Chapter 9: Tofu Feast

The brine was slowly poured into the wooden bucket as Zhao Mengcheng stirred continuously with a long spoon. Soon, the white soy milk began to congeal into soft flakes.

“A-Mao, go get a few bowls,” Zhao Mengcheng called out.

Zhao Mao quickly brought over five bowls.

“Is this tofu? It really is different from ordinary soy milk. It looks like egg drop soup,” Wang Ming remarked in wonder.

In the past, he had occasionally had soy milk when he went to work in town. Adding sugar was too expensive, but without it, the drink was watery and tasteless. He had no idea soy milk could be eaten this way.

Zhao Mengcheng explained, “This is Tofu Pudding. You can add sugar, salt, soy sauce, or even pickles.”

As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop moving. Soon, the flakes in the soy milk increased and began to form clumps.

Seeing that it was stirred evenly, Zhao Mengcheng finally stopped. “We have to let it sit for a while. Let’s eat the Tofu Pudding first.”

Because the Tofu Pudding was scooped out early, its shape hadn’t fully solidified. It looked like soft egg custard that hadn’t quite set.

Since there was no white sugar left at home, Zhao Mengcheng simply added soy sauce and stirred in some pickles. With one bite, the Tofu Pudding was soft, smooth, and savory.

“Mmm, delicious!” Wang Ming ate with his head down, constantly giving a thumbs up.

The three siblings also ate heartily, completely unafraid of the heat.

Zhao Xin declared, “Dad, this is so good. It’s even better than egg custard.”

Zhao Mengcheng also thought it was quite good. It was a pity he didn’t have enough seasonings, otherwise the flavor of the Tofu Pudding would be even better.

Seeing that his friend had almost finished, Zhao Mengcheng handed a bowl he had set aside to Wang Ming. “Take a bowl to Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang so they can try it too.”

Wang Ming’s face turned red. “How can I eat for free and then take some home? Brother, you should keep it for your business. I have money, I’ll come buy some later. Otherwise, my mother will blame me.”

“It’s just a bowl of Tofu Pudding, it’s not worth much. Besides, I used your family’s Stone Mill and didn’t pay for it,” Zhao Mengcheng insisted.

Only then did Wang Ming take the bowl of Tofu Pudding and leave.

When he reached the house next door, Auntie Wang indeed grumbled at him, “Why did you bring this back? Mengcheng is generous, but you’re being foolish. That’s for his business. How can we eat his food and take it home too?”

“I told him I didn’t want it, but Brother Mengcheng insisted,” Wang Ming said helplessly.

Auntie Wang eventually took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately. “This tastes wonderful. I never imagined beans could be eaten like this.”

“Brother Mengcheng poured a bowl of water into the soy milk, and it turned into Tofu Pudding. I thought it was great too,” Wang Ming said with a smile.

Auntie Wang suspected that the bowl of water was not simple. It was likely a secret recipe, so she cautioned her son, “Don’t go talking about this outside. Their family hasn’t had it easy.”

“I know that, of course. Mother, have some more.”

“I won’t eat any more. I’ll save the rest for when your father comes home.”

On the other side, Zhao Mengcheng waited for a while until the liquid in the wooden bucket gradually cleared, revealing the solidified blocks of tofu.

Zhao Chun and the others stood by, staring intently, their mouths hanging open in surprise.

Zhao Mengcheng found it amusing and reached out to close their mouths. “Don’t let your drool fall in there.”

The three children quickly covered their mouths.

Hearing their father’s laughter, the three children realized they were being teased.

Zhao Mao lowered his hand and asked, “Dad, is this the tofu?”

“There’s still one last step.”

Zhao Mengcheng took out the wrapping cloth he had used earlier and placed it inside a wooden box. After pouring all the tofu in, it filled the wooden box perfectly.

But he wasn’t finished yet. After wrapping the cloth, Zhao Mengcheng pressed the pot lid down on top. Because he hadn’t prepared a lid of the right size in advance, it took some effort to press the water out.

Finally, after placing a clean, heavy stone on top, Zhao Mengcheng stretched his limbs. “We’ll check it again in an hour.”

