Chapter 173 Soybean Meal and Tofu

“I’m back, Mom,” came the voice of Wang Zhenguo from outside. The old lady quickly put away the other items in her hands, leaving out the dowry items.

“Son, you’re back. How did your future in-laws respond? Can they help with the meat and oil for the betrothal gifts?” The Wang family’s wedding arrangements were rushed, and there was no preparation at all. The old lady could only hope that her future in-laws would lend a hand.

Wang Zhenguo proudly replied, “Of course, my future father-in-law can handle anything. He even said he would arrange a job for me after the wedding. You can enjoy life with me from now on.”

Unable to stand Wang Zhenguo’s smugness, Wang Zhi complained, “Brother, your wedding has drained our family’s savings. I’m telling you, you and your wife need to contribute more for my wedding. Otherwise, I’ll be upset. After all, my earnings are also included in the wedding fund.”

Wang Zhenguo, indifferent, reassured her, “Don’t worry, with me around, you’ll have a grand wedding. You can count on me.”

Zhu Qiyu remembered an important matter that had not been taken care of yet. “Zhenguo, after the betrothal ceremony tomorrow, go to the city and talk to your elder sister about this. Ask her to help you choose your wedding attire. The clothes sold here are not up to par, but the ones in the city are much better. You only get married once, so we can’t be careless about it.”

The old lady wanted to ensure that her son’s wedding would leave no room for regrets. “Oh, I see,” Wang Zhenguo replied.

With the Wang family rushing to hold the wedding, the villagers in the village began to discuss and inquire about the situation. Some even managed to find out about Zhang Lan’s whereabouts.

Faced with the curious villagers, Zhang Lan brushed off their questions with a smile. “I don’t know either. You know as much as I do about the situation between our families. I know even less than you do,” she said, skillfully deflecting their inquiries.

Although she had heard from her daughter about what had happened, Zhang Lan was not one to gossip about other people’s affairs, especially if they didn’t concern her.

At noon, Wang Qian was at home, grinding the soaked soybean meal with a large stick in a tub until no more debris was visible. Hao Lianchun boiled the soybean milk in a large pot, then poured it into the tub and added brine, stirring slowly until the mixture began to solidify.

At that moment, Zhang Lan returned home with a package of cheesecloth and a wooden box borrowed from a neighbor. Wang Qian noticed that the cheesecloth was actually a dense gauze.

“Qianqian, stand on the small stool and help me hold it up while auntie will pour the mixture in,” Zhang Lan instructed.

She placed two planks over the pot, positioned the tofu-making box on top, lined it with the cheesecloth, and then, with her daughter, lifted the corners of the cloth. Hao Lianchun poured the curdled mixture from the tub onto the fine cheesecloth.

Wang Qian watched her mother’s actions and followed suit, shaking the cheesecloth to let the water flow into the pot. They repeated this process until all the tofu curds from the tub had been scooped out. After squeezing out the excess water from the cheesecloth, Zhang Lan tightly wrapped the four corners of the cloth to prevent the soy milk from spilling out. She then placed a clean cloth bag on top of the cheesecloth and brought out a clean wooden frame from the warehouse, placing a large stone on top to press down on the cheesecloth.

Zhang Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s done. Now we just have to wait to eat the tofu.”

Wang Qian had never seen the process of making tofu before, so she had some questions. “Mom, when will the tofu be ready?”

Zhang Lan pointed to the still-dripping cheesecloth. “Once it stops dripping, we can uncover it after a while.”

The tofu was ready, and they just had to wait for the right time to uncover it.

As mealtime approached, Hao Lianchun and Zhang Lan hurried to prepare the meal, while Wang Qian sat by the pot where the tofu was being made. Fortunately, the Wang family’s kitchen had a variety of pots, so cooking was not delayed. She watched as the water dripping from the cheesecloth gradually decreased until there was no more. Then she asked, “Mom, the water has stopped dripping. Can we eat the tofu now?”

Wang Qian was eager to see the difference between the tofu made from soybean meal and the tofu made from soy milk, as she had never seen tofu made in this way before.

Hao Lianchun touched the tofu and nodded. “Qianqian, be patient. It will be ready soon. Let’s wait a little longer.”

“Mom, is the tofu ready?” Mingyuan and the others ran into the yard, shouting.

Hao Lianchun and Zhang Lan chuckled at their eagerness. “It’s almost ready. You can eat it soon.”

As mealtime approached, Wang Qian finally got to see what tofu made from soybean meal looked like. It was a bit rough and lacked the delicate texture of tofu made from soy milk, but it was still delicious.

