Chapter 29

Chapter 29

When it was time to sleep at night, Lu Yao discussed with Zhao Beichuan the idea of hiring Lin Daman for help.

"Daman Ge was kicked out by his family after the divorce. Today, seeing him like that made me feel very uncomfortable." Because he had used him during the incident with Song Guafu, Lu Yao had always felt guilty.

"Now he's living in a dilapidated temple with two children and can't even get a hot meal. I've been too busy making tofu alone, so having him help sell tofu to neighboring villages would be perfect."

Zhao Beichuan nodded. He wasn’t shortsighted and knew how profitable Lu Yao’s tofu business was. If it weren’t for the need to tend to their land, he would have helped make tofu every day.

Lu Yao: "I thought about using the old kitchen at the back, which is currently unused. We could clean it up for them to live in temporarily, and the daily wage would be ten coins."

Ten coins a day was not cheap, especially for long-term employment. Three hundred coins a month, which amounted to more than three guan a year, was a significant sum. Ordinary people might not save that much in a year just from farming.

"Alright, you handle the arrangements. Let me know if you need any help."

"Tomorrow, help him build a stove. It will get cold soon, and it's not good for the children to sleep on the ground."

"Sure."

*

The next morning, Lin Daman led his two children towards Wan'gou Village. On the way, Lin Xiaochun asked, "Mother, are you taking us home?"

"Do you want to go back?" After the divorce, Lin Daman had changed their surnames to follow his own.

Lin Xiaochun shook her head, "I don't want to go back. Father always drinks and hits people; I prefer staying with Mother."

Young Lin Xiaodong also echoed, "I want to stay with Mother too!"

Lin Daman patted both children's heads, "We're not going home. Mother will take you somewhere else."

Last night, he pondered for half the night. If the Zhao family didn’t agree to let him help, he would send the children to Grandma Song first. Xiaochun and Xiaodong were her grandsons, and she wouldn’t turn them away no matter what.

As for himself, he would look for work in town and bring the children back once he found a place to settle down.

With this plan in mind, he felt less lost than before. With his strong body and plenty of energy, he believed he could survive.

Arriving at the Zhao family's house, he saw Zhao Xiaodou playing in the yard.

"Xiaodou, is your sister-in-law at home?"

"Sister-in-law went to sell tofu and will be back soon."

Lin Daman sat with the children on a stone near the gate, waiting. After more than an hour, Lu Yao and Zhao Xiaonian finally returned pushing a wooden cart.

Lin Daman stood up excitedly, "Xiaochun, Xiaodong, greet them."

"Auntie," the two children called hesitantly.

"Yes, come inside. Xiaonian, get them some leftover soy milk to drink."

"Sure." Zhao Xiaonian quickly ran into the house.

Lu Yao parked the cart under the eaves and wiped his hands, "Yesterday, I discussed with Da Chuan, and he agreed to let you help with the tofu-making. If you don’t have a place to stay, you can use the old room at the back."

Lin Daman's eyes welled up with tears, "Thank you so much!"

Lu Yao waved his hand, "Let me finish. I won’t let you work for nothing. You’ll earn ten coins a day, with two days off each month. During these days, you can take the children to town for supplies. I’ll also give you a month’s wages in advance as living expenses for the three of you."

Hearing this, Lin Daman felt completely relieved. Ten coins a day and three hundred coins in advance—where could he find such a generous employer?

He pulled the children down to kneel and bow.

"Get up, there’s no need for that!" Lu Yao couldn’t pull him up and had to step aside, fearing it would shorten his life.

Lin Daman wiped his tears and nose, "Rest assured, I’ll do my best to help with the tofu!"

Lu Yao patted the children's heads, "Xiaochun, take your brother inside to drink soy milk. Daman Ge, come with me to see the room."

In the backyard, Zhao Beichuan was building a stove. There were enough leftover bricks from building the house to construct one stove, connected to the adjacent kitchen, ensuring warmth during winter.

The old cauldron that Lu Lin had fixed was still unused and could be given to them.

Looking at the small room, Lin Daman felt immense satisfaction. After days of wandering with the children, they finally had a place to stay!

"The stove will be dry in a day or two. Until then, you and the children can stay in the empty room in front."

