As Beiyang County served as a transfer point between southern ships and northern horse-drawn carriages, horse-drawn carriages were not uncommon.

But in the half-year or so since Ye Li had arrived, this was the first time he’d seen a carriage enter the village. Especially one drawn by such a tall, sturdy, and majestic steed.

Puzzled, Ye Li set down his spatula and walked toward the gate. What distinguished guest had arrived?

When he reached the doorway, he saw a young man with delicate features, clad in a fox-fur robe, stepping down from the carriage with the support of an elderly woman. A footstool was placed in front of the carriage.

The man first placed his left foot on the step, then immediately stepped down onto the ground with his right foot. But the moment his right foot touched the ground, his body began to lean to the right.

If the old woman hadn’t been holding him up, he would certainly have fallen.

Ye Li was somewhat surprised and was about to ask what was going on when the young man looked up at him, smiled gently, and said, “Excuse me, is this Mr. Ye’s residence?”

“Yes, I’m Ye Li. May I ask who you are…?”

Ye Li nodded.

“Then it seems I’ve come to the right place. Mr. Ye, my surname is Yu. You can call me Mr. Yu. I’ve come today to buy some fried tofu puffs and century eggs,” Mr. Yu said with a smile.

“I see. Well then, please come in and have a seat. There’s hot water on the stove—have a cup to warm yourself up,” Ye Li smiled as well, warmly inviting the master and his servant into the courtyard.

Manager Yu replied, “Very well,” and stepped through the courtyard gate. But as he walked, the scene from earlier suddenly made sense: he had no strength in his right leg—he was lame!

Ye Li immediately slowed her pace and asked with a smile, “Mr. Yu, we have tea leaves here, as well as walnut powder I ground myself. Which would you like?” 

“Hmm… the walnut powder, I suppose,” said Manager Yu.

“Sure thing. I make this walnut powder by roasting walnuts, black sesame seeds, and rice together, then grinding them. Just pour hot water over it—it’s absolutely fragrant,” Ye Li said, calling out toward the new house: “Xiao Mai, we have a guest. Lift the lid off the stove vent and boil some water.” 

“Ya-ger, bring our guest some roasted peanuts and sunflower seeds.”

Ye Fulang and Liu Yi had gotten up at dawn to not only deep-fry over a hundred jin of fried tofu puffs but also make tofu, so the two of them were now catching up on sleep in the east room. Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, who were reciting their lessons in the room, immediately responded.

Their desks had already been set up.

The two rose from their desks, ran out of the room, and dashed toward the kitchen.

Ye Li smiled again at Manager Yu: “Come, let’s go to my small parlor—it’s warmer in there.”

But Manager Yu had already noticed the tofu he was frying was only halfway done, so a look of apology crossed his face: “I’m afraid I’ve come at a bad time. Mr. Ye, you’d better finish frying the tofu.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s no rush. It’s cold outside, but it’s warm here.”

Ye Li motioned for him to come into the small parlor.

Hearing this, Manager Yu smiled, gave up on insisting, and stepped into the small parlor.

The table Ye Li had ordered hadn’t arrived yet; he’d only asked for the kang table to be made urgently, while the rest of the furnishings were prioritized for Jiang Mai’s desk and bookshelf—in the past, the only visitors to his small parlor had been fellow villagers, who would simply grab a small stool and sit wherever they pleased.

Now that he was hosting a distinguished guest for the first time, these shortcomings had become apparent.

“It’s a bit spartan—please don’t mind. Please take a seat at the table.”

Ye Li pointed to the high stool in front of the table.

“This room is neat and clean; it’s obvious at a glance that Mr. Ye is a hardworking man.”

Mr. Yu said with a smile.

“…Well, I’m in the food business, after all. If the place were messy and disorganized, I’d surely lose more than half my customers.”

Ye Li smiled, giving himself some credit.

He wasn’t exactly hardworking—he was simply bored, so he passed the time by washing and wiping things down.

But Manager Yu agreed wholeheartedly with his remark and said with a smile, “That’s right. The reason I came here in person today was to check on the situation here myself.”

“The customers at my restaurant are a bit picky. If the kitchen where the fried tofu puffs are made is too dirty or disorganized, I wouldn’t dare buy them.” 

“I understand, I understand,” Ye Li nodded. “Rest assured, though my workshop is small, every step of the process is absolutely clean.”

“The fried tofu puffs are cooked in the shed right behind this room. You can go take a look for yourself in a moment.”

He’s in the food business, after all.

For him, hygiene and taste were equally important.

“Why don’t we go take a look right now?” Manager Yu asked tentatively. “Of course. Come on, let’s head out back.”

