Jiang Yuwei thought that she could grind all the dried soybeans into tofu today, and then collect some wood ash to make gray tofu. So she washed all the soybeans and soaked them in water.
She kneaded another piece of dough to let it rise at noon so she could steam buns. She also rinsed a pot of rice and started steaming it. Today at noon, she planned to stir-fry three kinds of potatoes and green peppers, make a flavorful eggplant, stir-fry some pork, and serve it with a green vegetable.
Ning Wan was in charge of cooking the rice, Jiang Yuwei washed the vegetables, and Ning Huaizhi chopped them. The three of them worked together harmoniously. Jiang Yuwei prepared all the side dishes, then deep-fried the side dishes for the "Third Fresh" and "Flavorful Eggplant" dishes. After preparing the sauces for these two dishes, she handed them over to Ning Huaizhi to cook.
Ning Wan had already steamed a large pot of rice and was now helping Ning Huaizhi tend the fire and cook the dishes. Jiang Yuwei, on the other hand, started kneading dough and steaming buns. She steamed two large pots of buns, enough to last for two or three days, before calling everyone working in the backyard to come and eat.
The villagers worked very hard and didn't slack off. In just one morning, they had already knocked down the original stone wall and started building a brick wall. Jiang Yuwei thought that since she had bought enough bricks and tiles this time, she should make sure to build the courtyard wall very high.
Furthermore, a low wall should be built around the path leading from the courtyard to the pond, and a gate should be constructed there. This way, people can work more safely and safely. The paper mill in the backyard will have two gates, one leading to the backyard and the other to the pond. If workers are hired to do work regularly in the future, they can use the gate by the pond so as not to disturb the life in the front yard.
While the villagers were eating, Jiang Yuwei spoke to them:
"Fellow villagers, my family is buying wood ash. It's two coins a pound. If you have any at home, you can save them up and send them over."
Jiang Yuwei then pointed to the paper mulberry bark drying in the yard and said:
"We also buy paper mulberry bark regularly. If you come across it on the mountain, you can peel off the bark, dry it, and sell it to us. It costs four coins per pound."
When the villagers saw that this was something their family usually didn't want, and that the eldest daughter-in-law was actually willing to sell it, they all said:
"I have plenty of wood ash at home. I'll have my wife gather it up and bring it over as soon as I get back today!"
"Yes, I have plenty at home too!"
"Yeah, I didn't know this stuff could be sold for money. We just sold some a few days ago, what a pity!"
"I've seen this paper mulberry bark before when I was herding sheep. I know where it is. Once I finish my work here, I'll go up the mountain to get some!"
"These things are everywhere on the mountain. I'll have my kid go up the mountain to peel them tomorrow!"
Jiang Yuwei was happy to see everyone's enthusiasm, which saved her the trouble of collecting the paper. The paper mulberry bark in the yard had been dried, so Jiang Yuwei bundled the dried bark together and took it to the pond at the foot of the mountain to soak it in running water for ten days. This would make the paper more delicate and smooth and less prone to cracking.
Jiang Yuwei thought that if she could buy the pond, she could take advantage of the opportunity to build the backyard and fence it off as well, so that the paper mill would have safer and more convenient water supply in the future.
She was terrified that something like what happened with Zhang Laizi would happen again. Zhang Laizi was just a lone thief who stole from her house out of greed, and she could barely handle it. But if she made more money in the future and someone with ulterior motives saw it, they might gather a few gangs or even join forces with mountain bandits to rob her. She definitely wouldn't be able to cope with that.
Thinking this, Jiang Yuwei went to the village head's house again. She had just entered when she met the village head, who was about to leave. Jiang Yuwei quickly asked:
"Village head, where are we going?"
The village head laughed:
"It's nothing. I just need to go to the clan chief's house because of Zhang Laizi's move out of Ningjia Village. Is there something you need, Yuwei?"
Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:
"Zhang Laizi's matter has really caused trouble for Lizheng. This incident has also given me a wake-up call. I'm thinking of buying the land by the pond. I wonder if that's feasible?"
The village head pondered for a moment and said:
“That place is far from the village, and there’s no other people’s land there, it’s all village land. If you want to buy it, I can draft a document for you. Anyway, I’m going to town to handle the household registration transfer, so let’s go to the government office together to handle it for you.”
Jiang Yuwei hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. It was indeed the right thing for her to establish a good relationship with the village head's family as soon as she arrived in Ningjia Village. Otherwise, she wouldn't have brought Ning Qiu along to every market day and paid her such a high wage. These laborers who worked hard repairing their own houses only earned twenty copper coins a day, but Jiang Yuwei always forced Ning Qiu to give her thirty copper coins. The village head's family knew exactly what she was doing.
Jiang Yuwei said with a smile:
"Then I'll have to trouble the village head with one more thing. When you come back this afternoon, please help me buy some more bricks and tiles. I want to fence off the pond as well, so I can feel at ease."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei slipped five taels of silver into the village head's hand. After buying the pond and bricks, there should still be some money left over. Jiang Yuwei originally intended to give it to the village head, after all, he was so concerned about his family's affairs and had made several trips to town. Jiang Yuwei was quite willing to spend money on such things.
The village head took the silver and smiled:
"Okay, Yuwei, you go back and get busy. I'll send the bricks, tiles, and land deeds to you tonight."
Jiang Yuwei nodded and left. She needed to hurry back to grind soybeans and make tofu. She had soaked several large buckets of soybeans that morning, and she would probably be working until midnight again tonight.
Thinking this, Jiang Yuwei returned home. Ning Wan was taking a nap inside, while Ning Huaizhi was washing the dishes. Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
“Huaizhi, I’ve also bought the pond in the back. We’ll take advantage of the opportunity to build the backyard to fence off the pond as well, so we can raise some fish and shrimp in it in the future.”
Ning Huaizhi smiled and nodded, saying:
"Okay, I'll do whatever my wife says!"
Jiang Yuwei took out the soybeans she had soaked that morning and started grinding them into soy milk. Tonight, she planned to prepare a tofu feast so that the villagers could all taste the tofu she had made herself.
Jiang Yuwei was in charge of turning the millstone, while Ning Huaizhi was in charge of pouring the soaked soybeans into the millstone. After all the soybeans were ground, Ning Huaizhi used gauze and the wooden frame he had built to squeeze out the soybean pulp. Ning Huaizhi was very strong and squeezed out all the soybean pulp in no time. Jiang Yuwei then poured the filtered soy milk into a pot.
Jiang Yuwei asked Ning Wan to help with the fire, while she watched the pot. After the soy milk boiled, she poured the brine into the soy milk little by little. The amount of brine used to make tofu needs to be controlled, and it needs to be poured in while stirring constantly so that it can be better mixed. After everything was done,
Jiang Yuwei then laid a gauze inside the large bamboo mold she had made earlier, poured in the prepared tofu, wrapped it with gauze, and then filled a basin with water to press down on the mold to drain the water from the tofu.
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