Those who had been hesitant were now tempted by the prospect of getting three blocks of tofu, one for free, and a chance for a bowl of bean curd pudding for a fair price.

After discussing it, several villagers decided that if three families pooled their resources, they too could get four blocks of tofu and a bowl of bean curd pudding.

So, two women and one fulang each carried a basket to the foot of the mountain.

Yan Xiaoyu, hearing they also wanted to buy extra, didn’t refuse. However, the free bean curd was only half the portion given to Nian-ger, and he stated that those arriving later wouldn’t receive any free bean curd.

Feeling they’d gotten a good deal, the group showed no discontent. They happily carried their tofu home.

On the way back, they met fellow villagers and proceeded to brag at length.

“Look at that huge piece! See how much bigger it is than the Qian family’s? We pooled our money for three families and got an extra block of tofu and half a bowl of tofu pudding! Those who come later won’t get any pudding—they’ll have to pay for it!”

“The taste? It must be good—it smells delicious! And Nian-ger ate the pudding and said it was fantastic, so the tofu must be excellent too…”

Hearing this, others began to get restless.

Not long after those three left, Aunt He arrived.

“It’s your first day open, so I had to come show my support.”

Aunt He bought only a block of tofu. Yan Xiaoyu then gave her half of the leftover bean curd residue from that morning. She hesitated, feeling awkward, but Yan Xiaoyu pretended to be annoyed.

“We’ve eaten quite a few of your dishes. Today, we’re giving you some bean curd residue for free, and you’re still being polite? Take it quickly! It wouldn’t look good if others saw!”

Only then did Aunt He accept it. Yan Xiaoyu then shared some recipes for using the okara before letting her leave.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

After Aunt He departed, several more groups of customers trickled in.

Though the village had only thirty-six households, many were large families that hadn’t split off. A single block of tofu was hardly enough, so some bought two or even three.

After yesterday’s trial run, today’s process flowed smoothly. From a pound and a half of soybeans, Yan Xiaoyu produced thirty-two blocks of tofu and half a bucket of silken tofu. Within half an hour of opening shop, he had sold more than half his stock.

Half an hour later, an unexpected customer arrived.

Yan Shaoxuan stood across the table from Yan Xiaoyu, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I came to return a bowl and buy some tofu.”

“Sure.” Yan Xiaoyu nodded, making small talk. “Have you had breakfast?”

“No.”

Yan Xiaoyu paused in his movements.

This guy really… not eating breakfast this late? No wonder his brother was worried. Yan Xiaoyu recalled Yan Shaocheng’s request and the peach tree in the courtyard, silently sighing.

He filled the bowl Yan Shaoxuan had returned with tofu pudding, then carried it over along with the tofu. “It’s this late already, and you still haven’t eaten breakfast? You’ll starve yourself! Here, take this bowl of tofu pudding.”

Yan Shaoxuan hesitated, reaching for his money. Yan Xiaoyu only accepted five wen for the tofu: “I told you, the bean curd is a gift.”

Yan Shaoxuan stumbled out of the courtyard. As he turned, he overheard someone muttering behind him:

“Didn’t Zhao Si’s wife just say they’re not delivering tofu pudding to the latter customers anymore? Aunt He is so close to them, yet she didn’t get any!”

”Maybe she bought it herself!“

”Well, that’s still…”

Realizing that no one else got free tofu pudding, only he did, Yan Shaoxuan couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth. Even his motion to push open the door carried a cheerful energy.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Thirty-two blocks of tofu sold out before noon. Yan Xingmao and his wife beamed with joy, and Yan Xiaoyue’s face was radiant.

After a busy morning, they were indeed hungry. They shared the last bit of tofu pudding among themselves.

After finishing the bean curd pudding, the family of four washed the tofu containers clean and gathered happily to tally today’s earnings.

Village folk were generally strapped for cash. Most customers who came door-to-door today traded beans for tofu. Only Nian-ger, Aunt He, Yan Shaoxuan, and another Fulang paid with copper coins.

Soybeans were cheap; villagers sold them to the town grain shops for five wen per catty. Yan Xiaoyu priced his tofu accordingly—one catty of soybeans exactly bought one block of tofu.

The tofu and bean curd given away didn’t count as income, yet even so, they’d earned thirty wen and twenty-two catties of soybeans today.

Yan Xingmao used to haul goods at the docks, earning only three or forty wen a day—far more exhausting than grinding beans! Today, without even leaving home, he’d earned silver.

The twenty-two catties of soybeans not only recouped their initial investment but also yielded a surplus of twenty catties. Their single mu of land had only produced a little over one hundred and twenty catties of beans during the summer harvest—this nearly matched twenty percent of that summer yield.

