With the harvest complete, Yan Xiaoyu borrowed a threshing machine from Aunt He to separate the grains from the stalks.

This contraption was said to have been invented by a Ministry of Works official years ago. After being introduced to Wuyang County, it quickly became a coveted item among farmers.

Previously, they used rice beds, which were both time-consuming and labor-intensive. This foot-operated thresher made life considerably easier for the farmers.

The price of over three hundred wen was nothing compared to its usefulness. Several households in Xiling Village had purchased one. Those who truly couldn’t afford it would pay some silver or grain during the summer and autumn harvests to borrow one from those who owned one.

Yan Xiaoyu had initially planned to rent one, but when Aunt He later offered to lend them hers, he didn’t bother looking elsewhere. He paid her the full amount of grain he owed.

After threshing and drying the rice, they joined the villagers in delivering the harvest to town to pay the land tax. Only then was the summer harvest truly over.

But there was no time to rest after the harvest ended. Immediately, they had to plow the fields and transplant seedlings, sowing the late rice crop.

For five or six days straight, they worked almost day and night. Yan Xiaoyu truly experienced the hardships of farming.

By the time the late rice was planted, all three members of their family—except Yan Xingmao, who couldn’t work the fields—were exhausted and had lost weight. It took Yan Xiaoyu two full days of rest to recover.

After two days, he gathered his strength and put his plan to earn money by making tofu back on the agenda.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

There are mainly two types of tofu: brine tofu and gypsum tofu. Yan Xiaoyu intended to make gypsum tofu, which required essential tools like a stone mill, cheesecloth, molds, and gypsum—all needing to be purchased in town.

Coincidentally, it was the day Yan Xingmao had his follow-up appointment at the clinic. Yan Xiaoyu borrowed an ox from Niu Fugui, hitched it to their wooden cart, and the family set off for town together.

Yan Xingmao’s leg was recovering well enough to discontinue the topical ointment. Doctor Yu prescribed a new decoction to strengthen his tendons and bones while replenishing blood and vital energy, instructing him to return for another follow-up in ten days. As expected, after that next visit, he would be able to walk with a cane.

Yan Xingmao felt both joy and worry. He was delighted that his recovery was progressing better than expected, but troubled by the exorbitant cost of the medicine.

The ten doses of blood-nourishing and qi-strengthening decoction, containing expensive ingredients like ginseng and cinnamon, cost eighty wen per dose. Combined with the bone-strengthening medicine, the total expense reached one tael and one hundred wen.

He’d heard these tonics required long-term use—how could an ordinary family afford that?

But his young ger had insisted: health comes first. Money could be earned again, but life was irreplaceable. The high cost needn’t worry him; once the tofu business took off, household expenses would ease.

Yan Xingmao had considered asking Doctor Yu to reduce the dosage or prescribe a cheaper formula, but his son’s words dispelled those thoughts.

Very well, he would follow his son’s advice. Now that everything at home depended on his son’s arrangements, he needed to recover quickly to help shoulder the burden for his children.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Once at the clinic, Yan Xiaoyu also bought the gypsum used for tofu.

After leaving the clinic, they headed straight to the cloth shop. Besides the gauze for tofu-making, they bought two bolts of inexpensive fabric, planning to have He Qiuhua sew new clothes for each family member.

All four of their garments were worn beyond recognition. If He Qiuhua and the others weren’t so reluctant to part with their money, Yan Xiaoyu would have bought ready-made clothes for everyone.

But now, money flowed out like water with no income coming in. Of the original seventeen taels of silver, only nine remained. He Qiuhua and the others wanted to use it sparingly, and Yan Xiaoyu understood.

To celebrate Yan Xingmao’s improved leg injury, after buying the cloth, Yan Xiaoyu decided to buy another pound of meat, saying he would cook a special meal to celebrate.

This time, He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao had no objections whatsoever. Earlier, Doctor Yu had mentioned that Yan Xingmao had been severely malnourished. His leg had healed so quickly, precisely because they had been caring for him well. The doctor had specifically warned them not to slack off and to provide as much nourishment as possible when circumstances allowed.

Yan Xiaoyu agreed wholeheartedly. Not only Yan Xingmao, but also He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue were also somewhat malnourished and needed nourishment.

After buying the cloth, they went to the carpenter’s shop to purchase a tofu mold, and finally visited the stoneware shop to buy a stone mill.

The stone mill was shockingly expensive, with prices varying by size—the smallest one cost nine hundred wen. Fortunately, this tool was practical; buying it meant they could not only make tofu but also grind other grains.

Yan Xiaoyu bought a larger one, spending a tael of silver—nearly as much as their cart itself.

With other expenses added, this half-day outing cost nearly three taels of silver. Now, he had just over seven taels left in his hands.

