Chapter 53

Selling in the market on this day, encountering someone from Shili Village wasn’t surprising to Sang Luo. It was only towards the end of her tofu sales that she met the first villager; if she had sold slower, she might have met more.

Now with a new kitchen and courtyard walls at home, Sang Luo wasn’t as anxious as before. Her original plan was to sell tofu in the surrounding areas after the farming season, so there was nothing to hide. She greeted Zhou Cun Zheng’s wife with ease, cheerfully calling her "Auntie Zhou".

The wife of the Zhou village head, originally out to buy meat, was caught off guard upon seeing Sang Luo. Her gaze fell on the carrying pole in front of Sang Luo, which clearly indicated selling goods.

“A-Lie’s wife, are you selling something?”

“Yes, I’m selling some food items. Auntie, would you like to take a look?”

The wife of the Zhou village head leaned in closer, noticing the distinct items on each side of the carrying pole. On the left was a bucket with a greenish substance, while the right held a square box with neatly arranged white blocks.

“What are these foods?”

She had never seen them before.

Sang Luo smiled, “The white one is called tofu, a very delicious dish. It can be braised, stewed with meat, or fried. All are quite tasty. The green one is called ‘Fairy Tofu,’ which can be used in cooking or as a snack. It’s good both hot stir-fried and cold mixed. If you’re having it as a snack, pour over some melted malt sugar syrup, it tastes exceptionally good.”

While explaining, she cut a small piece for tasting, placed it on a leaf, and handed it to the wife of the Zhou village head, adding with a smile, “Auntie, please try it. This one is unseasoned, so it won’t taste as good, but it’ll give you a general idea.”

The wife of the Zhou village head was still trying to comprehend the difference between tofu and 'Fairy Tofu.' Her mind also pondered over how Sang Luo from the Shen family's main house had such a skill to set up a stall and start a business, explaining the newly built house. The village rumors about her making money by gathering wild vegetables... seemed like a ruse.

Zhou Village Chief's wife's thoughts whirled rapidly as she took the green, jade-like food called "fairy tofu" from Sang Luo. Made from beans?

Contemplating this, she tasted the fairy tofu, finding its texture surprisingly delightful.

She imagined her children loving it with some sweetened water, and her husband enjoying it with a bit of oil, salt, and scallions – truly refreshing!

"How much is this sold for?"

"It's affordable, just two coins per piece, enough for a big bowl. Would you like to try one, Auntie?"

Two coins seemed reasonable. Zhou Village Chief's wife nodded, "Alright, I’ll take one."

She decided to forego the sweet version and planned to mix it with sauce for lunch, thinking it would be a hit after a day under the sun.

Sang Luo used a lotus leaf to scoop out a piece of fairy tofu and also picked a larger piece from the unsliced corner, saying, "Auntie, since I bought a chicken from you yesterday, consider this smaller piece a gift from me."

Zhou Village Chief's wife's eyes visibly softened with gratitude: "That's very kind of you. I'll come back to you if we like it."

Her gaze then shifted to the white tofu, asking Sang Luo, "And how much for this?"

Sang Luo replied, "Same price, two coins per piece. You're here for meat, right? This tofu has a different texture from the fairy tofu. It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. If you stew it with a few slices of meat, it'll absorb the savory meat flavor. There are many ways to prepare it. It's a busy day; you could try one piece."

Already interested, Zhou Village Chief's wife felt even more inclined to buy, especially after receiving a free piece of fairy tofu. Wanting to support Sang Luo's business, she nodded, "I’ll take one as well."

Sang Luo happily agreed, and Shen An deftly passed her a lotus leaf to scoop up the tofu. The tender white tofu on the green leaf looked appetizing.

Zhou Village Chief's wife placed both pieces of tofu in her basket, then paid Sang Luo four coins: "You’re busy, I’ll go buy the meat."

Sang Luo nodded as the village chief’s wife bought a strip of pork belly from the butcher. Before leaving, she glanced at Sang Luo's carrier, seeing only a few pieces of tofu left. She courteously asked if Sang Luo needed company on the way back, but Sang Luo declined, saying everyone was busy, so she was okay going back alone.

The remaining tofu sold out in no time as the next meat buyer arrived at the butcher's stall.

With the remaining pieces of ‘Fairy Tofu’ from the tasting section, Sang Luo decided to give them all to the butcher.