Ye Li pointed toward the back of the house. He wasn’t afraid of surprise inspections.

Seeing this, Manager Yu got up from his high stool.

The moment the two of them and the old woman stepped out of the room, they saw Jiang Ya coming out of the kitchen carrying a plate of peanuts and sunflower seeds. Ye Li said, “Put them on my table first.”

Jiang Ya replied with a bright “Okay,” but his big eyes looked curiously at Manager Yu. He had already noticed that this uncle was limping as he walked.

Noticing this, Ye Li, fearing Manager Yu might take offense, gestured for him to step back while changing the subject: “Manager Yu, I was wondering—what’s the specialty at your restaurant?”

Manager Yu smiled at this. “My restaurant specializes in hot pot.”

“Fresh vegetables are scarce in winter—it’s either dried vegetables or meat. I’d happened to try a flatbread stuffed with red-oil fried tofu puffs before, and I thought it would be perfect for a hot pot, so I asked around all the way here.”

“Hot pot” is exactly what it sounds like.

Ye Li hadn’t expected his family to run a hot pot restaurant; his face immediately lit up with delight. The best way to enjoy fried tofu puffs is indeed in a hot pot!

You have to cook the fried tofu puffs for a while, until they’re tender and have soaked up all the broth, then dip them in a sauce made mainly of sesame paste—the flavor is truly unbeatable—the texture is every bit as good as meat.

But back then, in order to make money quickly, he could only make chili oil fried tofu puffs.

Later, small business owners in the county town also started selling fried tofu puffs, but not a single one served them in hot pot. He found this quite regrettable.

But he never expected Manager Yu to give him such a surprise today!

He said with a smile, “Manager Yu, you’ve come to the right place—fried tofu puffs and large skewers are absolutely delicious when dipped in a hot pot.”

“You can take some home to try today—I just deep-fried over a hundred jin early this morning, and they’re all stored in that little room over there.”

This small room was the one directly across from the bathroom.

It was originally meant for storage, but now that production of the fried tofu puffs had increased, he’d temporarily moved the ones fried early this morning there.

Manager Yu nodded. “That’s exactly what I had in mind. And that century egg congee with lean pork—it tastes great, too. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the hot pot.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Li immediately gave him a thumbs-up: “That’s a fantastic pairing.”

“This congee is light and refreshing. If diners find their hot pot meat too salty or spicy, this congee is the perfect way to cleanse their palate.” 

“Once the fried tofu puffs and century egg congee are on the menu at your restaurant, business is sure to take off!”

Manager Yu chuckled at his words: “The restaurant doesn’t open for another few days.”

“Opening in a few days? That’s such a coincidence! I was just worrying about how to source the goods you wanted—if it’s in a few days, that works out perfectly.”

Seeing the look of confusion on Manager Yu’s face, Ye Li smiled and explained his plan to set up a village workshop.

After finishing, he quickly added, “Rest assured, cleanliness and tidiness will still be our top priority—we’ll never let you lose any customers.”

Now it was Manager Yu’s turn to be surprised.

When he arrived, he’d only known that Ye Li had set up a small family workshop. But how long had it been? Now Ye Li was actually planning to start a village-wide workshop. Business was really booming.

As they spoke, the three of them had already reached the sheds. The first shed housed cooking stoves.

No one was using the stoves at the moment, but each stovetop was covered with brown burlap to keep the dust off. Ye Li casually lifted the burlap covering one of the stoves and asked Manager Yu to take a closer look.

Lids for oil-filled woks tend to get dirty and greasy very easily, but the wooden lid held by Ye Li was dry and clean; when he wiped it with his hand, there was neither dust nor grease on it.

As for the stove tops—which at that time weren’t tiled but built of mud bricks—Ye Li and his companions would wipe them down with a cloth before and after each use. Consequently, the stove tops were also spotless.

The firewood in front of the stove was neatly stacked.

The earthen brick floor also appeared to be free of dust.

In short, aside from the soot and smoke stains above the stove, the entire shack was as clean and tidy as if it were being used for the very first time.

The mill next to it was the same.

Each stone mill was covered with a burlap cloth to keep the dust off.

Beneath the burlap, the grooves of the millstones were free of dried, hardened soybean residue, and there was no dust on the millstones themselves. Manager Yu took a look around but couldn’t find a single flaw.

So the three of them returned to the small parlor to work out the details. Just then, Jiang Mai had the hot water ready.

Ye Li then brewed a bowl of walnut powder for Manager Yu, adding a little honey to it.

In this walnut powder, rice was actually the main ingredient, followed by walnuts, with black sesame seeds making up the smallest portion.

