Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 52

Early the next morning, Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan went together to deliver tofu to the restaurant.

Xu Bin was not at the restaurant, so they went to the post station but didn’t find him there either. After asking a clerk, they learned that Xu Bin lived on East Long Street and went directly to his home to visit.

The two had discussed late into the night and decided that apart from Xu Bin, they couldn’t think of anyone else who could help.

Xu Bin ran both the post station and the restaurant, maintaining a wide network of friends. Many influential people in the town dined at his place. Lu Yao wanted to ask him about this “Fourth Lord,” who he was, and how powerful he was. He also wanted to know if giving the tofu recipe to someone with influence could help protect their business.

Driving the mule cart to Xu’s mansion, Lu Yao got down and knocked on the door. After a moment, a servant came to lead them inside.

Xu’s house was a two-entry courtyard with large green-brick houses and tile roofs, looking extremely impressive. Such a mansion was one of the finest in town, reflecting his considerable wealth.

Following the servant to the main hall, Xu Bin came out shortly after. “What brings you two here today?”

Lu Yao forced a wry smile. “We wouldn’t come without a reason; naturally, we’re here for help.”

Even without an explanation, Xu Bin guessed what it was about. “It’s about the tofu shop, isn’t it?”

Zhao Beichuan said, “Yesterday, you mentioned someone had their eye on us. That very afternoon, a group of hooligans came to the shop, claiming they got sick from eating our tofu and demanding a hundred taels of silver.”

“Did you give them the money?”

“How could we? Even if the tofu shop was profitable, we wouldn’t have saved that much in such a short time,” Lu Yao paused, “Da Chuan drove them off, but they mentioned someone called Fourth Lord as they left, saying we wouldn’t be able to run a business in Qiushui Town anymore. I don’t know who this Fourth Lord is, so we came to seek your advice.”

Lu Yao didn’t come empty-handed. He had thirty taels of silver and a tofu recipe with him.

He took the items out and handed them to Xu Bin. “Tofu may be cheap, but it’s fresh, tasty, and has a smooth texture. It could even become popular among nobles in the capital.”

Xu Bin raised an eyebrow, surprised that Lu Yao was willing to part with the tofu recipe. After some thought, he said, “This Fourth Lord they mentioned is surnamed Huang, the owner of the town’s gambling den. Relying on a gang of thugs, he often bullies and extorts people. Don’t worry about it; I have some influence in Qiushui Town and can handle this for you.”

He picked up the recipe. “But if you give this to me, the restaurant won’t need your tofu anymore in the future.”

Lu Yao had already expected this. “We’re just running a small business and never aimed to make a fortune. All we want is peace and safety.”

In this oppressive feudal society, lacking power and wealth meant trouble. Today, it was Fourth Lord Huang coming to extort them; tomorrow, it could be someone else. He couldn’t always rely on Xu Bin’s help.

Xu Bin pushed the silver back to them. “You’re quite perceptive. I’ll keep this recipe, and you don’t need to worry about Fourth Lord Huang. In a few days, the restaurant will also start selling tofu at the same price as yours. How much you earn after that depends on your ability, so don’t blame me for competing with you.”

“Not at all. We’re deeply grateful to you!”

Leaving Xu’s house, Lu Yao exhaled heavily, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. Breathing in the cold air felt refreshing.

The two returned home and quickly moved the tofu to the shop, selling it until evening before going back.

—

After Xu Bin agreed to resolve the matter, no one came to cause trouble again.

After the Lantern Festival, the restaurant also began selling tofu at six coins per jin, cash only, with no bean exchange.

Xu Bin proved to be fair, leaving Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan a share of the business. Poor families unwilling to spend money on tofu would still go to the Lu family’s shop to trade beans. They could still sell two boards of tofu daily.

On market days, even five boards weren’t enough to sell. The area was bustling, with many villagers setting up stalls. Business wasn’t as booming as before, but it still brought in a steady 17-18 taels per month. This was money most ordinary families couldn’t make, but it no longer made them stand out as much.

Making less tofu also freed them up. Apart from the busy mornings when the shop opened, they usually finished selling by the afternoon.

With more free time, Lu Yao brought up the idea of starting Little Douzi’s education.

“I want to send Little Dou to the local academy and see if he has a talent for studying. If he can pass the imperial exams, our family’s future will completely change.”

Zhao Beichuan laughed, pointing at his younger brother, who had a runny nose. “Him? Study?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“He’s not cut out for it—dull as an ox. Xiaonian’s sharper than him. Don’t waste money.”

Lu Yao punched him in frustration. “Don’t insult Douzi! He’s only six and can already count to a hundred, better than most village kids. Too bad the academy doesn’t accept girls; otherwise, I’d send Xiaonian too.”

“Alright then, let’s give it a try. Did you hear that, Little Dou? Work hard, pass the exams, and back up your sister-in-law so she doesn’t suffer anymore.”

Little Dou wiped his nose and nodded vigorously. At that moment, he didn’t realize how this decision would change his fate.

The next day, after selling tofu, Lu Yao took Little Dou to the town academy. The academy was semi-private, with teachers who were either Tongsheng or Licentiate scholars. While they couldn’t teach advanced topics, they were more than capable of teaching young children to read and write.

After inquiring, Lu Yao learned the fees were 1.2 taels per year. Classes only ran for half the day, letting students return home for lunch.

