The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences
The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences Chapter 52

Chapter 52

On August 25th, before dawn, the oil lamps in every household in Shili Village gradually lit up.

The climate of the Great Qian Dynasty might have had slight differences from Sang Lou’s original time and space, but that didn’t matter. Since time and space were different, it was normal for there to be slight climate differences. In any case, in Qingpu Township, Qiyang County, almost every household was going to start harvesting rice today or tomorrow.

The old farmers who usually only ate two meals a day would definitely not go hungry today. The women got up before dawn to cook, changing from their usual two meals a day to three, and today’s meal had to be dry rice. Eating dry rice would give them the energy to cope with several days of intense farm work.

By lunchtime, it was best to have some meat. Even the poorest families, who usually drank thin porridge, would have to find a way to give the men working in the fields some oil money in these days. Otherwise, their bodies wouldn’t hold up, and they would collapse.

The women of Shili Village were busy, and Sang Lou was busy too. Qin Fangniang wasn’t selling fairy tofu today, but Sang Lou still had to sell it. In addition to fairy tofu, she also made two boards of regular tofu.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make more; it was just that she didn’t have enough money on hand, so she had to plan and budget carefully. Therefore, she could only make two boards.

Even so, she left three pieces at home to use for cooking tonight. So, there were only twenty-nine pieces of tofu available for sale at the market.

Fortunately, there was still fairy tofu. Overall, if she could sell out this trip, the harvest wouldn’t be small.

After more than ten days, Shen An finally managed to go out with her elder sister-in-law again to do business!

He was so happy that he got up early in the morning and got busy right away. Shen An, who had picked and cleaned the lotus leaves yesterday, carried a full basket, while Sang Lou gritted her teeth and carried the tofu and fairy tofu herself.

Fortunately, these days of walking twenty miles every day had significantly improved their physical condition. While the families in Shili Village were just starting to light their lamps and busy preparing breakfast, Sang Lou and Shen An set off from home.

Shen Ning had to stay at home; Sang Lou still hadn’t saved enough money to buy a lock, so Shen Ning had to stay behind to look after the house.

It had been a long time since Sang Lou had been to the morning market in Sanli Village. Previously, when she set up a stall in the county, Sang Lou didn’t have time for the business at the bustling market in Sanli Village. On the previous two market days, Sang Lou would ask Mrs. Chen if she was going to set up a stall. If Mrs. Chen agreed, Sang Lou would bring her a portion of fairy tofu.

But today, Mrs. Chen was too busy to come and sell a few pieces of tofu. Sang Lou was short of money, so she had to come alone this time.

At the market, her first stop was at the butcher’s stall. She greeted the butcher with a smile, and the butcher looked at her for a moment, but surprisingly recognized her.

“You’re… the friend of my eldest daughter who sells fairy tofu, right?”

Sang Lou laughed, “That’s me. Uncle has a good memory to remember me.”

The butcher laughed, “I remember. But you both look much better now. I almost didn’t recognize you just now. So, are you here to buy meat today?”

Sang Lou nodded, “Exactly, I need to buy meat. We’re hosting three banquets at home today. However, I’m a bit short of money right now. I plan to sell the tofu and fairy tofu I’ve brought and then come back to buy meat. But I’m afraid there will be many people buying meat later when the rice is being harvested, and if I sell these things now, there won’t be any good meat left for me later. So, I specially came to say hello to Uncle and see if you could let me pick first. Could you please set aside some meat for me, and I’ll come back later to pay and collect it?”

When the butcher heard this, he smiled and said, “In that case, I’ll set some aside for you first. These days, almost every household in the surrounding villages will cut some meat to supplement their family’s energy. If you come later, there won’t be any good meat left. Okay, tell me which piece of meat you want to buy, and I’ll set it aside for you separately. When you come by noon, if you haven’t arrived yet, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep it.”

In the hot weather, meat doesn’t last long, and if there are fewer buyers after noon, it’s easy to end up with unsold meat.

“Got it. Keeping it until noon is enough. Uncle, would you like to buy some tofu and fairy tofu from us?”

