After Xiao Fubao’s Life Was Stolen, He Became the Favorite of Everyone In the Capital

Chapter 17 Tofu Recipe

But Gu Mingda understood very well that it was not about money, but actually it was about money.

But when Mrs. Gu heard this, she hesitated on her face and said: "Second brother, maybe you lack some luck in the exam. I dreamed of you falling into a pit last night. It was so dark that it took me a long time to crawl." If you don’t get up, you might as well stop taking the exam and open a private school in the village or find a job as an accountant in the county.”

Gu Laosan also echoed: "Yes, second brother, you have a quick mind and know many people in the county. It will not be difficult to find a job."

Seeing that almost everyone in the family was opposed, Gu Mingda insisted: "Mom, even if you don't take the exam, you still have to wait until you pass the exam to be a scholar, and you can still give our family a few acres of land without taxes.

"But... that dream..." Mrs. Gu was still hesitant. She was also afraid that something would really happen to her second son.

But Father Gu suddenly said: "Test...Test the number one scholar! We want a number one scholar in our family!"

Gu Mingda smiled and said: "Changing families has been the obsession of generations of our Gu family. Mom, since I have taken this path, I will not be reconciled if I still get nothing after studying hard for many years."

Zhang Yuniang stood behind her husband at this time, silently expressing her support.

Mrs. Gu looked at her husband, then at her other two sons, and said, "Then try this one last time. If an accident happens before the exam, my mother will not let you take the exam again."

Gu Mingda smiled and nodded. He took out the book he bought at Zheng's stall and said, "I got something unexpected in the county today."

The whole family looked at this book and wondered why.

Gu Mingda explained: "This is a travel note written by a boy named Zheng. It records in detail how to make tofu."

Making tofu seems simple, but in fact there are very few tofu sellers in any county, simply because everyone has their secret recipe.

When Mrs. Gu heard this, her eyes lit up and she asked, "Really? If our family can learn how to make tofu, we can have a stable income in the future."

The people in the other two houses are also very happy at this time. After all, no one would mind having too much money.

"Mom, before I rush for the exam, I will try my best to teach you the things in the book." Gu Mingda promised.

After Zhang Yuniang put her three children to sleep, she fell into a warm embrace as soon as she climbed into bed.

"If my family can sell tofu in the future, I can also give you some money to go to Fucheng to take the exam." Zhang Yunniang said softly. She was still worried about her husband's lack of money to take the exam.

The tofu recipe was brought out by her husband, so Zhang Yunniang felt that she could get some of the money no matter what.

Gu Mingda gently stroked his wife's hair with his hand and said, "I don't want to take the money from selling tofu. I just want to find a way to make a living for my family so that my elder brother and sister-in-law won't have to stare at our money every day."

Although Zhang Yunniang was surprised when she heard this, she didn't argue with her husband. Instead, she asked, "What should you do if you rush to take the exam?"

When we arrived in Fucheng, everything cost money, not to mention food and accommodation. Just getting a mortgage from a local resident would cost more than ten taels. No matter how you calculated it, the money for a second house was not enough right now.

Gu Mingda lowered his voice and said, "I've tested it. The black turtle I bought at the Zheng family stall was coated with a layer of black paint on the outside, but it was gold on the inside."

"Ah!" Zhang Yunniang just exclaimed and immediately covered her mouth.

Gu Mingda didn't give in and said directly: "At least ten taels of gold."

Ten taels of gold can be exchanged for about one hundred taels of silver. This money is enough for Gu Mingda to take the exam.

Zhang Yunniang was relieved and said, "Thanks to Niuniu, with this money, we really don't have to keep an eye on the tofu money at home."

Gu Mingda also said: "Yes, who would have thought that a five-year-old child could actually have such a dream. I will misappropriate the gold this time and replenish it to her when she gets married in the future."

Zhang Yuniang originally wanted to say that there is no need for a family to have such clear calculations, but she knows her husband too well and knows that with his pride, he cannot do anything to take advantage of the children.

The next morning, Zhang Yuniang avoided the rest of the family and warned her three children: "Niuniu can dream. Don't tell others casually. Do you remember?"

Gu Yan nodded vigorously, and Gu Zhao seemed to understand.

After the brothers were sent away, Niu Niu asked: "Mom, is it a bad thing that I have dreams?"

Zhang Yunniang hurriedly shook her head and said: "How could it be possible? Niuniu is the little lucky star of the family. I am also afraid that others will take Niuniu away from my arms, so I can't tell others about my dreams. Do you understand?"

Niu Niu nodded happily, her stomach suddenly growled.

Niu Niu was not full from breakfast. She was about to serve a second bowl when she saw the murderous look in her third aunt's eyes. She did not dare to continue eating.

"hungry?"

Niuniu nodded shyly.

Zhang Yunniang opened the locked cabinet and took out a pastry wrapped in oil paper: "Eat it."

Niu Niu hesitated and did not dare to answer.

Zhang Yunniang lowered her face and said, "Why are you so polite to Mom? Since Mom gave it to you to eat, you should continue to eat it. Your family will not be destitute just because you take one more bite."

Niu Niu took it with a smile and ate it in small bites. The pastry was white, soft, and sweet. This was something she could never dream of eating in the Zhang family.

Making tofu requires a stone mill. Every household in the village has an unused millstone, so just borrow it for the first time.

Mrs. Gu was a very decisive person, so she brought a bag of soybeans and ground them into pulp the next day. The first time the Gu family made tofu, it became a hit. Except for the sour taste, there were almost no shortcomings.

