to Yang Lin."Yang Lin, this young master is generous. I won't hold past grudges against you. Quickly get rid of these peasants. As for your tofu-making skills, this young master will take them over!"...Through the cracks in the window pane, they saw that under the moonlight, the frail figure was struggling to roll a heavy millstone.
Sweat dripped from his cheeks, and he gasped for breath.
Maybe we should go help him!
"But isn't all he does pointless"
Let him struggle on his own.
"Sister, what about you"
Someone looked at Li Yuxiang.
The rest of them also looked at her.
"Me"
In the darkness, Li Yuxiang quietly wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and looked straight out the window at that lonely figure. She shook her head.
"I don't believe he can create miracles either."
But…
I want to help him.
"Because some things, even if you know it's difficult, you have to try!"
"Only by trying will you know."
When she took over the world from her father, how could she not understand that for a woman to become emperor would be incredibly difficult.
But she still went ahead and did it.
At least, don't leave yourself with regrets.
Outside, Yang Lin, who was scrubbing a millstone, saw the door open and women walk out of the house.
He smiled.
……
The next morning.
In the midst of billowing smoke, Yang Lin's courtyard was bustling with activity.
Each woman has her own task: cooking, grinding beans, boiling soy milk…
As the saying goes, there are three hardest jobs in the world: rowing a boat, blacksmithing, and making tofu.
Six people took turns grinding the mill, and the women were still sweating profusely, panting heavily.
"What is Yang Lin's family doing"
"Let's go take a look."
Some early villagers noticed the commotion in Yang Lin's yard and gathered around.
Lacking entertainment, everyone likes to join the commotion. In no time, a crowd gathered in front of the door.
When people saw the women grinding soaked beans into a paste and filtering it through cloth, their eyes widened in astonishment.
"Ridiculous!"
"Such a spendthrift!"
"Such a good bean, ruined like this."
"If you grind it into a paste, will this still be edible"
An elder couldn't help but shout: "Young man, beans, even if you want to grind them, you can only roast them first, grind them into bean flour, and cook them by pouring hot water over it. It's wrong to soak the beans before grinding them!"
"Creating such a ruckus, you'll starve to death sooner or later!"
"What a waste of food."
Bucket after bucket of cooked soybean milk was poured into the vat.
Under Yang Lin's direction, Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba stirred the soy milk in the vat while slowly adding the "stone water" from the bucket.
Soon, the soy milk began to coagulate, taking on a brain-like texture.
The villagers frowned deeply, shaking their heads and sighing in disappointment.
Even the women, looking at the unformed tofu pudding in the tank, sighed with disappointment.
Place the solidified tofu brain in a mold, cover it with cheesecloth, and press down on a wooden board. The water will slowly drain out of the mold.
The commotion here quickly attracted the village head, Zhao Fuguang.
Zhao Fuguang was also taken aback when he saw it.
"Yang Lin, what are you doing"
"What's all the commotion!"
"Aren't you afraid of starving to death Stop right now!"
Zhao Fu貴 was so anxious that he slapped his thigh.
Yet Yang Lin smiled calmly.
To tell you the truth, last night in my dream, an old immortal came here while traveling the clouds and taught me to use this bean to make a dish that even immortals in heaven eat. It's called tofu.
"Uncle Three, you're just in time. Everyone has been looking for a while now. Today I'll open your eyes and let you try something new!"
Soon, the lid was lifted from the steamer, revealing a snowy white tofu, fresh and smooth as jade.
Yang Lin cut the tofu into ten centimeter squares and took out one piece, putting it on a plate.
As Yang Lin moved, everyone's eyes focused on the square, white jade-like block, dumbfounded and unbelievable.
"What's going on It was just flowing water a moment ago, how did it become solid"
"Could this really be food from the gods"
"Never heard of it, never seen it!"
The onlookers' eyes were wide with astonishment.
All the women were stunned. This white and tender thing, so pure and smooth, shaped like jade cream, and emitting a faint fragrance, was simply not something of this world.