However, because black sesame seeds are dark in color, once mixed with hot water, the resulting mixture looked like a dark, murky mass resembling sesame paste. Judging by its appearance alone, it wasn’t very appetizing.

But once in the mouth, the delicate aroma of grains mingled with the nutty fragrance of sesame and the sweetness of honey—the three flavors blended together to create a truly outstanding taste.

Manager Yu took a sip from the bowl. A hint of surprise flashed across his face, then he smiled and said, “Mr. Ye has a deft touch. This bowl of walnut porridge is every bit as good as the milk tea served at the tea houses.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Li immediately smiled.

That was certainly true—the milk tea Bao Beiyuan sold was, after all, made by him.

Thinking of Bao Beiyuan, a thought struck him, and he said, “Manager Yu, actually, besides fried tofu puffs and century eggs, I’m also in the milk tea business.”   

“Hmm?” Manager Yu’s hint of surprise turned into wide-eyed astonishment: “I wonder where Mr. Ye’s drink shop is located?”

“Well, I don’t have a shop yet—it’s run by my husband’s classmate…”

Ye Li briefly explained how Bao Beiyuan sold milk tea, concluding, “That soy milk with glutinous rice balls tastes quite good—it goes perfectly with hot pot.”

“If diners have had too much spicy food or are thirsty, having a bowl of sweet milk tea at that moment is like sipping an iced beverage under the scorching sun—the sense of satisfaction goes without saying.”

Hot pot and milk tea are truly a match made in heaven.

They’re each other’s perfect match!

After listening to his long spiel, Manager Yu smiled and said, “You really know how to do business, Mr. Ye. I’ll send someone tomorrow to buy some and give it a try.” 

“Rest assured, I won’t let you down.”

Ye Li was very confident.

Manager Yu expressed his anticipation, then brought up the topic of fried tofu puffs: “I plan to make fried tofu puffs our signature dish. For the first few days, let’s start with an order of one hundred jin each day.”

“I’ll have someone come pick them up then; there’s no need for you to go to the trouble of delivering them to the county town.”

With ingredients hard to come by in winter, he looked around and found that these fried tofu puffs were the only fresh item available—and they tasted quite good. Therefore, he planned to make them his signature dish.

“Great!” That number made Ye Li’s heart leap with joy.

With 220 jin still available, Manager Yu’s immediate request for 100 jin significantly eased the pressure. Moreover, Manager Yu intended to feature both the fried tofu puffs and the large skewers as signature dishes.

Given the flavor of these two dishes, as long as the broth isn’t bad, they won’t disappoint Manager Yu’s expectations. The only question was just how big the restaurant Manager Yu was talking about actually was.

Would future orders increase even further?

After giving it some thought, he said, “Manager Yu, may I ask where your restaurant is located? I’d like to come support you on opening day.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Yu replied, “It’s at the intersection of the street in the middle of East Third Cross Street and the main street. The name is Ban Xian Ju. As long as you can supply the fried tofu puffs regularly, we can open for business.”

As soon as Ye Li heard this, his mind started racing.

Beiyang County’s streets form a “Feng” character layout. The intersection of the middle street of East Third Cross Street and the main street? That’s right in the center of the county town!

The very, very center!

He was secretly startled—opening a restaurant in a place like this required more than just financial resources.

He wondered what kind of status Manager Yu actually held…

Unable to ask directly, Ye Li said, “Rest assured, the villagers will make the fried tofu puffs as quickly as possible; it won’t hold up your business.”

Manager Yu nodded slightly. He believed those words.

Only once the workshop was up and running could the villagers earn their wages.

After that, he didn’t linger. He bought twenty jin of fried tofu puffs and told Ye Li that in two days, his chef would come to learn how to make century egg and lean pork congee.

They would be purchasing a thousand century eggs that day. Ye Li, of course, reassured him once more.

A thousand—that wasn’t too many; the whole village would surely be able to come up with them.

Soon, Manager Yu and his wife boarded the horse-drawn carriage and departed. Watching the carriage drive off into the distance, Ye Li turned and walked back into the courtyard.

Before she even reached her own door, Jiang Ya came running out of the house next door.

He beckoned to Jiang Ya: “Ya-ger, we didn’t finish the peanuts and sunflower seeds you brought out earlier. Do you want some?” 

“Yes!” Jiang Ya nodded immediately.

He followed Ye Li into the small parlor. Seeing that the plate of peanuts and sunflower seeds was almost untouched, he reached out his little hand to grab some peanuts, asking as he did so, “Didn’t that uncle like peanuts and sunflower seeds just now?”

“Probably not. Judging by the way he was dressed, his family certainly doesn’t lack for these things.”

