Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Sweet tofu pudding.
The group returned home with a good harvest. The warm stove was placed next to a reed mat in the main room. Ji Xu sometimes did needlework there. Her fingers would get stiff easily, so she would add two pieces of firewood to warm them. An old clay pot was placed on top of the stove to boil water. This way, the fire underneath would not be wasted and she could drink hot water to warm her stomach in winter.
The iron cauldron was then embedded in the stove eye. She bought it according to the size of the bow stove, and it was just right.
One end of the stove was against the wall next to the window. Because it was difficult to hammer in nails and the newly plastered wall was damaged, two ropes were extended from the edge of the beam and tied to the wall, with two rows of bamboo sticks two fingers thick. They were split in the middle to leave a gap and tied at both ends.
Ji Xu then carved five wooden hooks from tree branches, carving them from the top downwards, leaving a convex circle at the top that could just fit into the gaps in the bamboo sticks, making a row of movable hooks.
Cooking utensils like bamboo ladles, kitchen spatulas, and stove brooms are all hung on the wall to look neat and tidy.
As for the newly bought iron kitchen knife, the tip of the knife was facing downwards and stuck in the bamboo crack.
The new plates and bowls were placed on the wooden table next to the south wall. She wove a bamboo vegetable cover and put it upside down on top to keep out dust and insects. When she needed to use them, she would lift the cover to take them out.
Luo Shuangniang helped move the stone mill in and placed it in the southwest corner. After wiping off the dust that had accumulated in the shop, it looked as good as new.
This is not like the big mill in the grain store that needs to be pulled by a donkey. However, it is only at the height of the calf. When you want to use it, you just need to kneel beside it and rotate the handle by moving your arms. It will be much more convenient when you need to grind some rice crumbs or bean crumbs at home in the future.
After this arrangement, there are more things at home, but they are all in order.
"We have an iron cauldron at home too!"
"No need to mix the hatchet with the vegetable knife anymore!"
The hatchet from the old days can now return to its original purpose and is placed in the corner of the wall near the door.
Sisters Feng and Zhu helped to tidy up the place and couldn't hide their joy when they looked at the belongings.
After all the purchases at home, I only have thirty cents left when I come back. I have to earn more money. Ji Xu has an idea in his mind.
On this day, the children eagerly welcomed New Year's Day.
Early in the morning, every household in Benguli hung reed ropes and inserted peach branches on their doors to ward off evil spirits, and began to busy themselves with preparations for New Year's Eve.
Throughout the year, even the poorest families would prepare decent food on this day, buy some wine if they could, and have a family reunion to eat and drink.
The door of the second branch of the Ji family was also hung with a beard bought from the county. It had a green face and fangs, and looked very evil.
When she arrived at the Chen family's house and General Chen gave her the mortise and tenon wooden frame, Lu Ai was in front of the kitchen, holding the edge of the cauldron and turning it over to shovel the black ash accumulated at the bottom of the cauldron. In the yard, there were also many cleaned food tables, mats, and pottery tripods drying in the sun...
He looked at it curiously and asked, "What is this wooden frame used for?"
These wooden frames were square, three feet long, and had a thin board that was just the right size. They were made on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month when Ji Xu came back from the comprador job in the county town and asked Chen Da to help him make them.
Chen Da also found the description strange, but he still figured it out.
"Uncle Chen, your carpentry work is getting more and more skillful." Ji Xu couldn't help but say,
It is absolutely impossible for her to join the wood together so skillfully without using a single nail.
This one was still unfinished, and Lü Mu was puzzled as to what she was doing, so she smiled and said:
"I'll make the food and bring it to you to try, then I'll tell you."
Mrs. Lu laughed and said, "You're keeping me in suspense. Well, if I don't wait for you to bring it, I won't have a New Year's Eve dinner."
"Just wait."
Ji Xu took the wooden frame and put it back in his kitchen, then carried the basket and went up Niupi Mountain.
Ji Feng asked in confusion, "It's already the New Year's Eve, why are you still going to Niupi Mountain? Are you going to pick some reeds to make ropes?"
"No, find some stones and make some food to add a New Year's Eve dinner for us and the Chen family." Ji Xu said.
Ji Feng wanted to follow, "I'll help my sister too."
The two men left Jizhu at home to look after the house, and went together to pick up five large flat stones. They washed them clean by the well, put them in a basket and carried them back as they would need them later.
But Ji Xu brought the basin of soybeans that had been soaked overnight, picked out the black ones, drained the yellow water, and added some clean water.
