It may be a bit exaggerated to say that tofu can prolong life, but the benefits of tofu are obvious. For the people in Huangmoguan who do not have enough dietary fiber, it is definitely a good tool to solve constipation.
The brothers Lin Zicheng and Lin Zijun used to be well-known for their bean sprout business at the Huangmoguan market. Everyone was familiar with them. They had bought bean sprouts from the Lin family before, so it was inevitable that they were familiar to everyone.
These days, because of the war, every family is poor and everyone has to be very careful with every penny.
Although the Lin family was the first to invent bean sprouts, the secret of making bean sprouts was later learned by others, and the price was lowered again and again, causing people who had previously spent two cents per pound to buy Lin's bean sprouts to become extremely resentful.
"Xiao Lin, you must have made a lot of money when we bought your bean sprouts for two cents per pound before!" said an aunt with a bamboo basket on her arm in a sarcastic tone.
Lin Zicheng had been doing business at the market for a long time and had dealt with many of these customers, so he knew how to adapt. He immediately cried out in poverty, "My aunt, bean sprouts are not uncommon now, but before our Lin family's bean sprout business became popular, had you ever seen bean sprouts sold in winter?"
"Growing bean sprouts took us days to figure out. Do you know how many bean sprouts we wasted? It nearly bankrupted our Lin family. All those wasted bean sprouts cost us money to buy beans. Even if we don't make a profit, you have to let us get our money back. Otherwise, how would our Lin family have the time and money to research and develop more delicious things? Look, these tofu were all invented by our clan leader!"
After saying that, Lin Zijun cooperated and lifted up the gauze covering the tofu. The tender tofu and the slightly older tofu were cut into squares and placed on the board, emitting a bean fragrance.
The crowd that had come to join in the fun couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Is this the tofu you were talking about?"
Lin Zicheng smiled and said, "Smell it quickly. Does it smell good?"
After saying that, he put the prepared sample to the woman's nose. Sure enough, the woman smelled a stronger bean fragrance and couldn't help but lick it with her tongue.
This behavior immediately angered everyone: "Hey, you old woman, how can we smell it after you lick it? It will all taste like your saliva!"
The old lady was also a bit of a shrew: "If you lick it, then lick it. At worst, I can just buy it."
Someone else asked curiously: "Auntie, what does it smell like?"
The old aunt clicked her tongue: "I can't really taste it."
Lin Zijun brought out the condiments that the clan leader had prepared last night, and used a bamboo knife to cut off the tofu noodles that the old aunt had tasted. He brushed a little condiments on them, and handed the bowl to the old aunt again: "Come here, aunt, try it."
The condiments Lin Rui prepared were actually just some honey and sugar water. Nowadays, no one can afford sugar, so a little sweetness is a great enjoyment for their taste buds.
The old lady opened her mouth and put the tofu into her mouth. After taking a few bites, the tofu broke into pieces, making it effortless for her toothless mouth to eat. The tofu was even sweeter when it was dipped in honey and broken into pieces.
As she savored the taste, she said, "Give me a piece!"
Her attitude directly approved of the tofu, and others also rushed to ask for a free try. Since it was free anyway, Lin Zijun happily gave each person a piece, not caring whether the other party really wanted to buy it.
When they were leaving, the clan leader said that harmony was the most important thing. There were only so many samples to taste, so there was no need to be stingy or treat customers differently. Lin Zijun and Lin Zicheng remembered these words clearly.
Free stuff always makes people linger, especially when they hear that the dipping sauce for the tofu is sweet, the tofu stall becomes even more bustling and lively. Many children pull their mothers' arms to squeeze in, just to get a bite of tofu to taste.
There was plenty of honey dipping sauce, but the tofu, which was a sample, was consumed quickly.
Everyone felt a little disappointed when they saw that the tofu for tasting was gone. Lin Zijun smiled and said, "Everyone, we're selling tofu today, and this dipping sauce is the perfect complement. How about this? I still have plenty of dipping sauce here. If any of you buy tofu, I'll give you some to go with it."
Lin Zicheng also smiled and took out another bamboo tube of honey dipping sauce. "Here, these dipping sauces are prepared by our clan leader. He said that everyone has supported our Lin family's business since the bean sprouts. Today, the first 20 people who come to buy tofu will receive a small cup of dipping sauce. Of course, this small cup is measured with our cup. Also, if you buy one or two tofu at a time, you can only get one cup of dipping sauce. You can't add more than one!"
This greatly stimulated the desire to buy, and many people lined up to buy tofu. They bought all the tofu on the wooden board piece by piece. Some parents who felt sorry for their children directly cut half of the tofu for their children to dip in the sauce.
The children were all beaming with joy as they ate. Lin Zijun and Lin Zicheng said as they packed up their stall, "Sister, there's more than one way to eat this tofu. We can make soup with wild vegetables, stew it with fish, add some salt, soy sauce, and chili sauce to make a salad, or steam it and drizzle some sesame oil on it for the children. Tofu is perfect for both the elderly and children, and it's not harmful to their teeth at all!"
After closing their stalls, Lin Zicheng and Lin Zijun did not return home but went directly to the Lin's workshop, where things were bustling with activity. Only the clan leader was lying in the corner in the sun on the bamboo chair woven for him by Uncle Changshou, holding his niece Qingqing.
Everyone in the Lin family is busy, and the patriarch is the only one who is idle. Won't the others complain?
Of course not! What a joke! If hard work was useful, then Lin Changxi, Lin Changhe, Lin Changtai, and the others had spent the previous thirty years digging for food in the fields, working from dawn to dusk, and working themselves to the bone during the busy farming season. Did they earn any money? At best, they could only provide for their families' basic needs.
The patriarch had always been prepared for a rainy day, and now he was using bean sprouts and tofu to quickly lift the Lin family out of poverty. What did this prove? Brute force was useless; you needed a good brain!
Their clan leader possessed a brilliant mind; he easily resolved any problem. The bean sprouts had helped them escape a difficult situation, and now it looked like the tofu would make the Lin family rich.
So what if he just lay there and basked in the sun? If he hadn't been busy grinding beans to make tofu, Lin Changtai would have personally massaged the clan leader's back and shoulders!
Lin Zijun and Lin Zicheng came back excitedly. No one had to look at their expressions. The first thing they saw was the bare panel of the ox cart. There was not a single tofu crumb on it, it was spotless. Then they heard the crisp sound of copper coins shaking on Lin Zicheng and Lin Zijun's bodies as they walked. It was no wonder that the tofu business was booming. They had sold out all the tofu in less than an hour.
"Chief, it's all sold out. This tofu sells better than we thought!" Lin Zijun said excitedly. Although the money was not all his, his family had invested in the Lin's Tofu Workshop. The more money they made, the more they would get.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com