Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Tangyuan Wakes Up
Zhu Dan lay back on the bed and yawned, but still resisted the urge to sleep and continued with the previous inventory work.
When she took Hu Tou to visit the tofu shop in the afternoon, she felt something was wrong with the alchemy furnace.
A large amount of spiritual energy suddenly appeared, but it didn't look like it came from Monkey and the child. It was more like the accumulation of multiple sources of spiritual energy.
Even though the contribution from each source is probably less than one percent, the base number is so large that it feels like small streams are converging into a river or even a sea.
Zhu Dan took a quick glance and realized that these were all feedback from tofu after eating it, and he felt very satisfied.
It turns out that it’s not just for making tofu.
However, because the sources were too diverse, they were not analyzed one by one at the time.
Until this moment, Zhu Dan closed his eyes, and his spiritual consciousness fell on the little dragon of luck, as if it was also extending infinitely along the line connected to it.
Picture after picture flashed before her eyes.
The faces of the Qians, some younger and some older, were similar. They stood in front of the stove, poured the chopped tofu into a clay pot, added pickles, and stewed it.
"Mom, what is this? It smells so good."
"What's this called? Go ask your dad."
"I know, it's tofu, white jade tofu."
Outside the picture is the clear voice of a child.
Then they returned to the dining table, and a clay pot filled with pickled vegetable and tofu soup was placed in the middle.
"Grandpa and Grandma, please eat quickly. This tofu is so soft."
"Okay, okay, I'll eat it right away."
"My dear, you bought the right tofu today. It's rare for my aunt and uncle to eat so much."
"Then I'll go buy it tomorrow."
“Is it expensive?”
"It's not expensive, only one big buck."
"Then buy more."
Page after page turned until the picture disappeared and Zhu Dan opened his eyes.
It turns out that what Qianshou was most likely to make was not fish tofu, but tofu stew.
She still overestimated the living standards of the common people in the Qin Dynasty.
I thought that since there are many rivers in Lantian County, there shouldn't be much shortage of fish.
In this wave of spiritual energy, tofu stew has the least number of dishes, but the quantity is very considerable.
The second most popular dish is fish head tofu, but the reason is very helpless. Compared with the meaty fish body, the fish head is the cheapest. Some nobles like to eat the fish tail, and it can be sold at a high price.
Only the fish head was fishy and full of bones.
This is similar to the offal in pork. It is impossible to throw it away. Some poor families buy fish heads and stew them in a pot as a meat dish.
There is also soybean paste braised tofu... It seems that the more elaborate the cooking method, the more spiritual energy it will receive in return.
Zhu Dan's mind moved. He wondered how much spiritual energy he could gain from making and selling bean curd sheets and thousand sheets.
*
Day 4.
Zhu Dan was having breakfast when she saw the housekeeper leading two little kids in. They were Hu Tou and a little girl who looked like Yu Ji.
The housekeeper told Zhu Dan helplessly that there were many little beggars hiding outside the courtyard.
Originally, they turned a blind eye because they were far away, but they didn't know what Hu Tou was doing outside. They kept coming closer and closer, becoming more and more blatant, which was really an eyesore.
Zhu Dan subconsciously looked at Hu Tou, who smiled shyly: "Boss, those are my brothers who live in the dilapidated temple with me. They are worried about me and Xiao Hua. Please don't blame me."
"Xiaohua?" Zhu Dan's mouth twitched.
"Yes." Hu Tou pointed at his sister, "Her name is Xiaohua."
Zhu Dan: “…”
She couldn't quite bear to look at the name, but as for the flower, poppy?
Refusing to consider the possibility that Yu Ji actually had the nickname Xiao Hua, Zhu Dan asked Hu Tou, "What are you going to do?"
"Boss, I've thought about it. Since you plan to let everyone in Lantian County eat tofu, it will definitely not be enough for me to sell the goods alone. These brothers of mine can go to the countryside to be peddlers and help you promote it." Hu Tou said seriously.
"No." Zhu Dan refused without hesitation, "With your small bodies, you can't even lift tofu."
Without waiting for Hu Tou to say yes anxiously, Zhu Dan said the final word: "And I'm afraid you will be robbed." Rangers were very common in this era.
Tiger Head suddenly became dispirited.
Indeed, the public security in the countryside is not as good as in the county. It is both united and xenophobic.
Zhu Dan patted his head with amusement: "I know you want to find a job for them, but this one won't work. However, I have another job that's perfect for them."
"What?" Hu Tou was surprised.
