed like Brother Monkey was very thoughtful. Yan Qixun was surprised. “Where did you get the silver for all of that? Even after selling all those chickens and rabbits, you would still not have enough to buy all that, right?”

“Heh, it wasn’t just selling chickens and rabbits. I saved someone from trouble in town. I saw a rattled horse in the streets, and I saved a little child that a horse almost trampled. The family of the little child and the Young Master who owned the horse thanked me by packing up the wild animals that Uncle Lu and I had hunted. They even gave me some silver, and I accepted the silver that they offered as gratitude for saving the child and the horse.”

Brother Monkey was not greedy for their silver, but silver was the most straightforward way to show gratitude for someone wealthy who just received help from Gongyu Hao.

Yan Qixun noticed that his bag was full, and silver and Gongyu Hao carried another big basket. It was apparent that he had purchased a lot of things, so she smiled and asked, “How much silver did they give you since you were able to purchase so many things?”

“Uncle Lu and I sold the wild animals that we hunted for four taels of silver, so we took two taels each. The Young Master who rode the horse and the child’s family rewarded me with twenty taels of silver each. I had received forty-two taels of silver in total. I also bought a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone for all of you. I had spent a total of thirty-six taels of silver and still have six taels of silver left. I will hand it over to mother for safekeeping.

‘Wow, you have no restraint in spending money.’

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Yan Qixun then said, “About forty taels of silver. If we could save some more, we could afford three houses made of tile and brick.”

Gongyu Hao placed his bag on the living room floor, entered the room, and put the basket on the brick bed. He then waved his hand and said, “I’ve already asked Uncle Lu, and he said that the large tiger’s skin alone can be sold for hundreds of taels of silver, and tiger bones are also worth a lot.”

“Uncle Lu mentioned that there are tigers deep in the mountains. When I go to the mountain, I will hunt for two tigers, and then we will have everything we need. Father and Big Brother aren’t home, so I won’t allow your mother and the rest to starve and freeze. Also, didn’t you say that you can sell the copies you made of the medical books?”

He then turned to Gongyu Mingxi and said, “Mother, could you check if the things I bought are suitable for you to use?”

Although they were short on money now, they weren’t very thrifty. So they happily unpacked the basket. The basket contained fine linen and silk cloth that could make tunics and satin to make clothes for the winter. To be honest, if their father didn’t have the status of an Imperial Scholar, his family wouldn’t be able to wear satin.

There was enough silk cotton to make four thick quilts and a cotton coat for each of them. Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones weren’t cheap either, so they were purchased for everyday use. There was also a big tissue paper bag in the basket due to Yan Qixun’s complaints about not having tissue paper.

It’s not that they didn’t have tissue paper, but their family frequently used it when nature called. It wasn’t something that an ordinary family could afford. Yan Qixun wanted to make toilet paper on her own because her family was currently too poor to buy tissue paper.

As for rice, because he had bought some previously, Gongyu Hao was not worried that they wouldn’t have enough money to buy more. So he purchased twenty jars of refined rice and twenty jars of rice noodles each. He then gave the balance of six taels of silver and a few tens of copper coins to Gongyu Mingxi for safekeeping.

“I have made plans with Uncle Lu. We agreed to enter the mountains again the day after tomorrow, so I will be able to buy more rice after we sell our prey.”

Yan Qixun then turned to Gongyu Mingxi and asked, “Mother, will you buy me some woodworking tools? I want to raise more rabbits. With the proper tools, I can make more rabbit cages. I still need to build a spinning wheel as well. After completing the spinning wheel, I can also make some new furniture. We need to read and practice calligraphy, and you need to write and draw. We only have grandfather’s old desk, which won’t be enough. I could make more tables, chairs, benches, closets, and more. If I were to ask the carpenter to do it, we would have to spend even more money.”

Gongyu Mingxi was annoyed by her ranting. “Okay, I will buy you some tools. I will ask your Second Brother to bring some back for you when he goes to town next time.”

Gongyu Mingxi and Yan Lingyu started putting away the things that Gongyu Hao had bought.

Gongyu Hao took some rice noodles and put them into a pot. Yan Qixun cut up a few pieces of cloth, washed them, tied them to a hanger, and started to filter the soy milk. Gongyu Hao and Yan Lingsu were also helping her out.

After filtering the soy milk, Yan Lingsu lit a fire, and Yan Qixun stirred the soy milk while it was on the stove. After the soy milk was boiled, it was made into brine, and the soy milk started to solidify. Yan Qixun filled a few bowls to make tofu pudding, put the rest into a mold, covered it and asked Gongyu Hao to press it with a flat stone.

She then used the rest of the soy milk to make a thousand tofu pieces. A thousand pieces of tofu was a lot of work. It required a layer of cloth and a layer of tofu. She pressed down on the layers to extract all the water from it, then removed the layers one at a time.

A thousand tofu pieces were then cut into thin slices and tossed into a salad. It was delicious when eaten with soup, roast meat, and stir-fried vegetables. There wasn’t much seasoning available at the moment. Yan Qixun preferred salty food, so she poured some hot oil onto the tofu and mixed onions, garlic, and salt.

After tasting it, Gongyu Mingxi said it tasted brilliant. She then told Gongyu Hao to send some food to Grandfather and Grandmother Zuo. After the tofu was made, the sisters prepared dinner. Yan Qixun did not know how to cook, but she knew how to eat. She instructed Yan Lingsu to make some fried tofu and a pot of tofu soup..

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