Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 37

When Lu Yao first saw Widow Song, he didn’t recognize him at all. The changes were just too great.

 

Widow Song was about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, the prime of his youth. Yet, ever since he was sent to the temple and tortured for over a month, his health had been ruined. Even now, after such a long time, his body had not fully recovered. His cheekbones were high, and with his body being so thin, without even two taels of flesh, his face appeared even more angular, looking from a distance like a skeleton.

 

As Lu Yao looked at them, the two of them were also observing the people on the cart.

 

When Widow Song saw Zhao Beichuan, his eyes instantly lit up, as if the fire of life had been ignited. He straightened his back, and his whole demeanor brightened.

 

However, as the mule cart passed by them, Zhao Beichuan didn’t even spare him a glance.

 

Song Changshun’s gaze also fell on Lu Yao. The young man looked even more radiant than before. Despite wearing a simple gray cotton coat, his good looks were still evident—his fair, rosy face and his bright, watery eyes made Song Changshun feel a warmth spreading through his body.

 

Cough… cough cough cough… A gust of wind blew, causing Widow Song to start coughing again.

 

Song Changshun snapped back to his senses, glancing at the person next to him, his eyes clearly full of disdain.

 

Widow Song clenched his fists, pretending to ask casually, “Did the scholar from the town come to cause a scene when I was sent to the temple?”

 

“No,” Song Changshun replied, a bit puzzled. The man had promised to come, but after waiting for several days, he didn’t show up. Later, with so many things happening at home, this matter was forgotten, and it was only when Widow Song brought it up that he remembered it.

 

“Let’s go to the town and find that man to get our money back!”

 

Widow Song nodded and staggered forward. Because of his poor health, he had to stop and rest after a few steps.

 

Song Changshun grew a bit impatient. “Hurry up, or we won’t make it to the town in time for lunch.”

 

Widow Song gritted his teeth and quickened his pace, his hatred rising with each step. If he had a knife in his hand right now, he would unhesitatingly strike at Song Changshun’s neck!

 

This man was a beast. He knew that Guafu was in poor health, yet he pushed him to the brink of exhaustion. If it weren’t for the torment he suffered last night, he wouldn’t be struggling to walk today.

 

Song Changshun seemed to feel a chill on the back of his neck and turned around to glance. Widow Song quickly forced a fake smile.

 

Upon arriving in the town, Lu Yao, as usual, went to the grain shop to sell the beans.

 

The shop owner was familiar with him, and as soon as the cart stopped, he called over an assistant to unload the goods.

 

“Lu, little brother, back again to sell grain?”

 

Lu Yao jumped off the cart, teasing, “Master Qiu, your timing is perfect.”

 

“Hey, when you come, I know it’s always right,” meaning others might not be as accurate.

 

When Lu Yao first sold beans, they were shorted by half a stone, but that had been so long ago, and he didn’t care to bring it up anymore.

 

Soon, the sacks of grain were checked to ensure no pebbles or bean stalks were mixed in before they began to weigh the beans.

 

“By the way, what exactly does your family do? How come you can send so many beans every month?” At first, Master Qiu thought Lu Yao grew them himself, but as the deliveries kept increasing, he began to wonder how much land one would need to grow this many beans.

 

With so many fields growing only beans and not other crops, no one in Qingshui Town had ever heard of such a person.

 

Lu Yao smiled and cut off a piece of tofu from the cart, placing it on a clean phoenix tree leaf. “Here, have a piece, try the taste.”

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Tofu made from beans. You can take it home and mix it with some spring onions, or stew it with other dishes. It tastes great.”

 

Master Qiu took the tofu, curious, and tried a piece. “Hmm—this really tastes like beans!”

 

Lu Yao couldn’t help but laugh, and Zhao Beichuan was also amused.

 

After the beans were weighed, the total came to eight stones and six dou. At five cash per stone, they earned four taels, five qian, and fifty wen, which was exchanged for four taels of silver after deducting four qian in fees. The remaining one hundred and fifty wen was exchanged for sugar.

 

Lu Yao kept the silver, and the four taels of silver, shaped like a small child’s fist-sized ingot, felt heavy in his hand. The ingot was inscribed with the characters “Tianwu Shengbao.”

 

Tianwu was the name of the country, Sheng meant prosperous, and Bao referred to the universal currency. The Tianwu Dynasty was something Lu Yao had never heard of in his previous life. No wonder the civilization here was so different from what he had read about in history books.

 

After selling the grain, Zhao Beichuan moved the mule cart to a designated area to set up his stall, then laid out the tofu.

 

Although today was market day, there weren’t many people in the town. Perhaps because the weather had turned cold, most people who didn’t need to buy anything stayed home.

 

Lu Yao once again started shouting, “Tofu—fresh and delicious—tender and smooth tofu!”

 

“Auntie, would you like to buy some tofu to try? Six wen per jin, tasty and cheap!”

 

“Aunt, try some tofu, it tastes really good.”

 

“Uncle, tofu for sale? You can try some even if you don’t buy.”

 

People just stopped for a moment to glance at the stall before turning away. Since tofu was hard to carry, and they didn’t have bowls or containers with them, they naturally weren’t interested in buying.

