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 53.1

Chapter 53 1/2

Meeting someone from Sanli Village while selling things at the market wasn’t surprising for Sang Lou. She only encountered the first one after her tofu was almost sold out. If she had come to sell later, she might have met a few more.

With the kitchen stove and courtyard walls at home, Sang Lou wasn’t as nervous as before. Besides, according to her original plan, once the busy farming season was over, tofu would begin to be sold in the surrounding areas. There was nothing to hide. She greeted Zhou’s wife cheerfully, laughing and calling her “Auntie Zhou.”

Zhou’s wife had come to buy meat. Seeing Sang Lou all of a sudden, her gaze fell on the basket in front of her. Was it obvious she was selling something???

“Auntie Zhou, are you selling something?”

“Yes, selling some food. Would you like to take a look, Auntie?”

Zhou’s wife leaned over and saw that Sang Lou’s basket was different on both sides. On the left was a bucket containing something greenish, while on the right was a square wooden box containing white pieces.

“What food is this?”

She had never seen it before.

Sang Lou smiled, “The white one is tofu, a very delicious dish. It’s great braised, stewed with meat, or fried. The green one is called fairy tofu. It can be used for cooking or as a snack. You can eat it hot or cold. If you want to eat it as a snack, pour a couple of spoonfuls of melted maltose syrup over it. It’s extremely tasty.”

As she spoke, she cut off a small piece from the side for Zhou’s wife to taste, saying, “Auntie, try it. This one isn’t seasoned, so it might be a bit bland, but you can get an idea.” 

Zhou’s wife hadn’t fully recovered from the introduction to tofu and fairy tofu, her mind still thinking about the fact that the Sang family actually had such a skill and was now making a living selling things at the market. That’s why they were building a house, and the village rumors about making money by picking wild vegetables… all nonsense.

In just a few moments, her mind had raced through many thoughts. Seeing the green and jade-like food Sang Lou handed over, what was it called again? Fairy tofu? Made from beans?

Thinking like this, she already took the leaf Sang Lou handed over, put it in her mouth, and chewed. The taste wasn’t bad at all!

One can already imagine how much children at home would love it with a bit of syrup added, and how much men would enjoy it with some oil, salt, sauce, and chopped green onions—it’s refreshing, truly refreshing!

“How much is this?”

“Not expensive, two cents each. You can get a big bowl out of it. Auntie, would you like to try one?”

Two cents each wasn’t much. Zhou’s wife nodded. “Alright, give me one.”

Forget about the sweet flavor; with some sauce mixed in at noon, after being sun-dried outside for a while, it should be quite enjoyable.

Sang Lou used a lotus leaf to pick up the fairy tofu, lifting one piece. Then, she picked up another relatively large piece from the corner of the leftovers used for sampling and said with a smile, “Auntie, I bought a chicken from your place yesterday. Consider this small piece as a gift from me.”

Zhou’s wife’s eyes visibly softened. “You’re too polite. Thank you. I’ll come back to buy from you next time.”

Her gaze then turned to the white tofu. “How about this one?”

Sang Lou smiled. “The same, two cents each. You came to buy meat, right? This tofu has a different texture from fairy tofu. It leans towards whatever flavor you season it with. If you stew it with a few slices of meat, the tofu will also have a meaty flavor. There are many ways to cook it. Since today is busy, Auntie, you can buy one to try.”

Zhou’s wife had already been tempted and now received a half-piece of fairy tofu from Sang Lou as a gift, feeling content. She had been thinking about trying this tofu and also wanted to support Sang Lou’s business. So, she nodded. “Then give me one of this as well.”

Sang Lou smiled and promptly handed her the lotus leaf. The green lotus leaf cradled the tender white tofu, tempting to look at.

Zhou’s wife placed both pieces of tofu into her basket, then took out four cents from her sleeve and gave them to Sang Lou. “You’re busy; I’ll go buy meat.”

Sang Lou nodded with a smile. Zhou’s wife then went to the butcher and bought a piece of pork belly. Before leaving, she glanced at Sang Lou’s basket, noticing that there was only one piece of tofu left in the bucket on the left side and two pieces left on the right. She politely asked if Sang Lou wanted to wait for them to return together to the village. Sang Lou thanked her but said it wasn’t necessary since everyone was busy today. Zhou’s wife smiled and agreed before heading back with her basket.

The remaining bit was sold out within a quarter of an hour when another customer came to the meat stall.

The remaining pieces of fairy tofu used for sampling were all given to the butcher by Sang Lou.

The butcher took a glance at the lotus leaf Sang Lou handed over and saw that there was enough fairy tofu to fill half of it. “Oh, I’m taking advantage of this.”

Sang Lou smiled. “Nonsense, if you don’t mind, it’s fine. I’m benefiting from your presence today.”

After a brief chat, Sang Lou counted out eighty-seven cents and paid for the meat. Once everything was packed, she bid farewell to the butcher and headed to the grocery store across the street.

With thirty-three cents left in her hand, Sang Lou bought six eggs. When she saw the row of small jars with red paper and black characters on the counter, she hesitated for a moment, then asked about the price of the alcohol.

After inquiring, she found out that the cheapest wine, a small jar barely larger than a man’s palm, was eighteen cents, while loose wine was three cents per bowl if you brought your own wine jar.

It was really expensive.

After some hesitation, Sang Lou said, “Give me a jar.”

With only nine coins left in her palm, she also asked for two liters of soybeans, leaving her with only one coin.

Watching his wife, who had spent a long time making tofu last night, earn money by selling it early in the morning, and then spend it until only one coin was left, Shen An felt a bit downcast.

Seeing the food they got in exchange, he felt a twinge of pain.

After packing everything up and stuffing the eggs into the pile of soybeans, Sang Lou prepared to pick up her basket. She noticed that Shen An looked a bit dejected. She picked up her basket and left the grocery store. After a few steps, seeing the little guy still looking downcast, she smiled and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen An glanced at his wife with a somewhat gloomy expression. “It’s hard to earn money, but it’s spent too quickly.”

Sang Lou was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. “It’s alright. Although the money has been spent, our home has changed a lot, hasn’t it? We’ve added many things. Just think about the baskets we carry now, the pottery utensils we use at home, the new tables, beds, and chairs we’ve bought, and the mill for grinding grains. Plus, we have a beautiful courtyard. When you think about it, isn’t it very pleasant?”

3 Comments
  1. JShaw has spoken 2 months ago

    At this point, better give up on keeping track of their sales and such, unless I’m counting in wrong but the rate and currency keeps on inconsistently changing.

    That and other stuff like Mc suddenly being called a wife, though technically she is but also not really, and fairly certain it was referring the wrong people. Also the pronounces, getting quite annoying.

    Reply
  2. M&M's has spoken 5 months ago

    I almost forgot about Shen An being with Sang Luo to sell tofu and fairy tofu, since he was hardly mentioned, lol. I just wonder if Aunt Zhou will spread the word that Sang Luo is selling two types of tofu, rather than the rumored wild vegetables, and how people will react after learning of it.

    Thanks for the chapter! 😀

    Reply
    • JShaw has spoken 2 months ago

      I reckon she was with the better fellows that knew their boundaries and does want to help and get closer with the MCs fam.

      Reply

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