Chapter 53

It came as no surprise to Sang Luo to run into people from Shili Village while selling goods at the market today. She only bumped into the first person when her tofu was almost sold out, which was a testament to her swift selling; had she lingered a bit longer, she probably would have crossed paths with a few more.

Now that her family had built a new kitchen and courtyard wall, Sang Luo was not as tense as before. Furthermore, according to her original plan, once the busy farming season passed, her tofu would start being sold in the surrounding areas anyway, so there was nothing to hide. She greeted the village chief's wife with a bright smile, calling out cheerfully to her.

The village chief's wife had originally come to buy meat. Seeing Sang Luo so abruptly, her gaze fell upon the carrying pole in front of the young woman. Was this clearly a setup for selling wares?

"A-Lie's wife, are you out here selling things?"

"Yes, selling some food. Would you like to take a look, Auntie?"

The village chief's wife stepped closer and saw that the two ends of the carrying pole held entirely different items. On the left was a wooden bucket containing a jade-green substance, while on the right was a square wooden box filled with neat blocks of white.

"What kind of food is this?"

She had never seen anything like it.

Sang Luo smiled. "The white one is called tofu. It's a quite delicious dish that's wonderful when braised in soy sauce, stewed with meat, or pan-fried. The green one is called fairy tofu, which can be prepared as a dish or enjoyed as a snack. You can either stir-fry it hot or toss it cold. If you're eating it as a snack, drizzling a couple of spoons of melted malt sugar water over it makes for an exceptional taste."

As she spoke, she sliced off a small piece from the tasting portion, placed it on a leaf, and handed it to the village chief's wife with a smile. "Auntie, have a taste. This one doesn't have any seasonings, so the flavor is a bit plain, but you'll get the general idea."

The village chief's wife had not yet recovered from the introduction of tofu and fairy tofu, her mind still racing with the thought that this Mrs. Sang from the Shen family's eldest branch actually possessed such a skill, making a living by setting up a street stall. No wonder they managed to build a new house; all those village rumors about earning money by digging wild herbs were utter nonsense.

In the span of a fleeting moment, a hundred thoughts rushed through her mind. Seeing Sang Luo hand over that jade-green, emerald-like morsel—what was it called again? Fairy tofu? Made from beans?

With these reflections, her hand had already accepted the leaf handed by Sang Luo and brought the morsel to her mouth for a chew. The texture was truly not bad!

She could already imagine how much her children would love it with a bit of sugar water, and how much the men would relish it mixed with a little oil, salt, soy sauce, and scallions. It was refreshing—genuinely refreshing!

"How much does this cost?"

"It's not expensive, two copper coins a piece, and it yields a large bowl. Would you like to buy a piece to try, Auntie?"

Two copper coins—it wasn't as if she couldn't afford it. The village chief's wife nodded and said, "Alright, give me a piece."

Never mind the sweet version; she would toss a plate of it with savory seasonings at noon. Anyone who had been baking under the sun outside for half a day would surely enjoy it.

Sang Luo used a lotus leaf to scoop up a piece of fairy tofu. After retrieving one block, she also fished out a relatively larger scrap from the un-sliced trial batch and smiled as she said, "Auntie, I bought a chicken from your family yesterday, so consider this small extra piece my treat."

The corners of the village chief's wife's eyes curved up perceptibly. "You are truly too polite. I'll thank you then. If it tastes good, I'll buy from you again next time."

Her gaze then shifted to the white tofu, and she asked Sang Luo, "And how is this one sold?"

Sang Luo smiled. "The same, two copper coins a piece. You came here to buy meat, didn't you? This tofu has a different texture from the fairy tofu; it adapts completely to whatever seasonings you use. If you stew it with a few slices of meat, the tofu absorbs the meaty aroma as well. There are many ways to prepare it. Since it's the busy farming season today, Auntie, you can buy a piece and try it out."

