Chapter 9 Braised Tofu The next day, Su Zhihan got up early and followed...

The next day, Su Zhihan got up early and went with Jiang Zhenniang to the market to buy tofu from a vendor.

The market town had many shops, and even more stalls. In addition to the shops that opened early and the vendors selling breakfast, there were also country folks who came from outside the city to sell all kinds of groceries. People also chose this time to come and buy vegetables, and the whole market town was filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares.

"Han'er, have some meat buns." Jiang Zhenniang bought two meat buns from a stall and stuffed one into Su Zhihan's hand: "These meat buns are really well made!"

"Hey! My wife, you have excellent taste!"

"Mmm." Su Zhihan held the bowl with both hands, took a bite, and a burst of meat juice immediately gushed out, instantly filling her mouth with the aroma of meat, scallions, and oil. Combined with the fluffy and chewy dough, the dough was sticky with the juice, and the juice clung to the meat, making it taste quite delicious: "Delicious!"

After filling their stomachs, the mother and daughter could finally get down to business.

Yesterday, Su Zhihan strolled around the surrounding streets and headed towards a tofu shop, familiar with the area. However, halfway there, she was stopped by Jiang Zhenniang: "Wrong way, this way."

"Hmm? The tofu shop is over there—"

“There’s a better place to buy it here.” Jiang Zhenniang pointed to a side path and pulled her daughter into it. “I’ve bought tofu here before. Their products are good and the prices are cheap.”

This is a narrow alley. Vendors squat, stand, or sit along the corner of the wall. When they see someone coming, they quickly open the lids of the baskets in front of them and show the passersby what they are holding.

Fresh eggs, golden persimmons, freshly picked chestnuts... there are also vendors selling oil, sauces, wine, and rice—a dazzling array of goods.

Most importantly, the prices here are cheap; many items are only two-thirds, or even one-third, of what you'd find in a shop.

Su Zhihan watched intently, eager to try it out, several new ideas popping into her mind. But before she could even ask the price, Jiang Zhenniang grabbed her arm: "Sister Han, don't just look at how cheap things are, there are a lot of traps out there. For example, those weighed by weight, shortchanging is the most common, and some people even add ash to the salt, or deliberately let the rice and flour get damp to increase their weight."

"They put chicken droppings and feathers on eggs and claim they're fresh."

"It's common to mix sesame oil with rapeseed oil, and some even more unscrupulous people add sweetener directly to rapeseed oil to pass it off as sesame oil."

"Soak vegetables and fruits in water and they'll look good."

"And never let them put vegetables in your basket. They might think you have nothing to do, but they'll secretly put the bad ones in the middle and replace the good ones."

"And there's also cured meat jerky."

"Some use field mice and sparrows to impersonate meat, while others directly use dead horse meat to replace venison and mutton..."

"But don't assume that fresh meat is always good. Some bad people will inject water into it to make it more substantial."

Jiang Zhenniang had enjoyed a good life in the mansion when she was young, and then lived a hard life in the village when she got older. She knew the ins and outs of this place very well. She pulled her daughter aside and whispered about the tricks of the trade, and then explained several ways to tell the difference.

"For example, sesame oil, apply a little to the back of your hand."

"Smell it again later. If it's rapeseed oil, it smells like clam oil; if it's honey, it has a sweet aroma, completely different from the lingering fragrance of sesame oil..."

Jiang Zhenniang stopped speaking and gestured for Su Zhihan to look ahead. Su Zhihan looked up and saw a person using the method Jiang Zhenniang had described, asking the oil seller to give her a drop of sesame oil to try. The oil seller, who looked honest and kind, suddenly changed his expression and glared at her: "If you don't believe me, then don't buy my oil. Go away! Don't block my business."

The oil buyer didn't argue and went to another vendor to buy more. The oil seller then moved to a different spot and started hawking his wares again as if nothing had happened.

"...The government doesn't care?"

“Firstly, nothing serious has happened. If the authorities take them away, they will at most be flogged or whipped.” Jiang Zhenniang shook her head and pulled her daughter away. “Secondly, those people are from the surrounding villages. If their families come to cause trouble, it will be a loss for them.”

"All we can do is be more careful so we don't get cheated. If the manor sends you to run errands to buy things, don't go to the vendors. It's better to go to the shops, even if it's more expensive. That way, if something goes wrong, you'll have somewhere to turn to." Jiang Zhenniang pulled Su Zhihan around the oil seller and quickly found a tofu stall: "Brother, do you still have any old tofu today?"

"Mrs. Jiang is here? We still have some tofu." The tofu stall owner, a middle-aged man, was carrying a basket to sell tofu. Upon hearing this, he quickly lifted the coarse cloth to show the mother and daughter his tofu: "Look, it's all made this morning, it's very good!"

Su Zhihan stepped forward and took a look. The tofu was pale yellow, with a smooth and even surface and clean cuts, making it look very fresh.

What's the price today?

"You're a regular at my place. One dollar and three coins, two dollars and five coins," the middle-aged man said cheerfully.

Su Zhihan calculated the amount of dried tofu that could be made from each piece of braised tofu and said with a smile, "What if we take the rest?"

The man was taken aback: "You want the rest?"

He looked at Jiang Zhenniang, then at Su Zhihan, whose hair was thin and yellowish and who looked only eight or nine years old: "Madam Jiang, is this your little child?"

