The Qian Family Tofu Shop didn’t just serve ordinary folk; many nearby merchants also bought tofu from them.

After the commotion broke out, the individual customers who bought tofu gathered around the shop demanding an explanation. The owner of a nearby eatery heard the noise and came over too.

“Mr. Qian, we buy ten blocks of tofu from you daily. After much haggling, you finally gave us a ten-wen discount. You said only large restaurants ordering fifty blocks a day get the four-wen-per-block price. How come now even your village’s walk-in customers can buy tofu at four wen per block—and at a higher price than those restaurants?!”

Individual customers were easy to dismiss—a bowl of bean curd pudding and a few kind words would send them on their way. But these merchants were far trickier. One misstep could cost him dozens, even hundreds of taels in lost business.

Qian Hong paced anxiously.

His tofu business had always run smoothly. Facing this first setback, he had no good ideas—until Yan Yongfang suggested a solution.

“Since lowering prices actually works, and word has already spread, why not just drop the price of tofu in town to four wens per block? All the merchants should lower their prices accordingly. While Yan Xiaoyu and his crew haven’t built up their business yet, we can crush them in one fell swoop.”

“How could that be?!” Qian Hong looked thoroughly displeased. “Lowering the price to four wen in the village already means we’re making less money. If the town’s tofu shops do the same, how much less silver will we sell?”

He couldn’t help but grumble, “It was all Father-in-law’s brilliant idea! Now look—we’ve alienated all our regular customers! With your brother’s schooling and your younger brother’s bail out of jail, the Qian family is footing all the expenses. How can we possibly afford to lose money on tofu too?”

Hearing this, Yan Yongfang’s face turned cold. “Supporting my elder brother’s education? You were the one who brought that up in the marriage proposals. We told you earlier not to meddle, but you insisted on showing off. Now you blame me and Father?”

Her anger made Qian Hong’s expression shift instantly. “Don’t be upset, Fang’er! You’re carrying our child now—I’m too worried about you to blame you! I just spoke rashly in my haste and hurt your feelings!”

“Agreeing to help Xiaobao’s parents redeem him was also for our unborn child! Mother said that if we assist them, when our child grows up, he can study alongside his uncle and great-uncle. And when my eldest brother passes the provincial exams, half of the tax exemption on farmland will go to the Qian family. She’s already made it clear—how could we refuse?”

Qian Hong humbled himself and coaxed for a while before finally coaxing a smile back onto Yan Yongfang’s face.

The couple discussed it some more. Qian Hong kept saying he couldn’t bear to lose even a little silver, so in the end, they could only decide to raise the price of the village tofu back to its original level.

As for the days when the prices in the two places were different, Yan Yongfang came up with an explanation.

Recently, during the Qian family matriarch’s birthday celebration, many villagers came to pay their respects. To thank the neighbors and pray for the matriarch’s health, the Qians deliberately offered a discount, lowering the price of tofu in the village to four wen per block. This allowed those less fortunate, who couldn’t normally afford tofu, to taste it.

Now that the discounted period has ended, the price will return to normal tomorrow.

The two explained this thoroughly and delivered apology gifts to every merchant, finally calming the situation.

But business that afternoon had been affected, and the aftermath remained uncertain. The Yan siblings lingered at the market, a thorn in their side.

Qian Hong gritted his teeth in frustration. “Prices in the village have been slashed for half a month, yet the town hasn’t budged. Today, you go persuade the Yan siblings, and immediately afterward, our price discrepancy gets exposed. It’s definitely those two!”

Yan Yongfang nodded. “That’s likely”

Qian Hong narrowed his eyes, his smile turning vicious. “If he’s so arrogant, we’ll show him what we’re made of. He’ll never think the Qian family fears him!”

Yan Yongfang frowned. “Yan Xiaoyu isn’t the same as before. He’s grown bold and stubborn. Even Xiao Bao fell victim to him. We must be cautious and avoid confronting him head-on.”

“What choice do we have? You tried reason today, but he wouldn’t listen. Are we really supposed to let him stay in town and steal our business?”

“Let me think it over.” Yan Yongfang’s expression grew grave. “They’ve developed other tofu-based dishes that are reportedly selling well. Our shop only offers tofu and tofu pudding. We might not be able to compete with them in the future.”

Qian Hong grew even more agitated. “Then what’s there to think about?! Hurry and find someone to tie up Yan Xiaoyu! Steal his family’s recipe!”

Yan Yongfang gave him a cool glance. “Yan Xiaobao thought the same thing back then. Now he’s rotting in the county jail.”

“…” Qian Hong remained unconvinced. “Your brother didn’t plan thoroughly enough and didn’t have enough men. Hire a few burly thugs—they’ll make Yan Xiaoyu submit! We have connections in the county office too. As long as we handle it carefully, nothing will go wrong.”

Yan Yongfang sighed. “Mother said Yan Xiaoyu’s family is now closely aligned with Yan Shaoxuan—the county schoolmaster’s top disciple and the magistrate’s son’s friend. How could your men at the county office possibly outmaneuver him?”

Qian Hong awkwardly rubbed his nose.

“Then what? Soft approaches won’t work, tough ones won’t either. Are we just supposed to let Yan Xiaoyu lord it over us?”

Yan Yongfang pondered for a moment: “Yan Xiaoyu is just a country bumpkin who can’t even read. What does he know? Let’s wait a few more days. If his tofu snacks really turn a profit, we’ll give him a little something to coax him into selling us the recipe. Our connections in town far outmatch his. He’ll never outcompete us selling the same goods—we’ll recoup our investment sooner or later.“

”Also, if we could win over Kou Yanxuan to our side, that would be ideal.“ As Yan Yongfang spoke, a distant look flickered across her face, as if recalling something.

