Chapter 51.

After a sound sleep, the rooster in the backyard diligently began crowing before dawn.

Sang Luo woke up in the dark, went into the kitchen, and lit the stove. While boiling water, she started processing the last batch of solidified fairy tofu. After cutting them up, she set aside the smaller pieces into two large bowls.

Once the water boiled, Sang Luo reduced the heat, scooping out the water. As the bottom of the pot dried, she added a spoonful of lard and stir-fried the leftover tofu dregs from last night. She then poured the freshly boiled water into the pot to simmer.

Meanwhile, she chopped the wild onions left from last night. After ensuring the tofu dregs had boiled thoroughly, she seasoned it with salt and sauce, garnishing it with green onions before serving it in a large soup bowl.

After rinsing the clay pot with hot water, she also stir-fried a bowl of fairy tofu. Breakfast for three was thus prepared.

Ideally, tofu dregs make the best breakfast filling for pancakes, but due to limited ingredients at home, they opted for this simpler meal.

Shen Ning, rubbing her eyes, entered the kitchen and stared at the large soup bowls on the table, eventually realizing, "Sister-in-law, is this the leftover tofu dregs from last night?"

Sang Luo smiled, "Yes, we're having this and the fairy tofu for breakfast. Go freshen up and then come eat."

Shen Ning was amazed, realizing that even tofu dregs could be eaten. But then again, soybeans were edible, so why not their dregs?

Seeing that breakfast was ready, she quickly went to wash up. When the siblings arrived, Sang Luo was steaming the remaining tofu dregs, inviting them to eat while explaining, "Tofu dregs are nutritious and tasty, but don't overeat them. The most important thing is to cook them thoroughly and boil them for a good while to avoid any upset stomach or worse, food poisoning."

Noting their stunned expressions, she reassured them, "Properly cooked, there's no danger. I'll steam these leftovers. For lunch, just lightly fry them in oil, add water to boil, and season to taste. They can also be fed to the chickens, but only the cooked ones, mixed with the wild vegetables, barnyard grass, and bran you gathered yesterday. For chicken feed, it should be 90% of the other stuff and just 10% cooked tofu dregs, no more than that."

Shen Ning's eyes lit up, "We can feed this to the chickens?"

She seemed more excited about feeding chickens than eating it herself.

"Sister-in-law, then we can raise more chickens, right?"

Raising chickens mainly costs grain and bran. If tofu dregs can replace some of the bran, they could keep more chickens since wild greens and barnyard grass are free.

Sang Luo pondered and found it feasible.

"Alright, it might be hard to buy more chickens in the village now, but ducks and geese can eat this too. I'll buy some more ducks and geese later."

If they end up raising many, and run short of bran, they could simply buy more.

They had breakfast in the dark. Sang Luo reminded them that the ducklings should only be fed half-cooked rice and plenty of clean water for now. Chen You Tian and Qin Fang Nian knocked at the Shen family's gate outside.

When picking up things, Chen You Tian's attention was drawn to the shallow wooden frames Sang Luo had asked him to make, which were also being taken to the county, apparently containing something.

Noticing his curiosity, Sang Luo explained with a smile, "I bought the stone mill to make this food. I’ll sell these myself today, but when uncle and aunt come over for the feast tomorrow, I’ll prepare some for you to try. Aunt, if you’re interested in selling, just come and get the goods from me after the busy farming season."

Before Chen You Tian could respond, Qin Fang Nian's eyes sparkled, "A new food item? Can I take a look?"

"Of course," said Sang Luo as she lifted the lid off one board of tofu, pulling back the cloth for them to see.

The pre-dawn dimness was enough for them to see, albeit not clearly: "It's similar to fairy tofu, but a different color. We've never seen it around here."

Sang Luo knew that soy tofu existed in the Great Qian Dynasty according to her original memory. Its production was tightly held by certain noble families, who didn't rely on it for profit but cherished its uniqueness, shared only within their exclusive circles.

What did the common folk eat?

Well, that hardly mattered to those noble families.

Noble families remained prestigious because they possessed resources and heritage unavailable to others, including books, antiques, art, and various recipes.

For noble-born girls, a significant part of their dowry consisted of these heritage items, often valued more than gold, silver, or jewels.

Naturally, Sang Luo just pondered this and replied cheerfully to Qin Fang Nian, "It's indeed similar, but with a different texture. Auntie, you'll taste it tomorrow. It's even better for cooking than fairy tofu. If sold, it could probably outsell fairy tofu."

Qin Fang Nian was thrilled. In just over ten days of setting up their stall, they had saved a substantial sum, an amount she previously dared not even dream of. In less than half a month, they had earned enough to be exchanged for a silver ingot.

Such earnings were directly convertible into silver.

Qin Fang Nian, previously worried about the seasonal availability of fairy tofu's ingredients, was excited by the new product. Smiling with wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes, she said, "Let's sell it, I'll definitely try it tomorrow."

At this point, she realized something - tomorrow wasn't just a visit by her family, so was Sang Luo planning to introduce tofu to the Shi and Lu families?

Was she merely using the dish as hospitality, or also revealing it was her creation?

