Once the soybeans were soaked, Yan Ci slowly ground them into soy milk using a small stone mill, then put them into a large pot to boil.
Bai Xiaoyue stayed in the kitchen watching Yan Ci cook.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for another ten minutes. Scoop out half of the soy milk, leaving half in the pot. Add two tablespoons of white vinegar and let it sit for half an hour.
Half an hour later, Yan Ci opened the pot lid, and Bai Xiaoyue saw that it had solidified.
She hugged Yan Ci with joy: "A-Ci, it's done!"
Yan Ci filled a bowl with tofu pudding, sprinkled it with white sugar, and Bai Xiaoyue took a bite. It was fragrant, smooth, sweet, and tender, with a delicate texture, and tasted delicious.
She casually fed Yan Ci a bite, and asked him with a smile, "Is it delicious?"
Yan Ci squinted and nodded: "Delicious."
Seeing that he liked the food, Bai Xiaoyue took turns eating, and the two of them ate two bowls.
Yan Ci sent a small basin to Bai's parents, and Chang Le returned and ate a large bowl of it.
Two days later, Bai Wenyi came to ask Yan Ci to go up the mountain, but Bai Xiaoyue disagreed.
Bai Wenyi pleaded:
"Xiaoyue, you should pity your brother. He's getting married soon and doesn't have money to buy a gift."
Bai Xiaoyue looked up and asked:
"You're getting married? I hadn't heard. When did you start dating?"
This second cousin is a year older than Yan Ci, and he has never looked for a partner.
When his family introduced him to potential partners, he ran away, causing his uncle and aunt great distress.
Bai Wenyi scratched his head sheepishly:
"I've already set my sights on someone you know."
Bai Xiaoyue went through everyone she knew but couldn't find anyone suitable for Bai Wenyi.
He asked with great curiosity, "Who? Or is it someone I know?"
Bai Wenyi smiled slyly: "If you let Yan Ci and me go up the mountain, I'll tell you."
Bai Xiaoyue was conflicted; she didn't want Yan Ci to go hunting.
She was also very curious about who Bai Wenyi's girlfriend was.
Seeing his wife's anxious expression, Yan Ci gave Bai Wenyi a wink.
Bai Wenyi understood immediately:
"Xiaoyue, I want to get married, so please say yes. We won't go deep into the mountains; we'll just try our luck on the outskirts."
Bai Xiaoyue looked at Yan Ci, and seeing Yan Ci nod, she asked Bai Wenyi:
"Then tell me first, who do you want to be my sister-in-law?"
Seeing that Bai Xiaoyue had agreed, Bai Wenyi was equally straightforward: "He Miao?"
Bai Xiaoyue didn't react immediately: "Who?"
Bai Wenyi repeated: "He Miao, the teacher from Chang Le."
It turns out that Bai Wenyi had been insisting on finding a partner on his own, but whenever his family asked him to go on blind dates, he would always sneak away.
He was getting older and still hadn't settled down, so his aunt was asking around for a suitable girl.
When the village primary school started, Auntie took a liking to He Miao and asked a matchmaker to go and propose marriage.
Bai Wenyi initially disagreed with going to the matchmaking meeting, which angered his uncle, who threatened to kick him out of the house.
Seeing that his father was really angry, Bai Wenyi reluctantly agreed.
He found out that the girl was a teacher at the school, so he secretly went to see her.
The girl had big eyes, two dimples when she smiled, and spoke in a gentle voice.
At first glance, Bai Wenyi knew that she was his wife. She had dressed herself up nicely when they met.
He Miao saw that he was tall, handsome, and from a good family, so she agreed to the marriage.
Bai Wenyi began preparing the bride price; whatever others had, his wife had to have too.
Bai Xiaoyue was overjoyed to confirm that he was indeed Chang Le's teacher.
After that, He Miao really became the second cousin's wife, and Chang Le had someone watching over her at school, so she could feel more at ease.
