Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 13

Because he had thought too much about inappropriate things during the day, he had half a night of spring dreams and woke up with a dry and hoarse throat.

 

Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou had already gotten up and were feeding the chicks in the yard.

 

Lu Yao sat on the bed, reminiscing for a moment. He covered his face, unable to help but despise his own shallowness. It was so embarrassing to be infatuated by mere appearances!

 

After changing his pants, he quietly took a wooden basin and went to the riverbank to wash clothes.

 

When he arrived at the riverbank, he vaguely heard someone talking about him, so Lu Yao lightened his footsteps and slowly approached.

 

“Is it true that the Lu family’s young man is as reckless as you say?”

 

“Is there any doubt? I saw him tugging and pulling with that scholar, saying he would only marry him!”

 

“Alas, it’s a pity that such a good person as Dachuan married such a frivolous fellow.”

 

“Who can argue with that? But you all know Dachuan’s temper; he can’t tolerate any nonsense. After I told him, his face was so dark that I can’t imagine he will definitely divorce him when he returns from labor.”

 

“Clang!” Lu Yao threw the wooden basin at Widow Song’s feet.

 

“Ah!” Widow Song was startled. Just as he was about to curse, he saw it was Lu Yao and reluctantly shut his mouth, moving the basin aside.

 

The others quietly sized up Lu Yao and whispered among themselves.

 

As Lu Yao washed his clothes, he pondered how Widow Song knew about his relationship with Scholar Xu. Could it be that he was also at the noodle shop yesterday?

 

He and that scholar had long lost touch, and now it seemed as if they had made a private commitment for life.

 

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Adopting a mindset of “better to go crazy than to infight,” he said, “Some people, after losing their man, still think about other people’s husbands. They should take a look in the mirror and see what they’re like.”

 

When Widow Song heard this, he dropped the pestle he was holding into the wooden basin and said loudly, “Who are you cursing?”

 

Lu Yao smiled without mirth and said, “Don’t get angry. I didn’t mention your name. Did you really take it to heart?”

 

Widow Song spat, “You don’t need to be so arrogant. Wait until Dachuan comes back; you’ll see.”

 

“That’s none of your business. Even if Dachuan divorces me, he won’t marry a broken shoe that no one wants.”

 

“Who are you calling a broken shoe?”

 

“Look at how anxious you are again! I didn’t say your name; you just insist on recognizing it. Now I feel a bit embarrassed.”

 

Someone nearby laughed, surprised that the Lu family’s young man had such a sharp tongue.

 

“You!” Widow Song’s face turned red with anger as he took his laundry basin and huffily left.

 

Once he was gone, a few women who had come to watch also left one after another, leaving Lu Yao alone to coldly laugh as he beat his pants. Having died once, how could he be afraid of a bunch of rural villagers? He wouldn’t let them get the best of him!

 

But speaking of which, did his cheap husband really believe his words?

 

This Sword Tomb had too much to say!

 

Thinking of the “five-spiced meat” he had long desired but hadn’t had a chance to taste before being targeted by others, Lu Yao felt a wave of discomfort.

 

After finishing his laundry, he returned home, where Zhao Xiaonian ran over and said, “Sister-in-law, there’s a chick that isn’t eating; can you see if it’s sick?”

 

Lu Yao hung up the clothes and followed Zhao Xiaonian to the chicken coop, where a droopy chick was indeed squatting in the corner.

 

After picking it up, he noticed the chick’s rear was smeared with droppings and felt its neck; there was a large lump of undigested food in its crop.

 

“You’ve been feeding it too much. The chick’s stomach is bloated; don’t feed it again today.”

 

“Okay.” The two children nodded and carefully took the chick from his hands and placed it back in the nest.

 

With nothing much to do in the morning, Lu Yao began to ponder about doing business.

 

During this time, he had noticed that most villagers depended on their fields for a living. They couldn’t earn much throughout the year, and since they relied on the weather, everything was fine as long as there was good rain and sunshine. But once a disaster struck, they all would be in dire straits.

