Chapter 15: Spicy Crayfish

Liu Yinyin thought for a moment. Simply giving twelve pieces of candy would be too conspicuous. Fortunately, she had exchanged some small change and eggs at the market today.

She said, “Xiaoman, Auntie hasn’t been to the county recently, so I don’t have enough candy at home. How about I give you six pieces of candy and ten cents instead?”

That seemed like a fair trade.

Money was, of course, valuable too.

Liu Xiaoman happily accepted the offer.

Wild crayfish were selling for thirty cents a pound. Liu Yinyin sold seven pounds to the system and kept the remaining five pounds for dinner.

Crayfish were quite tricky to clean, so when Liu Mingyuan arrived, he found Liu Yinyin still scrubbing them with a brush.

“Whoa, why are you messing around with so many big-shelled shrimp?” Liu Mingyuan was surprised. He felt that his sister was really into experimenting with strange and unusual foods lately.

Liu Yinyin, busy washing the crayfish, didn’t even look up. “Of course, I’m going to eat them. I’ll make an extra dish for you all tonight.”

Liu Mingyuan: “…”

Alright then. Thinking about the braised small fish she had made before—he had to admit, it was delicious, though it used up quite a bit of oil.

Without saying more, Liu Mingyuan took a bucket and went to the fields to water the crops.

Liu Yinyin worked hard for a while and finally finished cleaning the crayfish.

That evening, she made a big pot of spicy crayfish. After tasting two, she was satisfied—she had added plenty of seasoning, so the flavor was excellent.

But she didn’t dare eat too much. Since she was pregnant, she had to be careful.

Tonight, Liu Yinyin didn’t keep Liu Mingyuan for dinner. Instead, she had him take the entire pot of crayfish back to the Liu family house to add a meat dish to their meal.

The Liu family had been good to her, and Liu Yinyin couldn’t just keep taking from them without giving anything in return.

Her own dinner was quite substantial as well—steamed egg with minced meat, garlic stir-fried lettuce, and a bowl of semi-thick porridge.

Since she was pregnant, she was very mindful of her nutrition.

The town’s market was only held twice a month, so the Immortal Tofu business couldn’t be done daily.

However, when the Liu family had free time, they would go into the mountains to gather leaves. (fermented bean leaf).

They couldn’t sell it, but they could eat it themselves.

In this hot weather, hanging Immortal Tofu in the well to cool it made it incredibly refreshing to eat.

Normally, a meal would only be about seventy to eighty percent filling, but with a bowl of ice-cold Immortal Tofu afterward, it became a full, satisfying meal!

Over the next few days, the heat persisted. The villagers still had to carry water to irrigate their fields every day.

The intense heat combined with hard labor left most workers looking as wilted as frostbitten eggplants—completely drained of energy.

However, the Liu family stood out. They still had energy and worked with enthusiasm, making them noticeably different from the rest.

Word about their Immortal Tofu business and their habit of eating it daily couldn’t stay hidden from the other villagers for long.

People in those days were simple and honest. Even though they knew about it, no one had the nerve to come ask directly.

But as time passed, more and more people started feeling tempted.

One morning after breakfast, Jiang Cuihua came to Liu Yinyin’s house carrying a basket of fresh vegetables. As soon as she stepped inside, she muttered, “Aiya, these past few days, people keep pestering me, asking how to make Immortal Tofu. Can you believe their nerve?”

Liu Yinyin was busy making mung bean soup. Hearing this, she asked, “Did you tell them?”

“Of course not!” Jiang Cuihua huffed. “If we tell them, we won’t be able to make money from selling Immortal Tofu anymore.”

If everyone learned how to make it, who would still come to buy from them?

Even though the market was only held twice a month, each time they sold Immortal Tofu, they earned enough to support her daughter for a while. It was definitely worthwhile.

Liu Yinyin said, “I’ve noticed that some people in the village have already started going up the mountain to pick leaves. Even if we don’t tell them, others will figure it out sooner or later.”

After all, the principle of making Immortal Tofu was the same as making regular tofu—it wasn’t difficult.

“…So what should we do?” Jiang Cuihua was still thinking about continuing to sell Immortal Tofu for profit.

Liu Yinyin, unconcerned, said, “Honestly, selling it doesn’t bring in much money anyway, so there’s no point in keeping it a secret. If someone asks, just tell them. Sooner or later, everyone will find out. It’s better to do them a favor and gain goodwill with the villagers.”

Her original goal wasn’t to make money, and things were already going well as they were.

“Just tell them outright? That seems like a huge loss,” Jiang Cuihua felt it was a shame. In her mind, if they were really going to share the method, they should at least get something in return.

Liu Yinyin sighed and said, “I heard that with this year’s abnormal weather, the autumn harvest will definitely be affected. That means the village’s grain distribution will be lower than usual.

Mom, if everyone starts going hungry, do you think they’ll blame you for not telling them how to make Immortal Tofu sooner?”

Jiang Cuihua’s eyes widened in alarm. “That’s impossible, right? This is clearly because the heavens aren’t blessing us with a good harvest. How could that be my fault?”

“When people are starving, they don’t care about logic,” Liu Yinyin replied. “If things get that bad, desperation will take over.”

Thinking about the strange weather this year, Jiang Cuihua suddenly felt uneasy. With a sigh, she said, “Fine, we’ll tell them. Consider it an act of kindness.”

It wasn’t worth making enemies over food.

Seeing that her mother had come around, Liu Yinyin smiled and said, “Mom, they say that taking a loss is actually a blessing. Maybe good fortune is waiting for you in the future.”

Jiang Cuihua chuckled in exasperation. “I’ve spent my whole life eating coarse grains and bitter greens—what kind of good fortune could possibly be left for me?”

As long as her children were doing well, she had no other wishes.

Just then, the pot of mung bean soup Liu Yinyin had been boiling was ready. She scooped some into a small bowl and said, “Mom, I made some mung bean soup. Take it home and hang it in the well to cool before drinking it.”

Several villagers had already suffered heatstroke in the past few days. They couldn’t afford to be careless, and drinking some mung bean soup was a good way to cool down.

Last time at the market, she had exchanged for two pounds of mung beans—now was the perfect time to use them.

Jiang Cuihua glanced over and saw her daughter scooping generous spoonfuls of sugar into the mung bean soup as if sugar cost nothing.

She was just about to say something when, coincidentally, someone arrived.

“Aiya, Cuihua, you’re here too?” The village chief’s wife, Li Chunfang, walked in carrying a bag of lotus seed pods. “My family sent over a whole basket of lotus seed pods. I brought some for Yinyin to try—people say they’re good for pregnant women.”

There weren’t many snacks in these times, and lotus seeds were considered a rare treat.

Liu Yinyin was flattered but immediately sensed that this wasn’t just a simple act of kindness. No one visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason—Li Chunfang had no real ties to her, so she was unlikely to come over just to give her lotus seed pods.

Jiang Cuihua, on the other hand, was even more experienced. Having lived for so many years, she had seen it all. However, she remained polite and said, “Sister-in-law, how can Yinyin, a junior, accept your food…?”

While the two exchanged pleasantries, Liu Yinyin poured two bowls of mung bean soup and placed them in cool water to lower the temperature.

Li Chunfang subtly glanced around the kitchen. The moment she stepped in, she had noticed how tidy Liu Yinyin’s home was. The courtyard’s sweet potatoes were growing well, clearly well-watered and taken care of.

The kitchen was spotless—obviously the home of someone hardworking and clean.

After a bit of small talk, Li Chunfang finally got to the point. “Cuihua, I heard people say that you know how to make that Immortal Tofu, and that it tastes amazing?”