Chapter 54

Zhou Village Chief’s wife, confused: “What’s Li Qi?”

Following her husband's gaze to the item he held with his chopsticks, Zhou Village Chief’s wife clarified, “What Li Qi? This is tofu.”

"Tofu?"

"Yes, bought it at the market today." The wife of the village chief sounded excited. "You'll never guess who was selling it."

"Who sold it?" The family looked at each other curiously, and the youngest son urged, "Mom, stop keeping us in suspense."

The village chief's wife, already eager to share, revealed, "It’s from our own village, the Sang family's eldest house."

This revelation almost dropped everyone's jaw.

"Who?"

"The girl who fled the famine?"

She nodded affirmatively: "Yes, her."

She recounted her encounter with Sang at the market, describing Sang's reaction and the brisk business, "When I arrived around Chen time, most of her stock was already sold out. The board she used to display the tofu could hold about sixteen pieces, and she had three such boards. Even the other bucket of Xian Doufu was nearly sold out."

"What's Xian Doufu?"

Now, the family glanced towards the food basket and noticed a few uncovered bowls. The village chief’s wife lifted the lid off one, revealing the emerald-green, jade-like tofu, neatly cut into perfect squares.

"This is Xian Doufu," she explained. "I was planning to prepare it with a savory sauce for you all, but Sang gave me a small piece, so I used it to make a sweet dish for the children, feeling it was really refreshing. Our family doesn't lack vegetables, so I decided to prepare it with sugar water and chilled it in the well. After lunch, everyone can have a taste."

With many mouths to feed, there was only enough for each person to have a couple of spoonfuls.

Why wait until after the meal? In such hot weather, the mere sight of the Xian Doufu felt cooling to the core. The youngest, having just lost his bowl and chopsticks to his father, grabbed another one and scooped up some Xian Doufu to try first.

After one bite, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Mom, this is really good! It’s so refreshing on a hot day!"

Seeing his enjoyment, those who hadn't yet served themselves rice changed their minds, turning instead to serve up some Xian Doufu.

The village chief also looked at the Xian Doufu but didn't crowd in; instead, he tasted a piece of tofu and recognized the flavor from his memory.

His wife, curious about his earlier comment, asked, "What were you saying earlier about 'Li Qi'?"

The village chief pointed to the tofu and explained, "I know this as 'Li Qi'. Remember when County Magistrate Zhang first took office five years ago and hosted a banquet for the local elders? Uncle Liu took me along, remember?"

"How could I forget? We hoped you might become the next village head, but our family’s resources couldn't match others. It was inevitable," his wife responded with a nod, recalling the event. "Did you eat this at the banquet?"

The village chief confirmed, "Yes, this dish was served there. We were seated at the lower end and just got a taste. But I overheard the Wang family patriarch at the main table talking about it being a rare delicacy. How does that Sang lady know how to make it and call it tofu?"

"Different places have different customs," his wife replied nonchalantly. "Sang is a refugee from the north, so it's not strange that her terms differ from ours. Anyway, the Sang family of the Shen household has really struck gold this time."

The village chief remained silent, feeling it was well-deserved.

He always thought the Shen family's division was unjust, but as a mere figurehead chief, he had little real power or involvement in official matters.

"Let's eat. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I brought this first, worried you might be hungry. I’ll eat when I return home after you've eaten."

The village chief paused his chopsticks mid-air, noticing there were no spare bowls or chopsticks left in the basket. "It's okay; you can bring more next time. We aren't in a hurry."

His wife's fine lines at the corner of her eyes lifted slightly, "Just eat."

After the meal, as she prepared to carry the basket back home, the village chief seemed to want to say something. He called her to stop but then waved his hand dismissively, "Never mind, nothing important. You can go."

He had thought of inquiring if the main house of the Shen family had completed their new home and, if so, when they planned their housewarming celebration, to contribute a bucket of rice for good luck.

But upon reflection, considering his non-involvement during the Shen family’s division, and now that they were prospering, he decided against it. There was no need to add to their celebration, having not provided aid in their difficult times.

……

Back at the mountain cottage, Shen Jin had already run home to eat after helping with the plucking.

Shen An asked Sang how to deal with the chicken and duck feathers. She advised selecting the good feathers to soak in ash water to degrease, then clean and sun-dry them for making a feather duster.

The rest could be mixed with ash and used as fertilizer in the privy.

Shen An was surprised: "Chicken and duck feathers can also be used as fertilizer?"

Sang affirmed, "Yes, not only can they be used, but they also make excellent fertilizer material."

