Not long after, Old Master Li, who had gone out to look for help, came running back with a beaming look on his face. "I've found four uncles in the village for you. They'll still pay you twelve cents a day, and they'll provide a meal at noon! What do you think?"
Li Yan: "I'll make the decision on this matter. When will the work start?"
Mr. Li hesitated for a moment and said to Li Yan, "It's still the first month of the lunar year, and the weather is so cold. The soil is still frozen. It won't be too late to start construction when it's a little warmer!"
Li Yan didn't have as much experience as Grandpa Li in building a house, so since her grandfather said so, Li Yan didn't worry about it.
While waiting for work to start, Li Yan was not idle either.
She discussed the specific planning and layout of the tofu workshop with Li Xiaomei.
Li Yan drew her ideas on a sketch and divided the workshop into several functional areas, including the outer room where the donkey pulled the mill, and the inner room for boiling soy milk and pressing tofu.
In her spare time, Li Xiaomei picked all the beans she had exchanged from the villagers before the New Year, so that they could be used directly when the workshop was built.
During this time, Wu took Li Yan to the kang shop again and spent one tael of silver to buy two hundred large chickens. Because they bought so many, Mrs. Sun generously gave them five ducklings as a gift.
As time goes by, winter gradually leaves and the breath of spring comes quietly.
Time soon came to March, the weather warmed up, and the earth gradually woke up.
Early in the morning, Mr. Li called the young and strong people in the village to start building a workshop.
The few of them had worked together to build a house before, so they were very efficient when they started. They built the workshop in just a few days and spent another two days building two stoves. Li Yan installed the big iron pot she bought from the blacksmith shop in the city.
On the last day, Li Yan paid her wages to the uncles and aunts in the village, and prepared a sumptuous meal to entertain them as a token of gratitude.
It took seven days before the tofu workshop was completed.
After dinner, Li Xiaomei soaked all the 20 pounds of beans she had prepared in water, ready to get up at the hour of Yin to make tofu.
Worried that her aunt couldn't handle the work alone, Li Yan went down the mountain to find someone to help her aunt.
At this time, Xiaocao and her two younger brothers, who were staying with Li Yan, also moved down the mountain. Seeing Li Yan approaching, Xiaocao hurried over to greet her: "Miss, why are you here? Is there something wrong?"
Li Yan asked the three of them if they were used to living here. After receiving a positive answer, Li Yan felt relieved.
Li Yan said, "I came to see you because I want to ask you if you are willing to do a job I have here."
Xiaocao was worried about this matter. She couldn't always take her brother to live in someone else's house for free. Now that there was something she could help with, Xiaocao was very willing to do so.
Making tofu is very hard work, and one often has to get up before dawn to work. Li Yan originally wanted to find the two daughters-in-law of the Guo family, but then she changed her mind. Xiaocao had mentioned it to her many times, asking her to find a job for her, otherwise the three siblings would not feel at ease living here. Well, let's give this child some peace of mind!
Li Yan returned home and said to her aunt with a smile: "Aunt, I just found a helper for you!"
Li Xiaomei declined, saying, "I only need one of these beans. Why bother with all that? When business picks up, you can find someone to help me!"
Li Yan: "Then when you become big and strong, I will find more people to help you. By then, you only need to master the key technology of making tofu, and you can just watch and do the rest!"
Li Xiaomei was very happy with her niece's words and responded with a smile: "Okay, Auntie, work hard to make it bigger and stronger!"
The aunt and niece smiled at each other.
At the time of Yin, the tofu workshop was dark. Xiaocao huddled himself in the door frame as much as possible to avoid the raging cold wind!
Li Xiaomei got up and just arrived at the workshop with a candle when she heard a knock on the door: "Auntie, it's me!"
Li Xiaomei hurried forward, opened the door, and pulled Xiaocao in.
Li Xiaomei held Xiaocao's hand and felt it was icy cold. She couldn't help but say, "Have you been waiting outside for a long time? Look at how cold your hands are!"
The long-lost warmth made Xiaocao's nose sore. She lowered her head and said, "Auntie, I just got here too!"
Li Xiaomei sighed and took out a key to the workshop door from her bosom: "Next time if you come early, open the door first and come in. Don't stand outside in the cold wind!"
Xiaocao took the key and nodded heavily.
The two of them carried the soaked beans to the stone mill. Li Xiaomei brought the donkey and led Xiaocao to grind the beans with the stone mill for a while. Then she was busy making a fire. With someone's help, Li Xiaomei's speed was much faster. At dawn, Li Xiaomei poured the tofu mixed with gypsum water into the mold to control the water.
After washing the millstone and the stove, Xiaocao was about to go back, but Li Xiaomei grabbed her and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Come and have a bowl of hot soy milk before you leave!"
Xiaocao took the hot soy milk, took a sip carefully, and couldn't help but open her eyes wide: "It's sweet and delicious!"
She was reluctant to drink it herself, and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Auntie, can I take this bowl of soy milk back?"
Li Xiaomei understood what the child meant. "If you take it back, it will get cold. Drink it here! Then go get your two brothers. It's just two bowls of soy milk, why carry them back and forth?"
The steaming soy milk in the bowl made Xiaocao's eyes feel hot. Ever since her parents passed away, she has been struggling alone. It turns out that being remembered and cared for by others feels so warm!
Li Xiaomei patted the girl who lowered her head and shed tears silently, and left space for the child.
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