The butcher gladly accepted the lotus leaf containing about half a piece of ‘Fairy Tofu,’ “Oh, I’m getting a good deal here.”

Sang Luo laughed, “Not at all. If you don't mind it, then it's fine. Today, I benefited from your presence too.”

After exchanging a few casual words, Sang Luo counted out 87 coins to pay and carefully packed the meat, then bid farewell to the butcher and headed to the general store across the street.

With only 33 coins left, Sang Luo bought six eggs. Noticing the row of small jars with the word 'wine' written on red paper on the counter, she pondered for a moment before inquiring about the price of the wine from the shopkeeper.

After asking around, the cheapest wine, a rather small jar slightly larger than a man's palm, cost 18 coins. There was also bulk wine available, priced at three coins per jiao if you bring your own jar.

"That's really expensive."

Sang Luo hesitated for a moment before deciding, "I'll take a jar."

The coins in her palm quickly dwindled to just nine, so she decided to buy two sheng (a unit of measure) of soybeans, leaving her with just one coin.

Shen An watched as his sister-in-law, who had worked hard the previous night making tofu, sold it early in the morning only to end up with a single copper coin.

The young boy's shoulders drooped as he looked at the food they had exchanged for their hard-earned money, feeling a vague sense of heartache.

Sang Luo packed everything carefully, nestling each egg among the soybeans. As she prepared to lift the load, she noticed Shen An's listless demeanor. Lifting the burden, she stepped out of the store and after a few steps, seeing him still looking downcast, she asked with a smile, “What's the matter?”

Shen An glanced at his elder sister, his expression a bit forlorn: “It's so hard to earn money, but it's spent too quickly.”

Sang Luo paused, then laughed: “It's alright. Although the money is spent, our home has changed a lot, hasn't it? We've added so many things. Think about the burden we carry now, the pottery and cookware at home, the new tables, chairs, beds, and even the stone mill and the chickens and ducks, and our beautiful yard. Doesn't that make you feel happy?”

Shen An pondered and realized it was true; he often felt as if he was living in a dream with how unreal the recent changes seemed.

He nodded in agreement.

Seeing the young boy’s mood lift slightly, Sang Luo didn't dwell on the topic and cheerfully added, “Remember to welcome your friends properly this evening. Today’s meal is both a housewarming and a thank-you feast, to show our gratitude to those who helped build our house – the uncles, aunts, grandpas, grandmas, and your friends. I’ll be busy today and might not be able to attend to everything, so you and Ah Ning will be in charge of the kids' table, okay?”

Shen An listened intently and assured her, “Don’t worry, big sister, I can take care of it.”

……

By the time they returned home, it was mid-morning. Perhaps hearing their conversation, Shen Ning emerged from behind the house. Spotting them, her eyes lit up and she ran out excitedly.

“Big sister, big brother, you're back!”

Sang Luo, noticing her hands covered in dirt, smiled and asked, "What were you doing in the backyard?"

"Making a fence. I added a little more this morning. Once it’s done, we can let the chickens out."

A child who keeps finding tasks for herself, thought Sang Luo, who hadn’t asked for any of this. She couldn’t help but praise, "Ah Ning, you’re so capable!"

Shen Ning's eyes curved into a smile as she approached Sang Luo's carrying pole and asked, "Big sister, what did you buy?"

Shen An, already familiar with the day's purchases, recited them one by one, concluding with, "But it was expensive, nearly all of today's earnings were spent."

He almost sighed.

Shen Ning: "Ah..."

Shen An: "But big sister says it’s necessary. Everyone worked hard on our house, and today we are hosting a feast to thank them. Understanding gratitude and manners means people will be willing to help us when we need it."

Listening intently, Shen Ning, remembering their past struggles, nodded repeatedly, "Then let’s follow big sister's advice."

The siblings chatted as they followed Sang Luo into their home.

Earlier, with the courtyard door closed, Shen Ning had run to open it, waiting for Sang Luo while saying, "Big sister, not long after you and second brother left this morning, Chen Granny, Lu family’s Granny, and Shi family's Auntie came. They brought a lot of vegetables. I’ve put them all in the kitchen."

Sang Luo, already aware of this, nodded, "Okay, I'll check them later."

