Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lu Yao's father returned from work in the evening. For the past few days, a wealthy family in town had been renovating their house and hired several masons, paying twenty cash coins per day. Lu Yao's father had worked there for about seven or eight days, nearly finishing the job.

During dinner, Lu's mother recounted the events of the day.

"Today, the second son's wife was upset that I lent money to the third son."

Lu Guangsheng, who was eating, remained silent. He left all household matters to his wife and focused solely on working and earning money.

"Given how the third son is, could I not lend him money? He even threatened to hang himself over a Scholar title. What if he tries something drastic again?"

"It's all because you spoil him."

Lu's mother felt her chest tighten with anger. "Fine, fine, it's all my fault. Isn't Lu Yao your son too? If he hadn't almost died from illness back then, would I be like this..."

"Alright, what happened after that?"

"Lu Yao came by and returned the money."

"That settles it. If the second son's wife complains again, just tell her off. She won't lack food or clothes; she shouldn't always focus on our small savings." After finishing his meal, Lu Guangsheng handed his bowl to his wife for another serving.

"Are you going to town tomorrow?"

"No, the house is finished. I'll see if there's any work in other villages."

"Good. Lu Yao wants you to help him tomorrow. Go over there."

"Alright."

*

Returning from his mother's home while it was still early, Lu Yao took some millet to exchange for two dou of beans at Old Zhao's place, cleaned them, and soaked them in water.

Yellow beans need to soak for at least six to seven hours before they can be ground into milk. Taking advantage of this time, he planned to go to town to buy gypsum and linen cloth to make tofu today.

The hour-long journey left him drenched in sweat. One downside of ancient times was the lack of transportation; everything relied on walking. At such times, he particularly missed his electric scooter from his previous life, even a bicycle would have been better.

Ah, too bad he wasn't a science student; he might never get to ride a bike in this lifetime.

It wasn't market day, so the town was much quieter than usual, with only a few passersby hurrying along.

Lu Yao first went to the fabric shop to buy linen cloth. Linen and ramie were commonly used fabrics by the local people. Undyed linen was light brown, lightweight, breathable, and absorbent, but not very durable, often tearing after a short period of use.

Linen cloth was relatively cheap, costing three hundred cash coins per bolt. Since he only needed a small amount for making tofu, Lu Yao bought five feet, each costing six cash coins, totaling thirty cash coins.

After buying the linen, he looked at other fabrics, intending to purchase a soft material to make underwear. Wearing pants without anything underneath always made him feel insecure and chilly.

The shopkeeper introduced him to several types of fabric: coarse cotton at fifteen cash coins per foot, fine cotton at thirty cash coins per foot, silk at sixty cash coins per foot, and satin at one hundred cash coins per foot, which was sold only in ten-foot lengths.

Feeling the copper coins in his pocket, Lu Yao winced at the high prices. If he didn't earn more money, he wouldn't even be able to afford underwear.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and spent sixty cash coins on two feet of cotton.

Although Zhao Beichuan had given him two strings of cash coins, he couldn't spend them recklessly. Accepting gifts made him feel indebted, and if they ever fell out, he wouldn't know where to get the money to repay him.

After buying the fabric, Lu Yao asked around for the location of a pharmacy. The shopkeeper told him it was just around the corner on the back street. Following the directions, he quickly found the pharmacy.

Upon entering, the strong scent of herbs filled his nose. A shop assistant approached and asked, "Sir, are you here to buy medicine or see a doctor?"

"Do you have gypsum?"

"Yes, sir. How much do you need?"

"What's the price?" Lu Yao felt a bit worried, fearing he wouldn't be able to buy much.

"Five cash coins per catty."

The price wasn't too high. Lu Yao bought two catties for ten cash coins. This amount of gypsum would last him for quite some time.

Leaving the pharmacy, he noticed a porcelain shop next door. Inside, he bought three large rough ceramic bowls, each costing seven cash coins, but the shopkeeper only charged him twenty cash coins. In this era, plates weren't commonly sold, probably because clay pots weren't used for stir-frying, making plates less practical.

On his way back, he passed by a grain shop and couldn't resist buying fifty cash coins worth of sugar.

Fifty cash coins could buy half a dou of millet or a dou of beans, but only a small handful of coarse sugar, full of impurities.

He couldn't help but marvel at the high price of sugar in ancient times, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

*

By the time he got home, it was already dark. Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou had prepared dinner.

"Sister-in-law, you're back!" Zhao Xiaodou ran out to help carry things.

Lu Yao took a bit of sugar from the small cloth bag in the basket and put it in her mouth.

The child's eyes widened instantly. "Mmm! So sweet!"

Lu Yao couldn't help but laugh. Inside the house, he gave Zhao Xiaonian a piece as well.

"Sister-in-law, you bought sugar!"

"Yes, I'm going to make tofu later and will cook sweet soy milk for you tonight."

"Great!" The children cheered, though they didn't know what sweet soy milk was, but it sounded delicious!

After dinner, Lu Yao checked the beans soaking in the basin. They had swollen up and felt soft when squeezed.

He scooped the beans into a bucket, rinsed them twice, and the children followed him to the village mill, carrying ladles and wooden basins, skipping along behind him. Ever since his sister-in-law married in, life seemed to become more interesting.

Arriving at the village millstone, no one was around. At this time of year, everyone had finished milling flour, and the stone mill was idle, covered in leaves and dust.

Lu Yao first filled a basin with clean water and washed the millstone inside and out until no dirty water came out before starting to grind the beans.

