"Chapter 84: Did the Sang Family Really Become Rich?"

"Of the 127 pieces of marinated dried tofu, Sang Luo certainly didn't sell them all."

"For their first product launch, the three families were trying out sales. After discussing with the others, Sang Luo divided 120 pieces equally among the three families, forty each, and started selling by order the next day."

"Before leaving, Sang Luo asked Qin Fangniang to buy a large vat and two circular winnowing baskets of the same size as those at home with the money from today's sale of vegetarian tripe at Dong Fu Lou."

"It was the season for drying vegetables, and she couldn’t always borrow others’ baskets. The vat was not for water storage but to keep the dried konjac slices from getting damp. She didn’t elaborate but simply described the size and purpose to Qin Fangniang, who agreed to purchase them."

"With the remaining seven pieces of marinated dried tofu, Sang Luo kept three for their lunch and took the other four early in the morning with Shen An into the mountains towards Sanli Village to pick sour dates and successfully sold the four pieces to the butcher."

"After the tax collection, there were few in the village who could afford marinated dried tofu. Now, Chen Youtian only bought a bit of tofu to sell at the market on market days."

"But this did not include the butcher, who could afford it. With only four pieces left, Sang Luo precisely targeted the butcher during her trip to gather sour dates, selling the marinated dried tofu to him, improving their meal with a small amount of meat acquired in exchange."

"Shen An was thrilled at the sight of the meat, his face practically glowing."

"Due to the sudden taxation and the need for warm clothing and bedding, their family hadn't eaten meat for some days. The last taste of meat they had was the pork scraps brought by Shen Jin, and before that, it was nearly twenty days ago during their housewarming celebration."

"Not having meat was one thing, but having tasted and been able to afford it, which child wouldn't crave it? Sang Luo craved it too."

"On the way back, they took a slight detour through an area not close to any village and one they hadn't explored during their mushroom picking. There, Sang Luo surprisingly found two jujube trees, a delightful discovery."

"However, as this path was less traveled, they had also gathered quite a few sour dates, and now both baskets were full, even covered with wild vegetables."

"Sang Luo could only make a mental note of the location and return with Shen An, planning to come back immediately after emptying their baskets."

"Busy until mid-morning, it was time to prepare lunch when they got home. Not knowing how to cook the marinated dried tofu and meat properly, Shen Ning didn’t dare to start, waiting for Sang Luo to take charge of these two dishes."

"Delicious food should never be taken for granted, and neither should a meal."

"For lunch, Sang Luo traded fresh tofu residue with Shi Erlang's wife for a bunch of garlic sprouts. They had white rice, stir-fried marinated dried tofu with garlic sprouts – naturally including meat – and a double-boiled soup of egg and meat patties."

"These two dishes were new to Shen An and Shen Ning. The meat patties soup was so tasty they almost licked their bowls clean, and the stir-fried marinated dried tofu with garlic sprouts was even more irresistible, each ingredient adding its own fragrance."

"In the afternoon, they dug konjac twice, initially planning to make sour jujube cakes once back inside."

"However, Qin Fangniang and the others returned surprisingly early and headed straight for Sang Luo’s place."

"The marinated dried tofu was a big hit."

"In the morning, Qin Fangniang first delivered tofu and vegetarian tripe to Dong Fu Lou, naturally recommending the new dish to Chef Yu."

"The restaurant had been doing well lately, thanks to the tofu and vegetarian tripe. Upon seeing a new delicacy from Sang Luo, Chef Yu eagerly inquired about how to cook it and bought all forty pieces Qin Fangniang had that day."

"Furthermore, after Qin Fangniang left, Chef Yu started experimenting with the dish early in the morning. After trying it out with Manager Xu and others, they were delighted, and he personally went to the eastern market to request sixty pieces daily from Qin Fangniang."

"Qin Fangniang had barely confirmed the order when the Gan family, located in the western market, received an order from Hongyun Lou, right across from Dong Fu Lou."

