Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Selling Tofu (1)_1 Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Selling Tofu (1)_1 As the soy milk turned into douhua, Lin Ziyin asked Guo Huiniang to cook it in another pot. She crumbled the douhua and steamed it, using partitions she had crafted from wood.
“It smells quite fragrant,” Lin Changshu hesitated before speaking, as he was still recovering from the shock of tofu-making.
“Wait until it’s done. Then you all can have a taste,” Lin Ziyin replied with a smile.
“What should we do with these leftover soy dregs?” Lin Zige asked, pointing at them.
“Leave them. When I’m back from the Ding’an Temple, I’ll use them to make cakes,” Lin Ziyin answered with a smile.
From her comment about the temple, Lin Zige and Lin Changshu understood.
The final step was actually quite quick, and soon enough tofu had been made.
The sight of freshly made, tender white blocks of tofu was so surreal to Guo Huiniang, Lin Changshu, and Lin Zige that it seemed like they were dreaming.
“Here, try the douhua,” Lin Ziyin purposely saved some douhua to serve her family for breakfast.
“You made this?” At this time the old master, Lin, had woken up and followed the smell into the kitchen.
“It smells so good,” Lin Changting opened his eyes wide as he stared at the plump, white tofu and douhua.
“Wash your face and wake Yanzhi. If the douhua cools, it won’t be as tasty,” Lin Ziyin said.
There were cold sorghum cakes that quickly warmed up when steamed over the spare heat. Last night, Lin Ziyin had prepared salted soybeans, which she added to a bowl along with some chopped cilantro from the Bai family’s basket. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough seasonings or chicken soup.
“I’ll go wake him up,” Guo Huiniang stood up quickly and walked out.
Soon enough, a sleepy child was brought out.
“Come wash your face,” the water heated by the lingering fire was just right, and the family quickly washed up and sat down at the table.
“Come, let’s eat,” Lin Ziyin served everyone douhua.
“Delicious,” Lin Changting exclaimed after taking a sip, then letting out a startled cry.
“Good,” the old master wasn’t a man of many words, but he nonetheless expressed his opinion.
Lin Ziyin cut some fragrant tofu and made a small pot of tofu-vegetable soup.
“How smooth,” Lin Zige said in surprise, looking at Lin Ziyin.
Lin Ziyin sat down and sighed softly as she ate a bowl of tofu-vegetable soup.
The lack of oil and seasonings at home had detracted from the deliciousness of the tofu.
“Sister, save that leftover soy liquid. We can use it next time to make tofu,” Lin Ziyin instructed. Tofu made from brine taste better than from gypsum, but tofu made from the original soy liquid extracted from the douhua are even better.
“Ah, I’ll keep it,” Lin Zige agreed promptly.
“Grandfather, how much is a jin of soybeans these days?” Lin Ziyin asked. Only with knowledge of the raw material prices could she set a reasonable price for her tofu.
“Two wen per jin,” the old master replied as he ate his douhua.
Lin Ziyin quickly worked out in her head that a jin of beans cost two wen, and a jin could make about three jin of tofu. Initially, she would use brine, but eventually switch to soy liquid. She also factored in the cost of firewood.
After calculating, she quickly assigned a price to her tofu.
“Grandfather, how is the business at the Ding’an Temple?” she then asked.
“There are many people every day. It has become a big market at the foot of the mountain. The temple also has its own land. It’s even richer than ordinary wealthy families.” Lin Changshu was a clever man and quickly guessed what Lin Ziyin was considering.