After returning home from the Lantern Festival, Yu Ge'er was still not satisfied and begged his father to help him hang the lotus lantern on the headboard of his bed so that he could see it the next morning. Li Yuemei said to him, "It's so bright, you don't have to worry about not being able to sleep."
"No, just let me hang up~" Yu Ge'er acted coquettishly. Li Yuemei reluctantly agreed.
Washing his feet was his custom before bed. Lin Yan smiled as he washed. Zhao Shiyun reached out and pinched his face: "So happy?"
Lin Yan laughed and said, "Of course, business is so good today. If it were like this every day, I would be even happier."
They came back too late today and didn't have time to count the copper coins. After they washed their feet, while Zhao Shiyun was pouring water, Lin Yan took out his purse, poured the copper coins on the bed, and started counting them.
"One, two, three, four, five..."
Lin Yan counted slowly. When Zhao Shiyun came back, he had just counted one string and strung them together with a rope.
Zhao Shiyun wiped his hands and came over to help count.
"Five, six, seven, eight, nine... nine hundred coins!" Lin Yan almost jumped for joy. Zhao Shiyun handed over a few more copper coins: "Here are seven more coins."
"That's nine hundred and seven coins! Almost one ounce of silver!" Lin Yan happily rushed towards Zhao Shiyun, wrapping his arms around his neck and nuzzling him. He was so happy. Most people were just there for fun, so the fragrant tofu sold more, and the raw tofu sold less, which is why the total was just over nine hundred coins.
Zhao Shiyun was also happy. He hugged Lin Yan and rubbed him back, saying, "Then let's bring more tofu tomorrow."
Lin Yan blinked, thought for a moment, and said, "That's not necessary. Today is the Lantern Festival, so we can sell more because there are more people. We may not be able to sell that much on other days."
"Then how much do you think is appropriate?" Zhao Shiyun looked down at him. Lin Yan's hair rubbed against his neck, which made him feel a little itchy, and his heart felt itchy too.
Lin Yan let him go, put all the copper coins into his purse, and yawned. Zhao Shiyun saw that he was sleepy, so he didn't say much. He just took the purse and said, "I'll put it away. You go to sleep."
Lin Yan nodded and crawled under the quilt, leaving only his eyes exposed: "Let's try it with the eight boards tomorrow."
*
The next day, Lin Yan and his team brought in eight-plate tofu. Since it was only their third day of selling, business was naturally booming. Tofu is a common food, not expensive, and affordable for ordinary families. Town residents have a higher spending power than village residents and are willing to spend on food. As long as the ingredients are good and the food is delicious, people will always pay.
After a busy day until 3 p.m., all the tofu was sold out. Lin Yan felt that it was about time to pack up and go back. He could take a rest before making dinner.
Seeing how hard it was for him to sell tofu, Li Yuemei didn't let him cook dinner. However, Lin Yan didn't feel tired and cooked dinner quickly. Li Yuemei couldn't persuade him, so she would buy vegetables, wash and cut them in advance so that he could cook dinner as soon as he got home.
Before going home, Lin Yan went to find the yamen official and changed the stall to a monthly lease. He had only rented it for a few days before, not knowing whether the business would be good. Now it seems that he can rent it for a long time.
After returning home and putting everything in place, Lin Yan took out a notebook and started to keep accounts. He started keeping accounts when he was selling vegetables at home. He bought the cheapest hemp paper and simply recorded his expenses, income and costs.
Zhao Shiyun saw him writing and came over curiously, "Brother Yan, what are you doing?"
"I'm keeping track of my income."
Zhao Shiyun took a few glances, bewildered. Although he could read, he wasn't very good at math. Seeing his bewilderment, Lin Yan said, "Brother Shiyun, do you want to keep accounts too? I'll teach you."
Zhao Shiyun ran away quickly, and Lin Yan laughed secretly behind him.
After finishing the bill, Lin Yan began preparing dinner. Today, Mom bought some catfish, and there were some bean sprouts at home. Lin Yan also brought some tofu and picked a handful of chopped green onions.
A-mo had already gutted and cleaned the catfish. Lin Yan chopped it into small pieces, discarding the teeth. Rinse the surface with warm water to remove any slime and drain in a basket. Cut the tofu into rectangular strips and pan-fry until golden brown on both sides.
Heat a spoonful of lard in a hot pan, then pour in the catfish. Fry both sides until golden brown, turning them over frequently to prevent them from sticking to the pan. After frying, add a spoonful of water, not too much, as this dish is not meant to be drunk as soup.
When the water boils, add tofu and bean sprouts and simmer for about a quarter of an hour. When the tofu is fried and the bean sprouts are cooked, simmer until they are well-seasoned. Finally, sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve.
Lin Yan placed the catfish and double-bean stew in a large bowl and planned to scramble an egg. Yu Ge'er came over after smelling the food. Seeing that Lin Yan was almost done, he helped to serve the rice.
"It's time to eat~" Lin Yan brought the scrambled eggs to the main room and shouted loudly.
The Zhao family had never tried catfish braised with beans; they'd always fried the catfish they'd bought. Yu Ge'er picked up a handful of bean sprouts, chewed them for a few seconds, and then took a bite of the tofu. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Brother-in-law, this dish is delicious!" Everyone else followed suit. Zhao Shiyun lifted his bowl and took a bite of the catfish. The fish was tender, the tofu had absorbed the savory flavor of the broth, and the bean sprouts were crisp and delicious. He nodded repeatedly.
Li Yuemei smiled and said, "Brother Yan's cooking skills are really getting better and better." Lin Yan scratched his head a little embarrassedly. Everyone ate and talked about what happened today. The atmosphere was harmonious and warm.
*
After finishing his meal, Yu Ge'er cleaned up the dishes and prepared to wash them. Lin Yan was about to help, but Yu Ge'er stopped him and said, "Brother, you sell tofu during the day and have to cook when you get home. It's already hard enough. Don't compete with me for work."
Lin Yan smiled with satisfaction, "Our brother Yu is really sensible."
Zhao Shiyu smiled embarrassedly and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
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