 

Lu Yao thought with a modern mindset and felt that this was not a sustainable way to live, but figuring out what business to start was a big problem. He didn’t know how to invent tools, had no capital to open a store, and selling food seemed good, but what could he sell to make money… That’s right, tofu!

 

Yesterday, when he went to town to buy tofu, he ended up going around in circles without finding a single shop that sold tofu. Even when he asked at the food stalls, the owner didn’t even know what tofu was.

 

This left Lu Yao astonished, not knowing if it was because this dynasty hadn’t invented it yet or if it simply hadn’t reached this place. After all, in the world he lived in, tofu had always been one of the common foods for ordinary people throughout history.

 

Tofu has a fragrant aroma, a tender and smooth texture, and a delicate taste, rich in nutrition. It is delicious whether served cold, steamed, or stir-fried. Moreover, tofu has several by-products, such as soy milk, tofu skin, and tofu pudding, and even the pressed soy pulp can be fed to livestock, making it an almost perfect food.

 

The method of making tofu isn’t difficult. In his previous life, he had followed a rural short video blogger who focused on traditional craft-making and passing down skills. Unbeknownst to him, he learned quite a bit, which he could now apply!

 

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed; the price of beans was cheaper than corn, with one bushel of corn exchangeable for one and a half bushels of beans.

 

Most locals made rice with beans, and some ground them into flour to make bean cakes.

 

However, eating too much bean rice or bean cakes could easily lead to gastrointestinal issues, causing discomfort for those with weak stomachs. Thus, only the poor would eat bean products; wealthy families would absolutely not consume such food.

 

Beans could be exchanged for corn, but he still needed a stone mill for grinding the beans.

 

There was indeed a large stone mill in the village specifically for grinding wheat, and after the autumn harvest, everyone would line up there to mill their flour.

 

Soon, Lu Yao discarded the idea of grinding beans at the village mill. Since it was communal, using it once or twice would be fine, but making tofu required daily use. Over time, others would definitely have opinions. It would be better to spend money to carve out a smaller mill for himself.

 

In addition to the stone mill, there were other tools needed, like a tofu bag for filtering. This could be replaced with hemp cloth, but since he didn’t have suitable fabric at home, Lu Yao planned to buy a piece in town.

 

As for the coagulant for making tofu, he would need nigari, which is also an essential ingredient. Nigari is a by-product of refining table salt and is toxic, difficult to find in ancient times. He could only substitute it with gypsum water.

 

Although tofu made with gypsum didn’t taste as good, it was inexpensive and could be bought at a pharmacy under the name of “cold water stone.”

 

There was also a pressing frame for the tofu blocks, which he couldn’t make himself and would need help with.

 

Lu Yao thought for a moment, counted out a hundred wen from the box, greeted the two children, and headed back to his mother’s home.

 

After two days, he returned to his mother’s house again, carrying a basket and humming a tune, feeling unusually cheerful.

 

To be honest, during this period of crossing over, he had always felt lost, sensing a disconnect with this era.

 

Although he was gradually getting used to ancient life, he still couldn’t find a direction for his life.

 

Did he really have to live like the other women in the village, giving birth and relying on men for a living?

 

In this dynasty, men and women had equal low status. If a husband did not like his wife, she could be divorced at any time. A divorced woman would have a hard life; if her family could support her, that would be fine, but if not, she might have to spend the rest of her life in a nunnery.

 

Could Lu Yao endure such a life? Absolutely not! Therefore, the idea of making tofu gave him great encouragement.

 

Regardless of the time or place, productivity determines the superstructure. If he had a career, even if Zhao Beichuan did divorce him, he could still live well on his own.

 

After a quarter of an hour, Lu Yao stood at the front gate of his mother’s house. This time, he didn’t need to knock; the door was open.

 

Before he even entered the yard, he heard a quarrel from inside.

