Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Men’s Affairs_1
Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Men’s Affairs_1
On the way back, Erhu was carrying soy milk while Lin Yue walked briskly behind him, no longer burdened. The two chatted and laughed together. For Erhu, the weight of two buckets of soy milk was hardly anything to speak of; he seemed relaxed as if he wasn’t carrying anything at all. He deliberately slowed his pace to let Lin Yue easily keep up with him.
Upon returning home, Dalang and the others, knowing that Lin Yue planned to make tofu, had already prepared the fire. Lin Yue had arranged all the other tofu-making tools before she left the house. She asked Erhu to carry the soy milk into the kitchen. Lin Yue then took out a clean off-white coarse cotton cloth bag, poured the ground soy milk into it, and squeezed and filtered it until the liquid drained. She repeated the process of adding water, stirring, and filtering three or four times before finally removing the leftover soy pulp and placing it in a wooden basin set aside.
After filtering the ground soy milk bucket by bucket until it was all done, Lin Yue started to cook the soy milk. Cooking the soy milk was an art—it was important to first add the right amount of water to the pot and then pour in the soy milk, ensuring that the soy milk floated on top without touching the bottom, to prevent scorching. While cooking, the soy milk needed to be boiled several times to remove the raw taste of the beans and make it more enjoyable to drink.
Tasting the soy milk and finding it just right, Lin Yue fetched a few bowls from the cupboard, added sugar to each, and served a bowl of soy milk to everyone. She also filled a large bowl and set it aside for them to drink the following morning.
“Third Mother, this soy milk is so fragrant, so sweet, and so tasty,” Sanlang exclaimed, using several emphatic “so”s to express his admiration. The other three nodded in agreement, and even Erhu shared the same expression. Over the days they had spent together, the kids had grown increasingly fond of Lin Yue.
“If you like it, drink more; there’s plenty of soy milk,” Lin Yue said with a laugh, feeling a soft warmth watching the five of them. After having just one bowl herself, she felt full.
After saving some soy milk to drink, Lin Yue started to turn the rest into tofu. She added the right amount of gypsum water to the soy milk, stirred it with a wooden raft, and once it had cooled and set, scooped the tofu curds into wooden moulds. She covered the curds with white cloth, then pressed them with wooden boards and stones. An hour later, she removed the stones and boards, flipped the settled tofu, and after taking off the white cloth, the tofu was ready.
Making so much tofu meant they definitely couldn’t finish it all themselves. There were also the sprouted beans and prepared bamboo shoots. Lin Yue, having put so much effort into these products, of course had plans beyond just feeding themselves. That night, while in bed, Lin Yue took the opportunity to share her ideas with Erhu, proposing to sell the prepared tofu, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots at the market.
Lin Yue had thought it a good opportunity to make money and didn’t expect Erhu to object, but as soon as she expressed her ideas, Erhu decisively opposed her, “No need; providing for the family is a man’s job. You don’t have to worry about that. Just stay at home, and if you’re really bored, you can go visit Sister Chunhua.”
Erhu hadn’t expected his young wife to be so full of ideas and ambition. In these few days, her efforts to prepare all sorts of food weren’t just for them but for selling at the market. He felt proud yet anxious and unsettled. Although his wife had confessed her desire to live well with him, and he believed her sincerity, he knew she was naive and had not seen the wider world. The former Madame Li Family had arrived with some laziness and meanness, yet she was committed to a simple life with him at first. It was only after she went to the market with the other villagers and saw the city’s splendor that she grew vain and ended up so easily deceived by a married man, betraying both Erhu and their home.