Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 50

Time quickly passed, and it was already the third day of the new year, just a few days before the shop’s opening.

 

Lu Yao hired a carpenter to make two wooden counters and four tofu molds, which only cost him 350 wen in total, including labor and materials.

 

The shop didn’t need anything overly fancy—just cleaning and tidying up would be enough to start business.

 

Interestingly, it was Uncle Liu from next door who helped him find the carpenter. After Lu Guangsheng talked to him and Lu Yao gifted him a jar of wine, the old man’s attitude changed dramatically.

 

Not only did he give Lu Yao two handwoven vegetable baskets, but he also told him to let him know if he needed help. “We’re family, no need to be polite,” he said.

 

When Lu Yao asked if he knew any carpenters, the old man immediately took him to a nearby craftsman. With the help of the introduction, the carpenter even reduced his fee by a few dozen wen. Truly, the saying “a near neighbor is better than a distant relative” proved true.

 

The finished counters were carried to the shop by Zhao Beichuan. These counters were quite large. Lu Yao planned to eventually sell more than just tofu, such as tofu skin and dried tofu. If conditions allowed, he could also offer tofu pudding and soy milk as breakfast options.

 

People coming to eat might even take a block of tofu home.

 

When summer came and tofu became harder to sell, they could make dried tofu instead. The process was simple: cut tofu into slices, sprinkle with salt, steam until cooked, and press it under a weight. The resulting dried tofu could be stir-fried or eaten cold, both equally delicious.

 

The last thing to prepare was the shop sign. Comparing other shops’ designs, Lu Yao made his own by sewing a white cloth with black characters that read Lu Family Tofu. He added a border of red triangles for decoration, making it look quite professional.

 

When Zhao Beichuan saw the sign, he suddenly realized something. “Lu Yao, you can read and write?”

 

“Yes, I…” Lu Yao froze. Would it sound odd to say he learned from Xu Dengke? But apart from this excuse, he couldn’t explain why a farmer’s son would know how to read.

 

Seeing him hesitant, Zhao Beichuan didn’t press further. Instead, he reached out and tousled his hair, saying, “My husband is amazing!”

 

Lu Yao smiled sheepishly. He knew he’d have to explain someday. While Zhao Beichuan seemed unconcerned, Lu Yao was sure it bothered him deep down. He couldn’t let the original owner of this body take the blame forever.

 

The shop’s name, Lu Family Tofu, was a decision they had made together. Yesterday, Zhao Beichuan had gone to the local yamen to inquire about opening a shop.

 

The clerk explained that shop owners had to pay a monthly tax of 20 wen per guan. If their earnings exceeded a certain amount, they would automatically be registered as merchants.

 

Although merchant registration didn’t significantly affect commoners, in this dynasty, merchants were still barred from participating in imperial examinations. This meant that if the shop was registered under Zhao Beichuan’s name, Xiao Dou, Xiao Nian, and their future children would be registered as merchants, losing the chance to take the exams.

 

Since Lu Yao planned to provide Xiao Dou with an education, it was better to have the shop under his own name, as his registration only affected himself.

 

With the shop ready, they had also gradually bought other necessary items for the household: a scale, burlap, and a clay brazier for heating.

 

The shop was too cold to sit in all day without a fire, or they’d risk falling ill from the chill.

 

On the evening of the fifth, Lu Yao soaked the soybeans and ground them into soy milk.

 

For the first day of business, he didn’t make too much tofu, just one batch to test the waters. If it sold, great. If not, they could freeze it into frozen tofu for their own use.

 

After dinner, Zhao Beichuan sat in the kitchen grinding soybeans, while Lu Yao mended the clothes burned in the fire. A brand-new cotton jacket had been ruined, with one sleeve scorched and the cotton inside charred. It broke his heart.

 

They had also lost their cotton hats and gloves in the fire, so he cut fabric to make new ones when he had time.

 

Before long, the bucket of soybeans was ground. Lu Yao lit the fire and started cooking the soy milk. It had been a while since he last made tofu, so he was a bit rusty and nearly overdid the curdling.

 

Once the tofu was done, they extinguished the lights and went to bed early. They couldn’t afford to tire themselves out before opening day.

 

—

 

On the sixth day of the new year, Lu Family Tofu officially opened for business!

 

Early in the morning, Zhao Beichuan drove the cart to deliver tofu to the shop. Xiao Nian and Xiao Dou also got up early to help sell tofu.

 

Opening the doors, they placed the tofu on the brand-new counters. Zhao Beichuan climbed a ladder to remove the old signboard and hang up the new Lu Family Tofu sign, which swayed in the wind.

 

The town was quiet, with few people out in the cold weather. The occasional passerby walked briskly by.

 

In the morning, only two people came into the shop, curious about what they were selling, but they didn’t buy anything. These were likely owners of nearby shops, checking if they were competitors.

 

Lu Yao wasn’t worried. Since people didn’t yet know what tofu was, sales would naturally pick up over time.

 

Close to noon, two women entered the shop together. “Do you sell tofu here?”

 

“Yes, we sell tofu,” Lu Yao replied.

 

One woman had visited relatives in Lu Family Village and tried tofu there, which left a lasting impression. She found Lu Yao familiar and asked, “Did you use to sell tofu in Lu Family Village?”

 

Recognizing her as a past customer, Lu Yao smiled. “That’s right, it was from our family.”

 

“That’s great! How much is it?”

 

“Six wen per jin. If you trade soybeans, it’s one jin of soybeans for one jin of tofu,” Lu Yao said, keeping the price unchanged. It wasn’t cheap, and raising the price might scare off buyers.

 

“Give me two jin.”