"Indeed, it was the same establishment where Sang Luo first promoted her vegetarian tripe, famous for its particularly grand chef."

"To understand the Gan family's order, one must first know about the competitive relationship between Dong Fu Lou and Hongyun Lou. As the largest restaurants in the county, they've been rivals since their inception. Despite years of competition, they've remained evenly matched, with neither able to decisively outdo the other."

"Hongyun Lou's clientele had suddenly dwindled a few days ago. Initially, they thought it was due to the recent taxation and statewide calamities, assuming people were distressed. But upon focusing on the problem, the owner, observing from the second floor, soon realized something was amiss."

"Distressed? Such worries typically only affect the lower class. The affluent, dressed in silk, continued their usual dining and drinking. Even their worries involved feasting on meat and toasting with wine. Business at Dong Fu Lou across the street hadn’t suffered at all."

"In fact, it seemed even busier than before."

"After a day of observation, the owner of Hongyun Lou was sure, especially upon seeing his regulars heading to the rival restaurant."

"Any successful restaurant owner has their tactics. He beckoned a waiter and gave a few instructions. Soon, the right person was sent to Dong Fu Lou."

"In less than an hour, Dong Fu Lou’s new dishes were brought directly from their back door to a private room in Hongyun Lou, where the owner and head chef examined them."

"Given that all dishes were typically delivered by specific individuals directly to the kitchen, and rarely seen in the market, the owner of Hongyun Lou had his suspicions..."

It turned out to be a significant move from the other side.

He promptly instructed his assistant to seek out that tofu seller the next morning.

The assistant, living near the west market, coincidentally visited Gan's stall, which had recently moved there from Feng Liuniang’s location.

He found the tofu and bought twenty pieces to take back.

That day, Hongyun Restaurant introduced several new dishes to their menu.

However, the matter didn't end there. The proprietor of Hongyun Restaurant set his sights on Dongfu Restaurant, asking an assistant, “Haven't seen anyone selling that vegetarian tripe, have you?”

Of course not, as Sang Luo couldn’t supply that much, and had given the exclusive right to sell it to Proprietor Xu. Where else could one find it outside?

Initially, Sang Luo had approached Hongyun Restaurant, but the chefs dismissed her without even hearing what she was selling. So how could they know that the vegetarian tripe was first offered to them?

After two days of searching in the county without finding this vegetarian tripe, Hongyun Restaurant began to buy off staff from Dongfu Restaurant, choosing the least conspicuous ones.

The bribed staff member, having no access to the kitchen, was still unclear about who delivered the vegetarian tripe. When Dongfu Restaurant first experimented with making sauce-dried tofu, the news quickly reached Hongyun Restaurant through their informant.

This led to Dongfu Restaurant introducing new dishes in the morning, and Gan’s taking orders by noon.

"With just these two restaurants, they were already ordering 120 pieces of marinated dried tofu daily, meaning the fifteen boards Sang Luo had asked Chen Youtian to make were far from sufficient."

"Chen Youtian naturally had no objections and immediately agreed to make more, as many as needed."

"Sang Luo: '…'"

"She quickly advised Chen Youtian not to make too many, suggesting twenty boards would be enough."

"She couldn’t handle more than that for the time being."

"Grinding soybeans was truly exhausting, and she used clay pots for tofu making, not the large iron pots from her own era. Even though she bought the largest available, there were limits to their capacity. With other businesses to manage at home, Sang Luo simply couldn’t cope with more."

"Making a living is one thing, but exhausting oneself for profit is another. Sang Luo refused to engage in any endeavor that cost more than it was worth."

……

"A large vat and two round winnowing baskets had been added to their household. Chen Youtian and others had helped move the stone mill outside the kitchen, making room for the large vat and a shelving unit."

"The previously spacious kitchen now felt cramped."

"Chen Youtian delivered two wooden shelves on the third day. One was placed in the kitchen to hold bags of soybeans and various jars, and the other Sang Luo moved into the main house for storing grain bags."

