Chapter 119 Farmhouse Tofu Stew [Second Update]

Before 3 p.m., the group was eating iced tofu pudding.

Wen Fan makes several kinds of iced tofu pudding, some with brown sugar, some with osmanthus honey, and some with taro balls and tapioca pearls.

Wen Fan treated himself to a deluxe "plus" version, complete with everything, filling an enormous conical bowl to the brim. Then, despite his mother's warning glare, he happily ate the whole bowl!

The tofu pudding was icy cold, perfect for eating in a heated room. With all the toppings, the iced tofu pudding was sweet and delicious. After eating it, Wen Fan felt that he had been too impulsive before.

Why do you only order takeout and not cook for yourself?

Ren Haijin ate a small bowl, while Ji Baiyi secretly ate two small bowls. He already liked sweets enough, and now seeing Wen Fan eating the deluxe, sugary version, his eyes almost popped out of his head.

Wen's mother: "You're not allowed to eat anymore! How much sugar have you already eaten!"

The second bowl of tofu pudding I had this morning was sweetened, and while I was busy cooking lunch, I also secretly grabbed a bottle of cola.

She thought she wasn't even looking.

Wen Fan stuck out his tongue and obediently put the bamboo hat bowl back.

The iced tofu pudding tasted so sweet that Wen Fan couldn't help but hum a tune in the afternoon after eating the dessert.

With her in a good mood, the evening guests were lucky because Wen Fan had made too much iced tofu pudding, and even after her mother forbade them to eat it, there was still a lot left in the refrigerator.

What should we do then?

Of course, it was given away.

One per table, served in a small plastic bowl, with ingredients randomly selected.

After finally returning from winter break, Wu Na, who had finally gotten her turn in line, almost burst into tears as she ate the sweet osmanthus honey version of iced tofu pudding.

"I'm finally back!"

Looking back on her semester at school, Wu Na remembers the terrible food in the cafeteria, but now, when she eats Wenji's food again, even just a dessert, she feels like she's come back to life.

Wu Na came alone this time, because she was afraid of wasting the slots for ordering food, so she found a college student online to team up with her to eat.

The girl across from her didn't like ice cream, so she gave all the iced tofu pudding to Wu Na.

Wu Na scooped up a spoonful of iced tofu pudding. The osmanthus honey syrup on top was visually appealing, with its golden color and fragrant osmanthus aroma.

Wu Na ate with gusto, and the girl opposite her suddenly regretted her decision.

"Is it really that delicious?"

Wu Na placed the empty plastic bowl on the table with satisfaction: "Super delicious!"

It's no wonder it's Wenji.

The girl thought to herself, feeling a bit awkward, why didn't she try a bite first? Sigh, everyone says this restaurant is delicious, but she's never eaten there before. Only now does she realize how careless she was.

Wu Na was a carefree person. After the girl finished eating the iced tofu pudding, she enthusiastically served her other dishes, which cheered the girl up a bit.

The two of them ordered a dish of tofu with scallions and a farmhouse-style tofu casserole today.

Before ordering, both of them thought it was some kind of tofu hot pot based on the name, but after the dish was served, they realized that the casserole contained steaming hot soup.

"Tofu soup?"

Wu Na stirred the casserole: "It seems so, there's also salted meat in it."

They each ladled out a bowl of soup and eagerly took a sip.

Wu Na: !!!

Is this what tofu tastes like?!

Undeterred, Wu Na took another bite, and was utterly shocked. Looking at the girl opposite her, her expression was similar.

The two exchanged a glance, and the girl asked her softly, "You come here often. Is the food at his house always this delicious?"

Wu Na nodded, then shook her head, leaving the girl opposite her completely bewildered.

Wu Na wondered if it was because she hadn't eaten it for so long that she was shocked like the first time she ate it.

This tofu is amazing! It even tastes like the burnt flavor from a traditional farmhouse stove.

...She had never eaten such tofu in her life!

If Wen Fan knew Wu Na's description, he would definitely reply, "Of course."

She even had her mother ask an acquaintance to help her get this pot of tofu.

This acquaintance was none other than the landlady, Yang Hong.

The tofu used in a traditional farmhouse tofu stew is, of course, quite particular.

Cooking on a gas stove is not as good as cooking on a traditional earthen stove. Wen's mother asked Yang Hong if she had a house with an earthen stove, and if so, if she could borrow the stove.

It's quite a coincidence that Yang Hong actually owns such a self-built house.

The houses weren't far apart, but during the previous demolition, her house happened to be demolished but not torn down, which made Yang Hong very angry. She was too lazy to renovate the house and had been renting outside.

The previous tenants were all street vendors who liked this house because it had a yard where they could park their food carts. However, the house also had obvious drawbacks: the kitchen had no gas and only a clay stove.

Yang Hong had thought about demolishing it before, but she was always too lazy to do it, so it has been delayed until now.

When Wen's mother mentioned it, Yang Hong gave him the key, so Wen Fan went over there and cooked a pot of wood-fired tofu.

Firewood-cooked tofu evokes a taste of childhood, all because many tofu vendors used earthen stoves to make it in the past. The heat control on these stoves required precision; otherwise, the tofu would be either too tough or too soft.

Wen Fan also held his breath and concentrated before he made a pot of roughly the same kind of wood-fired tofu.

The firewood-cooked tofu is all used to make farmhouse-style tofu stew, and almost everyone who has tried it exclaims in amazement.

"This tofu is amazing, it tastes exactly like the tofu I ate when I was a kid!"