This trade was truly low-cost and high-yield. No wonder Qian Hong looked down on him!

Townspeople were wealthier than villagers, and there were more of them. Opening a shop there would surely earn more than Yan Xiaoyu’s small-scale efforts.

But just as meals are eaten one bite at a time, business must be built incrementally. Yan Xiaoyu understood this well and felt no urgency.

The other three, however, weren’t as calm as he was.

“Some people couldn’t buy any earlier. Should we make more tomorrow?” Yan Xingmao asked, only to immediately dismiss his own suggestion. “No, villagers won’t buy tofu every day. Should we make less tomorrow?”

“No need. Stick with today’s amount,” Yan Xiaoyu replied with a sly smile. “Auntie Zhao said she’s taking those two blocks back to her parents’ home. She seems like a chatterbox who can’t stop talking. Once she gets to Nanling Village, she’ll probably spread the word about us. Maybe tomorrow, folks from Nanling will come buy tofu from us. Even if they don’t, we can just eat it ourselves. No big deal.”

“Besides, knowing we’ll deliver again the day after tomorrow, folks will rush to buy these two days.”

After Yan Xiaoyu finished, He Qiuhua beamed with pride: “Our Xiaoyu is so clever!”

Yan Xingmao also looked pleased: “Xiaoyu always thinks ahead.”

After being showered with praise, Yan Xiaoyu’s smile grew even brighter. He tucked away the thirty copper wen and hummed a tune as he headed back to his room to sleep.

They had risen too early today, so He Qiuhua let the siblings catch up on sleep at noon.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The rice seedlings had just been planted and needed careful tending. That afternoon, Yan Xiaoyue went to the fields to tend the crops. Yan Xiaoyu fetched a few buckets of water, then hoisted his wood-chopping axe and headed up the mountain.

The extra firewood burned, making tofu these past two days had nearly depleted their supply, so he had to go chop more.

On the mountain, he encountered Yan Shaoxuan, who was also chopping wood.

Yan Xiaoyu found this somewhat surprising.

Yan Yonghe never did farm work. Every year during the summer and autumn harvests, the county school granted field leave, yet he almost never returned home. Even when he did come back, he would shut himself indoors and never step outside.

Farm labor was something he never gave a second glance.

Yan Shaoxuan was also a scholar, yet he was quite different. He carried water, chopped wood—he did it all. His physique was also much more robust than Yan Yonghe’s.

Having just finished two trips carrying water and then climbing the mountain, Yan Xiaoyu’s cheeks were flushed crimson from the heat. He sat cross-legged, leaning against a large tree, his chin resting on the wooden handle of his wood-chopping axe. As he rested, he watched Yan Shaoxuan.

Today, Yan Shaoxuan wore a deep gray outfit that hugged his muscular frame. His waist was defined by the belt, his back was straight, his shoulders broad and thick. When he swung the axe, the bulging muscles in his arms were clearly visible.

It was precisely the physique Yan Xiaoyu envied most.

He stared so intently that Yan Shaoxuan’s face flushed.

“Are you here to chop wood, or—” Or to see me? Yan Shaoxuan pressed his lips together, swallowing the rest of the sentence.

This guy was sharp. Yan Xiaoyu scratched his head and gave a silly grin. “Hey, you saw me?”

“You’re practically a giant.” And so brazen—how could he not notice?

Yan Shaoxuan muttered under his breath, then swung his axe to chop down a dead tree. He stole another glance at Yan Xiaoyu. “You’re a ger. Being so bold—aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you?”

Yan Xiaoyu noticed he was uncomfortable under the scrutiny and quickly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

Forgetting again that he was a ger, Yan Xiaoyu felt a pang of regret. “You keep chopping. I won’t watch anymore.”

Yan Shaoxuan was at a loss for words and ignored him completely.

Yan Xiaoyu patted his butt and stood up. Yan Shaoxuan caught a glimpse and froze, his eyes wide. Oblivious, Yan Xiaoyu swung his axe to chop wood. After cutting several thicker branches, he began gathering dry leaves and thin twigs. Within less than a quarter of an hour, both bamboo baskets were filled to the brim.

Yan Shaoxuan, however, had nearly filled his basket when Yan Xiaoyu first arrived. Yet he dawdled afterward, only finishing his basket after Yan Xiaoyu had finished chopping.

As both prepared to descend the mountain, Yan Shaoxuan eyed Yan Xiaoyu’s overflowing basket. “Need a hand?”

“No.” Yan Xiaoyu couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Who do you think you’re looking down on?!”

He might not be as tall or as strong, but he was a tough guy through and through!