The next morning, before Bai Xiaoyue even got out of bed, Yan Ci, Bai Wenyi, and Yan Xiaosong went up the mountain together.
Bai Wenyi and Yan Xiaosong were also familiar with the mountain, but they were not good at fighting and usually only dared to hunt pheasants and rabbits.
With Yan Ci present, the two men became bolder and specifically sought out wild boars and roe deer to hunt.
The three were lucky this time. Although they only caught one wild boar, they caught five roe deer, as well as pheasants and rabbits.
Yan Xiaosong caught several more rabbits in the trap.
Yan Ci thought that there was enough meat in the house to last through the winter, so he asked Bai Wenyi to take it all and sell it.
A 300-pound wild boar, five roe deer weighing 230 pounds each, along with pheasants and rabbits, were all taken by one person for 260 yuan.
Bai Wenyi gave Yan Ci 100 yuan, which Yan Ci did not refuse, and he didn't care how the two of them split the rest.
Thinking that his wife had a sore throat and needed to eat more fruit, he asked Bai Wenyi to take him to the black market.
Yan Ci discovered someone selling apples for six cents a pound, as expensive as meat, and bought a box without batting an eye. The box weighed fifty pounds and cost 30 yuan.
He then saw frozen shrimp, which cost one yuan per kilogram, and bought a box of twenty kilograms.
Yan Xiaosong was astonished when he saw how much money Yan Ci spent.
Normally, a family would consider five yuan a month to be a lot, but Brother Ci spent fifty yuan in one go.
What we bought wasn't grain, but apples and shrimp. What's so good about them? They don't fill you up.
When Yan Ci returned home, it was almost dawn. He cooked himself some food, then went to bed on the kang (heated brick bed) and cuddled with his wife.
After lunch, Bai Xiaoyue saw Yan Ci bring out a whole box of apples, and her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter.
The big, round red apples looked very tempting.
Yan Ci washed two large apples, one for Bai Xiaoyue and one for Chang Le.
Chang Le held her apple to Bai Xiaoyue's lips:
"Mom, you eat first."
Bai Xiaoyue took a small bite; it was very sweet. She rubbed her daughter's head and said:
"The apples from Changle are really delicious."
She took a bite out of the apple in her hand before offering it to Yan Ci's lips:
"Aci, try it, it's sweet and sour and very delicious."
Yan Ci took a bite from the spot his wife had bitten, and it tasted quite good.
Watching the mother and daughter squinting as they ate apples, he felt even sweeter inside than if he had eaten an apple himself.
Thinking that I can buy more next time so that the mother and daughter can eat their fill.
Two days later, Bai Wenyi came again, pleading and begging, wanting to go again.
The three of them didn't have much success on their trip up the mountain; they only encountered a wild boar and a few pheasants.
Because the weather was too cold, the group did not venture any further and headed back home with their prey.
There weren't many prey, so Yan Ci sent Bai Wenyi and Yan Xiaosong to sell them while he went home to sleep with his wife.
He had barely lain down when his mother hurriedly knocked on the door.
With red eyes, Bai's mother said to Bai Xiaoyue:
“Daughter, Grandma is not feeling well. Your father and uncle took her to the hospital.”
Yan Ci asked Bai's mother to get on the kang (heated brick bed) and poured her a cup of hot water.
Bai Xiaoyue was still half asleep and a little drowsy:
"Mom, what happened? Grandma has been perfectly fine!"
Bai's mother: "That's right, she's always been fine. Today, your aunt noticed that Grandma didn't get up to eat breakfast."
I went inside to call my grandma, but she wouldn't wake up no matter what I did. Her complexion was off, and when I touched her forehead, it was burning hot.
Your uncle came to ask your dad to help take Grandma to the hospital.
Bai Xiaoyue was shocked to hear this. Her grandmother was old and had suddenly fallen into a coma with a high fever. Medical conditions were not good at the moment.
The village is far from the city hospital, so the situation is really not optimistic.
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