The combination of chicken and duck feathers, wood ash, and manure can significantly improve soil quality. Sang is planning to clear some land on the other side of the mountain, where this mixture will be useful.

After cleaning the chicken and duck giblets thoroughly, she stored them in the kitchen for later use. Then, after washing her hands, Sang quickly cooked some vegetable porridge. After the meal, she took the three ducklings out to a small ditch near the spring for their daily swim.

This had become a twice-daily routine ever since she brought the ducklings home.

Being so small, the ducklings needed to get wet but couldn't stay in the water too long, or they might get sick. She only let their feet get wet, being careful not to wet their bellies.

Timing the swim for about four to five minutes, Sang then brought the little ones back to the yard.

That marked the end of the morning chores. She locked the courtyard door, returned to the house with the children, and all took a short half-hour nap.

In the afternoon, she started by rendering lard, followed by stewing chicken, roasting duck, and preparing braised pork. These main dishes could be prepared in advance. In the evening, she planned to slice the cold dishes right before serving, steam the braised pork and stewed chicken, and leave the roasted duck in the pot until the last moment when she would reheat and garnish it with green onions and garlic.

In the midst of these preparations, Old Madam Chen and Old Lady Lu arrived, carrying their own tableware. Even before reaching the small courtyard, the rich aroma of meat cooking wafted down the mountain, tantalizing their senses.

The scents seemed to include braised pork and stewed chicken, plus another mouth-watering fragrance they couldn't immediately identify.

The two women exchanged glances and quickened their pace, drawn by the inviting smells.

Shen An and Shen Ning were washing vegetables by the spring. Seeing the two elder women, they stood up to greet them: “Auntie Chen, Auntie Lu, you're here!”

They hurried to help carry the baskets.

"Did your sister-in-law start cooking this early?"

The two children nodded, with Shen Ning adding, "Sister-in-law has already prepared some cold and meat dishes that could be made in advance."

While they were talking, they entered the courtyard. From the kitchen window, Sang saw the arrivals and quickly put aside her work to greet them, exchanging pleasantries.

Old Madam Chen sniffed the air, "I smelled the delicious aroma from the foot of the mountain. Are you preparing chicken and duck dishes?"

Sang took the baskets from the old ladies, smiling, "Yes, we're having chicken and duck today. Thank you both for your help."

Both elderly ladies chuckled, "With chicken, duck, and meat, what more could be considered good food?"

They all moved into the kitchen, where the sight of several ceramic basins and soup bowls filled with prepared dishes drew praise from Old Lady Lu: "Ah, Sang, your cooking skills are impressive."

Initially, they thought they were there to take charge of cooking, but after seeing the dishes Sang had prepared, they realized they weren't needed. Despite her young age, Sang's culinary skills seemed to surpass theirs. She had meticulously planned, preparing time-consuming dishes in advance and capable of managing the rest single-handedly.

After assessing the preparations, the old ladies quickly found their roles in helping with simpler tasks like washing and cutting vegetables.

They quickly divided the work. Shen An and Shen Ning were relieved of their vegetable washing duties and sent off to complete the unfinished bamboo fence.

Meanwhile, Sang was busy in the kitchen, making meatballs using the fresh tofu residue from today's tofu making, mixed with a little flour, chopped greens, minced meat, and four eggs, seasoned and deep-fried.

When Old Madam Chen came in to chop vegetables and saw the golden-browned meatballs, she exclaimed, "The children will be thrilled today; this is more lavish than a New Year's feast!"

Upon seeing a ceramic basin containing three pieces of white tofu and three pieces of green 'Fairy Tofu', Old Madam Chen raised an eyebrow, "Are these two dishes also for tonight's meal?"

Sang Luo nodded with a smile, and Old Madam Chen knew her earlier guess was right and chuckled heartily.

At that moment, Old Lady Lu entered with washed vegetables and was surprised to see the unfamiliar dishes in the ceramic basin, prompting a question.

Sang Luo briefly introduced the dishes without mentioning that she made them herself. She only said with a smile, "We couldn't afford many fancy dishes, so I decided to be a bit crafty and prepare some novel foods to make the feast lively. You can try them later and see if you like them."

Old Lady Lu naturally applauded the effort.

Preparing both types of tofu wasn’t complicated. Considering the many children present, she simply topped the fairy tofu with sugar water for three dishes, while the regular tofu was used to make minced meat tofu with two blocks and the last block was split to make chicken blood tofu and duck blood tofu.

Old Madam Chen, observing this, turned to Old Lady Lu and said with a smile, "You’re in for a treat today."

Old Lady Lu thought she was referring to the good food and happily agreed.