As Ye Li spoke, she sat down on a high stool and pulled him into her lap: “Ya-ger, weren’t you surprised when you saw Uncle Yu walking just now?”

“Yeah!” Jiang Ya nodded his little head. He rarely saw people with a limp.

Ye Li poked his little belly. “If one day your belly gets so round it looks like you’ve got a watermelon growing on it, would you want people to look at your belly?”

“A watermelon growing on my belly?”

Jiang Ya’s big eyes widened instantly, and he couldn’t help but picture himself holding a watermelon on a summer day. Soon, his little face scrunched up: “That’s so ugly.”

“I don’t want anyone to look at me.”

“Right? You don’t want people staring at your belly, so Uncle Yu definitely doesn’t want people staring at his legs either. That makes sense, doesn’t it?” 

“……”

Jiang Ya’s big eyes darted around a few times, then he reached out his little hand and wrapped it around Ye Li’s arm. With a dejected look, he said, “Brother Li, I was wrong. I didn’t mean to stare at Uncle Yu’s legs.”

Ye Li smiled at this and reached out to pinch his little cheek. “Good boy. It’s okay this time. Just remember this for the future.” 

“Mm!” Jiang Ya puffed out his cheeks and nodded vigorously.

From now on, if he ever ran into someone like Uncle Yu again, he would definitely not stare!

Ye Li was amused by his serious little expression, pinched his little cheek again, and said, “Good Ya-ger, come on, let’s go fry some tofu.”

“Once it’s fried, it’ll be just in time for lunch.”

“Great, great!”

At the mention of pan-fried tofu, Jiang Ya’s eyes immediately lit up. He loved pan-fried tofu!

While the two of them were busy at the stove, Liu Yi and Ye Fulang woke up in the west room.

Liu Yi had nothing else to do, so he rolled up his sleeves to help make lunch. Ye Li couldn’t stop him, so he just let him be.

But Ye Fulang was starting to feel the strain; standing at the stove for several hours straight was a bit too much for someone his age. He sat at the entrance to the kitchen holding a plate of freshly pan-fried tofu, eating while chatting with Liu Yi and Ye Li about everyday matters.

Before long, Ye Liang arrived, driving an oxcart.

Before the group had even finished their lunch, Jiang Dahu, Liang Erxiang, Jiang Liu, Jiang Tong, and others arrived.

The afternoon’s work—frying tofu puffs and grinding soybeans—began.

After frying, they pressed that afternoon’s batch of tofu as well. Ye Li climbed onto the oxcart and set off with Jiang Tong to deliver the goods to the county town. Jiang Dahu went along as well.

With so much cargo to deliver and night falling early, they split into two groups. Ye Li and Jiang Tong went to find Gong Lisheng.

Jiang Dahu went to the east side of town to deliver goods to the small business owners.

While they were bustling about, the villagers on the other side were also working from dawn till dusk to build the workshop.

Fortunately, there had been no snow these past few days; although it was bitterly cold, it didn’t slow down progress on the workshop. With the whole village pulling together, they finally finished the workshop two days before Jiang Ji’s vacation began.

Meanwhile, with Gong Lisheng’s help, Ye Li managed to sell another sixty jin of fried tofu puffs. With that, he was only sixty jin short of his six-hundred-jin quota.

That number isn’t a big deal.

At 540 jin a day, that’s a profit of 3,000 wen! The village workshop is up and running!

On the first day of work, early in the morning, Jiang Fuzheng set off firecrackers.

Once the crackling of the firecrackers had died down, he put on a stern face and delivered a speech warning that anyone caught slacking off would be barred from the workshop. The villagers listened and shook their heads repeatedly.

They wouldn’t dare slack off—the workshop’s benefits were so good that anyone kicked out would surely be scolded by their entire family! Jiang Fuzheng was naturally pleased with the villagers’ attitude.

He waved his hand to dismiss the crowd.

All that remained was to grind the soybeans—only the few people in charge of that task needed to stay.

But the other villagers were still buzzing with excitement, and since grinding soybeans didn’t involve any secrets, they refused to leave, gathering in front of the mill to watch the draft animals turn the millstone.

Ye Li didn’t leave either.

He stood with Jiang Fuzheng behind the crowd, discussing tomorrow’s delivery.

They had started work late today, but since fried tofu puffs don’t spoil for a day or two in winter, they would just fry the fried tofu puffs today and deliver them tomorrow. There was no need to go into town today.

“Are you talking about the shopkeeper surnamed Yu, a lame man?”

Upon hearing about their biggest customer, Jiang Fuzheng quickly pressed for more details.

Seeing his reaction, Ye Li nodded and asked, “That’s right, his surname is Yu. He looks to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. Do you know him?”