Chapter 9: Daughters are like their mothers
"How dare you, a yellow-haired girl, say that you can grind tofu that tastes better than mine?"
"If you don't believe me, how about giving it a try?" Zhuang Qingning laughed out loud, "Why don't you let me grind some tofu for you to taste? If the tofu tastes good, you can let me rent the tofu shop. If it doesn't taste good, then we can just give up on this. How do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wen actually burst out laughing.
His eyes were slightly narrowed and his smile was arrogant. He did not look kind and gentle like an old man at all. Instead, he looked a bit mean and frightening.
"It's interesting to make such a bet with a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl." Mrs. Wen said with a smile, "I haven't opened my tofu pot for a long time. It's not impossible to open it now."
"But let me be frank. If you can't make tofu that tastes better than mine, you can't just give up the tofu shop. You have to leave my shop, step by step, on your knees. Do you think it's feasible?"
"It's a deal." Zhuang Qingning agreed without any hesitation.
"You are quite straightforward, unlike the person who would procrastinate." Mrs. Wen took a sip of the porridge in the bowl: "Then today is worse than tomorrow. Since you said that you can grind out better tofu, I would like to taste it as soon as possible."
"There are ready-made beans in the tofu shop. Clean up the mill and start now."
"Okay." Zhuang Qingning agreed and took Zhuang Qingsui to the tofu shop.
It is called a tofu shop, but in fact it is just two large rooms inside Wen's house, used for grinding tofu. It has all kinds of supplies, but because it has not been used for a long time, there is a thick layer of dust everywhere.
The sack of beans was leaning against the wall. Zhuang Qingsui untied the rope that tied the sack and grabbed a handful to look at it in the slightly dim light in the room.
It's OK, it's been well preserved, not moldy, deteriorating, or eaten by insects.
Take out the dustpan hanging next to it, sweep the dust on it with a small broom, and pour half a bag of beans into it.
"Qingsui, pick out the beans first. Throw the black and bad ones into the small basket next to you. I'll tidy up the bean soaking tank."
The water tank had not been used for a long time and had a thick layer of dirt on it. It had to be cleaned, otherwise the soaked beans would easily become smelly.
Zhuang Qingsui agreed and sat on a small stool to pick beans seriously.
The light in the room was not good. Zhuang Qingsui wanted to go to the yard to pick beans, but when he thought of Wen's yard, he gave up the idea and came back with the winnowing basket.
But the room was very dark, and Zhuang Qingsui was worried that he couldn't pick out the beans cleanly, and the tofu he made would not be good. He would not be able to pass the Wen family's test, and he would not be able to rent this tofu shop...
After hesitating for a while, Zhuang Qingsui finally decided to place the winnowing basket a little closer to the threshold of the door and started picking up the beans carefully.
Zhuang Qingning put away the cleaned large vats, and cleaned out the stove for boiling soy milk, the stone mill for grinding soy milk... and all kinds of tools.
Here, Zhuang Ruman and his family are having dinner.
Pancakes made with cornmeal batter and served with pickles.
"Mom, you put too much corn flour in this pancake. It's choking." Zhuang Qinghe pouted and said, "My throat has been sore these past few days, and it hurts my throat to eat this. Mom, please make me a pancake with white flour."
"Mom, my throat isn't feeling well either." Zhuang Yuanzhong echoed.
"If everyone eats white flour, who will eat corn flour?" Zhuang Ruman said unhappily, "We only have so much land, and we only get so little food. If we all eat white flour, how can we survive?"
"But my eldest brother can eat white flour buns for every meal in the academy. Every time he comes back, mother cuts meat and makes fried eggs for him. We can't even eat white flour pancakes?" Zhuang Qinghe curled her lips in dissatisfaction.
"Can you compare with your eldest brother? Yuanren is studying in town, which requires a lot of brainpower. If he doesn't eat better, how can he have the energy to study?"
Zhuang Ruman said: "If you don't have the energy to study, how can you pass the imperial examination, become successful, and bring honor to our family?"
"Big brother is the one who made it big. What does it have to do with us? Besides, why should we have to eat coarse food and support him just to make him successful? That's not the way it should be!"
"Girl, why are you talking more and more rudely?" Song couldn't help but interrupt, "If your elder brother succeeds, won't our family succeed? When your elder brother passes the imperial examination, our family will have a scholar, and your marriage will be easier in the future, right?"
"If your elder brother can pass the imperial examination and become an official, you will be a rich lady. You will have endless delicious food to eat and beautiful clothes to wear. Even the families who propose marriages to you will be rich or noble. You can choose whatever you want..."
Zhuang Ruman squinted his eyes.
Song has always been stupid, but on this point he is not confused at all, which is a rare moment of smartness.
When Zhuang Qinghe heard this, his eyes lit up again.
Yes, she will be a rich lady in the future, and Brother Wencheng will no longer look down on others, and she will definitely be the only one in his eyes.
"Okay, then I'll listen to my parents..." Zhuang Qinghe continued eating with a smile on her face.
The daughter takes after her mother!
Zhuang Yuanzhong curled the corners of his mouth and lowered his head to continue drinking the cornmeal paste.
After breakfast, Song followed Zhuang Ruman's instructions last night and picked up a dozen eggs from the basket.
One, two, three, four, five...
Song placed them in a small bamboo basket and handed it to Zhuang Ruman: "Here, make it a lucky number, sixteen."
"Why take so many? Ten will do." Zhuang Ruman took out a few more and covered the basket with a cloth. "Wait for my reply at home. You must remember everything I say, okay?"
"I got it. Don't worry, boss." Song was smiling.
It's just that she had too much fat on her face, and there was no gentleness at all in that smile.
It was really unbearable to watch! Zhuang Ruman swallowed the rest of what he wanted to say and hurried out of the door with the basket in hand.
When they arrived at the headman's house, Zhuang Jingye was drinking tea in the yard. When he saw Zhuang Ruman coming in, he spat the tea leaves he had been chewing for a long time onto the ground.
This happened a day later before anyone found him, which was enough to explain why they were neighbors, so no one said much.
This Zhuang Ruman is really, allowing the Song family to abuse their niece. Every family has a daughter, who can stand it? Not helping to hide the people is not bad at this time, but helping to find people is impossible.
He even forced the man to set up a female household, leaving him with a young girl threatening his family and having to clean up the mess that might arise in the future.
Zhuang Jingye was angry and rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction.
Zhuang Ruman had come here with a smile on his face, but now he stretched his head out and received a roll of eyes, and he suddenly felt panic in his heart.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com