Mingyuan and the others eagerly grabbed a piece of tofu and nodded in approval. “Mom, it’s delicious. I wish we could have tofu more often in the future.”

Tofu, a simple food in modern times, was considered a luxury here. Villagers rarely had the opportunity to eat it, except during festivals or special occasions.

Zhang Lan gently touched her son’s face. “Of course, we will have it often. I’ve saved some soybean meal, so I’ll make it for you again next time.”

Zuo Yu earnestly said, “Auntie, the tofu you made is really delicious. Don’t forget to make it for us next time.”

Hao Lianchun and Zhang Lan smiled at each other after hearing the little boy’s words. “Sure, we won’t forget,” they said.

This time, Wang Qian had also planted some soybeans in the space, hoping to produce more oil at harvest time. The family had enough food to eat, and the space would continue to produce food. So, this time, they planted soybeans to address the issue of cooking oil.

“Zuo Yu, in the future, my mom will make real tofu for you to eat. We also want to drink soy milk,” Wang Qian said to her brother.

Zuo Yu didn’t take his little sister’s words to heart. After all, she was even younger than him, and he didn’t think she was being serious. However, Zuo He nodded in agreement. “Yes, Qianqian, we’ll look forward to drinking soy milk. My mom said it helps kids grow taller.”

Zuo He hadn’t forgotten his mother’s words from when he was a child. He still remembered the sweet and fragrant soy milk he had enjoyed back then, and the thought of it made his mouth water.

During lunch, Zuo Zhanshan and Wu Changyong brought back a handcart with dual wheels, loaded with scrap wood and boards. Wang Zhenhe hurried out to help unload the wood.

Wang Qian and the others gathered around to take a look. The wooden boards seemed to have been around for quite some time, but they looked usable.

“Uncle, where did you get these from?” Wang Zhenhe asked as he helped unload.

Zuo Zhanshan explained with a smile, “We noticed that the military depot had a lot of discarded wooden boards, so Old Wu and I asked Old Yu for them. Your family still needs some boards to make cabinets, right? We’ll try to make some furniture with these boards. It’s been a long time since you moved into your new home, and you still don’t have a cabinet. We’ll do it ourselves. Old Wu and I know a bit about carpentry, so we’ll take care of it.”

Wang Qian was surprised to learn that Zuo Zhanshan had hidden woodworking skills. Zhang Lan, who overheard, quietly asked, “Is what Uncle said true or false? I didn’t know about this.”

Hao Lianchun chuckled and said, “Your Uncle Zuo used to be an apprentice in a carpentry shop before he joined the army, and Old Wu is self-taught. But it’s been so many years; I wonder if the old guy has forgotten.”

The matter of the woodworking skills was left for Wang Zhenhe to handle. There were several carpenters in the village who could help, and they all had their own tools.

After lunch, the two old men began to plan and sketch in the yard with the tools borrowed by Wang Zhenhe. Wang Qian didn’t understand carpentry, but she knew what looked good and practical. She shared her ideas with the old men, and when they didn’t quite understand, she drew sketches on paper, including designs for cabinets and wardrobes.

Zuo Zhanshan immediately understood the sketches, and even Wu Changyong couldn’t help but admire. A professional was indeed better than someone self-taught. As the two old men began to set up to make furniture, the days passed by, and Wang Zhenguo’s wedding was fast approaching. Wang Juan, who hadn’t been around for a long time, finally had some free time to come over.

As soon as she entered, she exclaimed, “Oh my, our family has been working so hard during this time.”

Zhang Lan and the others knew that this time the old lady had managed to get her eldest son to do some work. If it wasn’t tiring work, she wouldn’t ask anyone else to do it.

“Sister-in-law, are you done with all the work on your end?” Zhang Lan asked with genuine concern.

Wang Juan waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t even mention it. The old lady has really gone all out this time. Everything has to be top-notch. I can’t help feeling upset about it. The difference in treatment between my husband and hers is just too much. Have you seen the new furniture in Wang Zhenguo’s new house? It’s all top-of-the-line. The old lady really spared no expense. I heard that the betrothal gifts amounted to two hundred yuan. Back in our time, it was only a few dozen yuan. You see, we’re both daughters-in-law, but why is life so hard for us?”

Wang Juan had been truly exhausted these past few days, and she wanted to give up, but she was afraid of being laughed at by the villagers. She had been holding in her frustration until today.

Now it was Zhang Lan’s turn to sympathize with her. In the past, she had to bear the same treatment, which was now being shared by both families. “Sister-in-law, does your second sister-in-law know about this?” she asked.

Han Cui was always sharp-tongued. How could she not react when she saw her younger brother doing so well?