“We have to wait another hour?” Zhao Xin was very disappointed.

Zhao Mao comforted his sister, “Don’t be impatient. Patience leads to a better result.”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “In the future, you can also say that a hasty man can’t eat hot tofu.”

Even though they had to wait an hour, the three children were reluctant to leave. They simply moved stools and sat down next to the wooden box to wait.

Seeing this, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t stop them. A few tofu recipes flashed through his mind as he headed into the vegetable garden, intending to prepare a Tofu Feast for dinner.

Although they couldn’t afford meat for the time being, eating a meal of tofu to supplement their protein was a good alternative.

That hour passed very slowly. Several times, Zhao Xin couldn’t help but want to move the stone and take a look, but she was stopped by her two older brothers each time.

The little girl pouted and waited patiently, though the waiting was an ordeal.

Finally, Zhao Mengcheng spoke, “The time is about up.”

Zhao Xin practically jumped for joy, circling around her father. “Daddy, look quickly! I want to eat tofu!”

“Dad, let us help you,” Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao volunteered.

Moving the stone aside, he gently peeled back the cloth cover, immediately revealing the white, tender tofu inside.

Zhao Mengcheng looked at it and felt the quality was good. It seemed he had a talent for cooking; his first attempt was a success.

“It has no taste,” Zhao Xin said, quickly picking up a small crumb from the side and popping it into her mouth. “It’s not as good as the tofu pudding.”

Compared to the tofu, which had a slight beany smell, Zhao Xin clearly preferred the soft and tender tofu pudding.

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “It doesn’t have much flavor eating it like this, but it’s delicious when cooked into a dish.”

That day, Zhao Mengcheng showed off his skills. Tofu with scallions, braised tofu, tofu and mushroom soup, tofu stewed with sauerkraut, eggs hugging tofu… he prepared a table full of tofu dishes.

Zhao Xin couldn’t even blink.

“Give it a try. This is the tofu we made together,” Zhao Mengcheng said with a smile.

“Dad should eat first,” the children insisted.

Zhao Mengcheng took the first bite. The plain tofu had a slight beany smell, but it wasn’t unpleasant; instead, it added a unique flavor.

Even better, the tofu absorbed the flavors of whatever it was cooked with, giving each dish a distinct taste.

The only regret was that there was no meat in the house. Otherwise, braised pork with tofu would have been incredibly delicious.

Zhao Mengcheng secretly resolved that as soon as he made money from selling tofu, he would go buy meat – a large piece of fatty meat.

Once the three siblings started eating, they couldn’t stop. Just a moment ago, they thought tofu pudding was the best food in the world, but compared to the tofu now, the pudding dropped to second place.

In the end, not even a drop of sauce was spared. Zhao Chun poured it directly over his rice and ate it all.

Even Zhao Mao, who was usually in poor health and ate very little, let out a loud burp after finishing, his face turning red with embarrassment.

After eating and drinking their fill, it was time for business. Zhao Mengcheng looked at the remaining tofu, stood up, and began cutting it into palm-sized blocks.

“Dad?” Zhao Chun looked at him in confusion.

Zhao Mengcheng explained, “When our family was in trouble before, the Village Chief and our neighbors helped us a lot. We can’t pay back the money just yet, but we can send over a piece of tofu as a gesture. It will make them happy.”

Most importantly, the Zhao family were outsiders. Now that he had broken ties with Zhao Wencheng and become an independent household¹, he naturally needed to maintain a good relationship with the Village Chief to ensure their long-term stability.

Furthermore, tofu didn’t keep well, and there wasn’t enough to sell anyway. It was better to give it away as gifts, which would also let people know he was starting a tofu business.

“I’ll help you!” Zhao Chun shouted. Zhao Mao and Zhao Xin also clamored to help.

So, when the father and his three children left the house, each child carried two pieces of tofu while Zhao Mengcheng carried four. They made quite a procession as they walked toward the Village Chief’s house.

It was early afternoon. The Village Chief was resting under the eaves, smoking a pipe, and looked a bit surprised to see them approaching.