"Dig out bean curd sheets." Bean curd sheets are also called oil skin. They are made by boiling soy milk and scooping out the top layer of oil film and drying it in the sun. This job is relatively easy and you don't even need to bend over to dry the small bean curd sheets.
As for making thousand sheets, it involves pressing the tofu into thin slices, which requires more strength and they cannot do it.
"If you really want to be a peddler, yuba is very light, so you can carry it around and sell it. But it's hard to find and not cheap."
"I know some servants in noble families and can sell bean curd sheets to them." Hu Tou said loudly.
Zhu Dan was a little surprised. He didn't expect that in addition to the lower-class people, he also had connections in the upper class.
In fact, Zhu Dan is not lacking in this aspect and can let the housekeeper do the sales, but his initiative can also be a channel.
There are only three days left until the seven-day deadline, so the more promotion channels we have, the better.
Zhu Dan taught the little beggar how to pick up bean curd sheets. Before leaving, Zhu Dan brought the tools for making tofu and asked Mengqi to rent two more stalls in advance to merge them into one.
Hu Tou was about to follow Zhu Dan into the carriage when Gongsun Liu pushed him and said hostilely, "Take the next one. There's no room here."
Hu Tou recognized him as Dong's junior fellow apprentice, held his sister's hand tightly, and walked to the back in a sullen manner.
Xiaohua's face was still pale, but Hutou didn't dare to leave her in the villa.
Although those little beggars also stayed in the villa, Xiaohua was different.
Gongsun Liu raised his head proudly, but when he thought about Hu Tou and the others staying in the other courtyard, his happiness quickly faded. He couldn't help but ask, "Sister, you want to find people to make yuba. There are plenty of people. Why choose those little beggars? They are so skinny and dirty. They don't look like they can work."
Hearing this, the silent Fusu also raised his head.
Zhu Dan was wondering if there was an orphanage in the Qin Dynasty when he was interrupted. He was stunned for a moment. "Making yuba isn't complicated. If they're suitable, just let them do it. They might not be as efficient as adults, but the cost of hiring them is also low. Just provide them with three meals a day and give them a few yuan."
Gongsun Liu choked and said awkwardly, "Senior Sister, can you please not have them?"
He pointed to his finger and whispered, "I don't like them."
Zhu Dan didn't ask why he didn't like it. Children's likes and dislikes change as quickly as the weather in June. He just said in a dilemma: "What should I do? My target is not just these beggars. I also plan to open an orphanage and raise all the beggars who have nowhere else to go."
Gongsun Liu's eyes widened in shock, and she finally spoke her mind: "Senior Sister, having me is not enough, you want to raise so many?"
Zhu Dan touched his nose and said this.
Fusu suddenly asked, "Why?"
"ah?"
"Why do you want to open an orphanage and raise those children with no reason?" Fusu looked at him seriously.
"Because the elderly have a place to live and the young have a place to rely on?" Zhu Dan said halfheartedly, "Didn't I say it before? I want to bring the people back to their hearts, and the first step to that is to make sure they have enough to eat."
Fusu: “…”
Zhu Dan glanced at the alchemy cauldron, then looked at Meng Qi's long gaze on him, and suddenly said: "You are very strange, are you really Meng Qi?"
Fusu's heart skipped a beat, not understanding why Zhu Dan suddenly doubted him: "Why do you say that?"
He didn't deny it? Zhu Dan raised his eyebrows.
But she didn't ask any more questions.
They walked in silence all the way to the market. Hu Tou was still responsible for selling tofu, and someone was waiting in front of the stall early.
Zhu Dan had the millstone installed and stepped forward. This time, even if the crowd was cold, she had to come in person: "Dear fellow villagers—"
Zhu Dan specially used his spiritual energy, and even though the sound was not loud, it was as clear as if it was ringing in everyone's ears.
The people who were waiting to buy tofu suddenly noticed that the man at the stall next to them had an elegant appearance and was obviously an aristocrat, Zhu Dan.
I was startled and instinctively wanted to leave.
The next second, Zhu Dan spoke:
"Today I'm going to teach you how to make tofu, using beans."
In an instant, everyone's feet froze in place, and they were reluctant to move.
What did this noble man say?
She wants to teach us how to make tofu?
How is it possible that this tofu is made from beans?
They tried desperately to deny it in their hearts, but everyone stayed honestly.
They just listen.
It should be okay if I just listen and don't speak.
Zhu Dan grabbed a grain bag and said, "I bought this at Zhou's grain store. If you've bought this before, you should be familiar with the style."
She pointed to the pattern on it and said, "This is a bean. There are different kinds of beans, green mung beans, red azuki beans, but yellow soybeans are used to make tofu."
