Chapter 45

When it came time for serious work, Sixth Grandma was very reliable.

With sharp eyes and steady hands, she slowly poured brine into the soy milk while gently stirring. She only stopped when tiny millet-like patterns appeared on the surface, patiently waiting for the curd to coagulate into soft tofu.

She controlled the amount of brine perfectly.

Sixth Grandpa prepared the tofu mold lined with cheesecloth, while Sixth Grandma scooped the curds into it with a gourd ladle. She wrapped it in the cloth, placed a wooden board on top, and then set a large stone over it.

Sixth Grandma said, “The last step is done. Let it press for half a day, and the tofu will be ready.”

She scooped the remaining tofu pudding into a bowl and handed it to Jiang Tiantian. “Take this home and eat it with Chengye and the others.”

“I’ll bring over some tofu pieces in the afternoon once they’ve set.”

Jiang Tiantian took the bowl, and as Sixth Grandma walked them to the door, she continued explaining:

“Tofu can be cooked in so many ways—pan-fried, stir-fried, stewed, boiled, deep-fried, you name it.”

“It can also be processed further into blood tofu, dried tofu, fermented tofu…”

“Even the leftover soybean dregs can be fermented into dreg paste. When smoked like cured meats, it becomes incredibly fragrant. People in the village love eating it with rice.”

“When I finish making some, I’ll bring some over for you.”

Jiang Tiantian responded gratefully, “Thank you, Grandma! Today, I’m going up the mountain to pick wild fruits for jam. I’ll bring some for you to try!”

—-

At the gate, Sixth Grandma pulled Cha Jiuzhang aside. “How much longer before Xiaoliu can take a break?”

“Probably until the end of October. After that, the matsutake mushrooms won’t be as plentiful or high quality, so there won’t be any more shipments.”

“Alright, then I’ll schedule a meeting with the girl’s family in November. If you see Xiaoliu, tell him it’s time to settle down. I don’t know why he keeps avoiding it.”

Cha Jiuzhang chuckled. “I’ll let him know, but I can’t guarantee he’ll show up.”

Sixth Grandma patted his hand. “He listens to you. Talk some sense into him. Look at you—you’ve already settled down. How much longer does he plan to fool around?”

Cha Jiuzhang hesitated, “Xiaoliu is still young—”

A sharp glare from Sixth Grandma cut him off.

“…Fine, I’ll try my best.”

—-

Back home, Jiang Tiantian enjoyed a bowl of savory tofu pudding with the family, along with two matsutake mushroom and beef buns. Then, she grabbed her supplies—a large basket on her back, a smaller bamboo basket in hand—and rushed out the door.

“Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Jiuzhang, I’m heading out! No need to wait for me for lunch!”

The remaining family members exchanged glances.

Zuo Mingyan shook her head with a smile. “This girl is always on the move.”

Cha Jizu drank his fresh tofu pudding and remarked, “I was worried she wouldn’t adapt to life here, but now she seems to love it more than anything.”

Cha Chengye, happily munching on a matsutake bun, added, “It’s good for a young girl to be lively and happy every day.”

Cha Jiuzhang: “…”

Why did he have a growing sense of being sidelined?

—-

Jiang Tiantian went door-to-door, gathering the village wives who had agreed to go foraging with her.

Laughing and chatting, the group set off for the mountains.

Chajia Village sat between highlands and warm valleys, with a climate perfect for plants and wildlife. While they lacked seafood, the mountains were rich in delicacies.

This season alone, the wild fruits included mountain grapes, hawthorns, raspberries, wild blueberries, tree berries, wild kiwis, August melons, myrtles, jelly fruits, ground loquats, nightshade berries, Chinese dates, spiny pears, and red-heart fruits.

Some, she had seen on her first trip up the mountain; others were entirely new to her.

The village wives were well-versed in where each type of fruit grew.

With little access to store-bought snacks, families with children made it a yearly tradition to gather wild fruits for them to enjoy as treats.

Along the way, Jiang Tiantian even discovered a patch of wild chestnut and walnut trees, laden with fruit.

The women told her it wasn’t time to harvest yet. By September or October, the nuts would ripen and fall naturally, making them easy to collect.

As they walked, they picked and ate whatever they found.

By noon, Jiang Tiantian looked like a messy little kitten, her mouth, cheeks, and hands stained with colorful fruit juices.

The women exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

One young wife, whom Jiang Tiantian called Third Sister-in-law, pointed ahead. “If we cross that ridge, there’s a small creek where we can wash up.”

—-

The mountains whispered, the water sang.

The sound of the stream was like a melody—soft, clear, and refreshing.

A narrow, winding creek—about a meter wide—flowed through the valley, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes wide, sometimes narrow.

The cool, misty breeze and the gentle babbling of the water instantly washed away Jiang Tiantian’s fatigue.

The stream was crystal clear. She washed her face and hands, then couldn’t resist scooping up a handful to drink.

The water was cool, sweet, with a hint of aftertaste.

The group decided to rest there, sitting in the shade and eating their packed meals.

Jiang Tiantian, still full from all the wild fruit she had eaten, took the chance to wander around.

“Tiantian, don’t go too far! It’s easy to get lost in the mountains!”

“Got it! I’m just going a little ahead—I’ll be right back!”

The farther she walked, the more amazed she became.

Her heart pounded.

She had found an entire hillside of wild ancient tea trees!

Most stood four to five meters tall, their ages at least a hundred years old. Some massive trees had trunks two to three meters in circumference, towering over ten meters high with robust branches and thick leaves.

They had even formed an extremely rare wild tea tree ecosystem!

A single ancient tea tree surviving for a thousand years was already extraordinary, but a wild tea tree colony like this could have existed for thousands of years.

With its untouched natural habitat, shrouded in mist year-round, nurtured by rain and sunlight, the tea from this region would be of exceptional quality.

“We’re rich! We’re rich!”

Jiang Tiantian mentally bombarded Xiao Qi.

“Xiao Qi, even if we do nothing else, just selling this ancient tea will make us a fortune!”

At this moment, Jiang Tiantian’s mind was filled with visions of money raining from the sky, and herself rolling in piles of cash.

It felt even better than closing a billion-dollar business deal.

Xiao Qi sensed her overheating brain. Normally, it would trigger overload protection mode—

But Jiang Tiantian was a biological human…

Xiao Qi: I’m just a virtual AI, a two-dimensional, emotionless existence… I don’t get your excitement.

Jiang Tiantian thought the villagers were too foolish.

They were sitting on a gold mine, yet had no idea how to turn it into wealth.

But she understood why.

The village was too remote. Transportation alone was a huge issue. Plus, the locals had no channels for selling the tea, making it difficult to profit from.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Jiang Tiantian laughed up at the sky.

But things were different now.

Jiang “Lucky Charm” Tiantian had arrived.

From now on, Chajia Village would get rich—together!