Come, my lady, try it first.
Yang Lin brought the tofu to Li Yuyao.
Li Yuxiang took it and frowned.
Although the tofu looked good, she had no hope for the taste of it.
After all, it's made with cheap beans. What good is it even if it looks nice
"This is it!"
However, after just one taste, the tender and smooth texture surprised her.
A subtle, novel fragrance burst forth on her palate.
Li Yuxiang was startled.
Different positions bring completely different perspectives to problems. She sees things far more deeply than anyone else.
This item is not only amazingly talented and beautiful, but it also breaks new ground in history by creating a new type of food that tastes good!
And all of this…
Could it be that he just casually, with stones and water, pounded it out
Looking at Yang Lin again, her eyes held surprise and deep curiosity.
This scholar still has some talent.
Yang Lin tasted some for the villagers again.
Everything that has been tasted is amazing and everyone praises it.
"In my over fifty years of life, I've never tasted anything so delicious."
"This is truly divine food."
Though it's just tofu, in this era of food scarcity, its novelty makes it surprisingly impressive.
Just as everyone was singing his praises, Yang Lin had the women set up a stove at the door and hang a large pot over it. He poured all the remaining lard from their home into the pot and had the women slice the tofu into thin pieces, frying them under his direction.
For a moment, waves of fragrance wafted through the air.
The surface of the tofu is golden and crispy after being fried, then sprinkled with some coarsely crushed salt.
The whole courtyard was filled with the sound of people swallowing nervously.
The women, having tasted the pan-fried tofu, were even more shocked.
Even Li Yuxiang had never tasted such exquisite flavors.
The villagers who were watching smelled the aroma and their stomachs rumbled.
"Yang Lin, do you sell tofu I'd like to buy some."
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to buy it too. How much does it cost”
"I want to buy some to try."
Everyone buzzed with excitement, their eyes fixed on the sizzling tofu in the pot. They couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Although we aren't very wealthy, it's okay to spend a little money occasionally to indulge our cravings.
Yang Lin was waiting for this moment all along.
"Uncle and aunts, elder brothers and elders."
Yang Lin first clasped his fists in greeting before clearing his throat and saying, “As you all know, my family is poor and struggling. This tofu is a divine recipe passed down through generations, and I originally didn't intend to sell it. But since you are all elders and fellow villagers, how could I possibly refuse your request”
"Alright then, I won't make a profit. I'll just sell it at cost, two cents a piece!"
Yang Lin stretched out two fingers and waved them.
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Two Wen
This is really cheap!
Red sorghum and barley cost five or six copper coins per jin; as for white flour and rice, they cost ten or more copper coins!
Compared to this, such magical tofu only costs two cents, it's incredibly cheap.
Hearing Yang Lin's price of two cash, Li Yuyao immediately panicked, tugged at Yang Lin's clothes, and frantically winked at him: "Too low!"
My wife said this price is too low.
Yang Lin shook his head.
"Two copper coins are indeed low, but my lady, am I selling outsiders These are all our potential matches!"
"Although this tofu was made after a day and night of hard work, overcoming countless difficulties."
But can I, Yang Lin, earn money from my fellow villagers
"No!"
"The hardship and fatigue, we will bear it ourselves. I want to give the biggest discounts to my family… and to my fellow countrymen!"
The villagers are plain and have never seen so much scheming.
Then the crowd erupted.
I buy one piece.
"Yang Lin, I don't want to take advantage of you, but my family has many people, so could you sell me two pieces"
"Right, right, right. I'll take two as well. We're all fellow villagers, aren't we"
"Your aunt has watched you grow up, sell me three..."
Everyone scrambled to pay.
"I want one hundred dollars!"
"I want two hundred dollars!"
Two voices suddenly shouted in the crowd.Zhao and Miss Zhou."Liu Youcai bowed, but in his heart he cursed countless times for their shamelessness!"Hee hee, refreshing!"The county magistrate stood up and said, "As I am here to investigate the...