 

The other woman asked, “Is it really that good?”

 

“Buy a piece and try it—you won’t regret it!”

 

Lu Yao cut the tofu for them but realized he didn’t have anything to hold it. Embarrassed, he hesitated.

 

The woman said, “Young man, wait here. My house isn’t far; I’ll bring a bowl to carry it.”

 

“Thank you for the trouble, sisters,” he said sweetly, making the women smile as they left. Less than fifteen minutes later, they returned with bowls.

 

Each bought two jin of tofu, paying in copper coins. Altogether, they earned over 20 wen.

 

After selling these two portions, a few more people came by out of curiosity after hearing about tofu. Some had tasted it at a restaurant and wanted to buy a piece to try, but they gave up when they realized they didn’t have anything to carry it in.

 

By evening, about one-third of the tofu slab had been sold, earning over 80 coins and a few pounds of soybeans. The leftover tofu was shared with Uncle Liu next door, and some was given to nearby neighbors as a way to spread the word.

 

Lu Yao was not discouraged; opening on the first day itself was a good start. The only challenge now was finding a proper way to package the tofu.

 

In the village, buyers could bring their own bowls to purchase tofu. But in town, people didn’t carry bowls with them while shopping. Tofu is fragile and easy to break, and using ceramic bowls for packaging would make the cost too high, which would affect sales. Using large leaves was an option, but in this season, there were no leaves available, leaving Lu Yao in a difficult position.

 

After thinking all night, Lu Yao came up with a solution: he approached a carpenter to make square, thin wooden boards. A piece of tofu could be sandwiched between two boards and tied together with hemp rope, making it easy to carry.

 

The wooden boards were simple to make and didn’t require professional carpentry skills. The carpenter’s two sons could make them at home using leftover wood, producing a basketful each day and charging Lu Yao only 20 coins. The boards were reusable. Customers could bring them back when buying tofu next time, and they’d receive a one-coin discount per pound, solving the packaging problem effectively.

 

—

 

On the 8th day of the lunar new year, Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan delivered tofu to the restaurant early in the morning.

 

Shopkeeper Xu greeted them warmly and even gave them a handful of sesame brittle candy, saying it was brought from the capital.

 

His family had relatives running a restaurant in the capital, who sent back various foods during the holidays—delicacies most ordinary people wouldn’t see in their lifetime.

 

Xu Bin asked, “Why are you two here so early today? You usually deliver around mid-morning.”

 

“We’ve moved to town and opened a tofu shop three miles away,” Zhao Beichuan replied.

 

“How’s business?”

 

“We just opened the day before yesterday. Sales are so-so for now. We’ll see how it goes during the upcoming market day on the 10th,” Zhao said.

 

“The town trade is more profitable than in the village. Your tofu tastes great, so you’re bound to succeed,” Xu Bin said encouragingly.

 

Lu Yao smiled. “Thanks for the kind words.”

 

After leaving the restaurant, Lu Yao took out a piece of the sesame brittle candy from his pocket. It was wrapped in paper and no bigger than a thumb. He carefully unwrapped it to reveal a mix of sugar, walnuts, sesame, and melon seeds. Taking a bite, it crumbled beautifully, tasting fragrant and sweet.

 

This kind of treat was rare even during holidays in his past life, making it all the more delicious now.

 

“Try it!” Lu Yao broke off half and placed it in Zhao Beichuan’s mouth.

 

“Mmm, it’s tasty.”

 

“I’ll make some for you in the future,” Lu Yao promised, though he doubted he could replicate the taste. The sugar sold at grain shops was crude brown sugar, far less refined than the cane sugar used here. “If we ever get a chance, let’s visit the capital!”

 

“Alright.”

 

When they returned home, they immediately brought the leftover tofu to the shop.

 

At the door, a customer was already waiting with a bowl in hand. “Young man, when does your tofu shop open?”

 

Lu Yao opened the door and replied, “We had some delays today, but starting tomorrow, we’ll open at dawn.”

 

After placing the tofu on the counter, Lu Yao asked the customer how much he wanted. He quickly cut and weighed it, saying, “One pound and eight ounces, that’ll be ten coins.”

 

The customer counted out the coins, left them on the counter, and walked away with his tofu.

 

Soon, another customer arrived, exchanging two pounds of soybeans for two pounds of tofu. Without a bowl, Zhao Beichuan used the wooden boards to package the tofu, tied it securely, and handed it over.

 

Clearly, there were more customers than on the previous two days, mostly nearby residents who brought their own bowls and bought tofu quickly.

 

By early afternoon, the entire slab of tofu was sold out, leaving two customers empty-handed. “Young man, can you make more tofu next time?”

 

Lu Yao wiped the sweat off his forehead and smiled. “Sure, I’ll make more tomorrow!”

 

Back at home, Zhao Beichuan started grinding soybeans, while Lu Yao added water to assist.

 

Making more tofu highlighted the inefficiency of their small millstone. It took an hour to grind a bucket of soybeans, and producing three slabs of tofu required three to four hours, leaving Zhao Beichuan with blisters on his hands.

 

As Lu Yao carefully pricked the blisters with a needle, he felt heartbroken. “Tomorrow, I’ll find a stonemason to buy a larger millstone. From now on, we can have Dahua pull the mill.”

 

“Alright.”

 

After treating the blisters, Lu Yao took out the money they had earned that day. The couple began tallying their income.

 

Lu Yao counted the coins while Zhao Beichuan strung them together. They had earned 370 coins in cash and over five buckets of soybeans. Including the two slabs sold to the restaurant, their net profit for the day exceeded one silver tael!

 

At this rate, the goal of prosperity was within reach!