Yan Xiaoyu carried the firewood with a stride full of vigor, but his face still bore a trace of gloom when he reached home.

He knew that Yan Shaoxuan meant well, but the thought of his own slight frame filled him with worry. He hadn’t managed to build muscle in his previous life, and now that he’d become a ger, it seemed even more hopeless. Why did he have to be reincarnated as a ger?

“Still upset?” Yan Xiaoyue whispered. “Was the wood hard to chop? Then tomorrow you work the fields, and I’ll gather firewood?”

He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao also looked at him with concern.

Yan Xiaoyu felt a warmth in his heart. “It’s fine. This wood is enough. Tomorrow I’ll work the fields with you.”

“Tomorrow… both of you rest. Mother will work the fields,” He Qiuhua said, then brought water for Yan Xiaoyu to drink.

Yan Xingmao touched his own leg and sighed silently.

The afternoon heat was too intense, so neither brother nor sister ventured out. Yan Xiaoyu picked a few blushing peaches from the tree. The family sat in the main hall, nibbling on the peaches as the mountain breeze blew through.

“These peaches are so crisp. They’d be perfect for making perilla peach ginger,” Yan Xiaoyu murmured, leaning against the chair back with eyes half-closed.

Yan Xiaoyue pondered, “Should we send some to Second Brother Yan?”

Yan Xiaoyu opened his eyes. “Then you go.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Yan Xiaoyue replied with an earnest expression. “I’m afraid of him.”

Yan Xiaoyu was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally said, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” Having snapped at him for no reason today, he simply couldn’t bring himself to go see him again.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Over the next two days, Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu business exceeded his expectations.

When Aunt Zhao mentioned buying tofu for her family back home, he deliberately gave her an extra bowl of bean curd residue. He also emphasized that for the next two days, she could still get three blocks of tofu for the price of two.

Tofu is fragile, so Auntie Zhao wrapped it in cheesecloth and carried it carefully all the way. When she reached Nanling Village, people began asking her.

“Sister Zhao is back! What good things did you bring your parents that you’re being so careful?”

Auntie Zhao immediately opened up: “Don’t laugh at me, Sister. It’s just two blocks of tofu bought in our village. They were running a buy-three-get-one-free deal, and you could even trade beans for it. My sister-in-law and I pooled our beans and traded for three blocks. We each got two, so I brought one to my mother!”

Hearing it was from Xiling Village, the woman looked surprised. “Your village has a tofu shop now?”

Xiling Village was the poorest among the four nearby villages. And when Aunt Zhao married into it, people used to laugh at her. Now, even Nanling Village doesn’t have a tofu shop, but Xiling does. Aunt Zhao takes pride in that.

She straightened her back and smiled. “That’s right. They just opened today. Their tofu is just as good as Qian’s. If you buy within the first three days, you even get a little extra. Everyone in our village has gone to buy some.”

The woman who asked nodded. “That’s wonderful.”

With everyone exhausted from the summer harvest, perhaps she should suggest to her mother-in-law that they buy some tofu from Xiling, too? If she could get the neighbors to join in, they might pool their purchases and get a free block!

After mulling it over, the woman went home and shared the idea with her mother-in-law.

Now, back to Aunt Zhao.

She took her two blocks of tofu back to her parents’ home. At noon, her mother cooked them up. The whole family ate with relish, all saying it was better than the Qian family’s. Her sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law even said they’d go buy some tomorrow,w too.

To reach three blocks, the two sisters-in-law invited neighbors to join them the next day.

Thus, Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu business spread throughout Nanling Village.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Three days later, the “buy three, get one free” promotion ended. Business not only held steady but grew even stronger.

Not only did people from Nanling Village come, but residents from Beiling Village and Dongling Village also began buying tofu from Yan Xiaoyu.

Logically, Beiling Village residents could buy tofu locally. Though the Qian family had opened a shop in town, their village business remained open.

Yet Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu was slightly larger than Qian’s, and it could be exchanged for beans instead of coins. This made purchasing it feel less of a financial burden.

Although beans sold for five wen per catty in town, selling them required legwork and facing the grain shop’s picky selection. Using them as currency was undoubtedly more advantageous than selling them to townspeople.

Qian’s tofu shop had once accepted beans as payment too, but once business boomed and no rivals emerged, they grew too lazy to bother with the exchange.

By any measure, Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu was the better bargain.

Villagers from the other three hamlets were wealthier than those in Xiling Village and more willing to spend.

Within ten days of opening the tofu shop, the Yan family had saved over four hundred wen and collected more than three hundred catties of soybeans. This delighted Yan Xingmao and his wife immensely.

The millet harvested in summer was originally meant to be sold in town once grain prices rebounded in a few days. Later, when Yan Xiaoyu decided not to sell it but to keep it for their own consumption, they had no objections.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

After closing the tofu stall that day, Yan Xiaoyu took out his money box and counted out fifty copper wen for each of his parents and his sister Yan Xiaoyue.

“Keep these coins safe. Tomorrow, accompany Father to the town for his follow-up checkup. If you want to buy something, treat yourselves. If not, save them.

Everyone helped make the tofu, so it’s only fair that each of you gets some money. Having cash makes things easier. From now on, I’ll give you all a share each month based on how things go. Father, Mother, Sister, what do you think?”

Yan Xiaoyue was both shocked and delighted. Her dark little face glowed—this was the first time she’d ever held copper coins! Fifty whole coins, all hers!

Yan Xingmao refused to take any: “This silver is what you earned. Your father’s crippled leg has already burdened you all so much. How could I possibly have the face to take your money?”

Yan Xiaoyue’s shoulders slumped, and the light faded from her face.

He Qiuhua glanced at her husband, then at her daughter. “Father and Mother won’t take it. Xiaoyue worked very hard and deserves her share, but Xiaoyu contributed the most and should receive more.”

Yan Xiaoyu disagreed. After some more persuasion, both sides compromised. Yan Xingmao and his wife would share one portion, giving the remaining fifty wen to Yan Xiaoyu. This way, Yan Xiaoyu would receive one hundred wen, while Yan Xiaoyue kept her fifty wen.

Yan Xiaoyue was thoroughly satisfied, and Yan Xiaoyu reluctantly agreed.

His proposal to share the money with family stemmed mainly from thinking his elder sister, now a young woman, surely had things she wanted to buy but felt awkward asking him for. His parents, as elders, likely also had moments when they couldn’t bring themselves to ask. Though each person received less this time, once the household earned more in the future, everyone could share more.

While Yan Xiaoyu pondered how to expand their business next, Yan Xingmao found an excuse to send his daughter away.

He looked at his son: “Xiaoyu, you’re a capable ger. Your mother and I no longer worry about the family’s income. But your sister is eighteen now, and her marriage prospects remain uncertain. Your mother is deeply troubled by this. Yesterday afternoon, Granny Wang from Nanling Village approached your mother, proposing to match your sister with the son of a town cobbler. What do you think?”

Yan Xiaoyu frowned.

He recognized this Granny Wang—she was the one who had previously tried to marry Yan Xiaoyue off to a widower.