Mixing the yellow beans with water in a ratio of roughly one to seventeen, he slowly poured them into the central hole and pushed the wooden handle to turn the millstone.

Pushing once, the millstone didn't budge...

He tried again, gripping the wooden handle tightly and pushing with all his strength, causing the millstone to turn slightly.

Damn, it can't be! The millstone is so hard to use?

"Sister-in-law, let me help you!" Zhao Xiaonian rolled up her sleeves, her face turning red as she pushed the millstone, while Zhao Xiaodou, being too short, could only stand beside them, clenching her fists in frustration.

Lu Yao gathered all his strength and finally managed to turn the millstone.

Once it started moving, the resistance decreased, but it was still strenuous. After pushing for less than three minutes, Lu Yao was drenched in sweat, his arms trembling.

This body was far too weak. Whether due to hormonal reasons or lack of exercise, he had almost no muscle, feeling soft to the touch, unlike his previous life.

As he pushed the millstone, Lu Yao silently vowed that for the sake of his health, he must exercise daily. Otherwise, in this era of scarcity, falling ill could mean death.

Before long, the milky white soy milk slowly flowed out of the stone mill and dripped into the wooden bucket beside it.

After grinding more than half a basin of beans into a bucket of soy milk, Lu Yao’s hands were blistered, and his clothes were drenched in sweat. Zhao Xiaonian was also exhausted, sitting on the ground, panting heavily.

Living up to its reputation as one of the three arduous tasks: forging iron, rowing boats, and making tofu.

"If Big Brother were here, he would be perfect for this. He's strong; he grinds all the millet at home, even helping Granny Zhao with her ash flour."

Lu Yao thought of Zhao Beichuan’s muscular arms and felt his face flush. "When your brother comes back, I’ll have him grind the beans."

After catching his breath, Lu Yao picked up the wooden bucket and started walking back. Zhao Xiaonian put her hands on her younger brother’s shoulders and complained, "I’m so tired! Xiaodou, you need to grow taller and carry me!"

"Sis, stop pressing down on me, or I won’t grow tall." After saying this, he shook off her arm and ran away.

"Wait for me, you little rascal!" The two children chased each other, returning home under the starlit sky.

Raw soy milk needs to be boiled before drinking. Lu Yao lit the fire and poured the soy milk into a clay pot to heat it.

The heating process is quite complicated, requiring the soy milk to boil seven to eight times. If the temperature isn’t controlled well, it will have a burnt taste, making the tofu unpalatable. If the heat is too low, it will have a raw bean flavor.

It was already time for the two children to rest, but they waited eagerly for their sweet soy milk, reluctant to go to sleep, sitting by the stove, yawning constantly.

Since there was nothing else to do, Lu Yao said, "Let me tell you a story."

"What kind of story?" The two children perked up.

"This story is called 'The Mermaid Princess.' Lu Yao didn’t know many stories, so he chose one familiar from his past life to tell them.

"In the Eastern Sea, there live mermaids who can live for a thousand years. Their tears turn into pearls worth a fortune. Each mermaid is incredibly beautiful, with a human-like upper body and a colorful fish tail."

"Wow~" The two children exclaimed in amazement.

As Lu Yao stirred the soy milk, he continued telling the story. When he reached the part where the young mermaid turned into foam for love, Zhao Xiaonian’s eyes welled up with tears.

"How could the prince mistake her identity! Waaah, the mermaid princess is so pitiful. She can’t even speak, and she turns into foam. How could this happen?"

"Sis, are there really such mermaids?"

"I don’t know, but there must be some, right? They live in the sea, and ordinary people can’t see them."

Lu Yao chuckled and gently patted her head. "Alright, stop crying. Do you still want to drink the soy milk?"

Zhao Xiaonian hiccuped through her tears. "Yes, I do."

Zhao Xiaodou fell asleep before the story ended, carried by Lu Yao into the room. It seemed she wouldn’t get to taste the soy milk today.

After boiling the soy milk, it needed to be filtered to remove the residue for a smoother texture.

Lu Yao took out the pre-washed hemp cloth, hung its corners with ropes under the cabinet, and placed a wooden bucket underneath.

As the soy milk filtered through, the fresh scent of beans filled the kitchen.

Lu Yao served two bowls of soy milk, broke off a piece of sugar cane, crushed it with a rolling pin, and added it to the bowls.

After the sugar dissolved, he took a sip. The taste was almost identical to what he remembered from his past life, perhaps even more fragrant.

Zhao Xiaonian took a sip and her eyes widened. "Mmm! Sister-in-law, this is delicious!" She had never tasted anything so sweet and delicious before. She took another sip and then ran into the room, waking up Xiaodou.

"Wake up and drink the soy milk, quickly!"

Zhao Xiaodou, still half-asleep, took the clay bowl and sipped. Instantly awake, she licked her lips and asked, "Sis, what is this?"

"Sister-in-law made us sweet soy milk!"

"It’s so good, let me have another sip."

"Get your own bowl and ask Sister-in-law to fill it."

Zhao Xiaodou, fully awake, got up and ran outside. "Sister-in-law, I want sweet soy milk too."

Lu Yao handed her his bowl. "Here, drink it."

There wasn’t much soy milk left, and if she had another bowl, there might not be enough to make tofu.

After finishing their soy milk, the two children couldn’t resist their drowsiness and went to bed.

Lu Yao still had one last step: setting the tofu.