Chapter 18: The Secret Recipe

Zhao Mengcheng’s first idea was to turn Qingshan Village into a tofu village.

The location of Qingshan Village was awkward. It was neither too close nor too far from Changhe Town, but it was a considerable distance from the pier, meaning it couldn’t benefit from the trade there.

To make matters worse, it was a place with many mountains and little arable land. Relying solely on farming to support a family was a tight squeeze for everyone.

Consequently, most of the young men in the village would go to the town or the pier to find work, just as Wang Ming had done before.

Manual labor was exhausting and easily replaceable. Without money or a background, the people of Qingshan Village often suffered mistreatment.

Zhao Mengcheng understood the principle that a single tree cannot support a forest¹. He knew he couldn’t grow the business significantly on his own. If he truly made it big, someone would inevitably become envious and cause trouble.

Since that was the case, he planned to bring the entire village into the fold.

One person making money would invite jealousy, but if the whole village relied on tofu for their livelihood, the villagers would naturally and spontaneously protect him.

Letting Wang Ming take charge of the tofu stall was only the first step. It was meant to show the villagers that following him would definitely bring benefits.

Sure enough, after Wang Ming had been at it for only a few days, some people began to catch on.

The Village Chief’s youngest son didn’t like farming, but he was very keen on running around to buy beans. On the first day, he hauled back two hundred jin of beans and delivered them straight to the door.

Zhao Mengcheng paid him without a second thought.

After a few transactions, the two men, who previously had little to do with each other, quickly became well-acquainted.

One day, after Liu Bingkun delivered the beans, he didn’t leave. He pulled Zhao Mengcheng aside and said, “Brother, there’s something I want to ask you. If it works, great; if not, it doesn’t matter.”

Zhao Mengcheng thought to himself that the moment had arrived. He smiled and said, “Tell me about it first.”

Liu Bingkun said, “Look, I’m already running around everywhere to buy beans, and I’m always heading out empty-handed anyway. I was wondering if I could buy some tofu from you to sell. That way, I can make more money on my rounds, and you can sell more tofu.”

Zhao Mengcheng feigned hesitation. “But the tofu stall in town has already been given to Wang Ming, and he’s also responsible for deliveries to the restaurant.”

Liu Bingkun hurriedly said, “I’ll push the tofu to the nearby villages to hawk it. I won’t go to the town to steal Wang Ming’s business, I can guarantee that.”

Zhao Mengcheng studied Liu Bingkun carefully.

The original owner of the body hadn’t had a good impression of Liu Bingkun, thinking he was an idle loafer who relied on the Village Chief and his wife’s doting. Looking at him now, Liu Bingkun actually had quite a few ideas.

He agreed without hesitation, though he emphasized, “Then it’s a deal. I’ll give it to you at the same price I give the restaurant. How much you earn depends on you, and you’ll be responsible for your own profits and losses.”

Liu Bingkun was overjoyed and said repeatedly, “Don’t worry, Brother. I promise to sell it well. Even if I lose money, I won’t come looking for you.”

So, starting the next day, Liu Bingkun no longer left home empty-handed. Instead, he went to the Zhao Family home early to buy a hundred pieces of tofu, pushing his cart to hawk them village by village.

The tofu was cheap and delicious, and Liu Bingkun was a smooth talker who knew how to handle people. His business quickly took off, and he made a handsome profit on every trip.

Liu Bingkun wasn’t as reserved and honest as Wang Ming, who only knew how to hide under his covers and be happy after earning money. As soon as Liu Bingkun made money, he brought home large and small bags of goods.

He didn’t like farming, but he was filial. He handed all the money over to his mother and told the old couple to spend it freely.

The Village Chief’s wife couldn’t stop smiling. Previously, because her youngest son was seen as shiftless, she was often snubbed by her two daughters-in-law. Now, she could hold her head high.

So what if her son didn’t know how to farm? The money he made selling tofu was far more than what farming brought in.