Old Madam Chen felt that Sang Luo's inclusion of fairy tofu and regular tofu in today's menu wasn’t just about adding variety to compensate for a lack of lavish dishes.

The menu was already sumptuous: stewed chicken, braised duck, braised pork, spiced pork strips, spiced pig's ears, garlic-fried chicken and duck offal, chicken blood tofu, duck blood tofu, fairy tofu, fried meatballs.

For dishes like blood tofu, where the portion wasn't enough for all, two tables had duck blood tofu, and one table had chicken blood tofu, counting as one dish in total. This made up nine big bowls already.

Plus, there was a pig liver dish and a simmering turnip bone soup, not even counting the vegetarian dishes.

With over ten dishes, mostly meat, how could this not be considered lavish?

Thus, today's inclusion of both types of tofu was a highlight of the feast, leading Old Madam Chen to sense that Sang Luo had other intentions.

Previously, making fairy tofu was time-consuming enough, and now adding regular tofu to the daily routine meant more work, including traveling over twenty miles to the county to set up a stall for half the day.

Sang Luo, after all, wasn't made of iron; she couldn't handle such a workload indefinitely.

Moreover, from what Old Madam Chen knew of Sang Luo, she was someone who remembered even the smallest favors and would repay them if she could.

With the Shi and Lu families having helped build her house, Sang Luo probably had long harbored the thought of reciprocating their kindness.

Old Madam Chen speculated that after this busy farming season, there might be people in the Shi and Lu families who could start a business like her granddaughter, Fang Nong, leveraging Sang Luo's culinary skills.

……

The kitchen was still bustling with cooking, and a group of children, not required to help with the rice harvesting, arrived early for the feast.

The aroma of meat tantalized the kids, their mouths almost watering, but they dared only peek into the yard like Shen Jin, knowing that it wasn't time for the banquet yet as the tables were not set up.

Their stomachs growled audibly with hunger.

"Shen Jin, your nose is the sharpest, can you tell what dishes are being cooked?" asked Hu Zi.

Shen Jin replied confidently, "Bone broth with turnips."

The group of children nodded vigorously in agreement.

"What else is there?" Hu Zi sniffed the air, "The turnip smell is too strong; I can't make out anything else."

Shen Jin sniffed again, "There’s stewed chicken, braised pork, and..."

He couldn’t identify the rest. The scent was appetizing and dominant, overpowering even the turnip broth, but it was unfamiliar to him.

He added, "There’s duck too."

Shen Jin chuckled, recalling the duck feathers he had plucked himself that day.

The other children gasped in awe.

"Shen Jin, you're amazing to be able to discern the smells of so many dishes."

"Big Brother, when is our uncle going to bring the tables? Why hasn't the banquet started yet?"

"Yeah, why isn’t my dad here yet? Grandma said he needs to come back early today to help move the tables and chairs."

"I’m craving meat so badly."

"I want to eat chicken."

Shen Jin boasted, "I want to eat everything, and I only had a few bites of porridge at noon just so I could save room for tonight's meal."

Hu Zi's face showed shock, which quickly turned to admiration. "Wow, you’re smart. Why didn’t I think of that?"

"Today, we got to eat solid food at home because of the busy farming season. We even had eggs for lunch, and I couldn’t control myself and ate too much."

Hu Zi thought to himself, wishing he had the foresight to follow Shen Jin’s strategy and save room for more dishes.

"Chicken, duck, braised pork!!!"

The thought alone made his mouth water uncontrollably.

Shen An, busy tying up fences at the back, overheard the commotion and came out to see a group of children gathered at the gate of his house.

The little ones like Shen Tie and Shen Tian, too small to jostle for a position, could only stand at the very back.

Shen An approached, "What are you guys doing here?"

A group of children, drooling towards the kitchen, turned around, their eyes lighting up at the sight of Shen An.

"We're smelling what's for dinner tonight, you know about it, right?"

Shen An laughed, "Good food. Dinner time is almost here, you'll see it soon. Why the rush?"

Shen Jin swallowed hard, "You don't understand, we've been looking forward to this for days."

Annoyed, Shen An glanced at him, "Wipe your drool."

Shen Jin: "???"

Did he drool?

He hurriedly wiped his mouth.

Ironically, there was no drool at first, but his wiping made it appear...

Not just him, upon hearing about wiping drool, all the younger kids, except for the older Tiger, reacted just like Shen An.

Shen Ning, who arrived later, laughed at the scene.

She said, "Why bother asking now? If you ask my brother, he'll just tell you what dishes my sister-in-law bought. Isn’t it better to wait and see them beautifully arranged on the table? Okay, little ones, go play. Tiger, Jin, come help my brother and me with the fence, will you?"