This thought briefly crossed Qin Fang Nian's mind before she dismissed it. Whether or not to inform others was Sang Luo's decision. Even if the Shi and Lu families became interested in selling it, Sang Luo had every right to agree. Her involvement already showed great consideration for Qin Fang Nian's family.

They proceeded to head down the mountain, load the cart, and set off in the dark.

……

They headed to the county, specifically the western market.

The sale of Sour Jujube Cakes saw a boost today with many returning customers, likely because the women and children at home enjoyed them. Some even bought in large quantities. As for the tofu, having previously introduced Fairy Tofu, many were curious about this new item. After Sang Luo explained various ways to cook it, most sales were successful.

Comparatively, Fairy Tofu's sales slowed down a bit due to the influence of the new tofu. While some bought both, those on tighter budgets opted for the novelty, hence Fairy Tofu sold slightly slower than before.

Fortunately, there were only three batches of the new tofu, totaling forty-eight pieces. After selling for half an hour in the morning market, they almost ran out, which then accelerated the sale of Fairy Tofu.

By noon, having sold everything, Sang Luo wrapped up and strolled around the western market. Counting her money, she bought a live chicken and a duck, cautious about spending more as she planned to buy a kitchen knife later. She then waited at the western market entrance for Qin Fang Nian.

This arrangement was made since Sang Luo had many items to sell and it was nearly impossible for her to carry everything alone to meet Qin Fang Nian at the eastern market. They had agreed earlier that morning for her to wait at the western market entrance.

Sitting on a stone bench at the entrance, Sang Luo waited for about fifteen minutes before seeing Qin Fang Nian approaching with her cart, quickening her pace upon spotting Sang Luo.

After meeting, Qin Fang Nian noticed Sang Luo had bought a chicken and a duck, both looking plump, and estimated the cost to be at least one hundred and twenty wen.

Impressed by the thought of tomorrow's feast, she realized the meal would be quite lavish.

Considering that this year's taxes were collected in advance in spring, most farmers in the county, except for wealthy families like the Zhous, had been tightening their belts for over half a year. Even on festive occasions, few could afford such lavish preparations.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Qin Fang Nian helped Sang Luo load her purchases onto the cart and asked, “Do we need to buy anything else today?”

Sang Luo said, “I need to buy a kitchen knife. I was worried about not having enough money, so I didn’t dare to buy anything else in the western market besides this chicken and duck.”

Qin Fang Nian thought for a moment and said, “It should cost around three hundred and forty-five wen, right? In recent years with the war, anything made with iron has become expensive. But this is just my estimate; our family is still using the iron knife we brought from our old home when we fled.”

Valuable possessions like kitchen knives, hoes, and axes, which could be used as weapons and were valuable, were carried along during the escape, while bulkier items were left behind.

After speaking, she pulled out her money pouch and said, “This is the money from selling tofu today. Count it.”

Being in this business for a while, she had become adept at managing her finances. Normally, she would keep her share in her sleeve and put the rest in the money pouch for Sang Luo, avoiding the need to recount after completing business.

Sang Luo counted the money and said while tucking the money pouch into her bosom to avoid thieves, “It looks like enough. Let’s go buy the knife. I'll return your pouch after we make the purchase.”

After buying, the money pouch would be empty.

Qin Fang Nian found it amusing yet felt for Sang Luo. Despite earning more, Sang Luo hadn’t managed to save any money over these days.

At the iron shop, the price for a ready-made knife was higher than Qin Fang Nian’s estimate, costing three hundred and eighty-five wen.

Sang Luo emptied Qin Fang Nian’s pouch and began checking her sleeve and her own pouch, finding it cumbersome to handle so much copper coin. “It's really not easy dealing with copper coins. They take up so much space and are so heavy. How many pockets do I need to empty for a knife?”

It was both awkward and humorous.

This just goes to show that being 'wrapped in wealth' is an exaggeration. Even if you were to wind a fortune around yourself, layer upon layer, you might still not manage to wrap ten thousand coins.

After emptying several pockets in exchange for a kitchen knife, Sang Luo reflected on the high prices and the inconvenience of using coins, noting she only had thirty-eight coins left. Carefully storing the knife, she and Qin Fang Nian headed to the grain shop with a plan.

Their target—flour and soybeans.

Soybeans were needed for tofu making that night for the next day's market, to earn some money for meat and eggs. As for flour, with fresh okara (tofu residue) from tofu making, she had already considered making okara pancakes and balls for breakfast, but lacked ingredients due to poverty.

Now, with some money left, she could buy flour today and earn more tomorrow to buy eggs. Not only satisfying her cravings but also securing a snack and a substantial dish for guests.

Contentedly, she gave herself a mental pat on the back for her clever and thrifty lifestyle.

She carefully calculated and purchased just enough supplies, and with the few remaining coins, she headed to a pharmacy to buy some star anise and cinnamon bark for making marinade.

At that time, marinade ingredients were primarily available in pharmacies. Their use as spices was not widely known, though a few like Sang Luo were aware. The pharmacy boy, familiar with these requests, could guess from the medicinal names she mentioned that they were for cooking.

The pharmacy clerk wasn't surprised by Sang Luo's modest request for a small quantity, as it was common for customers to buy tiny amounts of items.

The assorted items, wrapped together, emptied the last few coins from Sang Luo's pouch.

But now, she had her marinade ingredients.