Zhao Qingyan wanted to laugh. Why ask a 12-year-old girl such a question? But she would get used to it.

"What my second uncle said is not impossible. As the saying goes, greed can drive people to do anything. For the sake of profit, there will definitely be people who want our family's secret recipe."

If the other party is genuinely interested in buying, why not sell to them as long as the price is right?

Besides, our family doesn't expect such a recipe to be passed down for generations.

Our family is destined to be a family of farmers and scholars, so we'll have to rely on our uncles and brothers to maintain our reputation.

If the other party is too powerful and insists on taking it by force, it's fine to give it to them; I'll get it back from them through other means later.

Don't worry. Take our mala tang (spicy hot pot) for example. In the future, making mala tang will definitely not be the most profitable business; selling the broth base will be the most profitable.

That's something you can do without opening a shop.

Second Uncle, actually, our family can make tofu every day right now. Second Uncle is eloquent and persuasive; you could easily take your brothers out to try selling it first.

For example, we could find restaurants or wealthy families to place orders with every day, so that our family can now have a daily income.

It's not true wealth if one family is rich; true wealth is when our entire clan becomes wealthy.

Does Second Uncle understand?

Zhao Yonggeng was clever; he slapped his thigh and...

"Qingyan is the smartest. The beans soaking in the yard, can't we make tofu with them tomorrow?"

Once it's ready, I'll take it out for a trial sale tomorrow.

"The more we do it, the more I'll team up with close relatives and sell it in different towns. That way, our family makes money, and the relatives also get income. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Zhao Qianci stroked his beard. "That's exactly right. The saying 'one tree cannot support a forest' applies here. Sticking together for warmth is the best strategy."

When the topic of making tofu came up, Zhao Qingyan remembered a crucial question: "Grandma, do we need to buy another donkey?"

Mrs. Huang was somewhat surprised. What was her granddaughter up to now? Before she could ask, Zhao Qingyan put her two little fingers together, looking a little uneasy.

"Grandma, you need a donkey to grind soybeans to make tofu."

Huang was about to say, "There are so many men in the family," when she suddenly paused, sighing, "The men still need to study. In the long run, we really need to buy a donkey."

"Besides buying a donkey, what else do we need to buy? Just tell us. We'll have your uncle and your father go and get it."

Zhao Qingyan smiled and said, "Hehe, Grandma is the best. We need to buy another cow; it's strong enough to plow the fields."

As he spoke, he pulled Huang down to bend over and whispered,

"Grandma, I know what kind of plowshare is good and can save a lot of effort. I'll give you the blueprints tomorrow, and you can ask your uncle or second uncle to find someone to make it."

This can also benefit the entire village.

We can use that to curry favor with the village chief; who knows, the county magistrate might become our family's backer.

Mrs. Huang looked at her granddaughter with some hesitation, her mind filled with doubt. However, since her granddaughter said she had a good plow, she naturally had to make it.

"Second brother, when you go to sell tofu tomorrow, stop by the livestock market and buy a donkey and a cow."

Also, I have a plowshare blueprint that your grandfather left me. Take it and find a blacksmith to forge it.

Everyone looked at Huang Shi with some disbelief.

"What kind of spell did the third daughter cast on her mother-in-law? She can buy whatever she wants. Cows and donkeys cost a lot of money."

"If even someone as stingy as Mother is willing to spend money to buy livestock, then she will definitely be able to earn several times or even a hundred times more money in the future."

"Third Sister is amazing. With the donkey, I don't have to work so hard making tofu anymore."

"It seems that Mom (Grandma) has made a firm decision to let us go to school."

"If my grandfather had such useful blueprints, why didn't you bring them out sooner? Mother, you're lying so half-heartedly."

Everyone has different ideas, but who cares? In the Zhao family, as long as you listen and do as instructed, you won't make a mistake.

The next day, Zhao Changgeng took Zhao Qingyan in a horse-drawn carriage to the newly purchased house; Zhao Yonggeng took his eldest nephew in a mule cart to sell tofu.

Selling tofu was both smooth and bumpy. The first restaurant they found was Tianshunlou, which was the largest newly opened restaurant in Wufang Town.

Both the restaurant's decor and the prices of its dishes are unmatched by other restaurants.

The manager of Tian Shun Lou is the owner's brother-in-law, so he's a bit arrogant.

Hearing Zhao Yonggeng say he was there to sell new food, he sized up the uncle and nephew, thinking to himself...

"These two country bumpkins, what amazing things could they possibly have to offer? Maybe some wild vegetable or some new dish."

After pondering it for a while, I took a sip of tea.

"The guests who come to our restaurant are all prominent figures in our town."

The supplies we buy are provided by regular suppliers; we don't just accept anything from random people. What if a customer gets sick from eating it? Who's responsible then?

If Zhao Qingyan were here, she might ask, "Has the shopkeeper ever worked in the palace?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yonggeng said, "Sorry to bother you," and then carried the board containing the tofu directly onto the mule cart and put it back in.

Just as they were about to get on the mule cart and leave, Zhao Qingshan said, "Second Uncle, there's Ruyi Tower across the street. Why don't we go and give it a try?"

Zhao Yonggeng slapped his forehead.

"Okay, you almost made me lose my temper. Let's go to the other side."

Your grandmother also said there are restaurants in the county, and our family has horse-drawn carriages and mule carts, so we can sell them in the county later.”

The waiter at Ruyi Restaurant was about fifteen or sixteen years old. Seeing the uncle and nephew coming from the opposite direction, he immediately came to greet them.

"Are you two here for dinner or something else?"

Before the waiter could finish speaking, Zhao Yonggeng reached out and handed over 5 copper coins.

"To be honest, Brother Er, my uncle and I are from Zhao Family Village."

My family has recently come up with a new dish that we'd like to sell at Ruyi Restaurant. Could you please pass on the message to the manager?

After saying that, I remembered what my niece had said: we need to have a sample.

Since this is a sample, we can't bring in a whole slab of tofu like we did before.

"Excuse me, waiter, could you lend me a plate to hold the samples?"

Considering the mere 5 coins and Zhao Yonggeng's excellent attitude, the waiter readily ran to the kitchen and retrieved a plate.

Zhao Yonggeng carefully lifted the gauze covering the tofu and used a spatula to scoop up a square piece of tofu and place it on a plate.

"Brother Er, this food is called tofu."

It can be eaten raw, fried, stewed, or steamed; it has a silky, sweet flavor and is beneficial to health, especially suitable for young children and the elderly.

The waiter listened attentively, then carried the tofu upstairs and knocked on the door of the private room. At that moment, the manager was reporting the accounts to the owner.

The once-in-a-century client has arrived, and the waiter even knocks on the door.

The shopkeeper was somewhat displeased, thinking to himself, "If this brat doesn't have anything important to say, I'll definitely deduct his wages."

He bowed to the owner and left the private room, saying, "What business do you have, kid? Don't you know I'm dealing with the owner?"

The young waiter grinned and quickly brought the tofu to the shopkeeper.

The waiter was quick-witted; since they said it could be eaten raw, he went to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks before bringing it upstairs.