Su Yufen looked up and asked, her eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge.

Wang Xiulan stopped what she was doing, picked up a plump soybean and examined it in the sunlight.

"Of course, the soybeans must be plump and free of wormholes; only then will the tofu be smooth. Look at this one—golden in color and uniform in shape—that's a good soybean."

As she spoke, she picked up another bean that had turned somewhat black.

"You can't buy this kind. Tofu made from moldy beans will taste bitter and may cause stomach upset."

Su Yufen nodded and carefully wrote down in her notebook, "The beans should be golden and plump, without any insect holes or mold."

Her pen scratched across the paper, and she was so focused that she didn't even notice Su Jianguo entering the room.

"The head of the household is back."

Wang Xiulan saw her husband first and greeted him with a smile.

Su Yufen then looked up and saw her father standing at the door. She immediately put down her pen and ran over.

"Dad! How's the stone mill going?"

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and her hands unconsciously clasped together, like a little girl waiting for a gift.

Su Jianguo couldn't help but laugh when he saw his eldest daughter's anxious expression.

"Don't worry, everything's taken care of. Master Zhao promised it would be finished in three days, and he even specially designed a hand-cranked version, suitable for city use."

"real?"

Su Yufen was so excited she almost jumped up.

"Very good!!"

She turned and ran back to the stone table, excitedly telling Wang Xiulan.

"Mom, Dad said the stone mill will arrive in three days! We can start preparing other things now!"

Wang Xiulan was also touched by her daughter's emotions and nodded with a smile.

"Okay, okay, let's sort the beans first, then we can use them as soon as the stone mill arrives."

Su Yufen picked up her notebook again and quickly wrote something while muttering to herself.

"We also need to prepare a large pot, gauze, molds..."

Just then, Su Yuzhen came out of the house and leaned lazily against the door frame.

Seeing her sister's excited expression, she pouted.

"It's just a broken stone mill, why are you so excited?"

Su Yufen was immersed in joy and did not notice her sister's mockery, continuing to make plans.

"Mom, how much tofu do you think we should make on the first day? I'd like to try twenty pounds first..."

"Twenty jin?"

Wang Xiulan looked up in surprise.

"Isn't that too much? It's better to do less at the beginning."

"Not much, not much."

Su Yufen said confidently.

"I've already calculated it. There are over thirty households in this alley alone, plus those nearby. We're sure we can sell all twenty jin."

Seeing her sister's overjoyed expression, Su Yuzhen felt increasingly uneasy.

She said it in a sarcastic tone.

"Dad is so biased. My eldest sister wanted to open a tofu shop, and he gave her money and bought her a stone mill. I wanted to buy a job at the supply and marketing cooperative, but Dad said he didn't have the money."

The courtyard immediately fell silent.

Su Jianguo frowned and looked at his youngest daughter.

"Yuzhen, what are you saying?"

That's exactly right!

Su Yuzhen pouted and raised her voice eight octaves.

"My older sister has everything she wants, but I can't even get a job!"

Wang Xiulan quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Yuzhen, don't say that. Your older sister is doing legitimate business..."

"What kind of legitimate business is this!"

Su Yuzhen interrupted her mother.

"It's just selling tofu! I'm going to be a sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative; that's a proper job!"

Su Jianguo's face darkened.

"Yuzhen, your eldest sister earns her money with her own hands, what's wrong with that? If you want a job, you can take the exam yourself, why do you need to spend money to buy it?"

"Who doesn't pay money to buy things these days?"

Su Yuzhen retorted, unconvinced.

"My classmate Wang Fang's dad spent a thousand yuan to buy her a job in a textile factory!"

That's their business.

Su Jianguo's voice became stern.

"I don't own a bank; I don't have that much money to buy you a job."

Su Yuzhen's eyes immediately reddened.

"You're so biased! You give my older sister whatever she wants, but I don't have any money!"

"Yuzhen!"

Wang Xiulan stood up, wanting to comfort her youngest daughter, but Su Jianguo stopped her.

"Let her speak."

Su Jianguo said in a deep voice.

"I want to hear how I've shown favoritism."

Seeing her father's attitude, Su Yuzhen felt even more aggrieved, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"My older sister had a fight and brought her child home, and you took her in without a word. She wanted to open a tofu shop, and you immediately gave her money to buy the equipment. And me? All I want is a job, and you won't even help me!"