Lin Wanqiu had just finished pressing the last slab of tofu, and the kitchen was still filled with the unique aroma of soybeans, when a light knock came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by the tentative voice of her neighbor, Aunt Wang: "Wanqiu, are you home? I smell something delicious coming from your house. Are you making something tasty?"
Lin Wanqiu paused, quickly tucking the gauze covering the tofu in again before wiping her hands and heading towards the door. As soon as she opened it, she saw Aunt Wang carrying an empty basket, a smile plastered on her face, but her eyes couldn't help but dart into the house. Behind her followed a little girl with pigtails, Aunt Wang's daughter, Ya'dan, who was standing on tiptoe, peering into the yard, her drool practically dripping down her chin.
"It's Aunt Wang, come in and sit down." Lin Wanqiu stepped aside to let them in, already knowing what was going on—in those days, no family could keep a rare treat to themselves, let alone something as precious as tofu. Normally, they could only buy small amounts with ration coupons during festivals. The aroma wafting from her house today was probably known to half the brigade.
As soon as Aunt Wang stepped across the threshold, her eyes were fixed on the direction of the kitchen. She rubbed her hands together and chuckled, "Wanqiu, I didn't come here on purpose to freeload. It's just that the aroma from your house is too tempting. Yadan was crying and making a fuss at home, saying that it smelled like the tofu sold at the commune canteen."
When her mother called on her, Ya Dan blushed and tugged at Aunt Wang's clothes, whispering, "Mom, I just wanted to ask Aunt Wanqiu if she made tofu. I had a bite last year during the Spring Festival, and I'm still thinking about it."
Seeing the honest faces of the mother and daughter, Lin Wanqiu couldn't help but laugh. She turned around and brought out a small bowl of freshly cut tofu from the kitchen, sprinkled some fine salt on it, and handed it to Ya Dan: "Try it? It's freshly made and still warm."
Ya Dan's eyes lit up. She glanced at Aunt Wang, and seeing her mother nod, she carefully picked up a piece with her hand and put it in her mouth. After chewing a couple of times, her eyes widened, and she mumbled, "Mom! It tastes even better than last year! It's soft and not bitter at all!"
Aunt Wang also came over and tried a piece. The first taste was the rich flavor of soybeans, with a hint of sweetness. It was much better than the hard, chewy tofu sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. She couldn't help but smack her lips: "Wanqiu, your cooking skills are amazing! This tofu is even better than what you get in city restaurants!" Then, she changed the subject, taking Lin Wanqiu's hand and lowering her voice, "Wanqiu, could you spare a piece of your tofu? My husband has been working so hard in the fields lately, he can barely stand up straight. I'd like to stew some tofu for him to help him recover. I'm willing to trade two eggs for it, is that alright?"
Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat. She had only made this tofu as a trial, hoping to see if she could exchange it for something, but she was afraid of attracting too much attention—in these days, buying and selling things privately was considered "speculation and profiteering." If someone reported her, at best her goods would be confiscated, and at worst she would be dragged into a public denunciation. She frowned and pondered for a while, not immediately agreeing, but instead asking, "Aunt Wang, you know the rules these days. I made this tofu myself by grinding some soybeans, and there wasn't much. If word gets out, I'm afraid it will cause trouble."
Aunt Wang panicked upon hearing this and quickly assured her, "Wanqiu, don't worry! I'm very discreet and will absolutely not tell anyone! I've been saving those two eggs for half a month to give Yadan some extra nutrition, but today I wanted to exchange them for this piece of tofu to give my husband some strength. If he collapses, the three of us will be left without hope." As she spoke, she took two warm eggs from the basket and stuffed them into Lin Wanqiu's hands. "Look how fresh these eggs are, they were just laid today. I saved them for you."
Lin Wanqiu looked at the egg in her hand, then at Aunt Wang's anxious eyes, and her heart softened. She knew Aunt Wang's situation; her husband was a strong laborer in the team, but he had injured his back while harvesting wheat in the fields a while ago and hadn't fully recovered, yet he was still forcing himself to work. He definitely needed some nourishment. She hesitated for a moment, then turned and went to the kitchen to cut a piece of tofu weighing over two pounds, wrapped it in lotus leaves, and handed it to her: "Aunt Wang, please take this tofu back. I can't take too many eggs, one is enough. We're neighbors, it's only right to help each other out."
Aunt Wang took the tofu, weighed its heavy weight, and her eyes reddened. She insisted on keeping both eggs, saying, "Wanqiu, you're such a good girl! One egg isn't enough for such a big piece of tofu! If you don't accept it, I won't take the tofu either!" After much back and forth, Lin Wanqiu finally gave in and accepted one egg.
Before Aunt Wang and Ya Dan had been gone for long, the area outside the courtyard gate became lively again. This time, it was Grandma Li from the east end who came. She was carrying a cloth bag and called out as soon as she entered the gate: "Wanqiu, I heard from Aunt Wang that you made tofu? Grandma has half a pound of brown sugar here. I want to exchange it with you for a piece of tofu for my little grandson. He has been saying that he has no energy lately. He needs to eat some tofu to replenish his strength."
Before Lin Wanqiu could reply, several more people squeezed in through the gate. They were neighbors from both the front and back yards, some carrying cornmeal, some sweet potato chips, and others cloth coupons, all surrounding Lin Wanqiu, wanting to exchange them for tofu. Now Lin Wanqiu was in a dilemma—if she agreed to all of them, her slab of tofu wouldn't be enough to share, and with so many people around, someone might expose the matter; but if she refused them all, she would offend her neighbors, making it difficult to maintain her position in the village.
She quickly stood on the steps and raised her voice, saying, "Dear aunties and grandmas, I'm really sorry, I only ground some soybeans this time and made just one block of tofu. I just shared some with Aunt Wang, and there's not much left. It's really not enough to share with everyone."
As soon as these words were spoken, a small commotion arose in the crowd. Aunt Zhang from the west end was unhappy: "Wanqiu, you're wrong about that. If Aunt Wang can exchange, why can't we? I even brought cornmeal with me, which is much more precious than eggs!"
"That's right, Wanqiu. My husband is going to the commune to pick up fertilizer tomorrow, and he wants to eat some tofu to fill his stomach. Could you spare me a small piece?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com