After the tofu was ready, Yaya accompanied Grandpa Wang to sell the tofu, while staying home due to feeling unwell, she helped Grandma Wang prepare lunch.
Since they were only making pre-ordered tofu today, the delivery and return would probably take only about an hour.
The rain stopped around two or three o’clock, and Grandpa Wang, a man of action, immediately sought the village chief’s assistance.
The roads were too slippery to travel on, so they planned to make the trip tomorrow morning. This delay gave them the opportunity to learn the outcome of the apprenticeship.
It was almost as she had anticipated, convincing the two children didn’t take much persuasion.
After all, tofu-making was their ancestral craft. If their own children were willing to carry it on, there would never have been a chance for outsiders to learn it.
They agreed without a second thought and as for taking care of the elderly couple, there was no question about it.
Grandpa and Grandma Wang were reasonable people. They knew the hardships faced by a mother and her orphaned children; they intended the apprenticeship to be the icing on the cake, never to become a burden on the family.
Therefore, it was clearly stated in the agreement that they were not to bear the cost of medicine for minor or major illnesses of the couple. They only needed to attend to them and run a few errands.
Such a tempting offer would only be refused by a fool.
Thus, in the presence of the village chief and many clan elders of the village, the two children signed a confidentiality agreement for the secret recipe and took on the responsibility of caring for the two elders. The method of dividing the earnings was also clearly laid out in the agreement.
Grandpa Wang would take sixty percent, while each boy would take twenty percent.
Of course, the ’cost’ mentioned here referred to the net profit after all expenses had been deducted.
With this arrangement, all parties were considered. Grandpa Wang did not worry about betrayal after they mastered the craft or abandonment. And these two young lads, now able to learn a trade and earn money, naturally took the responsibility of supporting their family very seriously.
In this way, both parties reached an equal cooperative intention through the agreement.
What especially surprised her were the two teenage boys, who were remarkably capable. Xiao Gangzi was fourteen and Bengzi was twelve. Perhaps valuing this opportunity, they worked with exceptional efficiency.
The next day, they rose at three in the morning to start their tasks. Where the old couple would produce fifty pounds of tofu, with the boys’ help, the amount increased to one hundred pounds a day. Beyond what was sent to town, the remaining tofu could be sold by pushing a cart through the surrounding villages.
As a result, they were able to earn a net of four to five hundred copper coins a day.
Through in-depth understanding, it was learned that the tofu from Grandpa Wang’s household was priced one copper coin higher than others’.
Even though their tofu was more expensive, customers still preferred to buy from the Wang family. After some comparison, Xiao Yu began to understand the secret behind it.
Other families’ tofu was either too hard or too watery, and a change in the maker would certainly affect the consistency. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꜰire.net
Unlike Wang family’s tofu, which could assure a moderate softness and firmness even if made by an apprentice.
While a kilogram of tofu from other families required at least ten jin of soybeans to produce, Wang Family’s tofu, despite needing the same quantity of soybeans, yielded one and a half kilograms.
It wasn’t a matter of skimping on materials but rather the precision during the brine addition, grinding the soy milk, and all other steps involved. There were strict proportions for the amount of water and brine to be used.