Even the Village Chief had been wearing a smile these past few days. Feeling that he had received a favor from Zhao Mengcheng, he became increasingly pleasant toward him and spoke well of Zhao Mengcheng’s success to everyone.

Liu Bingkun told everyone he met, “It’s all thanks to Brother Mengcheng bringing me into the business. Hawking tofu is tiring, but the earnings are great.”

As more people heard this, some naturally began to take it to heart.

One after another, people came to the door to ask, “Mengcheng, do you think I could buy tofu from you to sell?”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “Why not? As long as you don’t compete with Wang Ming and Liu Bingkun, you just need to divide the territories among yourselves first.”

“That’s for sure. Wang Ming only does the East Street area in town. I can go to West Street, North Street, or South Street.”

“Liu Bingkun only visits a few nearby villages. I see that his tofu is sold out after only two villages. I can go sell it in the mountains.”

One person even had a creative idea, saying, ” I’ll carry it to the pier to sell. My family has a boat, so I can even sell it on the river.”

Zhao Mengcheng agreed to all of them. After some discussion, he even set a uniform wholesale price that was slightly cheaper than what he charged the restaurant.

“This is for the sake of our fellow villagers. The neighbors helped me in the past, and now that I have the ability, I’m certainly willing to lead everyone to make money together,” he said.

In an instant, Zhao Mengcheng’s reputation in the village became even better.

In private, however, Wang Ming pulled Zhao Mengcheng aside, looking worried. “Brother, can you still make a profit at this price?”

The price of soybeans was fixed, and making tofu was a lot of trouble and required a secret recipe. Wang Ming was afraid that Zhao Mengcheng was losing money just to take care of the villagers.

Zhao Mengcheng only smiled. “Don’t worry. Small profits, quick turnover. I can still make a bit of a profit regardless.”

The selling price was low, so the profit margin was naturally slim, but that was offset by the current high volume.

The restaurant’s order totaled six hundred pieces. Wang Ming could sell at least two hundred pieces a day. Liu Bingkun and the others each took a hundred pieces. Combined, it was over a thousand pieces.

Even if he only earned half a Wen per piece, that was still five hundred Wen a day.

The only problem was increasing production. The donkey couldn’t be worked constantly, so Zhao Mengcheng had to hire two more men from the village. They were introduced by Uncle Wang, and both were hardworking, strong, and not prone to gossip.

The small courtyard of the Zhao Family wasn’t big enough, so Zhao Mengcheng leveled the nearby empty ground and set up a temporary tofu workshop.

It was lucky he had a good relationship with the Village Chief; otherwise, occupying land wouldn’t have been so easy.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t notice that while he was talking to Wang Ming, the three little ones were crouching nearby, their small faces full of worry.

Sizzle-

An enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen, making one’s mouth water.

After the morning rush, Zhao Mengcheng finally had time to cook something for himself. He was convinced that the original owner’s body was weak and needed proper nourishment, so he hadn’t stopped serving fish and meat for the past few days.

This morning, Zhao Mengcheng had specifically gone to the butcher to get a large piece of pork belly. Now that the house was fully stocked with seasonings, the aroma of the stewed meat was even richer.

When a large pot of bright, reddish-brown braised pork was placed on the table, the three little ones couldn’t take their eyes off it.

As usual, Zhao Mengcheng first scooped a large spoonful of braised pork into each of their bowls before saying, “Let’s eat.”

“Mmm, so good, so good.” The three little ones immediately lowered their heads and began eating.

The braised pork had thin skin and tender meat. The flavor was rich, the sauce thick, and the meat was soft enough to melt but still held its shape. It was fragrant and savory without being greasy, making it even more delicious when mixed with rice.

Zhao Mengcheng also found it delicious. His skills were average, but he was generous with the ingredients. This bowl was full of soy sauce and cooking wine, and he had even used half a bowl of sugar to create the caramelized color.

The meat looked glossy and red, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

No other family in Qingshan Village could afford to eat like this. It was a delicacy the three little ones had never tasted before.

But after they finished eating, Zhao Chun’s little brow furrowed.