Although the price of rice is falling now, the rice in the government warehouse has to be put on the market in batches. The overall price of rice is still around 60 coins, and it is falling little by little.
Not to mention flour. The drought in Kanto caused a complete loss of wheat harvest. After the grain price crisis passed, the price of flour was still over 100 coins, with no obvious drop. It seems that we have to wait until the autumn harvest in Kanto next year before the situation can recover.
Therefore, Ji Xu did not plan to focus on pasta for the time being, and decided to make some food with other grains as raw materials. Soybeans became the first choice. Nowadays, beans are much more affordable than rice, and one can buy a dou for thirty coins.
What she was using now were bought from the village grain store some time ago. Now she only had thirty coins left, so she had to start the business as soon as possible.
"Sister, do you want to make bean porridge?"
Ji Feng asked, soaked beans will make porridge easier to cook and can save some firewood.
"Making tofu pudding and making tofu are very special."
Ji Xu moved the reed mat to the southwest corner, knelt down in front of the millstone, scooped water and beans into the millstone, and started turning the millstone to grind.
"Bean curd brain? Bean curd?"
"It's not the dried meat in 'dried meat', but the rotten meat in 'fu'," said Ji Xu.
The bean curd that my sister mentioned is a kind of dry biscuit made with bean scraps, brown rice scraps, and even chaff. It is mostly eaten by poor families.
Feng and Zhu were completely bewildered and puzzled by what they heard. They only knew that beans could be ground into powder and cooked into bean rice, bean porridge, or bean preserves. They had also heard of making soy milk with water added, but they had never heard of these two foods.
Everyone gathered around to watch. Ji Zhu didn't even find the clay dog interesting anymore, and just stared intently at the millstone.
I saw the soaked beans being ground into a pulp after adding water. A circle of white foam gathered in the groove, like clouds in the sky. Ji Zhu blinked her eyes, watching intently.
Gradually, a large bowl of soy milk was ground out.
Ji Xu went to the cloth box in the west room and found a piece of linen that was left over from sewing quilts. He cut a five-foot-long piece and put it in another basin.
Pour the soy milk into the basin, then scoop up the entire round bag with linen, tie it tightly, and hang it on a thick wooden hook hanging from the beam. Shake it and filter it into the basin below.
When the linen cloth was untied again, there were some clumped crumbs.
"Sister, is this bean dregs?" Ji Zhu watched the whole process and asked first.
Ji Xu laughed and said, "Xiaozhu is really smart. It's bean dregs, but it can still be eaten after being fried."
Ji Feng sighed, "Wow! Just adding a little water to beans can make tofu pudding and tofu. Even the bean dregs are edible. That's great! Nothing is wasted, and we get three more dishes!"
Today is New Year's Day, so the more abundant the food, the better.
Ji Xu poured the filtered soy milk into the cauldron, and Ji Feng immediately said:
"I'll light the fire! I'm gradually becoming the best at it."
Ji Xu asked her to add more fire, while he stirred the soy milk in the pot on the other side, skimmed off the foam, and waited until it really boiled, then added white water in small amounts several times.
Ji Feng asked, "Sister, what is this?"
Ji Xu said, "Do you remember when we were strolling around the county market, my sister took you to a pharmacy and bought some gypsum? This is gypsum mixed with water."
Nowadays, gypsum is more often used as a medicine to treat cold, heat, shock and asthma. Some sorcerers also use gypsum when making elixirs, so it can be bought in pharmacies.
As for the birth of tofu, in the later generations of Ji Xu, it is said that Liu An, the King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, accidentally put gypsum into soybean juice when he was making elixirs, forming smooth and delicious blocks. Tofu was thus born. This is also the earliest story about the birth of tofu that can be traced back to later generations. It is just a rumor, and there is no documentary record or verification.
The earliest record of tofu is in the Qingyi Lu (Records of Strange Things in the Qing Dynasty) during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which states:
"Dozens of tofu are sold every day, and the people in the town call tofu 'little lamb'."
In the Western Han Dynasty where Ji Xu lived, she had never heard of the existence of tofu. Perhaps it was because the King of Huainan had never made the elixir by chance; or perhaps tofu had already been circulated among the upper nobles, but the recipe was precious and not leaked. They never knew about it and had no way of knowing it.
But Ji Xu had been to the county town not long ago, and he was sure that this food was not available in the county.
The soy milk gradually solidified, causing Ji Zhu to exclaim in surprise, "Sister, it's clumping!"
Ji Xu said, "Now that it's clumped together, we can eat tofu pudding."