The village chief's wife had already been tempted, and having received the half-piece of fairy tofu as a gift from Sang Luo, she felt quite pleased. She originally wanted to taste what this tofu was like and also wanted to support Sang Luo's business further, so she nodded readily. "Then give me a piece of that as well."

Sang Luo answered with a smile, and little Shen An deftly handed another lotus leaf to his eldest sister-in-law. The tender white tofu resting on the green lotus leaf looked mouthwatering indeed.

The village chief's wife placed both lotus-leaf-wrapped blocks of tofu into her basket, smiled as she fished out four copper coins from her sleeve, and handed them to Sang Luo. "You carry on with your busywork, I'm going to buy my meat."

Sang Luo nodded with a smile. The village chief's wife turned toward the butcher to buy a strip of pork belly. Before leaving, she glanced at Sang Luo's carrying pole again. Seeing that only a single block and a few smaller fragments remained at the bottom of the left bucket, and only two blocks of tofu were left on the right, she politely asked if Sang Luo needed them to wait so they could return to the village together. Sang Luo thanked her and declined, saying everyone was busy today, so there was no need to wait. The village chief's wife smiled in agreement and left for home with her basket in hand.

The remaining bits were sold out in less than a quarter of an hour when another customer approached the meat stall.

As for the leftover scraps of fairy tofu intended for tasting, Sang Luo simply gave them all to the butcher.

The butcher accepted the lotus leaf handed over by Sang Luo and took a look. Combined, it amounted to at least half a portion of fairy tofu. "Well now, looks like I'm getting a bargain."

Sang Luo laughed. "What are you saying? As long as you don't mind, I'm just borrowing your good fortune today."

After exchanging a few casual remarks, Sang Luo counted out eighty-seven copper coins to pay for the meat, packed everything properly, and then bid farewell to the butcher to head toward the grocery shop across the way.

With thirty-three copper coins remaining in her hand, Sang Luo bought six eggs. Noticing a row of small jars displayed on the shop counter with red paper and black ink bearing the character for "wine," she paused for a moment and asked the shopkeeper about the price of the wine.

After inquiring, the cheapest wine came in a tiny jar no bigger than a man's palm and cost eighteen copper coins. Loose wine was also available; if customers brought their own wine jars, it cost three copper coins per measure.

How expensive.

She hesitated briefly, but still said, "Give me a jar."

In the blink of an eye, the copper coins in her palm were reduced to just nine. Without hesitation, she asked for two liters of soybeans, which instantly left her with only a single coin.

Shen An watched as the money earned from the tofu his eldest sister-in-law had labored over late into the night and hauled out to sell early in the morning was spent down to a single copper coin.

The little boy's shoulders slumped, a faint ache tugging at his heart as he looked at the food they had traded for it.

Sang Luo packed everything securely, slipping the eggs one by one into the pile of soybeans. When she stood up and prepared to lift the carrying pole, she noticed Shen An's somewhat dejected appearance. Hoisting the pole out of the grocery shop and walking a few paces, she saw the little fellow was still a bit listless, so she asked with a smile, "What's the matter?"

Shen An turned his head to look at his eldest sister-in-law, his expression somewhat gloomy. "Eldest Sister-in-law, earning money is so hard, but the money gets spent much too fast."

Sang Luo was momentarily startled, then chuckled. "It's alright. Even though the money was spent, our household has undergone a massive transformation, hasn't it? We've added so many things. Just think about the carrying pole we're holding now, the earthen basins and cookware we use at home, the newly placed tables, benches, and beds, plus the stone mill, chickens, ducks, and the pretty courtyard. Doesn't thinking about it make you feel quite happy?"

Shen An thought about it, and it really seemed to be true. Recently, he often had the surreal feeling that living this kind of life was like dreaming.

He nodded.