 

After half an hour, they had only sold two portions, and Lu Yao’s voice was almost hoarse.

 

“Don’t worry, have some water first.” Zhao Beichuan handed him a water pouch.

 

Lu Yao gulped down half of it. “I can’t believe this, it sells so well in the village, but no one’s buying in the town?”

 

They sold tofu until noon, but only about four or five jin sold. Lu Yao was somewhat disheartened. It seemed that doing business in the town was quite difficult.

 

“Let’s go, we’ll have a bowl of hot soup buns at the noodle shop. Later, I’ll ask around about when the merchant caravan will arrive.”

 

“Alright.” Lu Yao, feeling dejected, packed up the tofu. It seemed like it wouldn’t sell today; perhaps he should try again tomorrow in the village.

 

At the food shop, they both ordered a bowl of soup buns with meat sauce.

 

Zhao Beichuan’s taste had been spoiled by Lu Yao. After taking a bite, he thought the flavor was mediocre. The soup buns were soft and lacked texture, and the meat sauce had a bit of a porky smell.

 

After they finished eating, Lu Yao tried to promote his tofu to the shop owner. However, when he mentioned the price, the owner shook his head. “The price is too high. Our small business can’t afford it. A bowl of soup buns is only five wen, and if we add tofu, we’d lose money. You’d better check with someone else.”

 

Leaving the noodle shop, Lu Yao sighed, his face full of frustration. “I thought I’d be able to sell a lot today.”

 

“It’s not your fault, they just don’t know the value.”

 

“But it’s still a blow…” In fact, Lu Yao had always felt uneasy about his current situation. Although the village was stable, the money earned was too little. Every day was spent struggling to make a living, toiling hard and expending much effort.

 

He couldn’t bear to sell meat with the small savings in his hands, and when buying cloth, he had to choose the lowest grade. His children, illiterate and stuck in the village, would never see the outside world. If he were a true native of this era, perhaps he would be fine with it, but unfortunately, he had experienced the prosperity of his previous life.

 

Since there were no opportunities at the moment, he could only wait a little longer.

 

The two of them hurried to the largest inn in the town, where most of the merchants returning from the north stayed.

 

Zhao Beichuan stopped the cart beside it, and the two of them entered.

 

It was around noon, and the inn was quite crowded with people. Zhao Beichuan called over a waiter and pulled five copper coins from his sleeve, handing them to him. “Little brother, I’d like to ask if the merchants returning from Goguryeo have arrived yet?”

 

The waiter took the money and smiled. “Not yet, they should be here in a day or two. Are you two planning to rest or stay at the inn?”

 

“We’re just here to inquire, planning to sell some hides to the merchants.”

 

“Oh, in that case, you can come back in a few days. When they arrive, I’ll let you know.”

 

“Thank you.” The two of them turned to leave when someone suddenly called out from behind.

 

“Lu Xiaoyou, Zhao Xiong.”

 

They turned around, surprised to see Qiu, the owner of the grain shop, who had also come to eat.

 

“Come over and join us.” Qiu wasn’t alone; there was another man sitting beside him, dressed in a long coat with a prominent mustache, probably a business owner as well.

 

Lu Yao waved his hand. “No, we just ate.”

 

“Wait a minute.” Qiu got up and walked over. “Could you sell me a bit more tofu?”

 

“Of course, there’s still a lot on the cart. How many pounds would you like?”

 

Qiu turned to his friends at the table. “Didn’t you want to buy tofu? Come and have a look.”

 

The two men quickly got up and followed him outside. Lu Yao climbed onto the cart, moved the wooden board, and pulled back the burlap to reveal the white tofu beneath.

 

“How much would you like?”

 

The man with the mustache said, “Young man, how much tofu can you make in a day?”

 

Lu Yao’s eyes instantly lit up. “About sixty pounds per board, and I can make a maximum of two boards a day.” He said this cautiously, not wanting to overstate it and risk lowering the price if they thought tofu was too easy to make.

 

The man twirled the ring on his finger and said, “If I buy two boards every day, what’s the lowest price?”

 

Normally, a board of tofu sold for about three hundred coins, and two boards combined wouldn’t reach seven hundred coins. But for a bulk purchase, the price would naturally be cheaper.

 

After thinking for a while, Lu Yao replied, “Since you’re a friend of Qiu, I won’t charge a high price. Two boards of tofu would be six silver coins, anything lower and we won’t make much profit.”

 

Qiu couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you, Lu Xiaoyou, for giving me face.”

 

“From tomorrow, I’ll deliver two boards of tofu every day to the stable and the restaurant. You can settle the payment every half month.”

 

Fearing that they might not believe him, Qiu quickly added, “This is Xu Bin, the owner of the stable.”

 

“Ah, it’s Xu Zhaoshang!” Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan immediately bowed.

 

Xu Bin waved his hand. “Do you still want to sell the tofu? If not, just sell it to me directly.”

 

“Alright, alright!” Lu Yao couldn’t believe his luck—he had managed to get his tofu into the biggest two eateries in the town!