She scooped out three bowls of the food one by one, and then scooped the rest into the wooden frame lined with linen. She then chiseled the wooden planks and pressed it with stones.
"Wait half a day, and the tofu will be ready! As for the tofu pudding, it's perfect for breakfast."
Ji Zhu tilted her head and looked at the smooth and tender tofu pudding that was as white as ointment, and asked curiously:
"Sister, what does tofu pudding taste like?"
Ji Xu thought for a moment and said, "We have both sweet and savory flavors, depending on personal preference. We still have half a jar of honey from the sacrifice, which is just right for sweet flavors."
Ji Feng had already run to the west room to get the jar of precious honey, but Ji Zhu said:
"We not only have honey, but also dough!"
She reached into the small cloth bag and fumbled around. It turned out that this crossbody bag was one that Ji Xu had sewn for each of his sisters in his spare time, using scraps of cloth, before he stopped doing business. They were so happy to carry it on their shoulders. When Ji Zhu and Sui Er played together, they were so energetic. They imitated Ji Xu's business and even put some small stones in it to pretend they had received copper coins.
"There are gummies, which are also sweet!"
After a while, it was finally taken out of the cloth bag. The dough had been licked and hidden in the mouth of the cloth bag, and was covered with thread scraps.
Ji Feng brought the honey pot and said with disgust, "Xiaozhu, you are such a filthy person! It's been so many days! And you haven't eaten it yet!"
I bought this in the county on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month. It has been more than ten days since the New Year's Eve.
"The glutinous rice cake is so sweet and delicious. I'll save it for later."
Every night before going to bed, Ji Zhu was afraid that Ji Xu would find out that she had hidden the dough and would throw it away because he thought it was dirty, so she put the small cloth bag in the west room and didn't let Ji Xu check it.
After breakfast, Ji Xu asked Ji Zhu to pick out the loose threads of this chewy dough and rinse it again. Only after it was clean could he continue to eat it. This time, he asked Ji Zhu to finish it and not hide it anymore.
The tofu pudding for breakfast was as white as cream, and honey was added to everyone's bowl.
Jizhu ate the honey, which was sweet and smooth, and seemed to love it.
"It's delicious with honey! It's so slippery in your mouth!"
"Mmm, delicious! So tender!"
Ji Feng ate with great slurps and nodded repeatedly.
In the afternoon, Ji Xu brought a plate of fried tofu and went to Chen's house.
I saw that every house along the way had lit a bonfire in front of its door, burning some reeds and peach branches, using the flames to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. There was also a fire in front of the Chen family's courtyard.
Lü Ai, the aunt-in-law and daughter-in-law, and Chen Che'er were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Chen Da and Chen Laobo were offering sacrifices to the gods in different corners of the courtyard.
Chen Gou'er and his sister were poking the fire with sticks when they saw the food Ji Xu was holding. They were surprised and delighted.
"Sister Xu, what is this?"
While asking, he followed into the yard.
"Fried tofu." Ji Xu said.
The tofu slices were shaped like triangles and fried in oil until golden brown. After they were set in shape, they were added with garlic sprouts, salted fermented black beans, and half a spoonful of snail paste. The aroma attracted Chen Gou'er and his sister to surround her and stare at the fried tofu.
“Is this fried tofu?”
Chen Gou'er sniffed, "It smells really good."
When Aunt Lu and Zhuang Huiniang heard the noise, they came out from the kitchen. Aunt Lu said,
"Pan-fried tofu? Is this the new delicacy?"
It is golden yellow, with white dots of green, and looks great.
"Yes, Uncle Chen, please make the wooden frames for me. There are still two pieces left here that are not cooked. They are left for Aunt Zhuang's cooking. You can make soup with them or fry them with oil. It's all good."
The uncooked tofu was as white as jade.
When Zhuang Huiniang touched it with her hand, it felt smooth and as delicate as a baby's skin. She was so fond of it that she said:
"How can I cook such a rare food?"
"I'll talk to my aunt, she'll definitely be able to do it, it's not difficult at all."
After that, he told me how to make the fried tofu and the tofu soup, and before leaving, he said:
"If it tastes good, don't forget to tell me."
This fresh food needs to be cooked properly so that people don't lose sight of it. She also needs to listen to more feedback.
Speaking of the Chen family, they added a new dish of fried tofu on New Year's Eve, which was very novel.
Zhuang Hui Niang picked some up for Lu Ai first and said, "Mother, you try it first."
Lu Ai looked at it, tasted it carefully, and nodded repeatedly.