"Make it again tomorrow. As long as it's not so sore by then, you can sell it for money." Mrs. Gu said happily.

"Mom, we don't know how many people in the village want to buy. Let's make less. If we can't sell it in the village, we can send it to the town to sell."

Gu Mingda said this because he was afraid that if he had too much stock, he would be unable to sell it and would spoil it, thus wasting his own beans.

Mrs. Gu nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know everything."

Gu Mingda helped set the price for Gujia Tofu. If it is sold out normally, there will be about 30% gross profit.

"Mom, it's hard to sell today's tofu because it's sour. Our family can't finish it, and it will go bad if left for a long time. Can I send a piece back to my parents' house tomorrow?" Chen Chunhua asked proactively.

Mrs. Gu hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and said, "Just give me three yuan. Later, Gu Jin wants to learn carpentry from your brother, so we can't save the money."

Chen Chunhua's younger brother is a carpenter, and people from all over the country come to him to build furniture.

The youngest son of the Dafang couple, Gu Jin, is very popular with his brother-in-law. It has been discussed before that when Gu Jin turns twelve years old, he will become a carpentry apprentice. Gu Jin will probably become his brother-in-law's son-in-law in the future.

When Liu Erni saw that her sister-in-law could give gifts to her parents' house, she immediately said, "Mom, let me give three yuan back to my parents' house as a gift!"

Mrs. Gu instantly darkened her face and said, "How many times have you gone to your parents' house to pick up gifts over the years? You are not allowed to give them away!"

Previously, the two sisters-in-law were affectionate and affectionate when they were talking bad things about the second wife together. Now that she saw Liu Erni deflated, Chen Chunhua was happier than the others. She said proudly: "Third brother and sister, if your brother can do some crafts with his son, Mom will definitely not stop you from taking the tofu back."

Zhang Yuniang was not involved in this matter from beginning to end. After all, her biological brother was Zhang Guangzong, and she was not happy to give tofu to her stepmother.

Early the next morning, Liu Erni got up at dawn. It was her turn to make breakfast today.

Liu Erni took a look at how much tofu was left in the kitchen, took out two pieces, put one on the stove, and quietly stuffed the other into the basket at her feet, and then grabbed a handful of green vegetables to cover the tofu.

The Gu family was very busy. After breakfast, those who needed to go to the fields and those who needed to grind tofu went to the entrance of the village to grind soy milk.

Seeing that there was no one at home, Liu Erni quietly went out with the basket and went to her parents' house in the east of the village.

"Er Ni is back!" Mother Liu was so happy to see her daughter back.

Liu Erni also enjoys the feeling of being valued by her mother.

"Second sister, what good things did you bring back this time?" The sister-in-law came over and grabbed Liu Erni's vegetable basket.

Inside the basket were a handful of vegetables, a piece of tofu, and three eggs.

These three eggs were found by Liu Erni in the chicken coop while Gu's family was not paying attention.

Liu's mother praised: "We Ernie are still capable. Of the three girls, you are the best to your brother!"

But my sister-in-law clicked her tongue and said, "This morning when I was washing clothes by the river, I saw Chen Chunhua. When she met everyone, she said that her mother-in-law gave her three pieces of tofu to send to her parents' house. Second sister, what are you doing? I just brought one piece back.”

When Liu's mother heard this, she immediately stared at the second daughter with suspicion and asked, "It's the daughter-in-law who returns to her parents' home. Is it your mother-in-law who treats her differently, or did you swallow two pieces of tofu?"

Liu Erni's mouth suddenly filled with bitterness. She had stolen such a piece of tofu from the kitchen. How could she find two more pieces?

"I...I got it from the kitchen myself. My mother-in-law didn't give me the tofu..." Liu Erni said, shrinking her neck.

Mother Liu immediately yelled: "What a good old lady! She looks down on our Liu family! Damn you!"

Mother Liu only dared to scold her at home. After all, Mrs. Gu was very capable of fighting. If she really wanted to run and cause trouble, someone might take back this piece of tofu.

Liu Erni said: "Chen Chunhua's mother-in-law's brother will teach Gu Jin how to do carpentry in the future, so my mother-in-law will always think about anything good."

Mother Liu didn't need her daughter-in-law to provoke her. She immediately jumped up and said, "What do you mean? Are you blaming us for holding you back? Didn't you benefit your husband's family?"

Liu Erni said hurriedly: "Mom, that's not what I meant..."

As she had done countless times in the past, Mother Liu casually accused her daughter: "Does your mother-in-law dislike us? She doesn't like you. You are useless. You are not like Chen Chunhua who can please your mother-in-law. We are also embarrassed by you!"

Liu Erni also apologized to her mother like she had done countless times in the past: "It's me who's useless...it's me who's useless..."

The sister-in-law whispered from the side: "Mom, I heard from people in the village that the Gu family got a recipe for making tofu from somewhere."

Mother Liu's eyes suddenly lit up, she grabbed her daughter's hand and said, "You have seen what's going on in our family now. We don't have much land, unlike your Gu family, which has a big business. How thin are your nephews and nieces? You have a younger brother who hasn’t married yet! As a sister, you have to think of something for him."

Liu's mother has a total of seven children, three daughters and four sons. Now there is one son who is not married.

"What can I do? I secretly sent back all the private money my husband and I saved. Isn't that enough?" Liu Erni was also a little helpless.

Liu's mother said: "The money you have saved is enough! Their old Gu family is not short of money, but our Liu family is short of a good craft to make money!"

Liu Erni understood. I was asking her for a tofu recipe.

(End of chapter)