Chapter 23

When Sang Luo returned home, the two siblings were already up. Noticing that the backpack and the newly bought bag of grain were missing, along with two pieces of Immortal Tofu, they guessed that their elder sister must have visited the Chen family.

They decided to use the newly made stone hoes to turn over the previously cultivated plots behind the house.

By the time Sang Luo got back, a small part of the vegetable garden had been loosened, and the uprooted weeds were picked out and tossed aside.

Seeing Sang Luo, Shen Ning hurried over excitedly, “Elder Sister, Brother and I have been turning the soil in the garden. We also watered the hemp you left out to dry.”

The little girl's eagerness to please was truly endearing. Sang Luo couldn't help but praise her, put the backpack inside, and joined in the work. Unlike the siblings who worked on the previously cultivated land, Sang Luo tackled the uncultivated mountain terrain.

With several days without rain, the soil was hard and clumped. The deep-rooted weeds and numerous stones in the mud made it especially difficult. Despite exerting all her strength, Sang Luo managed to clear less than half a square meter by the afternoon, accumulating a pile of stones and roots.

She now understood why the Shen family had not cultivated this mountainous land; the task was exhausting and the soil quality poor. Other than resilient wild grass, it seemed unlikely that any crops could thrive here without meticulous care.

And with limited manpower, why waste efforts on such barren land instead of more fertile fields?

For Sang Luo, however, this was the only land she could cultivate.

After a day of toil, gathering the fishing basket and having dinner, all Sang Luo wanted was a thorough bath and hair wash.

But that was a dream – without a proper bath or tub, she could only go to a nearby secluded and clean stream with Shen Ning, while Shen An stood watch from a distance. She had to wash hurriedly while clothed.

It was her third day like this, feeling the dirtiest she had ever been in her life.

Lacking shower gel and shampoo, fortunately, she had wood ash, which after being sifted to remove impurities, worked well in removing dirt and grease.

At this moment, Sang Luo deeply regretted that during the few years she lived in the mountains in her last life, despite having internet access and being active on a certain site, posting numerous videos and gaining some popularity, she never thought of expanding into the domain of handmade soap making, a skill often featured by crafty YouTubers.

She only vaguely remembered reading in a novel that it involved using pig pancreas, but beyond that, she knew nothing.

Otherwise, mastering this craft could have been a golden opportunity, right?

Of course, this was just wishful thinking. After all, how could she possibly have it all?

After washing herself, Sang Luo saw Shen Ning struggling to wash only a small part of her hair. She called the little girl over and thoroughly washed her hair, wringing it out before they both, clad in wet clothes and covered with their dirty outer garments, hurried home.

Their path home was smooth and uneventful, thanks to Shen An leading the way through their sparsely populated mountain area.

For Shen An, a boy, bathing was much easier. He simply needed to find a clean spot in the nearest stream, strip down to his shorts, and he could enjoy a good wash.

Preparing for their second venture selling Immortal Tofu, the three of them were much calmer this time, and the children managed to sleep without too much excitement.

Sang Luo had a good rest that night, preparing everything she could beforehand, only waking for half an hour in the middle of the night to finalize preparations before returning to bed.

As dawn broke the next day, with birds chirping outside, Sang Luo and the children quickly got up. After washing up, she sliced the solidified Immortal Tofu into sixteen large pieces and some smaller scraps. After organizing everything needed for the day, including the hemp cloth obtained the day before, they set off for Sanli Village.

Since they were planning to sell by walking through villages, they didn't need to prepare lotus leaves this time.

Shen An felt a bit uneasy because they didn’t bring the bamboo tubes with sugar water for sampling the Immortal Tofu, as they had run out of sugar.

“Elder Sister, can we sell well without sugar water for the sample tasting?” he asked.

Sang Luo understood that having sugar water for samples would make selling easier, but she didn’t want to keep asking the old lady for malt sugar. Maintaining good relationships required sincerity and knowing one’s limits; overstepping could lead to annoyance.

She reassured, “Yes, we can. It’ll just mean visiting more households and talking a bit more.”

Sang Luo noticed a significant difference between Sanli Village on market days and non-market days. It was much quieter, but as a large village with several shops, it still had more vitality than the smaller Shili Village.

At this time, the men of each household were taking advantage of the just-risen sun and cooler temperatures to work in the fields, while the women were busy with household chores, washing and preparing breakfast.

Full of ambition and imagining how he would help with shouting and selling in Sanli Village, Shen An found himself hesitant to speak up upon arriving, missing the bustling atmosphere of market days.

The women sweeping outside their houses at the entrance of Sanli Village barely noticed the outsiders with baskets, as their village was accustomed to seeing strangers, likely just shoppers heading to the local stores.

They thought nothing special of these visitors, assuming they were probably there to buy from one of the shops in the village.

It wasn't until Sang Luo called out clearly, "Immortal Tofu for sale, cooling and detoxifying, a delicious way to beat the heat!" that the women took notice.

Both women looked over in curiosity at the unfamiliar sound of "Immortal Tofu."

"What's Immortal Tofu?" they wondered.

Although Sang Luo had created quite a stir at her own stall the previous day, the news of her unique tofu hadn't spread far, and few villagers in Sanli Village were familiar with it.

As Sang Luo approached, she noticed a woman pausing her sweeping to stare. Sang Luo greeted her with a smile, "Big sister, would you like to buy some Immortal Tofu? It’s versatile - great for cold dishes or cooking, suitable for sweet or savory tastes. Mixed with sugar water, it turns into a refreshing dessert, and it makes a great savory dish too."