Lu Yao personally introduced Little Dou to the teacher, an elderly Licentiate. The teacher didn’t even lift his eyelids while speaking, appearing rather aloof.

This wasn’t surprising. In this era, 80% of people were illiterate, and being able to read and write was a remarkable achievement. Holding a scholarly title made him even more respected. If not for his age preventing further exams, he wouldn’t have settled for teaching.

Lu Yao slipped a string of coins into the teacher’s hand. “I’ll leave Beidou in your care. If he misbehaves, let us know, and we’ll discipline him.”

“Hmm.” The teacher only looked up after accepting the money. “Beidou? That’s a good name. Who gave it to him?”

“I-I came up with it.” This name was something Lu Yao thought of on the spur of the moment last night. At home, calling him Xiaodou was fine, but in the classroom, it wouldn’t sound appropriate. Following Zhao Beichuan’s naming style, he decided to rename him Zhao Beidou, playing on the sound of “dou.”

“Has he learned any characters at home?”

Xiaodou shook his head. “No.”

“Then we’ll start with learning to recognize characters. Go to the bookstore and buy a copy of The Thousand-Character Classic. Class begins tomorrow at dawn.”

Lu Yao took Xiaodou to the bookstore and spent two hundred wen to buy a copy of The Thousand-Character Classic. They didn’t need ink and brushes yet; once they recognized all the characters, they would start learning to write.

As they were leaving the bookstore, they ran into Xu Dengke. The Licentiate’s face immediately filled with a wistful expression as he looked at Lu Yao, making Lu Yao’s skin crawl.

“Ah… Lu Yao, you came to see me again?”

“Who’s here to see you? I came to buy books for my younger brother.” Lu Yao tugged the child behind him.

Xu Dengke’s face turned bright red, and he slipped away as quickly as he could.

—

Time passed day by day, and soon the weather grew warmer. After the sixth nine-day period of winter, cotton-padded clothes became too heavy to wear. Taking advantage of some downtime, Lu Yao went to buy a bolt of fine cloth to sew new spring clothes for the family of four.

During this time, Xiaodou did quite well in his studies at the academy. Every day after school, he would bury his head in his books at home. In just two months, he had memorized all of The Thousand-Character Classic and even received praise from his teacher.

Next month, they would begin learning to write. At first, the teacher didn’t let them use ink and brushes but had them practice writing with water on tables. Once it dried, they could wipe it away and start over. This method was economical and avoided getting covered in ink.

Meanwhile, Xiaonian made a new friend—a neighbor’s granddaughter named Liu Yue. Technically, Xiaonian should address her as “Aunt Liu Yue,” but since they were about the same age, they called each other “sisters.” Whenever the tofu shop wasn’t busy, Xiaonian would visit Liu Yue to play.

Liu Yue was a gentle-natured girl. She usually stayed home doing chores or sewing. Now that she had a playmate, she was delighted, and the two girls became close friends.

—

On the 10th day of the third month, there was a big market day in town.

Early in the morning, Lu Yao and Xiaonian opened the shop and cleaned up. Before long, Zhao Beichuan arrived with the mule cart, delivering five trays of tofu.

As soon as the shop opened, customers began arriving. Lu Yao handled the weighing and selling of tofu while Xiaonian collected money. Before long, Zhao Beichuan returned after taking the mule cart home, and the three of them began a busy day.

With spring planting season approaching, the market was bustling with people selling seeds and livestock.

By late morning, they had sold two trays of tofu. The crowd seemed slightly thinner than usual, so Lu Yao grabbed a handful of coins from the money bag and decided to take a stroll through the market to buy some vegetable seeds for planting in the garden.

“Xiaonian, come with me. Let your brother watch the shop.”

“Okay!” Xiaonian hopped out eagerly, taking Lu Yao’s arm.

They first browsed the stalls selling vegetable seeds. They bought some cabbage seeds, radish seeds, and scallion and leek seeds. Surprisingly, they even found someone selling “hulu seeds,” which were cucumbers in later terminology. These were rare, with a small handful costing twenty wen.

Lu Yao counted out the money and bought a handful, curious to see if they could grow cucumbers. These would make for a delicious summer salad.

After buying seeds, they visited the farming tools section. Since they now had a mule, they no longer needed to dig with hand tools. A plow would make spring planting much easier. They also needed to buy a sickle and a spade.

Although they didn’t find a plow for sale, they bought the sickle and spade. Perhaps plows were harder to craft—they would check the woodworking shop tomorrow.

With their purchases in hand, they headed back. Passing by the food stalls, Lu Yao handed some money to Xiaonian. “See if there’s anything you’d like to eat. Buy some meat buns or sweet cakes.”

“Okay!” Xiaonian cheerfully ran off with the money.

Before long, she came back looking flustered. Lu Yao asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“Big Sister-in-law, I saw someone else selling tofu over there!”

Lu Yao froze for a moment. Could it be the restaurant selling tofu here? That didn’t make sense; Manager Xu’s family business was big and wouldn’t bother with the small market in the Lower Three Li.

“You take these things back to the shop. I’ll go take a look.”

Xiaonian carried the farming tools and vegetable seeds back to the shop, while Lu Yao pushed through the crowd toward the tofu stall.

Soon, he saw a group of people gathered around a wooden cart. A woman wearing a headscarf was shouting, “Tofu, delicious tofu! One jin of beans for two jin of tofu! Three wen per jin!”

Lu Yao nearly tripped over himself. Goodness, that price war was ruthless!