“This is my daughter.” Jiang Zhenniang was also taken aback by her daughter’s words, but quickly calmed down. She first answered the man’s question, and then asked, “Brother, let’s take the rest. How much is it in total?”

"Let me see." The man still had a board and a half of braised tofu left to sell. Each board had six pieces, so there were nine pieces left in total. "That'll be twenty-three coins in total... I'll give you twenty coins, and the extra piece is a free gift!"

"Oh dear, that won't do."

"Oh, it's nothing." The middle-aged man smiled, wrapped the tofu in a coarse cloth, and carefully placed it into the bamboo basket that Su Zhihan was carrying. "Are you planning to do business?"

"...Yes, I do have that plan."

"I knew it." The middle-aged man smiled, his eyes crinkling, and only let go when he saw Su Zhihan take the bamboo basket. "I wish you a prosperous business, and please come to my house often in the future!"

"Okay, thank you, brother." Jiang Zhenniang was overjoyed to hear this, and reached out to help her daughter carry the heavy bamboo basket. She happily bid farewell to the man.

Afterward, the two went to a general store to buy some spices, and seeing that it was getting late, they hurried home.

Back home, Su Zhihan quickly got to work. She first instructed Jiang Zhenniang to fetch a bowl of water, then took a cleaver and deftly cut the tofu into finger-width slices. She then cut the tofu in half and into evenly sized rectangular pieces.

"Han-jie, is this enough water?"

"That's enough." Su Zhihan glanced at it, then asked Jiang Zhenniang to add a spoonful of salt to the water and stir it with chopsticks until it dissolved.

Then, Su Zhihan put the chopped tofu into a bowl and soaked it in salt water for a while.

During this time, she turned to prepare the spices. Compared to the cheap tofu, the spices were so expensive they made one gasp; the small bag on the table alone cost several dozen copper coins.

Fortunately, the amount of braised tofu needed is not large.

Once the spices were ready, Jiang Zhenniang heated the clay stove and heated the oil in the wok.

Su Zhihan drained the excess water from the tofu slices, and then carefully placed the tofu slices one by one into the oil along the edge of the pan.

The moment the tofu hit the ground, it created a golden wave, with hot oil bubbling and churning, pulling the tofu up and down within it.

One after another, one after another.

Su Zhihan patiently placed the dried tofu into the pot, stirring it occasionally with chopsticks to prevent it from sticking together.

As the frying time changes, the smooth and flat tofu blocks become wrinkled, and the light yellow coating gradually darkens, eventually turning golden.

Su Zhihan only took the tofu slices out one by one after they were fried until both sides were thoroughly cooked, and set them aside to drain off the excess oil.

Meanwhile, she started brewing the broth.

Su Zhihan carefully heated the wok, sautéed the spices until they released their aroma, then added various sauces and water, and simmered it slowly over low heat.

As the broth in the pot gradually solidified, an indescribable aroma began to waft from the pot, drifting out through the cracks in the doors and windows.

"Whose house is that smelling from?"

"Who's doing something so early in the morning?"

The servants and women who had gotten up early to prepare for work stood in the courtyard, smelling a delicious aroma that seemed to come from nowhere, and suddenly found even the flatbreads and steamed buns in their hands tasteless.

"This smells amazing!"

"...It smells like the Jiang family again?" The one who couldn't stand it the most was Granny Wang. She stood in the yard with a toothbrush in one hand and a cup in the other, staring intently at the Jiang family's gate. She subconsciously gulped down the entire cup of mouthwash.

Granny Wang's expression changed: "Pah! Pah! Pah!"

Inside the house, Su Zhihan put the fried tofu into the braising liquid and simmered it slowly for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. As the color of the tofu became more and more tempting and the aroma became more and more intense, Jiang Zhenniang forgot about her work and came over to smell the aroma, her eyes glued to the tofu bubbling in the broth.

"Han-jie, is this alright?"

"It's not ready yet." Su Zhihan noticed that the broth in the pot had reduced to almost nothing, so she added some maltose.

The maltose syrup sprinkled on the tofu makes it even shinier, and the wonderful aroma of salty and sweet is simply irresistible.

"Add some sesame seeds last." Su Zhihan sprinkled some sesame seeds into the pot, stirred it a few times to coat the tofu evenly, and then turned off the heat: "That's it."

Steam rose, carrying with it a fragrant aroma. Jiang Zhenniang eagerly stepped forward, reached out, and took a piece to taste: "Whoosh, so hot! Whoosh, whoosh—"

When you put it in your mouth, a unique and wonderful flavor spreads across your tongue. First comes the sweet aroma of maltose, then the savory aroma of the sauce, and finally the natural bean fragrance of the tofu.

With just a gentle touch and chew, the tofu's broth is released, allowing the flavors of the three ingredients to combine and create a continuous surge of aromas on the taste buds.

"Delicious, so delicious!"

"It will taste even better after it cools down." Su Zhihan poured the dried tofu from the pot onto a plate, spread it out to cool, and then took out a net from the cupboard to cover it: "When we come back from work in the morning, we can take it out to sell."

Jiang Zhenniang nodded repeatedly. Having tasted the flavor of braised tofu, she was immediately full of confidence, telling everyone that no one could resist such a temptation!

Absolutely!

A note from the author:

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