Seeing the gloomy look on the little fellow's face diminish slightly, Sang Luo didn't say much more. She simply smiled and said, "Then remember to host your little friends well this evening, A-Ning and you. Today's meal is our housewarming banquet and also a token of gratitude, thanking the uncles, aunts, elders, and your little friends who put in the effort to help build our house. Eldest Sister-in-law will be very busy today and will surely lose track of things. When the time comes, there will be a table just for the children, so you and A-Ning will take care of it, won't you?"

Shen An listened intently. "Don't worry, Eldest Sister-in-law, I can take care of it."

...

When they returned home, it was already mid-morning. Perhaps the sound of their voices had carried over; even though they were still some distance away, Shen Ning emerged from behind the house, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw them, and scampered out eagerly.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Brother, you're back!"

Seeing the layer of dust on her hands, Sang Luo asked with a smile, "What were you doing behind the house?"

"Weaving the fence. I wove another short section this morning. Once it's all finished, we can let the chickens out to roam."

She was a child who knew how to find work for herself; Sang Luo hadn't given any instructions about this when she left. Sang Luo couldn't help praising, "A-Ning is truly capable!"

Shen Ning's eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile. She hurried over to Sang Luo's carrying pole and asked, "Eldest Sister-in-law, what did you buy?"

Without even waiting for Sang Luo to speak, Shen An ticked them off one by one like a tally sheet, finishing with, "It's just so expensive, the money we earned today was basically all spent."

He was practically on the verge of a sigh.

Shen Ning: "Ah..."

Shen An: "But Eldest Sister-in-law says this is how it should be. Everyone worked so hard to help us build the house, and today we're hosting a banquet primarily to show our gratitude. We understand reason and know how to be grateful, so that the next time we need help, people will be willing to lend a hand."

Shen Ning listened carefully. Hearing about needing help and recalling their past days, the little girl still felt a lingering sense of unease, but she nodded repeatedly. "Then we'll listen to Eldest Sister-in-law."

As the brother and sister chatted, they followed Sang Luo back into their house.

Shen Ning had been behind the house earlier, so the courtyard gate had been shut. She trotted over a few quick steps to push it open, waited in the courtyard for Sang Luo, and reported, "Eldest Sister-in-law, not long after you and Second Brother went out this morning, Granny Chen, Granny Lu, and Auntie Shi all came by and brought a whole lot of vegetables. I put them all in the kitchen."

This was something Sang Luo had known since early morning. She nodded. "Alright, I'll take a look in a moment."

She parked the carrying pole at the kitchen door and carried the wooden bucket indoors. Shen Ning followed her every step. "Granny Chen and Granny Lu said they'll come over to help us this afternoon, and told you not to rush to start working this morning. With three of them, it'll be plenty of time to start preparing right before the hour of *wei* (around 3 PM). They'll bring their own bowls and plates when they come, and as for the tables and benches, they'll bring those in the evening along with the uncles and elders."

Thinking of the dishes she had prepared, Sang Luo knew that starting preparations at the hour of *wei* would definitely be cutting it too close.

Still, she nodded with a smile, indicating that she understood.

Entering the kitchen to take out the contents of the bucket, Sang Luo saw the vegetables sent over by the various families. There was truly a substantial amount; combined from all three households, it was more than enough for today. Furthermore, they wouldn't have to eat wild scallions and wild garlic today—the three families had provided generous amounts of regular scallions, garlic, and leeks.

Sang Luo had a clear idea of the evening's menu now.

She looked at Shen An. "Xia'an, I have a task for you. Go to Granny Chen's house and help Eldest Sister-in-law borrow a pair of scissors. We'll need them later when slaughtering the chicken."

Chicken giblets and duck giblets made an exceptionally rare and delicious dish, and dealing with chicken and duck intestines truly required a pair of scissors.

Shen An acknowledged the task and headed down the mountain.

Sang Luo turned around, used a wooden ladle to fill an earthenware cauldron with water right to the brim, and called out to Shen Ning to help stoke the fire.

Shen Ning asked doubtfully, "Eldest Sister-in-law, are we making lunch so early?"