 

Zhao Beichuan quickly went to the cart and carried the tofu inside, handling over a hundred pounds of tofu with ease.

 

It was quite a coincidence. Earlier that morning, Lu Yao had given Qiu a piece of tofu to try. After tasting it, he thought it was good, so he brought it to the restaurant to have the chef cook with it.

 

Coincidentally, the restaurant owner was also there. Since they were old acquaintances, Qiu invited him to sit down and eat while chatting. When the tofu was served, Xu Bin tasted it and was immediately hooked.

 

Xu Bin was a true gourmand, with a tongue more sensitive than most. After years of running a restaurant, he could tell what dishes would sell well with just a bite.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Tofu, do you think it tastes good?”

 

“It’s delicious! Soft, tender, and fragrant with a rich bean flavor! This is a great product! What’s it made of? How do you make it? Can you sell me some?” Xu Bin asked a string of questions. Qiu couldn’t answer them all, but just as Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan arrived at the restaurant, Xu Bin’s curiosity grew.

 

“Lu Xiaoyou, how is this tofu made?” Xu Bin couldn’t help but ask. Although he could taste the beans, the texture was completely different.

 

Lu Yao didn’t hide it. “Making tofu is quite complicated. First, soak the beans for six to seven hours until they soften, then grind them into soy milk using a stone mill. After boiling and filtering the soy milk seven or eight times, it’s coagulated to form tofu and pressed overnight.”

 

Xu Bin didn’t ask further since making tofu was indeed a labor-intensive process. “No wonder you can only make two boards a day.”

 

After agreeing on the deal, from now on, Lu Yao would deliver two boards of tofu every day, with payment settled every half month directly at the stable.

 

On the way home, Lu Yao couldn’t contain his excitement, rolling around on the cart. Seeing that no one was around, he kissed Zhao Beichuan on the cheek.

 

“Beichuan, I’m so happy! So happy! We’ll be earning six silver coins a day, that’s ten taels a month!”

 

Zhao Beichuan couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re amazing.”

 

However, problems soon arose. With two boards of tofu going to the town daily, and still needing to sell two or three boards in the village, there was only a small stone mill at home, and there was no way to keep up with the production.

 

Even if they could manage it, he couldn’t let Lin Daman grind tofu day and night—it would be inhuman.

 

Lu Yao wasn’t willing to give up the village business, since he had been running it for such a long time and it was a stable source of income.

 

After dinner, Lu Yao discussed with Zhao Beichuan, “I’ve been thinking. How about I teach my second brother the tofu-making method? We’ll stop selling in the village and let him sell it instead. What do you think?”

 

Lu Lin had a leg disability and couldn’t do heavy labor, but selling tofu would suit him and could increase the family’s income.

 

Zhao Beichuan replied, “It’s up to you, I have no objections.” After all, it was Lu Yao who had discovered the method for making tofu.

 

Lu Yao added, “Let’s keep Daman selling in the village. I plan to raise his pay to five hundred coins a month.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, after we deliver the tofu, we’ll go straight to Lujia Village. I’ll have a word with my second brother.”

 

The next morning, Lu Yao loaded two blocks of tofu onto the mule cart, and for the remaining block, he borrowed Qin’s small cart for Lin Daman to sell in the village.

 

“Daman, I need to discuss something with you.”

 

“Hey, what’s up?” Lin Daman hurriedly loaded the tofu onto the cart and walked over.

 

“I’ve been thinking, it’s been pretty busy lately, so I plan to raise your wages a bit.”

 

Lin Daman was stunned and quickly waved his hands. “No need, no need to raise it. This amount of money is already plenty.”

 

“Listen to me. When you first came, we agreed on ten coins a day, but that was for only working half a day. Now, with both selling and grinding tofu, you’re working about four hours a day. I’m thinking of raising your wages by a hundred coins, to five hundred coins a month.”

 

“This… this is too much.”

 

“Take it. The weather’s getting colder, save up a bit to buy some cotton clothes for the kids, and build a house next spring.”

 

Lin Daman’s nose tingled. “If I hadn’t met you, I really wouldn’t know what to do… Boss, I’ll remember your kindness, for a lifetime.”

 

Lu Yao patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t mention it. Just work hard, and make those who look down on you start respecting you.”

 

“Ah!”

 

Zhao Beichuan had harnessed the mule and called out, prompting Lu Yao to quickly climb into the cart.

 

The weather was not good today, with the north wind blowing fiercely. Lu Yao sat in the cart, pulling his coat tighter.

 

Zhao Beichuan asked, “Is it cold?”

 

Lu Yao sniffed. “It’s okay.”

 

Zhao Beichuan shifted his body slightly to block the wind. “In the future, I’ll deliver the tofu myself during winter. You don’t need to come.”

 

“That won’t do.”

 

“If you’re not afraid of the cold, then follow me. You’ll end up frozen stiff.”

 

Lu Yao reached out and pinched his waist. Zhao Beichuan took his cold little hand and stuffed it into his pocket. “Stop fooling around. Next time, if you want to come, bring a blanket to cover yourself, so you don’t catch a cold.”

 

“Mm.” Lu Yao leaned against his back and mumbled in agreement.