"It was only then that the three dining stools were finally returned to their place by the table."

"During this time, Manager Xu of Dong Fu Lou, noticing Hongyun Lou's surprisingly quick adoption of marinated dried tofu, became cautious and hired a new janitor."

"Of course, Sang Luo was unaware of these developments."

"On September 20th, it rained for two consecutive days, noticeably cooling the air. The mountain winds made thinly dressed people instinctively huddle up, and the chilling nights made several layers of blankets and clothing insufficient to fend off the cold, as if autumn was skipped and early winter had arrived."

"Indeed, once October starts, it's practically winter."

"It's just that the transition from summer to autumn here isn’t very distinct."

"On September 22nd, Sang Luo brought her newly made jujube sugar and sour jujube cakes to Yongfeng Zhai, returning with over three kilograms of cotton, using only the income from Yongfeng Zhai, keeping her regular earnings from vegetarian tripe, tofu, and marinated dried tofu stored under the bed in a broken pottery jar."

"Sang Luo began preparing to make cotton quilts."

"With over six kilograms of cotton, she planned to make two quilts, each weighing over three kilograms. This would allow them to each have their own quilt, and when it got colder, they could double up the quilts for warmth."

"Neither the original occupant of her body nor Sang Luo knew how to make quilts, so the task was undertaken with the help of Elder Chen."

"Sang Luo witnessed for the first time the versatile skills of an ancient elderly lady, who brought over cotton-beating tools borrowed from the Zhou family in Zhengcun. Together, they carried the tools to Sang Luo's courtyard, where Elder Chen took charge, teaching Sang Luo, Shen Ning, and Chen Xiaoying in the process."

"Sang Luo, who had only seen such processes in TV dramas, followed Elder Chen from start to finish, learning that there were over a dozen steps involved."

"Completing the two hefty quilts, due to Elder Chen's lack of expertise, required work through noon without rest. After a simple meal, Sang Luo continued working until dusk when both quilts were finally completed."

"Sang Luo sewed the first quilt herself, and as the day drew to a close, Elder Chen asked her to bring out the quilt covers for the second quilt, helping her sew it together."

Packing a quilt at that time was different from modern methods; it wasn't just a matter of slipping it into a cover and zipping it up. It involved neatly wrapping the quilt in a cover and stitching it all around, which had to be undone for washing.

Once everything was ready, the old lady announced, “All done. You can sleep warmly tonight. Save up in the coming days, and we’ll get winter clothes ready. Once those are done and it gets colder, we’ll make a mattress. With that and the quilt, you’ll have a warm winter.”

Sang Luo agreed and invited the old lady to stay for dinner, but she declined, “No trouble. Your aunt has cooked at home. Just help me return these borrowed items to the Zhou family.”

After returning from Zhou's house, Shen An and Shen Ning were joyfully rolling on the quilt, and upon seeing Sang Luo, Shen Ning hopped off the bed and snuggled up to her, “Big sister, we get to use the new cotton quilt tonight! We won't be cold anymore.”

Sang Luo smiled, patting the little one's head, “It’s all thanks to your hard work every day. Let’s keep it up and earn enough for mattresses and jackets.”

Both children nodded vigorously in agreement, joyously rolling into a heap on the quilt.

Unbeknownst to Sang Luo, as she and Granny Chen returned the quilting tools to the Zhou family, Li Shi, who was picking vegetables on a nearby hill, saw them clearly.

Since the division of the Shen household, this was Li Shi’s first visit to this part of the hill where they once lived.

The dilapidated grass hut halfway up the hill had transformed into a large courtyard with chicken coops and duck pens outside, the house itself looking completely different.

She watched for a long time, avoiding Sang Luo on her way back, then returned home alone. Brooding for hours, she mentioned it to her husband at night, murmuring, “I saw it with my own eyes. If it was just bulrush fluff, they wouldn't need that tool. Not just a new house, but they even prepared cotton quilts for this cold weather. Tell me… has that Sang Luo really struck it rich? How did she make all that money?”