Hey, do you want to talk about marriage?
Since tofu is a meat substitute, won't she be able to save a lot of money on purchasing meat in the future?
As for what to do with the saved money, Mǎn Bǎo thought, "It doesn't matter; there will always be a place for it."
Considering this, wouldn't her piggy bank fill up quickly?
Just thinking about it, Mǎn Bǎo laughed happily and said to Zhōu Sìláng, "Brother Si, you are right." "We should consider reducing our meat consumption in the future and incorporating more tofu into our diet."
Zhōu Sìláng: "…When did I say… I clearly don't think tofu is the same as meat."
But Mǎn Bǎo completely ignored him and went to discuss with Xiǎo Qián, "Sister-in-law, let's try making tofu tomorrow."
Qián also smiled and said, "Let's do it. Let's try to see if we can make it." If possible, we will make more another day and send some to the Bai family.
Xiǎo Qián agreed.
It just so happened that the day after tomorrow is the Winter Solstice. Now, at the end of winter, everyone has nothing to do and plenty of time.
The next day, Mǎn Bǎo still went to school, while Xiǎo Qián soaked the beans as Mǎn Bǎo had instructed, and then took them to the mill to grind soy milk.
There is only one mill in the village, which contains two millstones. They are housed in a thatched pavilion not far from the Zhōu family ancestral hall. It is called a pavilion, but in fact, it used to be a house a long time ago. The wall collapsed due to its old age, and the family lacked the funds to repair it. Consequently, they dismantled the wall and constructed a sheltered pavilion using wood and thatch.
People usually grind wheat flour and bean flour here.
Of course, Xiǎo Qián couldn't do such work alone, so she called Zhōu Dàláng to help, and Zhōu Sìláng led a group of younger individuals to join in the fun.
While joining in the fun, they also made sarcastic remarks, "Sister-in-law, why do you believe everything Mǎn Bǎo says?" These beans cost one coin and eight wen. Consider the cost of meat. How can these beans be compared to meat?
Zhōu Dàláng, annoyed by his words, simply grabbed his servant and said, "You're so idle, come and help me push the mill."
Zhōu Sìláng wanted to run, but Zhōu Wǔláng and Zhōu Liùláng jumped up, hugged his neck, and shouted, not letting him go.
In the end, Zhou Silang was forced to help push the mill.
As the Winter Solstice approaches, many people have gathered at the mill. Soon after the winter solstice, it will be the new year. Many people have brought their wheat to grind into flour or rice flour, with the intention of improving their meals and preparing snacks for the children.
Seeing Zhōu Dàláng and his brothers grinding the soaked beans, they curiously asked, "What are you going to make with this?"
"Tofu."
"What is tofu?"
Before Zhōu Dàláng could answer, the village chief, who was smoking a pipe on the side, said, "Tofu is white and tender, very delicious."
So everyone turned to the village chief and asked, "Village chief, have you eaten it? What kind of rare thing is it?"
The village chief smiled and said, "It's not a rare thing. We rarely eat it here, but it's available elsewhere." I won't mention distant locations, but the capital city has it. It's not expensive, one coin for two pieces, cheaper than eggs, but it tastes good. "The key issue is the limited availability of vegetables during winter, leading many families in the capital city to rely on them for consumption."
"Do you know how to make it?"
"That's someone else's skill; how would I know?" "I followed someone to the capital city and ate there when I was young." At that time, they went at the wrong time; it was winter, food was expensive, meat was costly, and vegetables were pricey. They searched for a long time before they found tofu.
You could buy two pieces for one coin, boil them directly, and eat them with coarse grain rice for a budget-friendly meal!
After reminiscing for a while, the village chief looked at Zhōu Dàláng and asked, "Can your family make this?"
Zhōu Dàláng was very honest and smiled, "How could my family have made this? Mǎn Bǎo ate it at the Bai family's house and mentioned it when she came back. "We thought about it and decided to prepare the dish at home, introducing a new recipe to our family and satisfying the children's cravings."
Someone laughed and said, "This is a good idea. You should try making it at home first, and if you succeed, you can teach us later."
Both Zhou Dalang and Xiao Qian agreed.
While Zhou Silang was pushing the mill with effort, he jokingly said, "Even my little sister mentioned that tofu is as nutritious as meat." "Village chief, when you ate tofu, did you feel like you gained weight?"
The village chief gave him a sideways glance, waved his hand, and pushed him away, saying, "You're teasing me. Lǎo Sì, have you settled your marriage?"
The surrounding villagers immediately became excited and shouted, "Yes, Zhōu Sì, I've seen the matchmaker go to your house three times in the past few days." Have you settled it? Whose family does the girl belong to?
"Have you seen her?" "Is she pretty?"
"What's the use of being pretty?" We need to see if she can work. Zhōu Sì, you can't just hang out with the kids anymore. When the girls see you, who would want to marry you?
"That's right, that's right." Let's not talk about anything else. Tomorrow, you should take a hoe to the field and let the girl have a look. "It's guaranteed to work."
"Forget it." Carrying a hoe to the field in the middle of winter. "Do you think the girl is a fool?" Zhōu Sì, don't listen to his bad ideas. Sister-in-law, let me tell you that you need to go to the county town and buy a piece of cloth, but freshen up first. "With your face and figure, you can attract many beautiful girls."
The villagers burst into laughter, and Zhou Silang's face turned red. He pushed the mill in silence.
Zhōu Dàláng couldn't help but laugh when he saw this, and then said to everyone, "Stop teasing him; he's young and thin-skinned."
"He's still thin-skinned..."
Xiǎo Qián, who had been smiling, became unhappy when she heard this and interrupted loudly, "Why wouldn't he be thin-skinned? Our Lǎo Sì is only eighteen, and he hasn't even held a girl's hand." Can he not be thin-skinned when it comes to marriage? "It's as if everyone is like you, sweet-talking without any consequences."
"That's true." The other day, I saw Lǎo Sì playing in the mud with a group of kids. He's already an adult. How can he still act like a child king? Can he get married like this?
Xiǎo Qián said indifferently, "Starting a family and establishing a career." "Because he's a bit childish, my mother-in-law wants to find someone strong to come and manage him." "With a supportive wife by his side, he will stand tall in the future."
Xiǎo Qián took the opportunity to mention the requirements for the Zhōu family's marriage. She smiled and said, "My mother-in-law has always said that in the future, Lǎo Sì's wife should be from a good family. However, if not, our family is not the kind to haggle over a girl's family. As long as she is capable of managing our Lǎo Sì, it's fine.
Zhōu Dàláng also quickly took the opportunity to promote his brother, "Lǎo Sì is a bit unruly, but he's not bad at working in the fields. He's not worse than us, brothers. "With a wife who can manage him, this family will thrive."
Surprisingly, this statement prompted many people to start considering it.
Some older women even directly looked at Zhou Silang. Although they were from the same village, they didn't have many opportunities to carefully observe someone from head to toe.
Surprisingly, Zhou Silang was quite good-looking.