Chapter 77

Since she planned to open a shop to sell fermented tofu, Wang Yuan’er decided to repair their kitchen and expand the room to make it bigger and brighter for future use. To do that, she needed to get permission from Grandpa Wang. Fortunately, he was home. After explaining her plans, he naturally had no objections.

With her elders’ support, Wang Yuan’er negotiated the price with Li Shugen, agreeing to pay him and his son three hundred copper coins for the labor and materials.

Building the room required wood and mud bricks. Wealthier families used blue bricks, but Wang Yuan’er couldn’t afford them. Mud bricks would suffice.

Li Shugen, whether out of guilt or some other reason, promised to build it quickly.

With the deal made, she sent Li Shugen off and brought out the fermented tofu she had prepared earlier.

It had been over a month, and she hoped it had fermented well. Despite being confident, she felt a bit anxious as she moved the jar to the table.

After all, it had been a long time since her past life when she made this fermented tofu with Xiu Niang.

Her youngest sister climbed up on the bench, propping her chin on her hands, and asked, “Eldest sister, is this the fermented tofu? It’s been kept for so long. Can it still be eaten?”

In her understanding, food kept for too long was not edible, especially tofu, unlike preserved meats.

“We’ll know if it’s edible once we open it!” Wang Yuan’er said, pinching her little sister’s nose. She untied the cloth string around the jar, removed the cloth on the lid, and opened the jar. A distinctive smell wafted out. It was somewhat stinky and spicy, a combination that could be off-putting.

“Ew!” Lan’er exclaimed, pinching her nose and jumping off the bench. “It smells bad!”

Wang Yuan’er laughed heartily at her reaction.

“Eldest sister, can we really eat this?” Wang Chun’er also smelled it and approached, looking hesitant.

Wang Yuan’er took a bowl and chopsticks from the cupboard and carefully picked out a piece of fermented tofu from the jar.

The small square of fermented tofu was coated in a pale yellow layer, glistening with oil and sprinkled with chili peppers, looking quite appetizing. Peeling back the thin layer of fermented skin, the white tofu inside was incredibly delicate. Wang Yuan’er dipped a bit with the tip of her chopsticks and tasted it.

The flavor was rich and unique, spicy and appetizing, even better than in her past life due to the quality of the water and tofu.

Seeing her eyebrows relax, Wang Chun’er also dipped a bit with her chopsticks and tasted it, exclaiming, “Eldest sister, this tofu tastes amazing! It’s so fresh!”

Hearing this, Wang Yuan’er’s anxious heart finally settled. The fermented tofu was successful, and she could now proceed with her plans confidently.

Lan’er, seeing her sisters enjoy the smelly tofu, was puzzled until she nervously tried it herself. She realized that some things could smell bad but taste delicious.

“Great! With this fermented tofu, we can still enjoy our meals even without other dishes,” Wang Chun’er said, smiling.

Wang Yuan’er laughed, “Not only is it good with rice, but this fermented tofu can also be used as a condiment for many dishes. Tonight, we’ll try it out.”

Only by tasting it herself could she confidently recommend it to others. Now, she needed to carefully plan her next steps.

Chapter 78

In the evening, while preparing the evening meal, Wang Yuan’er decided to try something new. Based on the dishes she and Xiu Niang had made in their past lives, she first made a dish called fermented bean curd meat for her sisters to taste.

In ordinary farming households, almost everyone loves meat, especially pork belly with a bit of lean meat, which is often a farmer’s favorite.

Wang Yuan’er’s family was no exception. Usually, when they cooked pork belly, it was stir-fried or mixed with some vegetables to save on meat. That evening, she spent an entire hour in the kitchen, making fermented bean curd meat.

The meat was bought from Butcher Zhang in the afternoon. For the past month, due to mourning, apart from having dumplings during the Lantern Festival, Wang Yuan’er and her sisters hadn’t had any meat, and they were starting to miss the taste. So she went and bought a piece of meat.

Making fermented bean curd meat wasn’t too troublesome. First, she cleaned the meat and boiled it until it was 70-80% cooked and could be pierced through with chopsticks. Then, she let it cool and scored the skin with a knife.

The taste of a dish largely depends on the ingredients. If the seasoning is done well and the heat is controlled, the taste will be good. So, the sauce for fermented bean curd meat was the most crucial part.

Wang Yuan’er prepared the ingredients for the meat, such as green onions, ginger, sugar, wine, and soy sauce, and added a couple of pieces of cinnamon bark. Then she poured fermented bean curd over the meat and simmered it slowly. Before long, the aroma filled the kitchen.

“Oh, what’s that smell?” Madam Zhang, holding a bowl of vegetables, entered the kitchen, sniffing and trying to lift the lid.

Wang Yuan’er stopped her and said, “Aunt, this dish isn’t ready yet. You can’t lift the lid.”

Madam Zhang pouted, gave her a sideways glance, and muttered, “You’re so protective of your food.” Then she walked away and started making dinner with loud bangs.

Wang Yuan’er didn’t respond, focusing on controlling the heat.

Madam Zhang waited a long time, not seeing her free up the pot, and complained, “Are you planning to burn all the firewood for this dish? Your grandpa and grandma are waiting for the evening meal!”

This was a complaint about her taking too long in the kitchen.

Wang Yuan’er thought to herself sharing one kitchen was indeed troublesome. But luckily, the new kitchen would be ready in a few days, thanks to the efforts of Shugen and Shudu. Feeling it was about time, she lifted the lid, poked the meat with chopsticks, and saw it was tender and soft. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Wow, this meat smells delicious. Yuan’er, let Aunt try some?” Madam Zhang had been waiting and licking her lips. She smiled obsequiously, “Don’t forget your grandpa and grandma.”

Wang Yuan’er replied calmly, “Of course, there’s some for Grandpa and Grandma.”

She flipped the meat over, simmered it a bit more, and then transferred it to a large bowl. She thickened the sauce in the pot and poured it over the meat. Finally, the dish was ready. As usual, she took a bowl to the main house. How Grandpa and Grandma divided it was their business.

In the east house, Wang Yuan’er still paid her respects to her parents’ memorial tablets before she and her sisters ate the evening meal together. When the fermented bean curd meat was served, everyone’s mouths watered, and after tasting it, they all gave a thumbs-up.

Wang Qing’er, a foodie, mixed the fermented bean curd with rice and ate two large bowls.

“Even without meat, I could eat this rice!” she said with a big smile.

Wang Yuan’er was relieved. Fermented bean curd achieved exactly the desired effect.