Lin Daman quickly waved his hand, "This is fine. We can sleep on straw on the ground." As a divorced man, staying in someone’s new house would bring bad reputation to the Zhao family.

Lu Yao didn’t insist. There was plenty of straw left from building the house, which Lin Daman could fetch himself.

After showing him the room, Lu Yao led him around the tofu-making area, "Since I hired you, I trust you."

"Your job will be to help me grind tofu and sell it in the morning. The rest of the time, you can arrange as you wish. Here’s the three hundred coins in advance. Use it to buy what you need; things will get better."

"Sure!" Lin Daman’s nose tingled, and he teared up again. In times of hardship, true kindness shines through. Even his own parents hadn’t been as kind as a stranger. He silently vowed never to forget Lu Yao’s kindness.

*

Lin Daman’s arrival didn’t affect the Zhao family much. Xiaochun and Xiaodong were well-behaved children who stayed in the backyard and rarely ventured out, only occasionally playing in the vegetable garden.

Lin Daman was strong and diligent, significantly reducing Lu Yao’s workload.

On their first day selling tofu in the village, many familiar faces showed curiosity when they saw Lin Daman with Lu Yao.

Lin Daman smiled, "The boss was too busy, so he hired me for help."

"Oh, how much does he pay you a month?"

"Not much, enough for the three of us." He understood the principle of not flaunting wealth but also didn’t want to appear weak.

"Zhao family’s young master, do you need more help? I can assist too."

Lin Daman tensed up, fearing someone might take his job.

Lu Yao smiled and refused, "We have enough people for now. If we need more help in the future, I’ll call you."

"Alright, remember that." The person left with tofu, and Lin Daman breathed a sigh of relief.

With help, the tofu sold twice as fast, finishing within an hour. As they packed up to leave, someone called out.

"Any tofu left? I need two pounds—oh, isn’t that Lin Daman? Kicked out by your family, huh?"

It was none other than his ex-husband, Song Changshun.

Seeing him, Lin Daman’s anger flared, and he growled, "What’s it to you? No more tofu today, try tomorrow!"

"Tsk, doing business now, running to Zhao Beichuan’s house to be a servant?"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Lin Daman glared and reached out to hit him.

Song Changshun shrank back in fear and spat, "With your harpy personality, no one would want you even if you paid them!"

Lin Daman took off his shoe and hit him, causing Song Changshun to scurry away with his head down, which made the people buying tofu nearby burst into laughter.

"Brother Daman, stop chasing him!" Lu Yao shouted. Lin Daman then stopped, panting heavily as he returned, his eyes welling up with tears.

"How did I end up marrying such a beast? I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

"Don't take it to heart. You've already divorced him. Do you really care what he says?"

Lin Daman wiped away his tears. "I don't care. Once I save enough money and raise my children to adulthood, I'll show everyone that I'm much better than him!"

"The fact that you decided to divorce him already makes you stronger than most."

Lin Daman sighed. "Sigh, actually, I'm not that strong-willed... There was a time when I was at my wit's end and almost went back with the kids. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't know what my future would be like... Let's not talk about that anymore; it's all in the past."

"Next time I see that bastard, I'll beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!"

*

Back home, the two of them lifted the second slab of tofu onto the wooden cart. They had made two slabs last night, and Lu Yao planned to sell them in Lujia Village today.

Lujia Village was the nearest village to Wan'gou Village, separated only by a small hill. Although the hill wasn't high, pushing fifty or sixty pounds of tofu over it wasn't easy. With Lu Yao's strength, he definitely couldn't manage it.

By mid-morning, they finally arrived at Lujia Village. Lu Yao started calling out, "Tofu for sale—"

Soon someone came over to inquire, "Is this tofu from Wan'gou Village?"

Lu Yao replied, "Yes, it's from Wan'gou Village."

The person looked at Lu Yao, finding him familiar but unable to place him.

"How much is the tofu?"

"One pound of beans for one pound of tofu. If you don't have beans, you can pay six coins per pound."

"I'll go get some beans." The person hurriedly left and soon returned with a clay bowl. "Two pounds of tofu, please!"

"Sure thing." Lu Yao weighed the beans, and Lin Daman swiftly cut and handed over the tofu.

More people gathered, none of whom had tasted tofu before, but they had heard about the seller in Wangou Village and how delicious it was. Since it was affordable, everyone wanted to try some.