Zhao Mengcheng found it amusing and deliberately asked, “What’s wrong? Is the braised pork not good?”

“It’s good,” Zhao Chun hurriedly nodded.

“If it’s good, why are you frowning? You’ll turn into a little old man if you keep doing that,” Zhao Mengcheng teased.

Zhao Chun looked at his father, his heart filled with worry.

The tofu stall had been given to their neighbor, Brother Wang Ming, and the job of collecting beans had been given to the Village Chief. This meant their family would earn less money.

He also knew that his father had paid off all their previous debts and even added interest, which must have totaled at least five taels of silver.

They were earning less and spending more. His father wasn’t thinking about saving, and these past few days, he had even started eating more extravagantly.

They had meat and fish constantly. Two days ago, his father had even brought back an old hen, a whole one, which they finished in a single meal.

Zhao Chun licked his lips, remembering the delicious chicken, but his heart was even more worried that the family would run out of money.

The child’s expressions changed like a magic trick, and Zhao Mengcheng found it entertaining to watch.

Suddenly, Zhao Mao ran into the house and came back out clutching a small wooden box.

That was the treasure box Zhao Mao used to help his brother and sister hide their pocket money. Zhao Mengcheng had made it specifically for him after seeing him hide things under the bed or in the cracks of the door.

“Father, it’s all for you.” Zhao Mao held up the wooden box.

Zhao Mengcheng took it and looked inside. It was heavy. The three siblings were given one Wen each per day, and it turned out they hadn’t spent any of it.

“The family is earning less lately. Father, you don’t need to give us pocket money anymore. We have food and drink anyway, so we don’t need to spend money,” Zhao Mao said seriously.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He patted the boy’s small head. “My son is truly filial.”

Zhao Mao smiled happily, feeling praised.

Opening the box, Zhao Mengcheng saw that it contained more than just the three little ones’ pocket money. There were also Zhao Mao’s treasures: a broken small slingshot, a polished piece of metal, and even a few fruit pits that had been rubbed smooth.

Since he had transmigrated, the three little ones had been exceptionally well-behaved, to the point that he had overlooked that children have other needs besides being full.

For a moment, he felt a pang of emotion. Zhao Mengcheng returned the box to Zhao Mao. “Keep these for yourselves to spend. Father isn’t running the tofu stall anymore, but our family is selling so much tofu that we can still make money.”

Zhao Chun said with a long face, “Dad, stop trying to fool us. We heard Uncle A-Ming say that you’re just selling at a loss right now to keep the business going.”

“Actually, Dad, you haven’t fully recovered yet. It would be good for you to take a break at home. Don’t push yourself too hard. The money we have was yours to begin with, so you should just take it and spend it,” Zhao Mao added comfortingly.

“Give it all to Daddy,” Zhao Xin chimed in.

Zhao Mengcheng felt both heart-warmed and helpless. “I do have that plan, but it’s not just because I’m tired and need a rest. The truth is, I’ve found another way to make money.”

The three children’s eyes instantly went wide.

Zhao Mengcheng chuckled. “I was going to wait a few more days to tell you, but since you’re so worried, I’ll let you in on it now.”

He reached out and led the three of them into the kitchen.

Since the tofu business had taken off, Zhao Mengcheng had been mulling things over. He couldn’t rely on plain tofu forever. He needed to innovate if he wanted to build real wealth.

“This is called dried tofu². It’s firmer and chewier than regular tofu. Give it a try.” Zhao Mengcheng handed a piece to each of them.

Zhao Chun took a bite and nodded. “It’s good! Dad, are we going to stop selling tofu and sell dried tofu instead?”

An idea flashed through Zhao Mengcheng’s mind, and he smiled. “Tomorrow, you three can come with me to sell the dried tofu. Once we’re done, I’ll take you for a proper look around town.”

The three children forgot all about the dried tofu they were eating, their minds now completely filled with the excitement of going to town the next day.

That night, all three children dreamed of selling out their dried tofu and earning piles of copper coins. They were so happy in their sleep that they nearly woke themselves up laughing.

Translator’s Notes