"Hehe, this is called tofu. It's sold by an uncle and nephew who claim to be from Zhao Family Village."

It is said to be edible raw, fried, stewed, or steamed, and is especially suitable for children and the elderly.

Also, I saw them coming from the restaurant across the street.

The shopkeeper didn't take the earlier remarks seriously, but he took the last sentence to heart.

"Did you sell to the restaurant across the street?"

The waiter chuckled, "I didn't have time to ask. This is a new dish that's gone, so I quickly brought it up for the shopkeeper to try."

The shopkeeper chuckled and scolded, took the tofu, and knocked on the door of the private room again.

"Boss, people from the villages below are selling fresh food."

I've never seen this before; it's said to be edible raw, as well as fried, steamed, or stewed. Would you like to try it?

The owner of Ruyilou was dressed in black and looked to be in his twenties.

His overall demeanor was very cold and austere.

I hadn't paid much attention to what the shopkeeper was saying, but when I turned around and saw the plate of tofu that was as white as jade, I became interested and picked up my chopsticks.

I thought this thing would be very hard, given how big it was, but when I placed my chopsticks on it and applied a little force, I was able to pick up a piece.

I was quite surprised by how soft the tofu was. As soon as I put it in my mouth, a unique, fresh aroma of soybeans filled my mouth.

He nodded. "That's right, so is this considered raw food now?"

The shopkeeper thought about it and agreed. He nodded, "Then, sir, I'll go and negotiate the price with them right away."

The man in black nodded and said, "The shopkeeper has gone downstairs."

"Gentlemen, are you here to sell tofu?" After receiving a response, the uncle and nephew were invited to a smaller private room upstairs.

As for the mule cart, it was handed over to Xiao Er, who drove it to the backyard.

"My surname is Han, you two can call me Manager Han."

May I ask what this tofu is made of? I heard from the waiter that it can be prepared in many ways; I wonder if either of you could make it?

Zhao Yonggeng turned to look at his nephew, and saw Zhao Qingshan nod.

Tofu is made from soybeans.

However, the production process is complicated, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. It also requires technical skills.

As for how to make tofu, my nephew knows how. If it's convenient for you, shopkeeper, we could borrow the kitchen.

Half an hour later, several tofu dishes, each with its own unique color, aroma, and flavor, were served.

Mapo tofu, stuffed tofu, pan-fried tofu, home-style tofu, tofu with scallions, and crucian carp tofu soup were served.

The shopkeeper initially thought the uncle and nephew were just bragging, but to his surprise, they actually served him five dishes and a soup, all of which were delicious and visually appealing.

"Excellent, excellent. Please wait a moment."

In the past, the neighbor invited the owner to come over for a tasting. The man in black said he didn't want to see outsiders, so the shopkeeper asked the waiter to bring clean plates, put a portion of each dish on them, and send them to the owner.

Then he picked up his chopsticks and began to taste it himself.

It's quite unusual that the same ingredients can produce such unique flavors.

Mapo tofu, in particular, is spicy, numbing, and fragrant, which is very stimulating to the taste buds.

The crucian carp and tofu soup had absolutely no fishy smell; it was fresh, fragrant, and delicious—truly amazing.

Manager Han ate bite after bite without stopping, and only when he remembered that there was still important business to discuss did he realize that he had already finished all the food on the table.

I immediately felt my face turn bright red.

Zhao Yonggeng and his nephew sat quietly opposite each other, watching without saying a word.

"Hehe, please excuse my poor appetite. I haven't eaten anything since this morning, so I ate a bit more than usual."

Manager Han quickly tried to salvage the situation.

What Han Yonggeng was thinking was...

"Who are you trying to fool? We haven't eaten yet. What time is it? There's no shortage of food in this restaurant. Do you think we're short of your food, manager?"

He didn't show it on his face, but said aloud, "Manager Han has really worked hard."

After exchanging pleasantries, they moved on to the crucial stage of the negotiations.

"How much are the Zhao brothers planning to sell this tofu-making recipe to our Ruyi Restaurant?"

Zhao Yonggeng was taken aback, then shook his head.

"Manager Han, you've misunderstood. I'm here today to sell tofu, not to give you a recipe for making tofu."

"If Manager Han is interested in signing a long-term purchase contract with our restaurant, we can provide the recipe for the tofu dish free of charge."

Shopkeeper Han became interested. "Do you know that a recipe for a dish can be worth several taels of silver? Brother Zhao, aren't you worried about the cost?"

Zhao Yonggeng was embarrassed.

"From a young age, my parents taught my brothers and me to have a long-term vision."

If the shopkeeper signs a long-term purchase contract with my family, then my family's money will be deposited into our account every day.

Besides, the main ingredient in those tofu dishes is tofu; without tofu, they're worthless. Therefore, we only sell tofu.

After some back and forth, the two parties finally agreed to sell the tofu to Ruyilou for 10 coins per pound.

Manager Han wanted to sell exclusively, but Zhao Yonggeng would never agree to that.

After all, once our family's food stall opens, we'll definitely be selling tofu.

We only agree to sell to Ruyilou first, and deliver 100 jin of tofu every day. If you want more, you need to specify in advance.

However, Zhao Yonggeng also reassured Manager Han that the tofu would not be sold to Tianshunlou across the street.

Manager Han was both amused and exasperated. As long as there was no tofu across the street, he, Old Han, was confident that his restaurant would make a fortune.

Today I brought a total of 60 jin of tofu. After deducting the amount for making tofu dishes, I still have 56 jin left. Manager Han readily calculated the price for me.

As he saw the uncle and nephew off, Manager Han couldn't help but ask again, "Are you sure you don't sell the tofu recipe?"

Zhao Yonggeng chuckled.

"This is up to my mother to decide. You don't need to rush to buy a son, after all, the cost of buying a son won't be small."

Try selling them first, and then talk to my mother when you feel you can make money.

I wouldn't dare make the decision on my own; my mother has a bad temper.

If I dared to agree to that privately, I'd probably break at least one of my legs.

"Haha, Brother Zhao is humorous." Manager Han then stopped insisting.

The uncle and nephew went to the grain store first and bought all the soybeans in the store, making a total of 500 jin.

Then he drove a mule cart to the livestock market and bought a stubborn donkey that was about three years old.

As for cattle, I really couldn't find any suitable ones; they were either too old or too young. No one was selling the young, strong ones.

After thinking it over for a long time, he spent 8 taels of silver to buy a heifer that was less than a year old.

When Zhao Yonggeng bought the cow, he never thought about whether the cow could give birth to a calf; he simply saw that the calf was clever.

When she saw him, she not only didn't flirt with him, but also lowered her head to rub against his palm.

He resolutely refused to admit that he was charmed by the little guy.

After completing the formalities and paying the money, the two animals were tied to the back of the vehicle, and the truck headed back.

Zhao Yonggeng looked at the heifer, wondering if he would get a beating when he got home.

He lost interest in driving, handed the whip to his eldest nephew, and went into the carriage to figure out what to say to his mother.

Because there was a window at the back of the carriage, Zhao Yonggeng could see behind him. He lifted the curtain and looked back, and the heifers mooed softly at him.

This made Zhao Yonggeng extremely happy. He kept praising the calf for its intelligence.