The tofu, with its rich bean aroma, seems to have stepped out of my memory. It's served in a broth that's been simmered until it turns white, along with slices of salted pork and stir-fried pork belly. It's topped with garlic sprouts and cilantro.

Wen Fan made this dish without using any complicated techniques. It was just the simplest stir-fried meat slices, stewed in pork bone broth, and finally topped with hand-torn tofu cooked over a wood fire.

The simple method actually highlights the tofu even more.

The guests who were only interested in tofu boxes and tofu fish soup at noon have all sided with the farmhouse tofu stew tonight.

"When I was little, my mom would always give me 50 cents to buy tofu at the street corner. That tofu tasted just like this!"

"The tofu shop downstairs from my house used to be like this too!"

"...My grandma used to love eating this kind of tofu..."

...

Food from the past always brings back memories of the past.

Even Wu Na has one or two memories related to tofu.

It was when she was in kindergarten. She took some money from home to buy tofu, riding her little bicycle. When she got there, she found the tofu seller wasn't there, so she ran around looking for him. Children don't have a sense of time; she ran and played, completely unaware that the house had been turned upside down.

She didn't manage to buy any tofu, but she had a great time playing around. Before she even got home, she saw a crowd of people gathered around her house.

She managed to squeeze in despite her small size, and overheard the adults above her sighing about how pitiful the family was, saying that their daughter had gone out to buy tofu and lost it.

Wu Na jumped up and down shouting "I'm not lost!" before being pulled from the crowd to the front.

...

Looking back on that blunder, Wu Na still feels nostalgic.

There are many people like Wu Na. Soon, a girl took the initiative to ask Wen's mother if she could buy a few pieces of wood-fired tofu.

“My grandma has Alzheimer’s now, and she keeps talking about the time she and my grandpa used to grind tofu in the countryside.”

At this point, the girl choked up a little: "My grandfather is no longer alive, and my grandmother doesn't recognize me anymore. I was thinking of letting her try this kind of old tofu."

The elderly woman had worked hard all her life, supporting several children. Her children had long said they wanted to bring her to live with them, but the two elderly people couldn't bear to part with their tofu shop in town. So, their children bought them new machines and renovated their house in town.

The tofu business was done sporadically until one day the old man collapsed at the door.

The old man no longer remembers his wife's passing or that he's moved to the city. Instead, he keeps looking for his wife and complaining that the tofu shop is closed and that his regular customers are going to complain…

After the girl finished speaking, she looked at Wen's mother. Wen's mother didn't say anything. She went into the kitchen and came out with a bag containing square tofu.

The girl thanked him profusely and insisted on paying an extra fifty yuan.

Mother Wen stood guard at the counter, and one person after another came to ask if they could buy tofu.

Some people just want to eat it themselves, while others say they're taking it back for their elderly relatives to try.

"My mom used to say that the tofu these days doesn't taste like tofu, but I didn't realize it until I tasted it this time."

"Hehe, my dad always tells me about remembering the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present. He's always talking about starting his own business and eating hot tofu every day. So I'm going to bring a piece of tofu back with me so he can have a taste of the bitter past and appreciate the sweet present!"

Wen Fan set aside the wood-fired tofu for his own cooking, while the other tofu was bought up piece by piece by the guests.

Some people even filmed themselves holding leftovers in one hand and tofu in the other, jokingly saying that they had been waiting in line for a long time today.

Wenji is selling tofu now!

Mother Wen didn't set a high price for the wood-fired tofu; she would charge a token ten yuan per piece, but some people generously threw down tens of yuan, saying they wanted more.

At first, Wen's mother agreed, but later she limited it to one piece per person.

After taking this piece of wood-fired tofu home, many people quickly left comments on the account.

[Momo: My mom kept me talking all night after we finished eating... I'm so sleepy.]

[Lucky Charm: Who says otherwise? My dad started wiping away tears while eating, saying that life was hard when he was a child. He had to count the squares of tofu he ate, and my grandma was biased, always giving my second uncle an extra square... My grandma has been gone for almost ten years!]

[Tanuki: My mom spent the whole night cursing my grandma, saying that my grandma cooked her a piece of tofu right after she gave birth, and she remembers the grudge from her postpartum period very clearly...]

[Poached Egg: I'm different. My dad got really into it while we were eating, poured some white wine and insisted on giving me a lecture on life. From how he lived in a basement eating boiled tofu, to how he later drove a BMW and lived in a big house. I've heard it hundreds of times. I should never have brought tofu home!]

...

Yao Qingqin also brought a piece of tofu home, and her parents took a bite and kept repeating the same thing.

“You were only as big as a baby back then, and you already knew how to go out and buy me tofu. Everyone on the street said you were a good boy.”

"Your dad and I were only busy making money, and we didn't really take care of you and your brother."

“Once when I wasn’t home, your dad cooked tofu without adding any salt, and you and your brother ate it with great relish.”

...

As Yao's mother spoke, she stopped talking. Yao Qingqin hugged her daughter and suddenly saw that her mother's eyes were glistening with tears in the lamplight.

"mom?"

Yao's mother hummed in agreement, her voice slightly nasal, "It's nothing, it's just that watching you and the baby... makes me realize how fast time flies."

My little daughter has grown up from a tiny little thing to this big girl, and now she has her own daughter.

Time brings about a wonderful overlap.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Tomorrow, ask your boss if you can make some more of this tofu. I want to send some to your aunts."