The group of kids, excited about eating at Shen An and Shen Ning's house, readily followed Shen Ning's instruction. They scattered around, some inspecting the water pipes from the mountain spring, others admiring the banana leaf roofing of the chicken coop, and even picking wildflowers to entertain themselves, forming small groups immersed in their play.

Shen An and the four older kids went to work on the fence. Tiger and Jin were especially eager to help with chores at Shen An's house, fearing not having enough work to do rather than too much.

Neither Tiger nor Jin had built a fence before, but with guidance from Shen An and Shen Ning, they quickly got the hang of it.

Tiger, observing the surrounding area of Shen's house, commented, "Your place changes a bit every day and keeps getting nicer."

Shen An proudly replied, "That's right. My sister-in-law is very smart. You see that chicken coop? She built it herself. Impressive, right? Does your chicken coop have a banana leaf roof?"

Both Tiger and Jin shook their heads.

Shen An explained, "Building a banana leaf roof is not only attractive but also rainproof. My sister-in-law said banana leaves don’t let rain through."

Shen Ning added, "And it provides shade on hot days, so the chickens and ducks won’t overheat."

The siblings bragged about the chicken coop built by their sister-in-law as they worked, sparking Tiger's interest, who kept glancing towards the Shen family’s chicken coop.

Thinking about it, should he go home and get his older brothers to join the feast too?

Lost in thought, he noticed a commotion among the children playing by the house. Tiger and a few others stepped forward to look, almost jumping in excitement!

"My dad's bringing a table!" one exclaimed.

San Niu also cheered, "My dad brought a table too!"

Shen Jin, Shen Yin, Shen Tie: ...

Their father never did anything like this.

Shen An stopped working on the fence and ran over to see if help was needed, then noticed Da Niu and Er Niu each carrying two stools down the hill. Da Niu was managing, but Er Niu was visibly struggling, so he quickly ran to assist.

It wasn’t just Shen An who went to help with the stools. With more tables and benches being brought over, Shen Jin, Tiger, and even Shen Ning also rushed down to help.

The children were as excited as if it was a festival, crowding around the adults carrying tables into the courtyard.

Since the kitchen was built quite large, the front yard of the Sang Luo’s house was noticeably larger than the backyard. Gradually, three tables were brought in and, with some rearranging, fit into the space.

A bunch of kids were carrying benches, each one placing a bench next to the tables.

Such a lively scene.

Sang Luo came out to inquire about the tables from Chen You Tian, Shi Er Lang, and Lu Da Lang, and upon learning that their families would soon arrive, she started warming up the main dishes and began setting them outside.

When Shen Jin and the others saw the golden-fried meatballs, they excitedly shouted in joy. Chen Granny, helping to bring out the dishes, laughed upon seeing this: "You all mustn't touch the food on the tables yet. We have to wait until everyone arrives. We need to offer sacrifices to our ancestors and settle the Kitchen God before we can start the feast. Understand?"

It's unclear who led the chant, but they all unanimously shouted their acknowledgement.

Granny Chen chuckled as she went back inside, pleased with the children's enthusiasm. Their presence added a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

Sang Luo, in the kitchen, was bewildered.

Sacrifices to the ancestors and settling the Kitchen God???

She was utterly unprepared for this.

Seeing Granny Chen come in, Sang Luo quickly approached her: “Granny, I didn’t know about these two customs you mentioned. I wasn't prepared.”

The two elder women were momentarily taken aback.

Wasn’t this common knowledge?

Sang Luo: ...

It wasn't her fault, really. Having grown up in an orphanage, she was completely unaware of these traditions, and without any ancestors, it never occurred to her to perform such rituals.

Old Lady Chen asked Lu's elderly mother, "Do you have any incense or candles at home?"

Lu Lao Tai Tai nodded affirmatively, "I do. I'll go get them right now," and she hurried out.

She briskly walked outside to fetch the items.

……

The guests from the three families arrived promptly. Lu Lao Tai Tai returned with incense and candles. Under the guidance of the two elder women, Sang Luo set up a bowl of rice and some braised pork as offerings, performed the ritual for the Kitchen God, and paid homage to the ancestors. Soon after, Qin Fang Niang and her group arrived.

Leading the way were Chen Lao Han and his son Chen You Tian, carrying a brazier and a ladder. Others followed, each carrying something; youngsters like Da Niu even had bundles of firewood on their backs.

Still somewhat bewildered, Sang Luo was guided by Chen Pozi to join Shen An and others for the customary rituals.