The sky was still early, and there were no customers at the butcher’s yet. Hearing Sang Lou’s question, he couldn’t help but be curious, “I know about fairy tofu, but what about tofu?”

Shen An was very smart. As soon as he heard this, he immediately helped Sang Lou uncover the tofu on her left. He lifted the tofu cloth and smiled, “Look, it’s like this. This tofu is delicious when cooked.”

Sang Lou glanced at him, finding it somewhat amusing.

You’ve only ever had tofu dregs, oh, and soy milk and tofu brain. When have you ever had tofu cooked like this?

But the little guy was so smart that he could help her attract customers, so Sang Lou continued, “This thing is similar to fairy tofu, but if it’s really cooked into a dish, it’s even more delicious than fairy tofu. You, the meat seller, can cut some pork belly to stew with tofu, or add some lean meat to cook with tofu. Even without meat, simply frying it until both sides are golden brown, adding some garlic, seasoning with sauce, sprinkling some chopped green onions on top, it’s also exceptionally delicious, no worse than meat.”

“Not worse than meat?” The butcher didn’t believe it. “Can it really taste better than meat? That’s impossible.”

Sang Lou laughed, “Uncle, you’ll know once you’ve tasted it. As long as the cook’s skills are good, the taste will definitely make you remember it after just one bite, and there are many ways to eat it. I don’t even need to teach you. If the cook’s cooking skills are good, they can come up with many variations on their own.”

After hearing her explanation, the butcher’s interest was piqued. He stretched his neck and glanced at the tofu. “Alright, give me one piece of tofu and two pieces of fairy tofu.”

Their family was also busy with farming today. This fairy tofu could be eaten as a dish at home, or even as a snack with sugar water, especially in this hot weather. Cutting rice in this scorching weather and coming home to eat a small bowl of it was just right.

“Sure, Uncle, do you want to bring a bowl to fill it up? It’s better than using these lotus leaves.”

There was no need to say anything. The butcher turned and shouted to his wife at home. Soon, the butcher’s wife came out with two large soup bowls.

Yes, they needed large soup bowls. The tofu and fairy tofu made by Sang Lou were substantial. The kind of large bowls commonly used at home could only fit one piece.

Sang Lou picked out tofu for the butcher’s wife. When she saw the tofu, white and tender, trembling and beautiful like lard, no, even better-looking than the lard they rendered themselves, she exclaimed, “This thing is made so well, how do you eat it?”

Sang Lou couldn’t help but explain it again to her.

After hearing Sang Lou’s explanations, the butcher’s wife thought for a moment. “Give me two pieces, and add one piece of fairy tofu. I’ll take three pieces.”

Then, she turned to the butcher and said, “Buy one for our daughter to taste. She’s been wanting to eat this fairy tofu every day. I think this tofu is good too, but I don’t know how it’s made. It’s unexpectedly so skillful.”

Sang Lou just smiled and didn’t respond to the butcher’s wife’s words. She changed the subject to the butcher’s daughter and said, “Your eldest daughter must be very happy. Uncle and Aunt really love their daughter. Your eldest daughter is lucky.”

The topic diverged, and it made the butcher and his wife quite happy.

Sang Lou said she came to buy meat, but she hadn’t bought it yet. Instead, she sold five pieces of tofu right away, a good start.

Ten cents each, the butcher didn’t insist that she buy meat to offset it; he just gave her the money.

Sang Lou didn’t feel awkward either. She calmly accepted the money and put it in her purse. After covering the tofu basket, she started picking out the meat.

She chose a large piece of pork belly, one and a half pounds of lean meat, one pig’s ear, one pig’s tongue, one pork bone, and one pound of rendered fat.

The butcher and his wife who hadn’t gone inside yet listened to her choices in a daze. Three banquets? So substantial?

It wasn’t unusual for someone to buy like this last year, but there weren’t many people willing to buy meat like this this year. After all, most people could barely afford to fill their stomachs.

Their eyes fell on the basket Sang Lou was carrying, and they understood. Skilled hands.

The butcher readily cut the items Sang Lou requested. Once everything was cut, he weighed them on the scale, quoting the prices as he went. Finally, he said, “That’ll be a total of eighty-seven cents.”

