My parents were too lazy to carry the tofu and sell it door to door. My younger brother said it was embarrassing to sell things, and I definitely didn't want to come up with ideas and sell things at the same time, so we all went to sell it together on the first day.
The villagers didn't trust us and believed that our parents had played a trick on them. Few of them were willing to buy some to try, but they were unwilling to pay for it because two cents a piece of tofu was too expensive.
As a last resort, we had to go to town to sell it.
The people in the town have strong purchasing power. With my hard work, the tofu was finally sold out on the first day. After deducting the cost, I made a net profit of 30 cents.
My parents were very happy to make money for the first time. I said that it would be difficult to sell it the first time, but it wouldn’t be so hard once the market opened up. They would come to us to buy it themselves in the future, and we could make more tofu and make more money.
After tasting the sweetness, my parents became more motivated. Apart from ordering tofu every day, I gave the rest to them, and they only gave me ten cents every day when they came back.
I became even more determined to leave this home. Before I get married, I will not come up with any other way to make money.
Two months passed like this, and the imperial court began to conscript labor. Yun Lao San came to our house and asked us to return the two taels of silver he had lent us.
My parents have been working hard these days to make money. They finally saved up two taels of silver, but how could they be willing to give it away? Besides, they still have to pay to avoid labor service.
Dad gave Yun Lao San some advice: "I can't pay the debt, but you still have a daughter, right? You've been so good to her, it's time for her to pay the price. Marry her and receive the betrothal gift, and we'll be able to get through this difficult time."
Yun Lao San was furious: "You owe me money, why don't you marry your daughter off?"
He stormed off.
After he left, my parents asked me, "My daughter, do you have any other way to make quick money, to earn two taels of silver in a short period of time?"
Of course, I could sell the recipe, but why would I?
There’s only so much I carry in my head, and now I’ve given away so much, I’ll have less to use after I get married.
I said no, but Dad refused to give up and said, "It was your idea to split up the family business, and you borrowed the money because you wanted to buy beans. Now I've only made a little over two taels of silver. If I give the money I earn to Yun Lao San, can you find a way to exempt me from corvée labor?"
I shook my head: "Dad, I'm not that capable."
Yun Laosan came to visit his parents several times, but got no money, so he had to do labor service on his own. Not long after, news of his death came.
Everyone said that he was unlucky and was hit by the stone, but Yun Lao San's wife Mu and her daughter Yun Yuan hated our family and gathered a large group of people to ask us to apologize and compensate.
My parents were at a loss, so I gave them some advice and bit back at them. After all, borrowing money is a private matter. Without the IOU, who would know the truth?
The Yun family said that we borrowed money and didn’t pay it back, which led to the death of Yun Lao San.
We said we didn't borrow their money. They saw that we made money and wanted to borrow our money, but we didn't lend it to them, so they held a grudge against us and blamed us for Yun Lao San's death and wanted to extort money from us.
Both sides insisted on their own opinions, and even when the government came, there was nothing they could do, so the matter ended up in nothing.
But Mu, whose husband had died, came to my house every day, forcing us to hide while making tofu. My parents felt guilty and didn't dare to drive her away, but I didn't feel guilty.
I think she is really annoying. I can't even order tofu properly with her around, and I still have to give tofu to Ji Shen.
Yes, ever since Ji Shen and I expressed our feelings to each other, I have given him some tofu every day. My parents knew that I was giving it to Ji Shen, and they did not stop me. They were happy to see it happen.
They believed that I had no other way to make money and wanted me to get married, but they agreed with me that when I went to Ji Shen's house in the future, I would no longer make and sell tofu.
I concealed the coldness in my eyes and agreed to them.
"You are indeed a good daughter of your parents. From now on, making tofu will be our family craft. If you want to eat tofu, come here and get as much as you want."
I was in a very bad mood, and Mu came to make trouble every day, which made me very angry.
That day I was on the mountain, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Mu picking up firewood behind me. I became so angry that I poked the hornet's nest with a branch to vent my frustration.
I ran very fast. When I heard Mu's screams, I didn't feel scared at all. Instead, I felt a little happy and excited, and the depression in my heart was swept away.
I ran back home avoiding everyone, locked myself in the room and pretended to be resting.
When Mu was found, she was breathing more than she was breathing, and there was not a single piece of healthy flesh on her body. The villagers carried her to my house to confront me, but of course I denied her and cried out of grievance.
But secretly I gave Yun Yuan a provocative look. Yun Yuan looked at me with hatred and fought with me, but was finally pulled away by the villagers.
Mu said tremblingly that it was me who destroyed the hornet's nest.
I said I didn't go out, and my parents can testify for me. Mu just can't stand us doing well, and she resents us for not lending money to Yun Lao San. She even wants to blackmail us when she is about to die.
There was also no substantial evidence, I was unharmed, but Mu lost his life.
Yun Yuan has been against me since then. She knew that I was going to have an affair with Ji Shen, so she humiliated herself by seducing Ji Shen, but was rejected by Ji Shen in a straightforward manner.
To be honest, I was a little worried at first. After all, Yun Yuan was the most beautiful girl in the village, and my appearance could not compare to hers. But Ji Shen rejected Yun Yuan without hesitation, and I believed that he was someone I could entrust my life to.
Finally we got engaged and got married, and I married in Taoshan Village.
Ji Shen was really poor and had nothing left after giving the betrothal gift. The day after I married him, I went straight to the city to sell cookbooks.
I found out that the largest restaurant in the area was Huai Shang Restaurant, so I went there to try to cooperate with them.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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