Sang Luo placed her load at the kitchen door and entered the house with the bucket. Shen Ning followed closely, saying, "Auntie Chen and Auntie Lu said they'll come to help us this afternoon. Big sister, you don’t need to rush this morning. With three people helping, starting preparations at the end of the ‘wei’ period will be timely. They will also bring dishes and utensils, and the tables and chairs will be arranged by the uncles in the evening.”

Sang Luo thought about the dishes she planned to prepare, realizing that last-minute preparations wouldn't suffice.

Nonetheless, she nodded and smiled, indicating she understood.

As she entered the kitchen and unpacked the bucket, Sang Luo saw the generous amount of vegetables brought by the families. The combined contributions were more than enough for the day, and thankfully, they wouldn't need to rely on wild onions and garlic as each family had brought plenty.

With this in mind, Sang Luo had a clear plan for the evening's menu.

She turned to Shen An, “Little An, I need you to run an errand. Go to Auntie Chen's house and borrow a pair of scissors. We'll need them for butchering the chicken.”

Poultry organs were a delicacy not to be wasted, and scissors were essential for properly processing the chicken and duck intestines.

Shen An immediately set off down the hill.

Sang Luo filled a large earthenware pot with water and called Shen Ning to help start the fire.

Confused, Shen Ning asked, “Big sister, are we preparing lunch this early?”

“Not lunch. We need to butcher the chickens and ducks first. We'll boil water for scalding the feathers. This task is time-consuming, and leaving it for the afternoon might be too late.”

Ah, Shen Ning remembered the laborious task of plucking feathers, especially duck feathers, which were particularly difficult to remove.

Rolling up her sleeves, the little girl declared, “Big sister, I’ll help you.”

She swiftly left the house to fetch firewood.

While Shen Ning was heating water, Sang Luo carried two large pottery basins outside and prepared two bowls, each with a mixture of half a bowl of saltwater. She went back inside and pocketed the kitchen knife.

Yesterday’s purchase of two chickens and a duck were confined in the newly constructed bamboo chicken coop. Sang Luo opened the coop door, looking inside at the two birds.

Whichever one comes forth first will be chosen.

The hen cautiously poked its head out, clucking softly.

"Alright, it’s you then."

The hen was barely out of the coop before Sang Luo firmly grabbed it.

With the coop door shut, she held the chicken by the wings and carried it over to where the basins and knife were. She plucked its neck feathers and then quickly slit its throat to bleed it. By the time Shen An returned with the borrowed scissors, both chickens and ducks were already butchered, and their blood had been taken to the kitchen to coagulate.

After boiling two pots of water for scalding, Shen An and Shen Ning began the laborious task of plucking feathers.

Shen Jin, who had left Shen Yin and Shen Jin at home with Sweet, came by carrying half a basket of pebbles. He immediately noticed the two pottery basins with the birds being plucked.

Excitedly, he exclaimed and hurried over, placing down his basket near Shen An and Shen Ning. He squatted between them, looking from the chicken to the duck, almost drooling with delight.

“Shen An, are we having chicken and duck for tonight’s feast?!”

“Did you really decide to slaughter the chickens and ducks you bought the other day?”

He pinched his own cheek, then did it again in disbelief, “Is this really for tonight’s dinner? Can I have a piece?”

Shen An: ……

"Yes, you can."

Shen Jin was thrilled, wishing time could fast-forward to dinner. Eagerly, he offered, “I’ll help you pluck feathers, I know how to do it!”

Not daring to get too close to Shen Ning, he instead moved closer to Shen An.

While the Shen household’s youngsters busily plucked feathers, at the Zhou household, Zhou Village Chief’s wife had finished preparing lunch and was carrying it in a basket to the fields.

The family had left for the fields just as dawn broke, having eaten an early breakfast. After working for hours without a break, they were starving. Seeing the meal arrive, they eagerly awaited the patriarch’s signal to pause for lunch.

They gathered under a tree at the field's edge, first grabbing bamboo tubes to gulp down some water and catch their breath. Only then did they approach the food basket.

Taking turns with bowls and chopsticks, they first dished up rice. As the lid of the pot containing the meat dish was lifted, its aroma filled the air, leaving the sons gathered around the basket momentarily stunned.

“What’s this dish?”

Zhou Village Chief, who had been drinking water, heard his sons’ collective questioning and craned his neck to see.

？？？

Shoving aside his sons, he took a bowl and chopsticks from the youngest, picked up a piece, and examined it closely in shock: “Is this Li Qi? Where did it come from?”