Chapter 201: Wife’s Tofu

The soaked soybeans, under the pressure of the stone mill, turned into a milky white slurry, accompanied by a gentle hissing sound and a froth of white bubbles that resembled fluffy clouds.

“Daddy, what’s this?”

Taking advantage of Lin Heng and Xiulan’s momentary distraction, little Xiao Xia mischievously scooped up a handful of the white foam, playing with it curiously.

“This is something delicious. Once it’s ready, you can have some,” Lin Heng replied, picking her up and moving her to a safer distance.

In Lin Heng’s arms, Xiao Xia playfully smeared some foam on his face. Lin Heng, with a resigned smile, patted her little cheek and said, “Stay here like a good girl, and soon you’ll have something tasty to eat.”

Xiao Xia obediently played with the foam in her hands without causing further trouble. Before long, Lin Heng and Xiulan had finished grinding the soybeans.

Fifty pounds of soybeans yielded five buckets of coarse slurry. After cleaning the stone mill’s remnants, Lin Heng smiled at his mother and said, “How about it, Mom? Isn’t this much faster than doing it by hand?”

Mother Lin lifted her chin slightly and replied, “Beans ground by hand taste better than those ground by a cow.”

Her comment made Lin Heng laugh, “Alright then, next time you can take your time grinding by hand.”

His mother was like an early version of a soul-eating demon.

With that, he carried two buckets of the ground slurry back, while Xiulan took Xiao Xia back to boil water.

The next step was to boil water, dilute the slurry, cook it, and then remove the foam. The remaining liquid would be filtered through a cloth bag to separate the soy pulp, leaving pure soy milk.

Their kitchen only had two large pots, which couldn’t handle fifty pounds of tofu.

But Lin Heng had already planned for this. He brought out a large wooden basin two meters in diameter and fifty centimeters high, filled it with water, and used an electric heater to boil it.

While the water was heating, Xiulan prepared some gypsum for the tofu and cut mugwort into thin strips to make mugwort tofu.

Lin Heng, on the other hand, crushed dried chili peppers and garlic in a small mortar to make a spicy garlic sauce for the tofu pudding.

After finishing, Xiulan asked Lin Heng, “Do you want to make some regular cabbage tofu too?”

Seeing the basin of mugwort she had cut, Lin Heng smiled and shook his head, “No need, mugwort tofu is delicious. But if you want, you can make a little.”

Regular vegetable tofu is made with cabbage leaves and tastes quite good too.

“Alright, I’ll make a bit then, since the water isn’t boiling yet,” Xiulan decided, picking some cabbage leaves and chopping them finely to prepare for the vegetable tofu.

After waiting for more than half an hour, the water in the wooden basin finally boiled. Lin Heng and Xiulan immediately poured the ground slurry into it and stirred it evenly, moving on to the filtering stage.

They placed a wooden frame over the pot, on top of which they set a square basket containing a cloth bag.

Filtering tofu is a labor-intensive task, and naturally, Lin Heng took on the job at home.

Xiulan rolled up Lin Heng’s sleeves with a smile, “Take your time. If it gets too hot, dip your hands in cold water.”

“Okay.”

Lin Heng nodded, opening the white cloth bag as Xiulan poured the diluted slurry into it.

The cloth bag’s weave was fine, requiring constant pressing to squeeze out the soy milk. Since the slurry was hot, Lin Heng had to stop frequently to cool his hands in cold water.

After twenty minutes, they had filtered a pot of soy milk. Seeing the remaining slurry in the barrel, Lin Heng felt a bit overwhelmed; there was enough for at least three more pots.

Their two pots were large iron pots with a diameter of one meter, but even so, it would take four pots to filter everything.

Xiulan, noticing his red hands, suggested, “Why not take a break before continuing?”

Lin Heng shook his head, pointing to the other large pot, “Let’s do one more pot. We can’t leave it empty.”

Besides, the slurry’s temperature had dropped, making it less hot to handle.

Another half hour later, they had filtered another pot of soy milk.

Xiulan wiped Lin Heng’s sweat and smiled, “Now you can rest. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Alright.” Lin Heng sat with Xiao Xia.

Curious, Xiao Xia asked what Lin Heng was cooking. Upon learning it was sweet, she smacked her lips and swallowed eagerly.

“Daddy, when can I drink it?”

Every now and then, Xiao Xia would ask in her sweet, childish voice.

“It’s ready now.”

Lin Heng replied with a smile.

The soy milk was already half-cooked, and after Xiulan added more heat, it boiled in no time.

“Here you go, wait for it to cool a bit before drinking.”