As more people returned from working in the fields, the crowd grew larger, with people holding clay bowls and pushing forward eagerly.

"Don't worry, if you can't buy it today, you can tomorrow. We'll be here again."

"Lu Yao?" Someone called out his name from the crowd.

Lu Yao looked up and saw his second sister-in-law, Hu Chunrong, smiling at her. "Sister-in-law, haven't eaten yet? Here, take some tofu."

Hu Chunrong was incredulous. "This tofu is yours?"

"Yes." Lu Yao asked Lin Daman to fill a bowl for her and then turned to serve others.

Hu Chunrong walked home dazedly with the tofu. As she entered the courtyard, Lu's mother noticed the tofu in her hands.

"Where did you get that?"

Instead of answering, Hu Chunrong asked, "Mother, the tofu you got last time—was it made by Third Younger Brother?"

Lu's mother coughed and nodded.

"I didn't expect Third Younger Brother to know how to make tofu..." She felt a bit uncomfortable, wondering if her parents and husband had kept this from her because they looked down on her or didn't consider her part of the family.

Lu's mother guessed her thoughts. "That's the Zhao family's business; it has nothing to do with our Lu family."

"I know, Mother. I'm not petty. I'm happy for Lu Yao if he can live a decent life."

Lu's mother waved her hand. "Why didn't Lu Yao come in? Where is he?"

"He's at the village entrance. There are many people buying tofu."

Lu's mother hurried out of the courtyard. Hu Chunrong looked at the tofu in her bowl and couldn't help but marvel at how much Lu Yao had changed since his marriage.

*

After selling the last piece of tofu, there were still a dozen people around the cart asking if he would come back tomorrow and at what time.

Lu Yao said, "I'll be here at the same time tomorrow. If you want to buy tofu, come early."

Once the crowd dispersed, Lu's mother approached. "Impressive, selling tofu outside the village."

"Mother! When did you get here?" Lu Yao ran over happily.

"I watched you for a while. You're quite good at business."

"Hehe, thanks."

Lu's mother affectionately tapped his forehead and then looked at Lin Daman. "Who is this?"

"He's my hired helper, Lin Daman, also from our village."

"Hello, Auntie," Lin Daman greeted her nervously.

Lu's mother sized him up and then whispered to Lu Yao, "Why did you hire an outsider? Your fourth and fifth brothers are idle. Why not let them do it?"

"Mother, making tofu is hard work. Not just anyone can handle it."

Lu's mother still felt uneasy. "What if he learns how to make tofu and starts selling it himself, hurting your business?"

"I've thought about that. Don't worry."

"You... Have you eaten lunch? Stay for a meal."

"No, thank you. Da Chuan and the others are working in the fields. I need to go back and cook for them."

Lu's mother didn't insist further but reminded her son to be cautious.

On their way back from Lujia Village, Lin Daman hesitantly pulled Lu Yao aside. "Boss, please don't replace me." He had overheard Lu's mother's words. "I swear, if I ever betray you and start my own tofu business, may I be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"

Lu Yao was taken aback. "I never thought of replacing you. Brother Daman, don't think too much. Since I promised to hire you, I won't change my mind easily. Just focus on your work."

"Thank you!" Lin Daman felt relieved and worked even harder from then on.

In just half a month, the Zhao family's tofu sales doubled. As Lu Yao had predicted, tofu sold even better during the busy farming season. Two slabs of tofu each day were not enough, so they increased production to three and then four slabs. Any more would be too much to handle.

These days, Lu Yao was so busy that he barely had time to rest. After dinner, he would fall asleep immediately, too exhausted even to think about mischief.

As for Zhao Beichuan, without the mischievous little hand around, he found it hard to sleep for several nights.

Midnight came, and Zhao Beichuan lay on the bed, tossing and turning, feeling annoyed by the crickets chirping in the room.

"What time is it?" Lu Yao opened his eyes groggily.

"It's midnight. Go back to sleep."

"Your constant tossing and turning is keeping me awake."

"I won't move anymore. Go to sleep now."

Lu Yao scooted closer to him and slipped his hand under Zhao Beichuan's covers. "Let me touch you before I sleep."

Beichuan relaxed, holding Lu Yao's hand on his lower abdomen, and curved his lips in the darkness.

"Go to sleep."