Seeing Sang Lou had no objections, he placed all the items she wanted in a basin and set it on the meat counter behind him. Then, he cut another piece of pork liver. “Since you’re buying a lot, I’ll throw in an extra. I’ll chop the meat and bones for you when you come to pick them up.”

Sang Lou smiled and thanked him. While her own kitchen knife was solid enough, most households might not be willing to use it for chopping bones, fearing it would dull the blade.

With the meat sorted, Sang Lou didn’t mention leaving. Instead, she rested her basket and asked the butcher, “Uncle, would it be alright if I set up a stall next to yours for a while?”

Today, with everyone busy with farming, there were very few people setting up stalls. The gathering in Sanli Village was not much of a gathering. Those who needed to buy groceries today were mostly buying meat. Therefore, even though it was market day, there wouldn’t be many people at the actual market. Instead, the area next to the butcher’s shop was a prime spot.

The butcher was aware of the situation and smiled, “Sure, as long as you don’t block my meat counter.”

“No problem at all.” Sang Lou smiled and set up her stall to the left of the butcher’s stall. People from nearby villages who came into Sanli Village to buy meat would first see her tofu stall.

The butcher only glanced at it and didn’t mind. They weren’t selling the same thing, and it wouldn’t affect his meat sales. He let her be.

So, as more and more people came to buy meat next to the butcher’s shop, they all noticed that right next to the meat stall was a stall with a carrier selling something white and green, something they didn’t recognize.

Not recognizing it was no problem. Sang Lou was quite talkative, but she never spoke when people were buying meat, so as not to interfere with the butcher’s business. After they finished buying meat and paid, she immediately struck up a conversation.

“Auntie, have you ever tried tofu? It’s known as the ‘meat for vegetarians.’ Although it’s not meat, it’s just as nourishing. The key is, it’s cheap, only two cents each. What’s important is that it’s delicious. If you braise it with meat, it’s even better. The tofu absorbs all the meaty flavor, so even though it’s not meat, it tastes just as good.”

“For two cents each, you can slice it thick, fry it on both sides with a bit of lard until golden brown, or fry it with a few thin slices of pork belly, or even add a bit of finely chopped lean meat when stewing. It’ll be so fragrant, I guarantee it’s just as good as meat.”

“Nourishing, braised with meat, tofu absorbs the meaty flavor and tastes just as delicious as meat, all for just two cents!

The woman Sang Lou struck up a conversation with caught onto these key points precisely. Originally preparing to leave, her steps halted, and she stood in front of Sang Lou’s stall.

Once a person stops, closing a deal isn’t difficult. Sang Lou had a way of talking about food that was quite effective; the woman couldn’t move her feet anymore.

The timely endorsement from the butcher beside them helped too. He chuckled, “The tofu this young lady makes is incredibly delicious, especially the green one. Whether it’s salty or sweet, it’s delicious. On a hot day like this, eating a few pieces can be quite refreshing. We’re quite fond of it. They only come to sell once in a while. As for the white one, it’s the first time we’ve bought it, but it should be good too. Two cents each isn’t expensive. Sister-in-law, you can buy one to try. Everyone’s been tired these days; it’s perfect for adding a dish.”

The woman was already intrigued, and with someone else pitching in, her intrigue turned into action.

As delicious as meat? As nourishing as meat? She didn’t believe it, but since it was being sold like this, there must be some truth to it. Two cents each? She decided to give it a try.

And indeed, she bought some.

Sang Lou didn’t need to wander around calling out with her basket. She simply rested it next to the butcher’s counter. Out of ten people who came to buy meat, six were persuaded by her to buy tofu or fairy tofu.

It wasn’t even noon yet, just past mid-morning, and she had already sold most of what she had brought. After all, everyone was busy at this time, and most women had to go to the fields to help. They came to buy meat early too.

There were only a few pieces left. Waiting for one or two more customers would sell them all. Ironically, among these meat buyers, there was an acquaintance.

Zhou’s wife.

1 comment
  1. M&M's has spoken 5 months ago

    Sang Luo always knows how attract customers, even taking advantage of the prime location next to the meat seller, lol.

    Thanks for the chapter! 😀

    Reply

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