 

“I know you care for San Di, but with such a large family, who isn’t waiting to be fed? Before he got married, you favored him; now that he’s married, you still favor him. Do you think our Lu family is just adopted?”

 

“Alright, Chunrong, stop talking so much,” Lu Lin pulled his wife toward the outer room.

 

Mother Lu said with a stern face, “Don’t pull her away; let her finish her words. If there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with, just say it!”

 

Hu Chunrong’s voice faltered, tears streaming down her face. “Mother, saying this is just stabbing my heart. From the moment I got married, you’ve been taking care of the household and helping us with the children. How could I be dissatisfied with you?”

 

Mother Lu’s expression softened a bit. “Then what are you making a fuss about today?”

 

The issue at hand wasn’t a big deal. The Lu family had an old pot that had been left in the storeroom unused for a long time.

 

A few days ago, Hu Chunrong returned to her mother’s house and saw that their pot was broken and shabby. She thought about bringing the old pot back to replace it.

 

However, when she mentioned it to her husband, Lu Lin told her that San Di had taken the pot, as his own had been burned.

 

Although Hu Chunrong was unhappy about this, she didn’t say much. This morning, while eating breakfast, she inadvertently overheard her mother-in-law speaking with her father-in-law about Lu Yao borrowing money.

 

Instantly, she was furious. The Lu family had not separated, so all the money was pooled together. This meant that the money she and her husband had worked hard for was secretly given by her mother-in-law to her younger brother-in-law!

 

Angry, she had a big fight with her husband. Old Lady Lu came over to mediate, but instead of calming things down, her interference exacerbated the conflict.

 

“You care for Lu Yao; why don’t you care for Lu Lin? He limps to earn money with his father and comes back at night too exhausted to stand,” Hu Chunrong said, growing more aggrieved and crying while covering her face.

 

Mother Lu’s eyes also turned red. “Both the palm and the back of the hand are meat. How could I not care for the second son?”

 

Is the palm the same as the back of the hand? Old Lady Lu knew she had favored Lu Yao too much, but how could she neglect a child she had protected since childhood?

 

Lu Yao stood at the door for a while, awkwardly touching his nose, realizing they were arguing over him.

 

Well, since there was some commotion, he might as well quickly return the money to avoid making things difficult for his mother.

 

“Mother, Brother, Sister-in-law, you’re all here.”

 

As soon as Lu Lin saw him, he awkwardly cleared his throat. “San Di is back.”

 

Hu Chunrong didn’t speak. She was still angry and clearly displeased.

 

Old Lady Lu glanced at her third son, wondering what sin she committed in her previous life to have given birth to such a heartless creature.

 

“A few days ago, I was tight on money and borrowed a hundred wen from you. Fortunately, yesterday Da Chuan came back and gave me household money, so I’m returning it now.”

 

Upon hearing this, Hu Chunrong looked up and saw Lu Yao pulling out a pouch of money from his pocket to hand to Old Lady Lu.

 

She was somewhat surprised, knowing this little brother-in-law’s character too well. Since the day he entered the door, she realized he was sharp-tongued and selfish.

 

To return the money so readily, there must be some ulterior motive.

 

Lu Yao asked, “Where’s my father?”

 

“He hasn’t finished work yet. Is there something?”

 

“There is indeed something.”

 

Hu Chunrong revealed a knowing expression, turned her head, and left the room, calling out at the door, “Lu Lin, come help me in the fields!”

 

Lu Lin looked at his brother and sister-in-law, feeling caught in the middle. Ultimately, Lu Yao waved him off, urging him to go appease his wife.

 

Once they were gone, Mother Lu said, “What do you want to borrow this time?”

 

“Hehe, is Father free tomorrow? I’d like to invite him to help me out, and I won’t let him work for free. Whatever labor cost he gives me, I’ll match it.”

 

Mother Lu couldn’t help but punch him. “You’re just trying to make me mad!”