Xiulan served bowls of soy milk to Lin Heng and Xiao Xia, adding plenty of sugar.

Once it cooled a little, Xiao Xia eagerly took a sip.

It was her first time drinking soy milk, and the rich, sweet bean flavor left her momentarily stunned before she began gulping it down.

“Mommy, I want more~”

After finishing her small bowl, she ran to Xiulan with her bowl, asking in her sweet voice.

But Xiulan didn’t give her more, saying, “There’ll be something even tastier soon.”

Rejected by her mother, she turned to Lin Heng, who hadn’t finished his, and looked at him with hopeful eyes, “Daddy, I want more.”

Lin Heng poured her a little, then drank the rest in one go in front of her.

Realizing she wouldn’t get more, Xiao Xia sipped her remaining soy milk spoon by spoon.

Xiulan lowered the heat and began making tofu.

The first batch wasn’t for vegetable tofu; it was all for making firm tofu or fermented tofu.

They used gypsum for making tofu, though some used brine, but brine-made tofu was too firm compared to the softness achieved with gypsum.

As the gypsum water was gradually added, the formation of tofu began to appear. The process continued until the tofu was fully set and the water turned a clear yellow, signaling completion.

Though it sounded simple, the amount of gypsum water required was a true test of experience. Too much could be harmful, while too little would prevent the tofu from setting properly.

However, Xiulan had previously made a living selling tofu, so she was well-versed in the process and rarely made mistakes.

Once the tofu was ready, she took out the mold to shape it. The Lin family used a wooden square mold, though some were made of woven bamboo.

The mold had small drainage holes at the bottom and sides. After lining it with cheesecloth, the tofu curds were scooped in, filling the 40-centimeter mold perfectly.

The tofu was wrapped in the cloth, covered with a lid, and pressed with a 50-jin stone. After one or two hours, the tofu would set.

Once everything was in place, Xiulan checked the time by holding Lin Heng’s hand. It was already three in the afternoon.

She looked up at Lin Heng and said, “Let’s get started. Let’s try to finish before nightfall.”

“Alright.”

Lin Heng had no objections. He added some hot water to the cold, coarse mixture in the wooden basin, stirred it evenly, and filtered it with boiling water.

Half an hour later, Lin Heng noticed there was still a lot of coarse mixture left. “This is more than we estimated. We can’t fit it all into two pots.”

There was about half a pot of mixture remaining, which posed a bit of a problem.

Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and said, “No worries. I’ll make tofu skin with it later. Do you want tofu skin or bean curd skin?”

Tofu skin is made by layering gypsum-set soy milk in a mold with cheesecloth, repeating the process. It’s essentially a very thin tofu. Bean curd skin doesn’t require setting; the soy milk is heated until a thin layer forms on top, which is then removed and cooled.

Bean curd skin is much thinner than tofu skin, and they have different textures.

Lin Heng smiled and said, “Can we have a bit of both? We can use them for hot pot in a few days.”

Xiulan blinked. “Of course. Just stay with me.”

“No problem.”

Lin Heng assured her confidently.

The two then resumed making tofu. After boiling the soy milk, Xiulan added chopped mugwort directly into the pot, stirring it evenly before setting the tofu.

As the tofu curds formed, the mugwort became embedded in each piece.

“I’m going to call everyone,” Lin Heng said, heading out to gather his parents, elder brother, and others.

In this era, tofu was a precious commodity in rural areas, typically made only during the New Year. At such times, the whole family would gather to enjoy soy milk and tofu pudding.

“Mom, Dad, Elder Brother, come have some tofu pudding,” Lin Heng called out with a smile.

“I want some. I’m going first,” Caiyun said, rushing over as soon as she heard about the tofu pudding.

“Alright, coming!”

Everyone else didn’t hesitate either. They knew there was no shortage, and Lin Heng wasn’t one for unnecessary formalities.

On the way back, they also called the sister-in-law and three children.

Lin Wei was doing homework, but as soon as he heard about the tofu pudding, he jumped up and ran with Lin Heng, ignoring his mother’s calls.

In no time, eleven people gathered in the Lin family’s main room, their laughter echoing far and wide.

Lin Heng looked at everyone and asked with a smile, “Do you want mugwort tofu pudding or plain?”

“I want mugwort with chili,” Father Lin said.

“I’ll have mugwort too,” Lin Yue said with a smile.

Most of the adults chose mugwort tofu pudding, preferring it savory with garlic and chili.

Lin Wei loudly declared, “I want it sweet!”

Everyone turned to look at him as if he were an oddity.

“What?” Lin Wei asked weakly.

