Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 53

Lu Yao carefully observed the woman on the cart but didn’t recognize her. He spent three wen to buy a piece of tofu and discovered that she had even copied their method of packaging it.

 

Back at the shop, Zhao Beichuan asked, “Is this the tofu being sold outside?”

 

Having heard from Xiaonian earlier, he now understood why their tofu sales were slower than usual today. He initially thought customers had grown tired of it, but it turned out someone was selling it cheaper.

 

He picked up a piece, pinched it, and tasted it. The flavor was similar to theirs, though slightly firmer, but it was still edible.

 

“Did Shopkeeper Xu give the tofu recipe to someone else?”

 

Lu Yao shook his head. “It doesn’t seem like it. That woman looked like she came from a village. Who knows where she learned to make tofu?”

 

“Could Lin Daman have spread the method?”

 

“That doesn’t seem right… This is his livelihood. Why wouldn’t he keep it to himself instead of teaching it to others to compete with him?”

 

Currently, the only people who knew how to make tofu were Lu Yao’s family, the restaurant, Lin Daman, and his own second brother. While tofu wasn’t hard to make, without specific knowledge of the method, someone couldn’t just figure it out on their own. Someone must have leaked the recipe.

 

It couldn’t be Lu Lin’s family—they would never give the recipe away. Lin Daman also didn’t seem like the type to do that. Could it be that the method had leaked from the restaurant?

 

By evening, they still had two slabs of tofu left unsold out of the five they started with. This was the first time they had encountered such an issue since opening their shop.

 

If that woman came to town to sell tofu every day, their business might be driven into the ground.

 

That night, after dinner, Lu Yao lay on the kang, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

 

Zhao Beichuan patted him, trying to comfort him. “If worst comes to worst, we can lower our price to three wen as well. At least we’ll still make a little profit.”

 

Lu Yao turned over and said, “That’s not the same. She’s selling from a cart, so even if she doesn’t sell it all, her losses are just the cost of the beans. But we’re renting this shop for twenty taels a year. If we don’t turn a profit, we’re taking a loss. And what if she sells the tofu recipe to others? If the whole town starts selling tofu, what will we do?”

 

That was true, but there didn’t seem to be any better options right now. If they didn’t lower their price, selling tofu would only get harder. They couldn’t exactly go to that woman and force her to raise her price to six wen, could they?

 

Lu Yao leaned on his arm, deep in thought about how to solve this problem. Zhao Beichuan didn’t disturb him, gently stroking his soft hair.

 

“Tomorrow, we need to go to the restaurant again.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Even if we decide to lower the price, we should let Xu Bin know in advance. If he’s unaware and we drop the price suddenly, it might offend him.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“Also, we can sell more than just tofu—like bean curd, soy milk, dried tofu, or tofu skin…” Lu Yao’s eyes grew brighter as he spoke. “If it comes to it, we can turn the shop into a breakfast stand!”

 

Zhao Beichuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Alright, whatever you decide.”

 

The more Lu Yao thought about it, the more viable it seemed. The town had many laborers, especially in the lower districts. Many worked for shops or wealthy families, like the two brothers from the neighboring Liu family who were long-term workers at a grain shop. They worked early mornings and late nights, earning two taels a month.

 

Since they had to get up so early, cooking at home wasn’t convenient. If they could spend three or five wen to fill their stomachs, many would likely prefer that.

 

“Our shop is spacious enough. We can turn the counters into tables and add a few benches so people can eat inside!”

 

Zhao Beichuan suddenly interrupted him, “Lu Yao, how do you know so much?” His knowledge and ideas far exceeded those of a typical farmer’s child. Even the scholars in town couldn’t compare to him.

 

For a moment, Zhao Beichuan felt a pang of fear—not of Lu Yao himself, but of the possibility that someone might notice how exceptional he was and take him away. What would he do then?

 

All Zhao Beichuan had was physical strength. He couldn’t read, had no power, and without Lu Yao, he’d still be stuck in the village, toiling away for a meager harvest, unable to stand tall.

