When Su Ming came for the second time, Shi Tou explained what the doctor had said, and Su Ming thought it was good. "Okay, then let Auntie take care of Uncle here. You don't need to worry about the family. I'll ask my mother or your sister-in-law to keep an eye on things."
He glanced at Liu Huan, who was busy running around, and asked, "Where's Huanhuan? Should I take her back?"
Shi Tou felt a warmth in his heart when he thought of that tearful face and her saying that she wanted to stay: "No need, she's here too. My mother is sometimes indecisive, so it's good that she's here."
Su Ming expressed his understanding: "Okay, should I pass on a message?"
Shi Tou thought for a moment and said, "Let's just tell the truth. If possible, could you please bring back three strings of candied hawthorns?"
Su family
After Da Shi saw Su Ming off, Xiao Shi held the candied hawthorn and cried her eyes out, "Waaah, Huan Huan must have bought it for us."
Cao'er felt sad when she remembered her cousin's words, "Your father is badly injured and can't move. He can only rent a house in town. Shi Tou told you to take good care of the house; they'll be back soon."
Da Shi acted like an older brother, arranging things at home and taking on his responsibilities: "Xiao Shi, go to school hard, and Cao'er, just focus on embroidering your flowers. I'll take care of the rest of the housework."
Xiao Shi: "I understand, big brother. I will behave well."
Huangshi Town
Liu Huan went to stroll around the academy gate early in the morning. There weren't many kinds of breakfast, but there were still quite a few, and they smelled good. This made her think that selling breakfast was probably a bit risky, so she went to buy vegetables after looking around.
Su's father had lost too much blood and injured his bones. She remembered that there was an earthenware pot for making soup in the house, so she planned to buy some bones to take home and make soup. She also bought some red dates and white radishes.
Seeing that no one wanted the pig offal, she spent two coins to buy a set. After buying the pig offal, she had to go to the pharmacy to buy spices. This was a chain reaction.
Liu Huan returned with a piece of pig offal and a large pig bone. Su's mother felt sorry for her when she saw it. "Huanhuan, if you don't have enough money, just tell me. We won't eat that stuff."
It's all because they don't have money to buy these things; otherwise, the kids wouldn't be buying cheap items.
"Mom, it's okay. I heard the uncle who sells pork say that washing it with flour will make it very clean, so I'll buy some to try."
Su's mother thought to herself, "My child has been tricked. She'll even have to use up the family's flour. But I don't want to dampen her enthusiasm, since it's her first time cooking."
Liu Huan first blanched the large bones, then smashed them and put them in an earthenware pot to simmer. She told Su's mother to watch the fire, and then washed and chopped the radishes. "Mother, put the radishes in half an hour later."
"Okay," Su's mother said, though she didn't understand what she was trying to do.
When Shi Tou came back for lunch, he fell into deep thought as he smelled the unpleasant odor in the courtyard. He thought for a long time but still didn't say anything.
Liu Huan was busy with her hands and didn't have time to look at him. "Shitou, the food is ready. Go in and eat."
When Shi Tou saw her holding pig intestines in her hands, with oil still floating on the water, he felt that he was already full.
He hesitated, then said, "Oh...aren't you going to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." It's not that I'm not hungry, it's that I've had enough of this smell.
When Shi Tou entered the house, Su's mother served him a bowl of soup: "Eat quickly, then go back to sleep. Huanhuan made this bone broth today, it's really good. Drink a couple more bowls to nourish yourself. Your father likes it very much too."
Shi Tou took a sip. It was indeed delicious, with the aroma of meat and the sweetness of radish. But... "Mom, who taught Huanhuan to make this?"
Mother Su smiled with pride: "No one has been teaching her, but she's been hanging around the entrance of your academy for days. This morning she came back with a bunch of stuff to work on. She's really amazing."
Shi Tou didn't say anything more. When he left, he called Liu Huan aside and secretly slipped her several dozen copper coins. "Go buy whatever you want. If you run out of money, just tell me. I'm going to school."
