As dawn broke and the first crow of the rooster had barely faded, Lin Wanqiu was already awake. She quietly sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed), careful not to wake Shen Nian'an, who was fast asleep beside her. The little guy had been so excited last night when she told him she was going to make tofu that he kept muttering "tofu pudding" and "fried tofu" until he finally fell into a deep sleep, his little mouth still slightly upturned, as if he were dreaming of a feast of tofu.

Lin Wanqiu bent down to tuck the blanket around her son, her fingertips tracing his soft cheeks, her heart filled with warmth. She got up and went to the outer room, opening the window. The cool morning breeze, carrying the scent of earth and grass, rushed in, instantly waking her. In the old locust tree outside the courtyard gate, several sparrows chirped and chattered, as if cheering on the new day.

"I need to hurry up with making tofu," Lin Wanqiu muttered to herself as she rolled up her sleeves and started a fire. Before the water in the pot even boiled, she had already mentally reviewed what she needed to do that day: first, go to the village to find a stone mill and a wooden bucket; then, collect soybeans from each household; and finally, go to the river to check the water source—making tofu requires a lot of clean water, and the old well by the river has good water quality and is close to home, so it would be perfect.

Breakfast consisted of sweet potato porridge and two poached eggs—these eggs were taken from her spatial storage, a size larger than the village's free-range eggs, with a golden hue that looked nutritious. Lin Wanqiu peeled the eggs, cut them in half, and put them in Chen Nian'an's bowl, while she ate her porridge with the dried radish that Lin Moli had left behind yesterday.

"Mom, are we really going to collect soybeans today?" Shen Nian'an asked, holding a bowl and scooping eggs out with a small spoon, his eyes full of anticipation. He had heard his mother say last night that they could make tofu from the soybeans and sell it in town for money, and he had been eagerly waiting for dawn.

"Of course." Lin Wanqiu patted her son's head. "After breakfast, Mom will take you to Aunt Wang's house to ask about the stone mill. Aunt Wang used to make tofu, so maybe they have something we can use."

After breakfast, Lin Wanqiu entrusted Nian'an to the care of her neighbor, Xiaohua—Xiaohua was two years older than Nian'an, quiet and gentle, and often helped look after Nian'an, so Lin Wanqiu felt at ease. She herself carried a cloth bag containing two pieces of fruit candy she had taken from her spatial storage, intending to "visit" Aunt Wang's house.

Aunt Wang's house was at the east end of the village, not far from Lin Wanqiu's house. As soon as Lin Wanqiu reached the gate of the courtyard, she heard a "clanging" sound coming from inside. When she went closer, she saw Aunt Wang repairing a wooden bucket with a hammer.

"Aunt Wang, are you busy?" Lin Wanqiu walked into the yard with a smile and handed over the fruit candy in her hand. "I went to town yesterday and bought two pieces of candy for you to try."

When Aunt Wang saw it was her, she quickly put down the hammer in her hand, took the sugar, and smiled broadly: "Wanqiu, you're always so polite. Come in and sit down, I just boiled some water."

The two went inside and sat down. Aunt Wang poured Lin Wanqiu a bowl of hot water and asked directly, "Wanqiu, did you come to see me today because of something?"

Lin Wanqiu didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Aunt Wang, I want to ask you something—didn't your family used to make tofu? Do you still have the stone mill and wooden bucket? I'd like to borrow them for a while; I also want to make tofu to sell."

Aunt Wang paused for a moment, then sighed: "The stone mill is still there, but it's a bit old. The teeth on the millstone are worn down. I don't know if it can still be used. The wooden bucket cracked last winter, and I haven't repaired it. If you don't mind, I'll find it for you right away."

Upon hearing that the stone mill was still there, Lin Wanqiu was overjoyed: "Aunt Wang, I don't mind! As long as the stone mill is still usable, I'll fix it. If the wooden bucket is cracked, I can also find a way to repair it."

Seeing how energetic she was, Aunt Wang was happy for her: "Wanqiu, making tofu is hard work. You have to get up at dawn to grind the soybeans. Can you, a woman, handle it?"

"I can handle it!" Lin Wanqiu said firmly. "As long as Nian'an can live a good life, I'm not afraid of any hardship."

Moved by her tenacity, Aunt Wang got up and went to the backyard to find a stone mill and wooden buckets. A little while later, Aunt Wang's husband, Uncle Li, came in carrying a stone mill that was about half his height. The millstone was black and covered in a layer of dust, but it was clear that it had been used frequently; the edges of the millstone were worn smooth. Uncle Li was also carrying two cracked wooden buckets, with some dried bean curd residue still clinging to them.

Lin Wanqiu quickly stepped forward to help, and together with Uncle Li, they placed the stone mill in the corner of the yard. She carefully inspected the millstone and found that although the teeth were worn down a bit, it was still usable, just requiring some effort. The crack in the wooden bucket wasn't too big; if she wrapped it with cloth strips and applied some tung oil, it should be usable.

"Uncle Li, Aunt Wang, thank you so much!" Lin Wanqiu said gratefully. "I'll bring the first batch of tofu over to your house to try."

Aunt Wang smiled and said, "Great! I'm really looking forward to eating your tofu. By the way, Wanqiu, have you harvested your soybeans yet? You need good soybeans to make tofu. The soybeans grown by Uncle Zhang in the village are the best—they're plump and have a high yield of soy milk. You can go ask him."

Lin Wanqiu noted down Grandpa Zhang's address, thanked Aunt Wang and Uncle Li, and hurried over to Grandpa Zhang's house. Grandpa Zhang's house was at the west end of the village. He grew two mu of soybeans, and every year after handing over the grain tax, he still had a considerable amount left over. When Lin Wanqiu found Grandpa Zhang, he was drying soybeans in the yard. The golden soybeans spread out on the bamboo mat looked like they were covered with a layer of gold, a sight that warmed one's heart.

"Uncle Zhang, I'm Lin Wanqiu from the east end. I'd like to buy some soybeans from you," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile.

Grandpa Zhang looked up and saw her, paused for a moment, then remembered her: "Oh, it's Wanqiu. What are you doing harvesting soybeans? Are you out of food?"

"No, I want to make tofu and sell it," Lin Wanqiu said. "I heard your soybeans are the best, and I'd like to buy some from you. How much per pound?"

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