Qian Hong remained oblivious, his arms tightening around her in excitement: ”Our Fang’er is so resourceful! I’ll follow your lead!”

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

In another scene.

After the Qian family’s scandal broke, Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu business improved somewhat. However, after the first wave of people demanding justice from the Qians left, new customers, unaware of the situation, headed straight for the Qian family shop.

A few drawn by their loud hawking, upon learning they couldn’t trade beans for tofu, also went to the Qian family tofu shop.

Seeing that by closing time, only half a bucket of tofu and half a bucket of bean curd remained from the morning’s supply, Yan Xiaoyue grew anxious.

“Should we let them trade beans too?”

Yan Xiaoyu shook his head. “Most townspeople don’t farm for a living. They don’t have soybeans at home. Buying them from the grain shop to trade for our tofu costs more than buying it outright. Those who want to trade beans are mostly villagers from outside the town, not many people. Besides, we sell a variety of foods, and today we’re only

We only take cash today—we’re already swamped without accepting beans. If we had to inspect and weigh every batch, it’d be too much trouble.“

After explaining, he reassured Yan Xiaoyue: ”Don’t worry, sis. Our new tofu stall just opened—word hasn’t spread yet. Once more people know about us, our tofu will sell like hotcakes.”

Yan Xiaoyue wasn’t overly concerned, though she felt a twinge of regret seeing the leftover tofu and bean curd, dreading the waste of grain.

Convinced by Yan Xiaoyu’s reasoning, she set her worries aside and scooped another bowl of bean curd for herself and her younger brother.

“Let’s eat some now—no need to waste it. Save a bowl for Elder Brother Yan and Second Brother Yan too.”

With that, she tucked in happily. 

Yan Xiaoyu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fine then.”

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Come dusk, the family’s usual dinner hour, Yan Xiaoyu left the stall again to buy meat.

Over the past few days, he’d slaughtered two chickens for chicken soup and tofu skewers. The carcasses went into the broth, while the meat became meals for his family.

After several chicken dinners, Yan Xiaoyu found himself craving pork again.

With the silver he’d earned today, buying some meat to add to the family meal seemed only right—especially since the Yan brothers had been invited over for dinner. @Infinite Good Wens, All at Jinjiang Literature City

The man in ochre robes from earlier that morning was surnamed Zhu. Everyone at the market called him Butcher Zhu. Butcher Zhu and his son, Zhu Sheng, sold meat together at the market. The two bowls used for the bean curd earlier that morning had been returned by Zhu Sheng.

Zhu Sheng’s eyes lit up when he saw Yan Xiaoyu approaching.

“Brother Yu, looking to buy some meat?” he said, pushing past his father to pick out several choice cuts from the stall. “What kind do you want? This pork belly has just the right balance of fat and lean—perfect for stewing! If you’re making lard, grab this one—plenty fatty! For stir-frying, pick a leaner cut. It’s cheaper, less greasy, and your brothers will love it…”

Butcher Zhu stared blankly at his son. Yan Xiaoyu was also a bit surprised: “How do you know my name?”

Zhu Sheng gave an embarrassed smile: “I went over this morning to deliver a bowl of soup and heard your sister call you. You were busy then and didn’t notice.”

“Oh.” Yan Xiaoyu had asked casually and hadn’t given it much thought. Remembering that Yan Shaoxuan loved braised pork belly, he pointed to a slab of pork belly. “Just this one, please. Wrap it up.”

Zhu Sheng eagerly replied, “Sure thing! How about a free bone? Would you like it cut?”

The young man was quite generous. Yan Xiaoyu got a free bone and smiled gratefully. “Thanks! Could you cut it into small pieces for me? I’m making braised pork!”

Zhu Sheng diligently cut the meat and bone for him, wrapped it up, and watched him walk away.

“Tsk!” Butcher Zhu gave his son a sharp slap on the back. “The guy’s already out the door—what are you grinning at?”

Zhu Sheng withdrew his gaze and lowered his head, a flush spreading across his wheat-colored face. “Father, don’t speak so loudly around Brother Yu—you might scare him.”

Zhu Tuzi glared, his voice coarse. “He’s not made of clay—what’s so scary about him?”

He eyed his son up and down. “Don’t go pining after him. That kid’s all delicate skin and bones. Standing next to you, you’d look mismatched. His sister, though—that tall, dark-skinned girl? She’d be perfect for you!”

Zhu Sheng fumed, “Father, stop talking nonsense! Xiaoyu will be furious if he hears you!”

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Yan Xiaoyu returned to the stall. He and his sister had already packed away all the pots, pans, bowls, spoons, tables, and stools. Now they waited for the Yan brothers to come pick them up.

They had agreed to meet in the afternoon, and after waiting less than a quarter of an hour, Yan Shaocheng and Yan Shaoxuan arrived pulling their oxcart.

Yan Xiaoyu was curious about Yan Shaocheng’s stinky tofu business. As soon as the cart pulled up, he glanced over. Seeing Yan Shaocheng’s pleased expression and the empty barrels on the cart, he finally relaxed.

Once aboard the cart, Yan Xiaoyue served bean curd pudding to Yan Shaocheng, while Yan Xiaoyu dished out a bowl for Yan Shaoxuan.

“Brother Yan, how did the stinky tofu sell today?”