Chapter 44

She pushed aside Cha Jiuzhang and gripped the handle herself, feeling the millstone begin to turn under her strength.

It was actually quite fun.

Seeing Jiang Tiantian enjoying herself, Cha Jiuzhang didn’t interrupt her. Instead, he turned to Sixth Grandpa and asked, “Has the bittern been fetched?”

The sixth Grandpa chuckled, “Since you’re helping out here, I’ll go get it now.”

Cha Jiuzhang stopped him. “I’ll go instead.”

As he slung the carrying pole over his shoulder and lifted the two empty wooden buckets, Jiang Tiantian’s curiosity kicked in again.

“Where are you going?”

Cha Jiuzhang turned back helplessly. “I’m going to fetch well water.”

“What for? Isn’t the well right in the yard?”

“No, I mean the well water for making tofu.”

“Bittern is used to coagulate tofu—it neutralizes the soy milk. Isn’t gypsum used for that?” She knew at least that much.

“No, in our village, we use well water.”

“That’s amazing! I want to go too.”

Jiang Tiantian let go of the mill handle and ran over, demanding that Cha Jiuzhang teach her how to use the carrying pole. Once she got the hang of it, she mercilessly pushed him aside. “You go grind the soybeans.”

“Sixth Grandpa, let’s go fetch the water.”

Cha Jiuzhang reached out but failed to stop her.

He finally understood—this woman was far more excited about all the new things in the village than she was about him.

Why did he suddenly feel a little sour inside?

Was he actually jealous of a well?

Unbelievable!

Feeling exhausted, he went back to grinding soybeans.

Sixth Grandma chuckled beside him. “Jiuzhang, your wife is quite lovable—so full of energy.”

“She just finds everything new and interesting.”

“Well, that’s rare too. A city girl marrying into the countryside without a hint of discomfort or disdain.”

“I’ve seen city girls before.”

“You’ve got a good wife—down-to-earth and easygoing. When we went to town yesterday, she told us so many jokes along the way, making everyone laugh.”

“Listen, you better treat her well. Don’t think just because she married into your family alone that you can bully her. If you do, I’ll be the first to stand up for her.”

Cha Jiuzhang felt wronged. “Sixth Grandma, do you think I could even bully her if I wanted to?”

Wasn’t he supposed to be the one everyone doted on?

This woman had only been here for a few days, and suddenly, everyone’s affection had shifted?

The speed of love changing was like a tornado…

—-

At the edge of the village stood an ancient well. The stone platform surrounding it bore the marks of time.

Sixth Grandpa explained, “This well has been here for over a hundred years. Strangely, while all other wells in the village produce crystal-clear water, this one is slightly cloudy.”

“Later, our ancestors discovered that this water naturally contains bittern, which can be used to coagulate soy milk instead of gypsum. The tofu made with it lacks the gypsum taste—it’s delicate, soft, and fragrant, with a firm texture that the villagers love.”

From then on, Cha Family Village passed down a saying: ‘A sip of ancient well water, a lingering aroma of tofu.’

Xiao Qi, can you analyze why this happens?”

“System analysis: Compared to ordinary well water, this well’s water is different in two ways. First, it is slightly acidic. Second, it has a higher mineral content, especially calcium ions. This gives it a similar coagulating effect to gypsum.”

Jiang Tiantian, the ever-curious learner, had discovered yet another interesting fact.

Under Sixth Grandpa’s guidance, she used a wooden bucket to draw water from the well and filled the buckets she had carried over.

Making tofu involves several steps: washing, grinding, boiling, filtering, coagulating, molding, and cutting.

By the time Jiang Tiantian returned with the water, Cha Jiuzhang and the others had already finished grinding the soybeans and had started boiling the soy milk.

“Tiantian, Jiuzhang said you two haven’t had breakfast yet. Have a bowl of soy milk to warm up.”

Sixth Grandma scooped four bowls of soy milk with a gourd ladle. “Tiantian, do you want sweet or savory soy milk?”

“Thank you, Sixth Grandma. I’ll have sweet.”

“What about Jiuzhang?”

“I’ll have sweet too.”

Sixth Grandma generously added two heaping Spoonfuls of sugar to each of their bowls.

Sixth Grandpa, however, was ignored.

He didn’t mind—he chuckled and scooped just half a spoonful of sugar into his own bowl.

Jiang Tiantian hugged Sixth Grandma and acted coquettishly. “Sixth Grandma, you’re so good to me! You know I love sweets. I’ll bake you little cakes next time!”

“Hehe, alright! I’ll be waiting.”

Sixth Grandpa took a sip of soy milk and couldn’t help but marvel, “You wouldn’t believe it, but Tiantian is really strong. I offered to carry the water back, but she refused and walked half the village carrying two full buckets with ease.”

“If she lived in the past, she’d be a great farmhand.”

Sixth Grandma immediately shot back.

“Pfft~”

“You think all women should be used like men? Jiuzhang married Tiantian to cherish her. Look at her soft, delicate hands—she’s not meant for farm work.”

“Hey, hey, don’t bring up old grudges! Just because that one time, back when you had just given birth, I asked you to help out a little early—”

“That was during the harvest! We were short on hands!”

“But didn’t I treat you well afterward? I pampered you, didn’t let you set foot on the ground, and almost worshipped you!”

“….”

Great.

Sixth Grandpa had successfully ignited Sixth Grandma’s temper.

The two elderly lovebirds completely forgot about their audience and started digging up old arguments with full enthusiasm.

Jiang Tiantian suddenly realized something fascinating—everyone in the village was naturally funny! They had a way of talking that was effortlessly entertaining, throwing jokes around like seasoned comedians.

She asked Xiao Qi, “Do you think I could host a stand-up comedy or debate competition in the village? Would people watch that?”

Yesterday, she had already toyed with the idea—inviting a few villagers to share their stories might be really fun.

Especially the elderly—they were full of old tales, folk legends, countryside anecdotes, and even scandalous love stories…

Xiao Qi: “Anything is possible. You can give it a try.”

Cough, cough.

“Shouldn’t we be making tofu now?”

Cha Jiuzhang finally couldn’t hold back and interrupted the two elderly “children,” whose combined age was over a hundred.

Mainly because the conversation had started going off the rails, and the topic was getting too risqué.

There was still an innocent young lady present!

Grandma Sixth quickly snapped back to reality, swallowing down whatever she was about to say.

She smoothed her hair with an air of dignity. “Oh dear, look at me, almost forgot what we were doing.”

“Jiuzhang, bring the bucket over. Let’s start making tofu.”

Then she shot a fierce glare at Grandpa Sixth. “I’m in a scolding mood today, so I won’t waste it on you. Get lost and find somewhere cool to sit.”

Grandpa Sixth stubbornly stood his ground. “I think this spot is quite cool.”

“Pfft—”

Jiang Tiantian put down her bowl and doubled over laughing.

It was hilarious, but also enviable.

Even when bickering, their love for each other was obvious.

Finally, Grandpa Sixth felt a bit embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and muttered, “I… I’ll go bring the stone inside.”