Zhu Dan opened the grain bag and poured out the soybeans inside.
“It’s really soybeans!”
Someone couldn't help but shout out.
This voice seemed to break something, and some people spoke up in twos and threes: "My family harvested two acres of beans last year, exactly the same."
"Oh my god, these soybeans can actually make such soft and tender tofu?"
“How is this done?”
The atmosphere suddenly became heated.
Zhu Dan curled her lips slightly. Although her last eating show failed, she still found someone to help her this time. Of course, she asked the housekeeper to find a person who matched her status.
Money can move people's hearts.
Zhu Dan picked up another wooden bucket and poured water into the tank. Using his palm as a reference, he told the appropriate amount of water and time.
Then she walked to another large vat and said, "When the beans become like this—" She grabbed a handful of beans, walked to the crowd and showed them.
Although every time Zhu Dan stretched out his hand, the person in that direction would suddenly retreat, which was a bit hurtful, it was indeed a lot of progress compared to before.
Zhu Dan went on to share some details about the soaking process: "After the beans are soaked, it's time to grind them to make the pulp."
"This soy milk can be made into tofu, and the remaining bean dregs can also be made into bean dreg cakes."
She didn't say it was for feeding pigs. In the Qin Dynasty where people were never well fed, bean dregs were very useful.
Zhu Dan went through the entire process of making tofu and did all the steps himself.
The housekeeper glanced at the surprise on Qianshou's face and felt inexplicably relieved.
So, it wasn't him who had the problem.
How could a normal, spoiled young lady do such menial work as Mr. Zhu did?
"Does anyone want to try it now?" Zhu Dan looked around and offered a temptation. "Once this tofu is made, I'll give you 60% of it. Today, right now. You won't be able to earn this much in exchange for working in the future."
The crowd was in an uproar, but Zhu Dan glanced at the housekeeper inconspicuously: Honey, it's your turn to take the stage again!
The butler gave Zhu Dan a firm look and gestured in a certain direction.
"I'll do it!" A young man who was as fearless as a newborn calf came out.
He obviously ate well, had a strong physique, and had an eager look on his face.
The middle-aged man next to him turned pale and reached out to pull him, but when he saw everyone's eyes were on him, he retracted his hand.
Zhu Dan gave the housekeeper an appreciative look. The one who brought his family with him was more convincing, and his acting was really good. Look at his face, which turned pale instantly, and his shrunken expression and hunched back... He seemed to want to hide in the crowd in the next second. It was so vivid.
I didn’t expect that people in the Qin Dynasty had such high acting skills.
The housekeeper's face froze slightly. It seemed that this was not the person he was looking for.
Because of the filter, when she saw the young man clumsily pushing the mill, boiling soy milk, and making tofu... Zhu Dan didn't feel disgusted, she just felt that his acting was too close to his face.
It takes some time for tofu to be pressed into shape, so Zhu Dan gave him 60% of the tofu he had made before.
The butler didn't say anything. There was no need for him to say anything.
Seeing that the boy really brought home a basket full of tofu, when Zhu Dan asked if anyone else wanted to try it, several people immediately stood up.
"No rush, there's still a chance before dark."
Everyone rushed to learn how to make tofu from her, and Zhu Dan was very satisfied. What made her even happier was that teaching people how to make tofu in public was indeed extremely efficient.
There are so many people in the market at this time, and they can make money just by watching, hahaha!
If they could learn...
Zhu Dan's eyes lit up and he shouted even louder.
Of course, the market managers also noticed this bustling scene.
They squeezed into the crowd and watched as many people rushed forward to make tofu. They looked at each other in confusion: "Is this okay?"
"They are indeed selling things." An elderly man said with a twinkle in his eyes.
His family harvested a lot of beans last year. Beans are the easiest to grow, so they planted a lot this year. The price of beans has plummeted. If they were to make tofu...
Thinking of this, he suddenly withdrew from the crowd, changed out of his official clothes, and dressed like a commoner.
He was not surprised to see a familiar face among the tofu makers. Apparently, he was not the only one who realized the business opportunity here.
At the market, whether those who were just watching or those who had ordered tofu themselves all felt that they had made a profit, but Zhu Dan also did not lose out.
Because from yesterday's making tofu and eating tofu to today's teaching people to fish, the abundant spiritual energy directly repaired most of her alchemy furnace.
Tangyuan woke up.
The first sentence was: "Master, would you like to make an elixir?"
Zhu Dan, who was about to burst into tears when she was urged to work, said: "..."
Otherwise you should just go back to sleep.
"Don't push, don't push, don't cut in line!"
"My lord! Someone is cutting in line, young lady!"