Although Sang Luo didn’t understand the significance of carrying a brazier over a ladder laid on the ground into the courtyard, the festivity was undeniable.

Once inside the courtyard, Qin Fang Niang presented her gifts with auspicious words, followed by the Shi family sisters-in-law and Lu Da Lang's wife.

It was only then that Sang Luo realized all three families had brought her rice, oil, and firewood to 'add wealth and prosperity'.

Grateful yet unsure how to express her thanks, Sang Luo stored the rice in the bin, placed the oil in the kitchen, stacked the firewood under the eaves, and hurriedly ushered the guests to their seats.

At that moment, she noticed the absence of Lu family's second daughter-in-law and Ah Xu. Concerned, she asked Lu Lao Tai Tai, “Grandma Lu, why didn’t the second sister-in-law and Ah Xu come?”

Busy in the kitchen, Lu Lao Tai Tai paused at the question, stepped outside, and realized everyone from the eldest household was present, including the third son, but the second son’s wife and Ah Xu were missing.

Lu Lao Tai Tai's face darkened. She glanced towards her eldest daughter-in-law, who appeared guilty and evasive, unable to meet her gaze.

Recollecting her instructions from that morning – not everyone could attend due to the size of the families, especially since four from the eldest household were invited – she remembered Sang Luo’s request to include children like Shi Tou, who hadn’t helped with the work.

Yet, with so many from the Lu family, it would be quite brazen to all attend the feast at someone else’s home.

As four out of the five men from the eldest Lu household were invited, and the third son also going, Lu Lao Tai Tai thought it inappropriate to leave the second household's mother and son at home alone. She decided this morning that eldest daughter-in-law Chun Niang would stay with her grandson Shi Tou at their home.

She didn't expect the second daughter-in-law and grandson to be absent, while the eldest daughter-in-law and Shi Tou were present.

Lu Lao Tai Tai’s jaw tensed, suppressing her displeasure. She refrained from showing any resentment and didn't ask the eldest daughter-in-law to leave. She explained to Sang Luo, "Liu Niang felt it inappropriate to come with so many people and preferred resting at home, so they didn’t join us."

Sang Luo responded, "But isn't a warm house gathering all about the lively atmosphere?"

She immediately called Shen Ning, "Go invite your Lu second aunt and Ah Xu over for the feast."

Shen Ning crisply agreed and swiftly ran off.

Lu Lao Tai Tai smiled, "How can I say this? Our large family coming over feels like visiting a wealthy household."

Chen Pozi sensed something and cleverly deflected the conversation with humor, eliciting laughter and lightening the mood.

Lu Lao Tai Tai, acting as if nothing was amiss, cheerfully urged Qin Fang Niang and others into the kitchen to assist with serving the dishes.

The women bustled in and out, gradually filling the tables with an impressive array of dishes that left everyone in the courtyard stunned.

Qin Fang Niang and the Shi family sisters-in-law were also momentarily taken aback by the lavish spread.

The abundance was so overwhelming it dazzled their eyes.

Everyone swallowed hard but hesitated to sit at the laden tables.

Chen Pozi chuckled at the sight, “What are you all waiting for? Take your seats. Men, women, and children at separate tables sound good. If there’s room, join a table; if it’s crowded, stand by the side. You can still reach the dishes with a little stretch.”

All three tables, though a bit crowded, should comfortably accommodate everyone.

Amidst bustling commotion, everyone settled into their seats, but no one reached for their chopsticks, waiting for the second Lu daughter-in-law and grandson.

Lu Lao Tai Tai, seeing this, hurriedly gestured, “No need to wait, with so many dishes, there's plenty for everyone whenever they arrive.”

Lu Lao Han echoed her sentiment. Sang Luo glanced at Chen Pozi, who nodded in agreement, prompting Sang Luo to announce, “Alright then, let’s start the feast. For Chen Lao Ye and Lu Lao Ye at this table, I have a small jar of wine, which I will bring over now.”

“Wine too?” Shi Er Lang’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Sang Luo smiled, “It’s not much, just enough for a few sips each. Please don't mind, elders and uncles.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Shi Er Lang laughed heartily. “Even a taste would be great for me; it's been nearly half a year since I last had a drink.”

Sang Luo, still smiling, entered the kitchen and soon returned with the small jar of wine.

Even Chen Lao Han and Chen You Tian, usually reticent, couldn’t hide their excitement at the sight of the wine.

Chen Lao Han chuckled, “Sang Luo, I won’t stand on ceremony today; thank you for this indulgence.”

Sang Luo laughed, “A jar of turbid wine is hardly a big expense. Just enjoy the feast.”