“Village Chief, this is some homemade tofu. It’s my first time making it, so I’d like the villagers to have a taste.”

Zhao Mengcheng set the tofu down and repeated the explanation he had given the Wang family that morning.

The Village Chief was somewhat surprised. He stood up and glanced at the tofu. “This is called tofu? It’s really made from beans? I’ve certainly never seen this before. How do you eat it?”

Standing nearby, Zhao Xin couldn’t help but say, “It’s good with scallions, braised, or cooked with sauerkraut.”

Zhao Mengcheng went ahead and shared a few recipes to ensure the Village Chief’s family knew how to cook it.

The Village Chief nodded repeatedly. “It is indeed a novelty. This business might just work. However, it won’t sell well in our village; you’ll have to go to town. If you need any help, just let me know.”

Zhao Mengcheng naturally agreed and then said, “Actually, there is one thing. I’d like to buy more soybeans to make tofu.”

“That’s no problem at all. Just say the word. My family has some,” the Village Chief agreed immediately.

After leaving the Village Chief’s house, he took the children to several other homes – all people who had been willing to lend a hand when the original owner’s wife was ill and they needed to borrow money.

He should have also visited his wife’s family, but Liu Yunniang’s parents lived in the neighboring village, which was a bit of a distance, so he had to set that aside for now.

Carrying the last piece of tofu, Zhao Mengcheng entered the Wang house.

As soon as Auntie Wang saw him, she said, “We’ve already had the tofu pudding. We can’t take your tofu as well.”

Zhao Mengcheng set the tofu down anyway. “Auntie, I’ve come to ask for a favor.”

Auntie Wang waved him off. “You can use the stone mill whenever you want. There’s no need to bring gifts.”

“It’s not about that.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked at Wang Ming. “Uncle, Auntie, you know I’ve been very ill and haven’t fully recovered yet. I can’t do heavy physical labor. I want to sell tofu, but I’m afraid my body won’t be able to handle it. Yet, I can’t just sit around and exhaust my resources. So, I’d like to ask Ming to help me. I’ll pay him ten wen a day. If the business takes off, I can increase it later. What do you think?”

These words startled all three members of the Wang family.

Manual labor in town usually paid ten wen a day. More strenuous work might fetch fifteen or twenty, but that involved working oneself to the bone. The couple couldn’t bear to let their son do that.

Wang Ming spoke up, “Grinding tofu isn’t much work. I’m idle anyway, and how could I take wages for helping a neighbor?”

“You can’t say that. This business isn’t just for a day or two; I plan to keep it going for a long time. Since it’s a business, I naturally have to pay wages.”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “I actually feel like I’m offering too little. As long as you don’t think it’s too small an amount, it’s fine.”

“How could I possibly mind?” Wang Ming said instinctively.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “Then you’ve agreed to help.”

Wang Ming looked toward his parents.

Uncle Wang thought for a moment and said, “Since you can’t find work these few days anyway, go and help Zhao Mengcheng. But let’s get one thing straight: if the business makes money, I won’t care if you pay this brat wages. If it doesn’t make money, we absolutely cannot accept anything.”

“This…” Wouldn’t that mean the Wang family was providing the labor, but if the business failed, they would have worked for nothing without receiving a single cent?

Auntie Wang added, “It’s settled then. Otherwise, I won’t agree either.”

Zhao Mengcheng could only nod. He felt even more that the Wang family was too honest, but he believed he could make money.

Wang Ming, on the other hand, was quite eager. He immediately asked, “Are we starting to sell tofu tomorrow?”

“The tofu we made today is all gone. If we want to sell it tomorrow, we have to soak the beans now and get up in the middle of the night to grind them and make the tofu,” Zhao Mengcheng explained.

Wang Ming agreed immediately. “Alright, then I’ll get up in the middle of the night.”

Well, it seemed his enthusiasm was even greater than Zhao Mengcheng’s.

The next morning, Wang Ming indeed got up early. Aside from adding the brine, he didn’t let Zhao Mengcheng lift a finger.

As the sky was just beginning to brighten, the two of them pushed a cart of tofu to the city gate².

Translator’s Notes