Suddenly hearing someone calling her, Zhu Dan stopped arguing with Tang Yuan and looked over: "Who wants to cut in line?"
Everyone looked at a middle-aged man with a weathered face. The man quickly explained, "I didn't cut in line. I wanted to buy tofu. I wanted to buy fifty blocks of tofu."
He was holding a large basket in one hand, obviously he was well prepared.
The onlookers were surprised: "Why did you buy so much?"
You have to know that a plate of tofu is only ten yuan. Those who helped with the work got 60% of it, which is six yuan. Even if there are many people in the family and you are willing to spend it, it can be eaten for one or two days.
The young lady said that tofu cannot be stored for a long time, especially since the weather has started to get hot recently. It would be better for them to buy it and eat it on the same day, so that it will be fresh, right?
This person actually bought so much at once, is he going to give it to relatives?
Only Zhu Dan smiled meaningfully.
Very good, another one comes out.
Being stared at by so many eyes, the man was obviously a little nervous, but the more nervous he became, the louder he shouted: "The elders in my village have never eaten tofu. I will bring it back for them to try."
Wow!
The smart ones immediately realized that this man wanted to sell tofu to the villagers!
Now everyone looked at Zhu Dan. The middle-aged man was also very nervous, fearing that the young lady would be unhappy.
Zhu Dan smiled and said, "Okay, if you buy so much at once, it's wholesale price, and I'll give you five blocks of tofu as a gift."
Is this possible?
The young lady didn't mind at all!
Some even cleverly understood Zhu Dan's encouragement:
Yes, the young lady has directly revealed the method of making tofu, so she definitely won’t mind them selling the tofu to the countryside.
In fact, the more she sells, the happier she might be.
For a while, some people were ready to move. Although some people settled in the county, they also had relatives in the countryside, while some people simply came to the county to do odd jobs during the slack season.
If you sell tofu, isn't that a way to make a living?
At this moment, Zhu Dan added fuel to the fire: "If anyone has no money, they can also exchange beans for tofu. If you don't even have beans, come and work for me. I will give you half of the tofu you make."
"First come, first served. I only have five millstones."
"Madam, I'm coming!"
"Young lady, please use me. I have plenty of strength!"
This time, everyone was not as timid as they were on the first day of selling tofu, and they all squeezed forward.
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhu Dan shouted and pointed at the housekeeper, "Go to him and register your names, one by one. No trouble is allowed. Anyone who causes trouble will be disqualified."
Fusu felt even more complicated when he saw Zhu Dan fighting with the common people so quickly.
Twelve strands of spiritual energy? Zhu Dan was stunned and glanced at Monkie. It was good, but she didn't think much of it anymore.
At this time, the golden spiritual energy in the alchemy furnace settled at the bottom, as thick as a pool of spiritual liquid. Twelve strands of spiritual energy entered it, but less than one tenth of it.
This is just the beginning.
Zhu Dan was looking forward to it and thought that once these people sold the tofu to the village, more and more people would know about the method of making tofu. Haha, wouldn't that mean I could make any elixir I wanted?
Suddenly, Tangyuan became aware:
"Master, this spiritual power has its own properties. It's neutral and peaceful, and its aura is as warm as the morning sun. Wow, it's a bit like the holy light you once mentioned! Why don't we use it to refine a rejuvenation pill and see what special effects it has?"
Tangyuan already knew their situation. The spiritual energy in the outside world was extremely thin, and it was impossible to spend a lot of money to refine high-level elixirs like in the cultivation world.
But the rejuvenation pill is different. It is the most commonly used pill by novice monks. It has a mild medicinal effect and can be used for babies if diluted properly.
Didn't the master want to save that Zheng brother? The rejuvenation pill is just right.
Zhu Dan blinked: "What did you say, inherent attributes?"
Compared to Tangyuan who was always thinking about refining the elixir, Zhu Dan obviously grasped the key point.
The most common spiritual energy in the world of cultivation is attributeless spiritual energy. Only when the spiritual energy is refined by cultivators will it take on the attributes of their spiritual roots and skills, but there are also some natural spiritual energies with their own attributes.
For example, the ice aura in the ice valley and the thunder aura in the thunder pool.
These twelve strands of spiritual energy were obtained from Monkey, so it is not surprising that they carry his aura.
"Oh no, master, the spiritual attribute is dissipating and is about to become attributeless!" Tangyuan screamed.
Zhu Dan subconsciously looked at Monkie again.
"Damn it! You're all in my stomach, don't even think about escaping!" Tangyuan shouted, and the companion fire of the alchemy furnace suddenly burned.
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