 

Unable to help himself, he hugged Lu Yao tightly, his unease growing stronger.

 

Lu Yao felt it was time to come clean. “I have a story to tell you. It might sound unbelievable… Do you want to hear it?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“There was once a person who lived in another world, a world completely different from ours. One day, he encountered a sudden disaster…”

 

Lu Yao narrated his experiences as a story. Zhao Beichuan listened intently. When he heard about the person being hit by a vehicle and waking up in another’s body, he trembled, as if understanding something.

 

“Now you know why I can read?” Lu Yao’s heart raced with nervousness, afraid of hearing anything negative from Zhao Beichuan.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Yet after a long pause, Zhao Beichuan showed no unusual expression.

 

“You’re not afraid of me?”

 

“No. I only know that you’re my husband. No matter where you came from, you’re still my husband.”

 

Lu Yao finally let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but kiss him.

 

“Lu Yao, Lu Yao.” Zhao Beichuan called his name, but it wasn’t just his name—it was the soul within his body. He leaned down, planting soft kisses on his eyebrows.

 

Their lips met, warm and moist, tongues exploring deeply. Their breaths grew hotter.

 

“Heaven and earth are mysterious… The universe vast and grand…” Xiaodou mumbled in his sleep nearby, startling them both into freezing.

 

After a moment, Lu Yao couldn’t help but laugh. He nudged Zhao Beichuan’s bulging pants with his knee. “Better fix the west wing’s roof soon.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

The next day, the two didn’t go to the tofu shop but headed to the restaurant instead.

 

Xu Bin seemed to have expected their visit and was waiting for them at the restaurant.

 

As soon as they met, Lu Yao explained what he had seen the day before. “Master Xu, were you aware of this matter?”

 

“I thought that woman was a relative of yours. Why else would she sell at such a low price?”

 

Lu Yao quickly waved his hand. “We don’t know her, and lowering prices does us no good. Yesterday, I specifically bought a piece of her tofu to try. It tastes very similar to mine. It seems someone familiar with the method leaked the recipe.”

 

“I don’t mind,” Xu Bin replied calmly. “Tofu is just a minor addition for us. Even if we stop selling it, it won’t impact the restaurant much. But your business might face some difficulties in the future.”

 

Lu Yao gave a bitter smile. “Exactly. We plan to lower the price to four wen per jin. I wanted to inform you in advance.”

 

Xu Bin nodded. “That’s fine. If it becomes unprofitable, we’ll stop selling it too.” After all, he had already sent the tofu recipe to the capital. Soon, he would hear back, and if it could help his clan’s elder there, it would be far more valuable than earning a few coins.

 

Only then did Lu Yao feel relieved. The two of them returned home, took the remaining tofu from the previous day to the shop, and sold it off after lowering the price by two wen.

 

Toward the evening, as they were about to close, a familiar face showed up at the shop—it was Lin Daman, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

Lu Yao was surprised at first. Since the New Year, they hadn’t returned to Wangou Village for months. He didn’t expect Lin Daman to find his way to their shop.

 

“Daman, what brings you here? Come inside!”

 

“No… I won’t come in.” Lin Daman’s face was pale, and after hesitating for a long time, he suddenly knelt in front of Lu Yao. “Master, I’ve wronged you!”

 

“What are you doing? Get up!” Lu Yao tried to pull him up, but it took several attempts before he succeeded.

 

Tears and snot streaming down his face, Lin Daman confessed, “The tofu-making method… My brother stole it…”

 

Lu Yao’s hand froze midair. So that’s how it had happened. He knew someone couldn’t have learned to make tofu out of nowhere.

 

“My parents found out I was making money selling tofu and repeatedly came to demand the recipe. When I refused, they coaxed Xiaodong into secretly telling them how to make it.”

 

Xiaodong was only five years old—barely old enough to understand anything. A couple of sweets had been enough to get him to reveal the secret of setting tofu with gypsum water.

 

“I begged them to sell tofu only in our village. But today, when I heard someone in the village say that tofu was being sold in town for three wen a jin, I knew it must be them!” Lin Daman was seething with anger but felt powerless. Feeling guilty, he came personally to confess.