The woman hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

Sang Luo then took a pottery basin from Shen An's basket, offering, "You can try a small piece for free. Just bring a bowl, and I’ll give you a sample. You can try it with sugar water or make it like a cold dish. If you like it, you can buy more; if not, this small piece is on the house."

Hearing the offer of a free sample, not just the first woman but also her neighbor, who was sweeping nearby and had been eavesdropping, came over, intrigued by the prospect of a freebie.

"Of course, big sister, bring a bowl. It’s better with some seasoning, tastes more flavorful that way," Sang Luo advised.

The woman understood that, like any dish, it would certainly taste better with added seasonings than just boiled in water.

"Alright, wait for me, I’ll just go and dissolve some sugar in water and be right back," the woman said with a smile, hurrying home to prepare.

"Who would pass up the chance to try something for free?"

Seeing her neighbor taking the initiative, the woman who first interacted with Sang Luo also became interested: "I'll go get a bowl too."

In a blink of an eye, both women had left, leaving Sang Luo and the two children standing there.

Shen An and Shen Ning were both a bit excited. If people were willing to try, they'd probably be willing to buy, right? After all, the people in Sanli Village were wealthier than those in their own village.

As they waited, Sang Luo kept busy, standing in place and continuously calling out to attract customers. Soon, curious onlookers began to peek out from their homes.

Perhaps Sang Luo’s persistent calling sped up the two women who were promised a free taste; they returned quite quickly, followed by several children.

The first woman Sang Luo spoke to was apparently preparing breakfast at home. She fetched some condiments she planned to use for cooking, quickly mixing salt, sauce, and chopped green onions to make a savory sauce.

The other woman, who came of her own accord, returned quickly too. Her bowl contained a bit of dissolved substance, not hot, and the color didn't look like malt sugar.

Seeing Sang Luo eyeing her bowl, the woman chuckled, "It's honey water. You should give me a bit more to try, or it wouldn't do justice to the honey I used."

"Ah, honey – that's quite a generous ingredient."

"Such extravagance in ancient times, only the wealthy could afford honey. Common folks rarely bought it. It seems this woman either comes from a well-off family that enjoys the finer things or perhaps someone in her family obtained a beehive from the mountains."

Sang Luo responded with a smile, handing the pottery basin to Shen An to hold while she herself took out a bamboo knife and a wooden spoon from Shen An's basket.

"The sample pieces were already cut at home into mahjong tile-sized portions. Using the wooden spoon, she scooped up a piece and then divided it into four smaller pieces with a few cuts from the bamboo knife."

"The jade-like tofu immersed in the richly colored sauce captivated the watching children, especially those from the family of the woman holding the sauce bowl – it was for their household."

"Mom, let me try a piece."

"Auntie, let me have a piece too."

"Children of various ages eagerly crowded around."

"Sang Luo glanced over and scooped another similarly sized piece, dividing it into four as before, and dropped it into the other woman’s bowl of honey water."

"The children behind that woman, who had been eyeing the tofu with envy, cheered as well."

"Mom/Auntie, give me a piece."

"Both women had spoons ready in their bowls. Sang Luo’s sales demonstration quickly turned into a live tasting show, attracting the attention of several other women who had initially just glanced over when hearing Sang Luo's call. They couldn't resist and came over to join."

"What are you selling here?"

"Can I try it?"

"Zhu Zi, is this stuff tasty?"

The child asked was the one who had tasted the salty version.

Since honey water isn't something every household has, asking about the salty one is more relatable.

The child named Zhu Zi nodded: "It's delicious."

He then looked enviously at the neighboring siblings and eagerly asked, "Er Lang, is the one with honey good?"

"So tasty, incredibly tasty!" declared Er Lang, illustrating his fondness for this novel food. Tugging at his mother's sleeve, he pleaded, "Mom, it's so good, buy some, I want it for breakfast."

"Such a small piece, it’s gone in one bite."

The woman, now tugged by her son, tried the last piece herself, her eyes lighting up upon tasting. She turned to Sang Luo and asked, "Young lady, how do you sell this fairy tofu?"

While asking, she eyed the size and quantity in the pottery basin, which seemed quite generous.

Sensing a potential buyer, Sang Luo responded cheerfully, "Not expensive at all, just two wen per piece. The portion is generous, enough to fill a large bowl."

"Two wen isn't expensive for villagers of Sanli who can always scrape something together from the mountains or fields to trade for cash. The woman agreed promptly: "Alright, give me one piece."

Her children cheered at her words, with the eldest girl eagerly volunteering to go home and fetch the money.

Meanwhile, at the salty-taste tester's side, her kids were also pulling at their mother's and aunt's sleeves, imploring them to buy.

The woman gave in, nodding: "Okay, get us one too. Wait here, I'll go get some money."

With two households having tasted and bought, others began to follow suit.

As the woman turned to fetch her money, neighbors who had initially come just to see what was happening also started heading back to fetch their bowls. Not everyone intended to buy, but everyone wanted a free taste.

Sang Luo welcomed the tasting, knowing that tasting led to buying. As she served, she seized opportunities to keep calling out her sales pitch. The commotion attracted more onlookers from nearby houses.

Shen An and Shen Ning were visibly excited, frequently glancing towards the pork stall.

"Meat, oh meat, we'll be eating it today."