“Nothing, that’s fine,” Lin Heng said with a slight smile, heading inside to help Xiulan serve the tofu pudding.

Xiao Xia also got a bowl of sweet tofu pudding and joined Lin Wei and Lin Tao in eating.

Lin Heng’s bowl was filled with mugwort tofu pudding. The mugwort was evenly integrated with the tofu, and the addition of savory garlic and chili made each bite satisfying.

The tofu was soft and silky, full of the aroma of soybeans, with the mugwort adding a chewy texture. The rich flavors of chili and garlic were so delightful they could bring tears to one’s eyes, especially in these times of scarcity.

Everyone ate in silence, smiling contentedly. Occasionally, someone would exclaim how delicious it was before diving back in.

“This is amazing!”

After finishing, Lin Heng sighed in satisfaction. Despite the spiciness making him sniffle, it was truly delicious.

The garlic and chili were quite spicy, and Xiulan was also sniffling, her cheeks flushed.

“So good!”

Xiao Xia had finished her bowl and looked up at Lin Heng and Xiulan, indicating she wanted more.

Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, “Let’s give her a little more. It’s still early.”

“Okay.” Xiulan nodded and served Xiao Xia another portion.

After serving Xiao Xia, Xiulan turned to her parents and siblings. “Mom, Dad, Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, would you like some more?”

Father Lin shook his head. “No, a little is enough. We still have tofu to make.”

“Yes, this is plenty,” Lin Yue agreed.

As they spoke, they washed their bowls. Xiulan served a bit more to Lin Wei and the other children, and the rest was made into tofu.

The tofu Xiulan made earlier was a success. She took it out and placed it on the cutting board, then scooped the fresh tofu pudding into the mold.

The mugwort tofu was made using the tofu box borrowed from Father Lin.

By the time everything was done, it was already dark. Father Lin and the others gradually left. Mother Lin, upon hearing that Lin Heng planned to feed the tofu dregs to the musk deer and horses, asked for some to make steamed buns for herself.

Lin Heng felt helpless. His mother was too frugal, but after forty years, it was a habit he couldn’t change. He could only give her some tofu dregs to take home.

Such habits could only be gradually changed over the years to come.

After everyone left, Xiulan began making tofu skins. She first made thirty sheets of oil skin, then used the remaining tofu to make over a dozen sheets of tofu skin. Unlike pressing tofu, pressing tofu skin required much more weight.

Lin Heng placed a wooden basin on top, filling it with water until it weighed over two hundred pounds.

“Finally done. I’m exhausted,” Xiulan sighed deeply, looking at the three boxes of tofu, which weighed over a hundred and thirty pounds in total.

Typically, one pound of soybeans could produce two to three pounds of tofu, and if it was silken tofu, it could yield four to five pounds.

Tofu contains a lot of water, so this amount wasn’t much.

Holding his daughter, Lin Heng smiled and asked, “What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

Xiulan shook her head. “I’ll cook. You’re pretty tired too. Let’s just have some noodles and then rest.”

“That works,” Lin Heng nodded.

By the time they finished dinner, it was past nine. Lin Heng read to Xiao Xia and told her a story, which took them close to ten.

After getting into bed, they lay there peacefully, staring at the flickering flames in the fireplace.

Xiulan held Lin Heng, and the two of them gradually drifted off to sleep while daydreaming.

That night, Lin Heng had a nightmare. In his dream, he was hunting with his elder brother. As they walked through the mountains, they were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of venomous snakes, impossible to kill them all.

As if the snakes weren’t enough, a giant serpent appeared and swallowed the two exhausted men whole.

Lin Heng awoke in the middle of the night, taking several deep breaths. Feeling Xiulan beside him, his heart gradually calmed.

“Why would I have such a dream in the middle of the night?” Lin Heng couldn’t understand, as he had never thought of such things before.

He held Xiulan tighter, and the unsettling feeling slowly faded, but he couldn’t fall back asleep.

“What’s wrong?” Xiulan, sensing Lin Heng’s movements, woke up groggily.

“Nothing, just a nightmare. I’m going to add some wood to the fireplace,” Lin Heng shook his head, got up, and added some wood to the fireplace, then used the chamber pot.

Seeing that it was only four in the morning, Lin Heng exhaled and lay back down to rest.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” Xiulan reassured him, hugging Lin Heng and gently patting his back.

“Mm,” he replied.

Feeling the warmth of his wife’s embrace, the fear from the nightmare gradually disappeared.

Having someone by his side was truly comforting. He couldn’t help but recall how he used to wake up alone from nightmares.

(End of chapter)