Liu Huan was overjoyed. The path she had paved before was now ready to be walked on. "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Shi Tou."
Liu Huan found a lot of things in the yard, probably because the previous family left in a hurry and didn't take anything with them, including a small pot. She used it to set up the pot and started cooking.
First, blanch the pig intestines. Then, put all the spices and seasonings into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and put the pig intestines in to simmer slowly.
A quarter of an hour later, the overpowering aroma hit the top of his head, and even Su's father, who was lying inside, could smell it. "Her mother, what did Huanhuan put in it? It smells so good."
Su's mother didn't understand either. "I don't know either. She was being very mysterious, saying she'd tell me after she made it."
Mr. Su nodded knowingly, "Let her do whatever she wants."
An hour later, the pig intestines were ready.
Looking at the bright red intestines, Su's mother found it amazing. "They smelled bad just now, but they smell good after you did that."
"That old man just said something casually, and I just figured it out myself."
Su's mother praised him generously: "You're so smart."
Liu Huan made a super spicy pork intestine dish with chili peppers, which was torture for Su's father who was in the hospital bed. Su's mother tried a bite and said, "It's really good, it's very chewy."
She had bought waste water before and used it, but the smell was so bad that she didn't eat for days. Huanhuan is smart; she can learn it as soon as someone tells her.
When Shi Tou came back in the afternoon, he tried the soup. He still preferred the soup from the morning and wasn't very interested in strong flavors.
After hearing his words, Liu Huan realized that the braised food business was not viable. She also felt that washing the offal was troublesome, time-consuming, and laborious. It involved flour and spices, and the food would shrink after cooking. If it was too expensive, no one would buy it, and if it was too cheap, she wouldn't make any money.
He instantly lost confidence. The stalls at the entrance of the academy were already saturated, and the food was quite good. If he squeezed in, he probably wouldn't make much money anyway, since there were only so many students.
Seeing her dejected expression, Shi Tou gently comforted her, "It's okay, think it over slowly. If it really doesn't work out, then quit. Don't be sad, smile."
Liu Huan forced a smile, and after he left, she sat on the stool and thought for a long time.
No, she can't give up like this; she has to be an unkillable cockroach!
Without further ado, he grabbed his basket, said goodbye, and headed out.
Passing by the steamed bun shop where she bought steamed buns three years ago, she saw something yellow in front of her and asked, "Uncle, what is this?"
The shopkeeper followed the gaze and said, "Oh, this is our new soy milk. Would you like to try some, young lady?"
"One order, please."
The shopkeeper ladled the soy milk into a bamboo tube and handed it to him, saying, "Little girl, come again if you like it."
Liu Huan took a sip; it tasted like soybeans, but it wasn't prepared properly and had a raw, beany smell.
Now that we have soy milk, does that mean we also have tofu? "Uncle, are you buying tofu?"
"What is that thing? I've never heard of it."
These words gave Liu Huan renewed hope. To confirm this, he went to the farmers' market again and asked around, but no one knew anything about tofu.
This news almost made her blood boil.
Carrying the remaining soy milk back home, she added some sour soup, and the soy milk began to crystallize. Excitedly, she carried it into the house and said, "Mom, I know what kind of business to start!"
"Please try it."
Su's mother took the drink and sipped it. "Why does this taste like beans? And what are these floating things?"
"Mom, the uncle who sells steamed buns said this is soy milk, but I accidentally put a little bit of something sour in it just now, and it turned out like this. I think it tastes pretty good, and I'm going to use it to start a big business."
"Okay, then I'll wait for your big business deal." Su's mother replied perfunctorily. She had become obsessed with making soup, buying all kinds of bones to make soup every day, and had no time to care about Liu Huan.
Liu Huan didn't want her to watch, she was just saying it to avoid not knowing how to explain where the tofu came from later.
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