After grinding the soybeans, boiling the soy milk, and adding coagulant, the process was completed, and dawn had already broken. Two hundred pounds of tofu were neatly stacked on a wooden board, white and tender, exuding the fresh aroma of soybeans. Lin Wanqiu hired Uncle Li from the village to help pull the cart. Just as she loaded the tofu onto the cart, she saw Zhang Lan walking towards her from the opposite direction.
Zhang Lan looked at the tofu on the cart, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes, but she pretended to be concerned: "Wanqiu, there's so much tofu, can you deliver it all by yourself? Do you need Auntie to help you?" Lin Wanqiu knew that Zhang Lan wanted to take the opportunity to sabotage, so she quickly waved her hand: "No need, Aunt Zhang, Uncle Li will help me, you go ahead with your work."
Zhang Lan was rebuffed, but she didn't leave. Instead, she followed behind the cart, nagging all the way: "Wanqiu, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you're a widow running such a big business, you have to be careful. Last time Zhao Jianjun said there was something wrong with your tofu. Although the commune didn't find anything, you still have to be careful, don't let anyone find a handle against you." Lin Wanqiu ignored her and quickened her pace toward the supply and marketing cooperative.
When they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, Director Zhang was already waiting. He looked at the tofu on the cart and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad, this tofu looks fresh. Wanqiu, from now on, you can deliver tofu every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 100 jin each time, and I'll settle the bill with you at the end of the month." Lin Wanqiu quickly agreed, unloaded the tofu with Uncle Li, chatted with Director Zhang for a while, and then hurried to the village primary school.
The village primary school was located at the east end of the village, with only two classrooms and a dozen or so students. The principal was an elderly man in his fifties surnamed Liu. He was strict with the students but deeply cared for them—because of food shortages, many children were hungry and often dozed off in class. When Lin Wanqiu delivered fifty jin (approximately 25 kg) of tofu to the school, Principal Liu was both surprised and delighted: "Comrade Wanqiu, what brings you here…"
“Principal Liu, I’d like to improve the children’s meals,” Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. “This tofu is soft and easy to digest, and it will also provide the children with some nutrition. I’ll deliver tofu to the school twice a week from now on, is that alright?” Principal Liu’s eyes welled up with tears as he grasped Lin Wanqiu’s hand and said, “Thank you so much, Comrade Wanqiu! You’re such a kind person. The children will be overjoyed if they know.”
As soon as Lin Wanqiu entered the house after returning from school, she saw Old Mrs. Shen standing in the yard. Old Mrs. Shen stood with her hands on her hips, her face dark and sullen: "Lin Wanqiu, you're finally back! You've made money making tofu, and you've forgotten about the Shen family? Give me fifty yuan right now, or I'll go to the commune and report you for being unfilial to your in-laws!"
Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly. Old Mrs. Shen had heard that she had signed an agreement with the supply and marketing cooperative and wanted to take advantage of her. "Mother, I've only been making tofu for a few days and haven't made any money yet. Where would I get fifty yuan?" She pretended to be aggrieved. "Besides, Nian'an and I still need to eat. We need to save the money from the tofu to buy soybeans."
Old Mrs. Shen didn't believe her at all and stepped forward to snatch the agreement from Lin Wanqiu's arms: "Don't lie to me! I've heard that you signed a big contract with the supply and marketing cooperative, earning fifty yuan a month! If you don't give me the money, I'll smash up this yard!" Lin Wanqiu pushed her away, her tone turning cold: "Mother, I respect you as an elder, but don't go too far. This yard was part of my dowry; you have no right to smash it. Besides, the money I earn is from my own hard work and has nothing to do with the Shen family. If you keep making trouble, I'll go to Secretary Zhou for judgment!"
Old Mrs. Shen was intimidated by Lin Wanqiu's imposing manner, but she was still unwilling to give up: "You... don't think you're so great just because you have Secretary Zhou backing you up! Let me tell you, the Shen family will not let you off!" After saying that, she glared at Lin Wanqiu fiercely and slunk away.
Shen Nian'an hid in the house and only ran out after hearing that Grandma Shen had left. He tugged at Lin Wanqiu's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, Grandma is so fierce, I'm a little scared." Lin Wanqiu hugged her son and comforted him gently, "Don't be afraid, Mom is here. Grandma won't dare to bully us. When Mom earns money in the future, I'll take Nian'an to live in the county town, and we won't have to put up with their attitudes anymore."
In the following days, Lin Wanqiu's tofu business went smoothly. The supply and marketing cooperative always bought the tofu on time, and the children at the school fell in love with eating it. Principal Liu even wrote a thank-you letter and posted it on the commune's bulletin board. Seeing that Lin Wanqiu was making money, the women in the village also came to her, wanting to learn how to make tofu.
Lin Wanqiu had this idea in mind, so she chose an auspicious day and started a "tofu training class" in her own yard. Aunt Wang, Uncle Li's wife, and several other honest and hardworking women from the village all came. Lin Wanqiu taught them the techniques of grinding, boiling, and adding coagulant without reservation, and emphasized, "The most important thing in making tofu is cleanliness and hygiene. We can't make money by cheating others, otherwise we'll ruin our own reputation and drag everyone else down with us."
The women were all very diligent, learning and taking notes as they went, asking questions whenever they encountered something they didn't understand. Aunt Wang learned the fastest, succeeding on her first attempt at making tofu. Looking at the tender, white tofu, she was so moved that tears streamed down her face: "Wanqiu, thank you! I never imagined in my life that I could make tofu and earn money!"
Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, "Aunt Wang, we are all family. From now on, let's make tofu together, make money together, and let everyone in the village live a good life."
Just as Lin Wanqiu's tofu business was booming, Zhang Lan began to scheme behind her back. Watching Lin Wanqiu busy herself every day and earning more and more money, she was consumed by jealousy. One day, while Lin Wanqiu was delivering tofu to the supply and marketing cooperative, she secretly slipped into Lin Wanqiu's kitchen.
On the kitchen counter sat freshly ground soy milk, next to a bowl of gypsum powder for coagulating tofu. Zhang Lan's eyes lit up, and she pulled out a small packet from her bosom. Opening it, she found white powder—croton powder she had secretly bought from the town's pharmacy. She planned to add the croton powder to the soy milk to give diarrhea to those who ate the tofu, thus ruining Lin Wanqiu's business.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com