While the house was being renovated, Pan Jinhua didn't stay idle; she went off to study soybeans.

Li Qingruo and Li Qingfei helped Pan Jinhua pour the soybeans into water and rinse them.

"Grandma, what are we going to do with these beans?"

"Grandma is going to make something new, Ruo'er and Fei'er must help Grandma keep an eye on it."

“Yes, Grandmother. My sister and I will keep a close eye on things.”

"Haha, no need for that. Just soak for an hour and then call me."

"good!"

Li Qingfei readily agreed, while Li Qingruo simply smiled.

After the engagement was called off, the Li family's property was subsequently confiscated, and this foolish child actually thought it was all her fault. Li Qingruo felt that it was all because she had broken off the engagement and ruined the Li family's feng shui, so she was being blamed.

Fortunately, Liu Yun discovered it in time. Pan Jinhua and the second son and his wife persuaded her many times, and even Li Xuming, as the head of the family, gave her some advice, which prevented her from getting stuck in that dead end.

Because of this, Pan Jinhua knew that Li Qingruo was a very sensitive girl. So, she would either have her teach the other girls embroidery or have her work by her side.

Perhaps it was the change in environment, and the constant, undisguised praise from Pan Jinhua, that made Li Qingruo gradually become more lively again.

An hour later, Pan Jinhua was summoned by her two girlfriends.

She carried a wooden basin and a stack of cloth torn from discarded old clothes. She soaked the cloth and placed it in the basin as a liner. She then scooped out a lot of soybeans from a bucket that was soaking soybeans and poured them into the basin. After adding some water, she covered the basin with a damp cloth.

After finishing these preparations, Pan Jinhua carried the wooden basin into the second room and asked the two sisters to help watch over it for the next couple of days.

There were still many beans left in the bucket, so Pan Jinhua didn't take them out. She let them soak in the bucket, planning to make tofu the next day.

She used that wooden basin to sprout beans. Today she was going to make tofu, and seeing beans reminded her of bean sprouts. It had been a long time since she had them, and thinking about it made her really crave them.

Nothing was said that night.

Because she was making tofu today, Pan Jinhua had already asked someone in the village to borrow a millstone, and they actually managed to borrow one.

Li Qingjing went to clear land today and is not at home, so the main force of grinding grain is Li Qingjing, Li Qingduan, Li Qingyi, as well as Li Qingcai and Li Qingcui from the fifth branch, and Li Qingye and Li Qingxuan from the seventh branch. These children are about the same age and play together the most now, always hanging out together wherever they go.

Even Li Qingtong is eager to try; he does seem to be suited for martial arts. The boys in the family now all practice horse stance and run.

Li Qingtong was still wielding a small wooden stick like a sword. Although he was only ten years old, his appetite was now larger than that of his older brothers, and he had visibly grown taller and stronger.

Once, Pan Jinhua pointed to a huge rock and joked that if he could lift that rock one day, he would become a world-renowned hero. Now, Li Qingtong trains his strength every day, preparing to lift the rock one day so that his grandmother can see it.

We've gone off on a tangent.

Pan Jinhua showed no shame in using child labor; in this era, these children could already be considered adults. She directed them to line up, and called on the two sisters, Li Qingruo, Li Qingmiao, and Li Qingcui, to take turns using a wooden spoon to scoop soybeans into the millstone.

As soon as the soybeans went in, they were ground into pulp, and a milky white liquid slowly flowed out, which was then collected in a clean wooden bucket placed below.

Pan Jinhua soaked about ten catties of soybeans; one catty of soybeans could make three catties of tofu. They were all children, and after grinding those ten catties of soybeans, they were all covered in sweat and panting heavily. Mainly, their backs ached from constantly bending over to pull the millstone. But no one gave up. If they ran away now, their brothers would laugh them to death. They couldn't run away, absolutely couldn't run away.

Pan Jinhua had already prepared the sour brine for making tofu, and Li Qingruo and the other two took a sieve to help filter out the soy pulp from the soy milk.

Pan Jinhua then took charge herself, setting up a large pot and starting a fire. The filtered soy milk was poured into the pot by the young men, and Pan Jinhua quickly stirred it with a large spoon. This was also hard work, and when she got tired, several boys would take over stirring.

When it was almost done cooking, Pan Jinhua scooped out the hot soy milk and poured it into a mold, which was also made by Li Xujiang.

Put the lid on the mold, then weigh it down with a large rock, and you're basically done.

It will take some time for the tofu to set.

"Grandma, is that all?"

A group of children chattered away, asking questions.

Good things always take time to develop.

There are three hardships in life: rowing a boat, blacksmithing, and selling tofu. Today, these children here are experiencing one of them firsthand. Of course, they are only experiencing it; with so many brothers sharing the burden, they don't have to do it year after year, so they can't truly understand the hardship involved.

But it was definitely tiring.

She sent the group of kids to get bowls, and then told Li Qingruo to go to her room and get some candy.

Pan Jinhua ladled the remaining soy milk from the pot, giving each person a large bowl, added sugar, and stirred it well.

It's piping hot, sweet, and warm.

"Grandma, this soy milk is so sweet!"

Li Qing picked up the bowl and poured it down. He was stunned as soon as it entered his mouth. The aroma of soybeans was wonderful, the texture was silky smooth, and the sweetness was delightful.

"Delicious!"

"This water tastes so good!"

"This good thing is worth the wait."

"It's mainly because the sugar makes it taste good." Some people don't believe that beans can make such a delicious syrup, saying it's because of the sugar added.

"Grandma, what's this called? It's so delicious! Jun'er could drink ten more bowls!"

Pan Jinhua was so amused by Li Qingjun that she laughed herself to death.

"Hmph, one bowl of sweet soy milk per person, no more."

Li Qingjun pouted.

"However, we can try another bowl of savory soy milk."

Pan Jinhua called the children to help prepare the ingredients. Regardless of gender, they all learned to do it. They prepared the base for about ten bowls of salty soy milk, and then poured the soy milk into the bowls, which foamed up.

"It's a pity there are no fried dough sticks. Come on, let's try this savory soy milk and see if it's good."

Is savory soy milk delicious? Of course it is! Its flavor is different from sweet soy milk and has its own unique charm.

Because of their fascination with sweet soy milk, the children all opted for savory soy milk.

"Hmm~ Not bad either!"

"Yes, this soy milk is delicious whether it's sweet or savory!"

"The first sip was a bit strange, but it felt okay after drinking it."

"This even foams, that's amazing."

Sure enough, the savory soy milk did not disappoint.

"Grandma is amazing!"

Li Qing looked at Pan Jinhua, who had previously only seen her as a kind and loving grandmother.

Having experienced the downfall of their family and exile, they have now settled down in Shaoguan County.

He could see his grandmother’s wisdom and excellence more and more; she always had a brilliant idea.

With so many people in the Li family, he was truly shocked to not hear anyone say anything bad about his grandmother.

At the same time, he felt very lucky. If it weren't for his grandmother, he didn't know if their lives would be as peaceful and harmonious as they are now. Li Qing picked up the salty soy milk and took another sip, feeling a sense of happiness overflowing from his whole body.