Yan Xiaoyu sighed again—silver just doesn’t last.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

After finishing their shopping, the family loaded their oxcart and headed home, their cargo piled high.

Most of their purchases fit neatly into bamboo baskets, but the stone mill sat exposed on top, impossible to miss. Entering the village, it inevitably drew the villagers’ attention.

“Brother Yu, why buy such a big stone mill? That must’ve cost a fortune!”

“Why buy a stone mill when you could just grind rice and flour at Beiling Village?”

“…”

Yan Xiaoyu had been waiting for these questions. After all, once the tofu was made, he needed buyers—and the villagers were the perfect customers. This was the perfect opportunity to spread the word about his upcoming tofu business.

Sitting atop the oxcart, he called out his explanation: “Our family’s starting a tofu business, hence the stone mill. Once the tofu’s ready, all uncles, brothers, aunts, and sisters are welcome to come by. We’ll cut you generous portions!”

The words sent shockwaves through the villagers cooling under the roadside trees. Reactions varied wildly—some offered warm congratulations, others wore skeptical expressions, and a few even hurled sour remarks.

Yan Xiaoyu remained unflappable. To well-wishers, he offered thanks; to skeptics, he offered no further explanation, simply inviting them to see for themselves when the time came. As for the sourpusses, he didn’t mince words, firing back sharp retorts in just a few sentences.

The villagers knew he wasn’t the pushover he used to be. They dared not say much to his face, but once he left, the whispers began.

“The Qian family made their fortune with tofu, right? Could it be that Yan Er’s family is about to rise up, too?”

“But where did they learn to make tofu? Could they be pulling our leg?”

“Exactly! Tofu isn’t just grinding beans. Plenty tried it themselves and failed. Maybe they got duped?”

“The Qian family is Sister Fang’s in-laws. Could Yan Er have learned from her before the family split?”

”How could that be?! If Old Master Yan were that generous, they wouldn’t have split the household in the first place.“

”Truth or fiction, we’ll know in a few days. Let’s just wait and see if Brother Yu can actually make tofu…”

Since Yan Yongfang and Yan Xingsheng were mentioned, the conversation naturally turned to the Yan family.

The Yans had certainly made a spectacle of themselves during this summer harvest.

It all started when Yan Xingsheng hired two laborers from the village at fifty wen a day to help cut their rice.

During the busy farming season, this wasn’t an unreasonable wage. The two men had accepted the job mainly because it was close to home. Little did they know they’d be struggling after just half a day.

Accustomed to the strength of someone like Yan Xiaoyue, the Yans found it too slow when the two men managed only one acre by midday. Seeing the rice they carried back barely filled two baskets, they found it too little…

In short, they found fault with everything. They felt the men had taken their silver but hadn’t put in the effort, and this left a sour taste in their mouths.

When wages were paid that afternoon, Old Master Yan muttered discontentedly under his breath. His words were overheard. Exhausted after a full day’s labor, the two laborers felt they had given their all. Hearing such criticism, they couldn’t help but defend themselves. Words quickly escalated into an argument.

The next day, neither man showed up. Unable to find replacements on short notice, the Yans had to take to the fields themselves.

At first, Tao Cuiqing handled the cooking while Yan Xingsheng, his son, and Old Master Yan harvested rice. But the grandfather and his two grandsons, accustomed to having their every need catered to, found the labor unbearable.

Eventually, Old Master Yan refused to continue. He stayed home to cook, insisting that Tao Cuiqing go to the fields. Tao Cuiqing’s family lived in town; she had never harvested rice before and knew nothing of the work. Not long after entering the fields, she cut herself.

Being naturally proud and disinclined toward farm labor, how could she endure this?

But this woman was shrewd. Instead of saying outright she disliked the work, she claimed her injured hand made labor impossible, asking Yan Xingsheng and his son to bear the burden.

So for the next few days, it was Yan Xingsheng and his son toiling away in the fields, grumbling bitterly.

The two worked with constant complaints. When they returned home, they found the rice they’d carried back hadn’t been dried. Old Master Yan complained of back pain, Tao Cuiqing of hand pain, and the whole family was thrown into chaos over it.

With no other options, they ended up paying extra to hire villagers for the plowing and rice planting. Now they dared not find fault with the hired hands.

Since they hired villagers, the news couldn’t stay hidden. The Yans had enjoyed their privileged status for years, but this was the first time they’d been so thoroughly humiliated. Once word got out, many people secretly gloated.

Yan Xiaoyu also heard about it from Aunt He and Liu Tiao. The Yan Xingsheng family had bullied his original self and He Qiuhua so badly before—now they were getting their comeuppance. Naturally, Yan Xiaoyu was delighted.

But he was busy with farm work at the time and didn’t dwell on it much. Little did he know the fallout would eventually reach him.