Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Selling Tofu (2)_1 Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Selling Tofu (2)_1 “Grandpa, when we get to the temple today, regardless of what I say, please don’t interject, alright?” Lin Ziyin started somewhat awkwardly. It felt inappropriate to ask an elder to remain silent, however, she was genuinely worried that his stubbornness would cause him to soften out of gratitude for the livelihood Ding’an Temple had provided him.
You should know that a man of grandpa’s age still has to go up the mountain to sell firewood, a feat powered by his physical strength alone. In Lin Ziyin’s view, this was an act of mutual kindness, not a debt that needed to be repaid.
“Are you planning to sell these tofu to Ding’an Temple?” The old man asked once he finished eating and put his rice bowl down.
“Yes, for ten pennies a catty.” Lin Ziyin replied with a radiant smile, “This is the lowest price.”
Upon hearing her words, Lin Changshu, Guo Huiniang, and others were taken aback. They could all guess that tofu could be sold for Silver, but they never expected Lin Ziyin to demand such a high price. Compared to beans, this was a significant price increase.
“Isn’t that too expensive?” Lin Changshu asked, frowning.
“Not at all. We’re the only ones in this business. Elder brother, sister-in-law, grandpa, don’t feel embarrassed. I think, right now, we have the monopoly on tofu making. In time, when more people start doing it, we won’t be able to sell it at this price. And as you can see, our family is in debt, short of necessities, our house is run down, grandpa is old, and my sister needs to get married soon. Everything requires Silver. So while we can, we’d better earn as much as we can.” Lin Ziyin said in one breath. “Besides, tofu is nutritious and Ding’an Temple isn’t short of Silver.”
In the end, she made a staunch decision.
“Then let’s give it a try.” The old man agreed.
“Delicious.” Yanzhi patted his belly, finally full.
“Wait for aunty to come back and make you something tasty.” Lin Ziyin patted his little face.
“Okay.” Lin Yanzhi admired Lin Ziyin. She could make tasty food, how impressive!
“Not much work to do in the field, I’ll accompany my sister to have a look.” Lin Changshu wasn’t reassured and wanted to accompany them.
“Sure, I can handle the work in the field. Besides, it’s just a morning’s task.” Guo Huiniang was even more concerned. She thought Lin Ziyin, being a young girl, might not handle business matters well. The old man being old and a regular at Ding’an Temple, might feel embarrassed about bargaining.
“Then come along.” The old man didn’t object. He wasn’t obstinate and understood the concerns of his grandchildren.
The family tidied up, put the tofu in a container for Lin Changshu and the old man to carry. Taking advantage of the sparsity of people in the village in the early morning, the three of them set off decently prepared.
Luckily, as expected, they didn’t meet many people after leaving the village.
Lin Changshu and the old man were pleased with this. They didn’t want to fuel gossip and attract attention. If the village was informed about their financial successes, they would certainly receive many inquiries, leaving them at a loss on how to respond.
The journey was neither too long nor too short. To Lin Ziyin, who was used to intense military training, this was not much of a challenge. However, due to her frail health, she was out of breath and finding it difficult to breathe after covering over half of the distance.
“Let’s rest for a bit.” The old man noticed her discomfort and set down his load.
Lin Changshu glanced at Lin Ziyin and also set down his load.
“A short rest will be fine.” Lin Ziyin said timidly, inwardly maintaining that she must strive to strengthen and restore her body to its original state.
After Lin Ziyin regained her breath, the trio set off again.
By dawn, they had finally reached the entrance of Ding’an Temple. When Lin Ziyin thought about the old man hauling firewood between home and the temple every day, her heart started to ache again.
Although they had arrived early, they already saw merchants setting up their stalls outside the temple.
The old man guided Lin Ziyin and her brother to the back gate of Ding’an Temple.