"We're not making lunch. We have to slaughter the chicken and duck first, and boil water later to scald off the feathers. Plucking and cleaning these things takes time, and if we leave it until the afternoon, I'm afraid it'll be too late."

Ah, Shen Ning had plucked feathers before; getting them completely clean took a really, really long time, especially duck feathers, which were genuinely difficult to manage.

The little girl rolled up her sleeves. "Eldest Sister-in-law, I'll help you."

She turned and went out of the house to fetch firewood.

While Shen Ning tended the fire, Sang Luo carried two large earthenware basins out into the courtyard, fetched two bowls, filled each half-way with saltwater, and set them outside. When she came back in, she tucked the kitchen knife into her belt as well.

The chicken and duck bought yesterday had been confined by her inside the newly made bamboo chicken coop. Sang Luo opened the bamboo door and lowered her gaze slightly to look at the two creatures inside.

As for who would face the blade first, it depended on who offered themselves up for the pot first.

The hen clucked tentatively, probing forward before poking its head out.

Right then, you're the one.

As soon as it stepped out of the coop, it was precisely pinned down by Sang Luo.

With the coop door shut, holding the chicken firmly by the roots of both wings, she carried it over to the earthenware basins and the kitchen knife. After plucking the feathers from its neck and delivering a single stroke to drain the blood, by the time Shen An returned from borrowing the scissors, both the chicken and the duck had already been slaughtered in the two basins, and Sang Luo had brought the blood bowls back into the kitchen to let them set.

With two cauldrons of water boiled and the poultry scalded, once the water cooled down just enough, the brother and sister duo embarked on the grand enterprise of feather-plucking.

Shen Jin had stayed behind at home to look after Shen Yin and little Tianya. By the time he bustled over late in the morning carrying half a winnowing basket of river pebbles, his eyes immediately fell upon the chicken and duck being defeathered in the two basins.

With a loud yelp, the winnowing basket in his hands suddenly felt much lighter. Carrying that contraption, he sprinted forward a good deal faster, darting over to where Shen An and Shen Ning were. Dropping the winnowing basket right beside them, he squatted down right between Shen An and Shen Ning, glancing left at the chicken and right at the duck, so delighted that saliva was practically dripping from his mouth.

"Shen An, are there really chicken and duck for the feast tonight?!?!?!"

"Your family bought that chicken and duck the day before yesterday, and you're already willing to slaughter and eat them?"

He raised a paw and pinched his own cheek, then pinched it again. "Is it really for tonight's feast? Will I get to eat a piece?"

Shen An: ...

"Yes."

Shen Jin became overwhelmingly excited, wishing the time could just whoosh straight ahead to the evening meal. He grew very enthusiastic. "I'll help you pluck the feathers, I know how to do this!"

Not daring to crowd Shen Ning's side, he squeezed in close to Shen An instead.

While the little ones over at the Shen household were plucking feathers with lively enthusiasm, over at the Zhou household, the village chief's wife had already finished making the midday meal and was carrying it in a basket out to the fields.

The whole family had headed out to the fields at the break of dawn and had been working for hours without a rest. By the time they were famished and waiting for the old patriarch's word to take a break and eat, they all let out a collective sigh of relief, put down their tools, and walked up to the ridge of the field.

They sat down under a tree right by the field, picked up the bamboo tubes left on the ground, and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water to catch their breath before moving toward the food basket.

Handing bowls and chopsticks to one another, they first scooped out their rice. But the moment the lid of the earthenware vegetable basin was lifted, the aroma of meat wafted out, causing the sons who had gathered around the basket waiting for their mother to dish out the food to freeze in place.

"What dish is this?"

The village chief had been drinking water, but upon hearing his sons and daughters-in-law ask the same confused question in unison, he stretched out his neck for a closer look.

???

Shoving past his sons, he took the bowl and chopsticks from his youngest son's hands, picked up a piece, brought it close to his eyes for a careful examination, and wore a look of utter shock.

"Liqi? Where did this come from?"