“This looks like something you shouldn’t eat, and you still want to try it? What if you get poisoned? Even little Yue wouldn’t put this in her mouth.” Meng Chijian put the lids back on and opened all the windows.
Ah Mian forced a smile and said, "I asked around, and they said that people by the sea have indeed made stinky mandarin fish this way. It smells stinky... but tastes... incredibly delicious..."
"Is fish the same as tofu? And this smells absolutely rotten. It definitely wasn't prepared this way."
Meng Chijian easily subdued A Mian. He pulled her to the backyard and made her wash her hands and face. He casually broke off a branch of osmanthus and brushed it off her. "You can't eat anything with green mold on it. You have to wash your hair tonight."
Amian felt that she had failed this time, but she didn't know why. "Next time will be better. I think maybe I forgot to put something in..."
"I'm afraid you might knock yourself out one day."
He confiscated the two small jars just like that!
“You—you may look at this stinky jar, but, but, but,” Ah Mian hugged his waist, pulling him away, “it contains my deep and sincere feelings for you!”
"………………"
"So that's how awful I am in your eyes?"
"Ahhhhh, don't throw it away, don't throw it away—"
Meng Chijian remained unmoved. All the sweet words this man uttered were just empty flattery; they were either lines she'd read in some storybook or things he'd said when he wanted to plead for her to do something she wasn't allowed to do. He effortlessly dragged A-Mian (who hadn't let go of him the whole time) step by step to the tree in the backyard.
Hold your breath, pour out all the moldy tofu from the jar, and cover it with soil.
I rinsed the jars three more times with clean water. "They're so dirty, I don't know what I'll be able to put in them in the future. I'll buy some liquor to wipe them clean before I can use them again."
“My stinky tofu—” Ah Mian was very sad. After mourning the four pieces of tofu for a while, she raised her head and said, “Oh right, I think I forgot to add rice wine.”
Meng Chijian narrowed his eyes.
"No wonder I forgot. Go buy this." Ever since that time she was taught a lesson for drinking, Ah Mian has not touched a drop of alcohol.
Even a small drink was no longer an option.
"Hmm. Aren't you going to let go of my hand?"
Seeing that he had cleaned the two jars and then tidied his clothes before going back to work, Ah Mian saw him clean the two jars and then straighten his clothes.
Wherever he went, A-Mian followed. Meng Chijian put down the hammer and calmly asked, "What's wrong?"
Ah Mian said affectionately, "I want to tell you that even if you smell bad, I still love you."
Meng Chijian took a deep breath; he couldn't believe the little liar's words.
After enduring for a long time, he finally hugged the person and said, "Say it again."
"Uh, even if you..."
"Just say the last half of the sentence."
Ah Mian buried her face in his chest and repeated haltingly.
She thought to herself, "If only I had used that moldy tofu to poison you and make you mute."
When making "stinky tofu" for the second time, A-Mian used a different method.
Some jars contained rice wine and Sichuan peppercorns and were covered; others contained rice wine but were not covered... In short, apart from the tofu, everything else in each jar was different, and there were markings on the jars.
Then wait for time to pass and see which one succeeds.
Five or six days later, A-Mian discovered that the tofu had grown mold again.
One jar of tofu had grown white mold.
It smells alright, with a faint musty aroma.
This time, Ah Mian learned her lesson and prepared some for one of the chickens at home.
After an afternoon, the chicken was fine and in good spirits.
She then took a very small bite.
The flavor is a light, refreshing aroma with a hint of spiciness, leaving a lingering aftertaste on the tongue.
"This doesn't seem to be stinky tofu either."
Meng Chijian thought it resembled something he had eaten before, called "fermented bean curd sauce".
It's alright as a side dish for porridge or rice, but Ah Mian's cooking is still quite bland.
"Maybe it hasn't been long enough. I'll try leaving it for a month this time."
While making "fermented bean curd," A-Mian searched the market for a long time before finally finding potatoes. These things were also very hard to buy; the seller said they were poisonous and that eating too many would kill you—they were just ornamental trinkets.
Ah Mian looked at the potato, the size of an egg in her palm, covered in a dirty, grayish-brown color. What was there to admire about it?
She bought one, took it home, sliced it into strips, and stir-fried it.
Feed it to another chicken.
That evening, when A-Mian was cleaning the chicken coop, she noticed that the chicken was unsteady on its feet and wobbling. A day later, the chicken kept vomiting and refused to eat.
"I never thought... I would actually get poisoned." Ah Mian lay next to the large heater, now truly frightened. "So even Doctor Mo has things she doesn't know. No wonder, she's a doctor, not a cook."
The stove said, "If the chicken doesn't survive tomorrow, I'll slaughter it."
"But we can't eat it. What if we get poisoned after eating the chicken?"
"Hmm...then I'll throw it up on the back mountain and let the wolves there eat it."
A-Mian felt a little sorry for him: "Maybe the person will be fine after eating it?"
Sigh. Making these two things this time cost me three hundred coins (including the loss of a chicken).
"Never mind, I'll bring you back half a roast chicken instead." Nuanlu kissed the tofu.
The chicken ultimately couldn't hold on. When Meng Jing went to feed it in the morning, she found it lying limply on the ground.
After the fermented bean curd was made, chickens, donkeys, and people ate it without any problems. A-Mian tried making it in other jars, but failed again. Only the tofu from that particular jar could be made successfully. She put the tofu from that jar into other jars and tried making it again, and it worked.
This side dish was surprisingly well-received by Mencius' mother. "It's great as a side dish with porridge or rice!" she exclaimed.
Ah Mian tried selling these at her stall, but they didn't sell at all. Frustrated and desperate, she decided to give some away for free to all the restaurants on the street!
The first thing that comes to mind is Song Liusao's fish soup.
"Alright, I'll give it a try. I wonder how many people will like the taste. If they do, I'll tell them."
"Yes, thank you so much, Mr. Song! This stuff is delicious, I'll make sure you sell a couple more bowls of fish soup!"
As for the other shops, A-Mian went door-to-door recommending them, saying it was free, so everyone thought it was a good deal and they might as well take advantage of it...
Five or six days passed like this.
On the afternoon of the seventh day, Ah Mian set up her stall as usual. Boss Song was already there early, beaming: "Ah Mian, how much of that fermented bean curd sauce you made last time do you have left?! Can you sell me a hundred jars?"
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