"It's delicious. It has a nice bean aroma. Even an old man like me with bad teeth can eat it without any difficulty. No wonder it's called tofu."
After the elders started eating, Chen Che'er and his siblings followed suit. "This tofu absorbs the broth and tastes amazing!"
There was not even a drop of soup left, I poured it over the rice and ate it all.
Speaking of the Cui family,
After being given a day off by the iron shop, Cui Guangzong received his wages, went to the butcher to get some good meat, bought two hens, and brought them back.
Along the way, an acquaintance greeted him:
"Guangzong is back! He's even stronger now."
"How much did you get paid for buying so many things?"
"Is Tie Si still short of people? Bring my little one to be an apprentice. He has been calling you brother since he was a child."
Liao drove him away, "Go away, it's already late, why don't you go back and cook? Are you waiting to have New Year's Eve dinner at my house?"
She smiled and welcomed her eldest son into the yard.
"Brother! Can you buy me a mud cart?"
"Brother! Where's my cloth?"
Cui Guangyao and Cui Si rushed out of the house and surrounded them chattering.
"We have them all! We bought them all."
Entering the main hall, Cui Guangzong took out the mud cart he had asked for from his cloth bag, and Cui Si asked to buy the indigo-colored chicken-crowing cloth. Although the length was not long and it was not enough to make a winter jacket, it could at least be cut into a summer shirt for Liao and Cui Si.
Liao grabbed it and fumbled with it, saying, "You've spoiled them, and they'll just spend money recklessly."
While trying it on herself, she said, "This color is so delicate. I'm afraid it's not suitable for my age."
"Then my mother gave me the piece too, so I can make a short shirt and a small skirt. I'm still young, so I don't have to worry about looking delicate when I wear them." Cui Si said immediately.
Liao then spat at her: "Go away! Greedy girl!"
As he was speaking, he saw that the cloth bag was still bulging, as if something had not been taken out.
Cui Guangyao was not satisfied with just getting the mud cart, so he turned it over.
Cui Guangzong grabbed it with one hand and slid it away, picking up the cloth and putting it into his clothes basket. "What else do you want to find out, boy? What's left are some clothes for me to change."
On New Year's Eve, grass was burned in front of the door, and the fire flickered.
The Cui family cooked a meat soup and some fresh seasonal vegetables. Since Cui Guangzong rarely came back, the family did not eat porridge. They put more rice and ate it dry in the main hall around the dining table.
General Cui brought out the rice wine he had brewed. Rice was precious this year, but there was no surplus grain to make wine. This jar was brewed last spring, and he was reluctant to drink it, so he saved it until New Year's Eve. The couple, along with the eldest son, poured half a bowl each.
Cui Si and Cui Guangyao were still young and didn't drink, so they picked out the meat to eat. Cui Guangyao gobbled it up so fast that he couldn't even speak clearly:
"Brother, you don't know. We haven't bought meat in a long time. We haven't even dried the bacon. Even Xu Nu's family has bacon in their bowls. I saw it the last time I went to play. I asked Erfeng to give me a piece, but she refused."
When Liao heard that he had gone to play at other people's houses again, she pinched his arm and twisted him like a loach, saying:
"Grain and meat prices have gone up dramatically at the end of the year. How many families have dried their crops? We're the only family that hasn't dried any crops this year. How could we have been shortchanged by a greedy cat like you?"
Speaking of the Ji family, Cui Guangzong remembered and asked, "Mother, the marriage you sent someone to tell me about, was it finally arranged with Xunxu girl?
She came to the iron shop in December to buy some things. I had this in mind, but I didn't dare ask. I saw that she was very thin. I bought two hens and kept the eggs. After we got married, I cooked them every day to nourish her. How could she have children when she was so thin?
It was after the busy farming season, and he was working as a blacksmith in a iron shop. One day, a fellow villager came with a message from Liao, saying that his family had decided to marry Xu Nu to him.
Later, Liao asked his fellow townsman who came to the city to bring a message, and all he talked about were trivial matters at home, but he never mentioned the marriage again. Now he asked about it.
Before Liao could elaborate, Cui Si blurted out, "Brother, please stop talking about this. It's making Mother very angry. Her daughter has said she won't marry you!"
Speaking of this, Liao became angry and exaggeratedly imitated the way Ji Xu rejected her that day and said to Cui Guangzong:
"Guangzong, recently many people from all over the country have come to ask about your birth date and horoscope. Mother is already looking for a more suitable woman, so you should stop being attached to her."
Cui Guangzong's face turned pale and he said, "I'm not in love with her."
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