When Qian Sheng and his daughter arrived at the tofu shop, they saw Zhang the tofu maker directing people to work in the yard. These people were all wearing white work clothes and looked quite professional.
Qian Sheng stood at the gate without rushing in, which made Qian Duoduo a little curious. At this moment, a man walked over from behind, wiping his hands as he walked. When he saw Qian Duoduo, Qian Sheng and Qian Duoduo, he immediately smiled and said, "Second Uncle is here. I heard that Duoduo is back a long time ago. I've been busy and haven't had a chance to visit you yet."
Qian Duoduo was taken aback. She recognized the man. It was Li Dafa's youngest son, Li Guoqing. They used to attend the same primary school. Qian Duoduo used to discipline him quite harshly. She never expected that Li Dafa would arrange for him to work in the tofu shop.
Qian Sheng said, "Please sign your name."
He immediately grunted in agreement, took out a notebook from the drawer, and placed it on the table. Qian Duoduo curiously leaned over to take a look and saw that it read "Visitor Registration Form." She couldn't help but smile; it looked quite formal.
Qian Sheng said to Qian Duoduo, "You sign it. Dad's handwriting is really bad."
Qian Duoduo smiled and took the pen, writing the names Qian Sheng and Qian Duoduo on the visitor registration form.
After looking at Qian Duoduo's handwriting, Li Guoqing laughed and said, "Those who have been to university are different. Their handwriting is much better than the handwriting of us old cockroaches."
Qian Duoduo said with a smile, "If you had studied hard back then, you definitely could have succeeded too."
He immediately shook his head and said, "I'll pass. If my son studies hard, maybe he can do it."
Qian Duoduo exclaimed in surprise, "You already have a son? So fast?"
Li Guoqing smiled broadly and said, "I've been married for almost five years. My eldest daughter is four years old this year, and my youngest son is one and a half years old."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Sheng turned around and glared at Qian Duoduo.
Qian Duoduo touched his nose and said, "Dad, let's go inside."
Qian Sheng grunted in agreement and stepped into the courtyard before Qian Duoduo.
Qian Duoduo glanced at Qian Sheng's back, took out a red envelope from her pocket, put fifty yuan in it in front of Li Guoqing, stuffed it into his hand, and said, "This is for my niece and nephew. Don't embezzle it. I'll have to tell your wife later, otherwise you'll spend it all on cigarettes and alcohol."
Li Guoqing hadn't expected this turn of events. He immediately tried to stuff the red envelope back, but then he heard Qian Duoduo say, "Alright, stop arguing with me. This money isn't for you. Why are you making such a fuss? I'll give you a bigger one when your daughter and son get married." With that, she smiled and went into the courtyard of the tofu shop.
Li Guoqing was left holding the red envelope. He glanced at Qian Duoduo's back, then looked down at the red envelope in his hand. He suddenly felt at a loss. After thinking for a moment, he put the red envelope in his pocket. After all, it was a small token of Qian Duoduo's affection for the child.
Qian Duoduo walked in. The place was clean and tidy. In contrast, the old tofu shop was really just a small workshop where a few people worked together. But the current tofu shop had the feel of an early small processing plant. The signs at the entrance, such as the soaking room and the steaming room, made Qian Duoduo's eyes light up.
Seeing Qian Duoduo's curious expression, Qian Sheng smiled and said, "How about it? This tofu workshop is doing a great job, isn't it? Now, in all the surrounding villages, our tofu workshop makes the cleanest and tastiest tofu, and it sells the best. Now we don't just make regular tofu; we also make dried tofu, fried tofu, frozen tofu, and smoked tofu, all of which taste great. And the leftover soybean pulp can be pressed into cakes and stored to feed pigs, so everyone in our village is working with extra enthusiasm."
Even the grain in the fields, apart from the grain allocated for official duties, was mostly planted with soybeans. And that still wasn't enough; they had to frequently go to nearby villages to harvest soybeans, or trade soybeans for tofu.
Qian Duoduo gave Qian Sheng a thumbs up and said, "Dad, you guys are amazing."
Qian Sheng laughed and said, "We never thought about this before. It was your third brother and the others who came up with this idea after they came back from the south. That's why they say, once you go out and see the world, you'll know more. Many people in the village want to go out and try their luck. More importantly, you brothers have all made a name for yourselves outside, which makes them even more eager to try your luck, thinking that the outside world is full of opportunities."
Qian Duoduo thought for a moment and said, "The land here is fertile, and the sunshine, water, and climate are all very good. These are all natural advantages."
Qian Sheng wouldn't dare speak for other things, but when it came to farming, he considered himself an expert. So he said, "With our black soil, if we plant crops, even God will help us grow them."
Qian Duoduo couldn't help but laugh when she heard Qian Sheng's words. Indeed, Heilongjiang Province is very suitable for growing rice. This is why it later became known as the "Granary of the North," the largest grain producer in China, which explains why so many people wanted to eat rice from Northeast China.
Qian Duoduo and Zhang Chunmei strolled leisurely through the tofu workshop. Suddenly, Qian Duoduo spotted Jia Ao, the son-in-law who had married into the Zhang family. Now a master chef in the tofu workshop, Jia Ao and Zhang Chunmei were working together, one making the large tofu and the other making the dried tofu. Li Xiaohua was in charge of the later-stage smoked and braised bean products, and the production seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
Qian Duoduo nodded in agreement. No wonder it has been able to continue for so many years and develop so well. In addition to Third Brother's strict requirements for the tofu shop, Zhang Chunmei and her husband also have strict control over the quality of the tofu.
Seeing that Qian Sheng and Qian Duoduo were just wandering around the yard, at most looking out from the gate, and not going into the tofu processing room, Zhang the tofu maker came over and said with a smile, "Why did you come back and just stand outside looking? Why don't you change your clothes and go in to take a look?"
Qian Sheng looked at Qian Duoduo, who shook his head and said, "Uncle Zhang, no, let's not disturb everyone's work. I see that everyone is working very hard."
Zhang the tofu maker no longer felt the exhaustion he had when he first started making tofu. He had gradually become more plump and cheerful, leading Qian Sheng and Qian Duoduo around the tofu workshop with a smile. He said to Qian Sheng, "Thanks to your third son for coming back to the tofu workshop to guide us, we have realized our shortcomings in management. So now we are strictly managing according to the rules set by our third son."
"You know what, it's much better than before, all that noise and commotion. Our tofu production is also much higher now, and people have seen the results, so they've gradually accepted it." He then looked at Qian Duoduo and said, "This is mainly because your father has great courage; he kicked out those lazy, fault-finding people, which made them realize the potential for trouble."
Upon hearing this, Qian Duoduo realized that the old man was being praised, so she had to follow suit and immediately gave him a thumbs up: "Dad, you're amazing, you're my role model."
Zhang the tofu maker next to him was a little confused. How did he become so amazing?
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