 

“Ah…” Lu Yao sighed helplessly. He couldn’t blame Lin Daman since it wasn’t his doing, but he couldn’t entirely let it go either, as the tofu recipe had been leaked from his side.

 

“Forget it. There are more people selling tofu now. Making big money is out of the question; we can only earn a bit for our labor.”

 

“Master, you don’t blame me?”

 

“What’s the use of blaming you? Your family was determined to learn the method. Even if Xiaodong hadn’t told them, they could’ve learned by watching you a few times. Just be more mindful in the future—they don’t treat you well, and they might cause you trouble again.”

 

Wiping his tears and snot, Lin Daman swore angrily, “I’ve given them enough face, but they don’t want it. I’ve cut ties with them now. If they come to my house again, I’ll chase them out with a stick!”

 

The day was growing late, so Lu Yao urged him to head home, saying it wasn’t safe to walk alone at night.

 

Lin Daman left, his heart heavy with guilt. He wished his master had scolded him—it would’ve felt better than this overwhelming kindness. As he walked away, he kept turning back to look.

 

When Zhao Beichuan came to pack up the shop, Lu Yao told him about the incident. “So the recipe really did come from him. There’s no way to undo it now. We’d better hurry and set up the breakfast stall.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Lu Yao was a man of action. The very next day, he went to Liu the Carpenter to order several benches.

 

Besides benches, he bought two wooden buckets and two large ladles. The buckets were for holding tofu pudding and soy milk. He also went to a pottery shop to buy 20 coarse porcelain bowls, along with dozens of pairs of chopsticks and wooden spoons.

 

For now, the tofu pudding would only be made savory, as sugar was more expensive than salt.

 

The sauce would be made by simmering bones into a broth, which could be reused and wouldn’t cost much.

 

At the butcher’s shop, Lu Yao spent 50 wen on two pork leg bones, planning to make a pot of stock to test the flavor.

 

The bones were thoroughly cleaned and then simmered in an iron pot with ginger slices, cinnamon, and white cardamom. Chopped wood ear mushrooms were added to the mix. After an hour of cooking, the aroma began wafting out.

 

The scent filled the entire courtyard, even drawing the attention of passersby who craned their necks to see what delicious dish was being prepared. They couldn’t help but wonder what smelled so good.

 

When Xiaodou came home from school, he stopped at the gate, drooling. He ran into the yard immediately. “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law! Are you stewing meat?”

 

Zhao Beichuan was grinding soybeans in the yard. Hearing the boy’s question, he replied, “Does it smell good?”

 

“Delicious!”

 

“Go wash your hands. Your sister-in-law is making something tasty for us.”

 

“Yay!” Xiaodou jumped for joy and ran to wash up.

 

Inside, Xiaonian was stoking the fire under the clay pot while Lu Yao boiled soy milk in the iron pot. He planned to make a bit of tofu pudding to test the flavor.

 

“Where’s the meat? Is it done?” Xiaodou tried to lift the pot lid, but Xiaonian smacked his hand away. “There’s no meat. Just two bones in the pot.”

 

“Huh?” Xiaodou’s face fell.

 

Lu Yao couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you something even better than meat.”

 

“What could be better than meat?”

 

Soon, the soy milk was ready. After straining and letting it cool slightly, Lu Yao began coagulating the tofu. The curd slowly formed without the need for pressing and was ready to eat immediately.

 

He scooped out a bowl and poured a ladleful of steaming broth over it. The creamy white tofu pudding instantly changed color.

 

“Try it and see how it tastes.”

 

Xiaonian took a spoonful, blew on it, and put it in her mouth. “Wow—!”

 

“Is it good, sister? Is it good?”

 

“Try it yourself.”

 

Xiaodou ate from the spoon she handed him. Before he could savor the taste, the tofu slid down his throat. He immediately scooped another bite, unable to stop himself from eating one spoonful after another.

 

“Hey, stop hogging it! Let Sister-in-law get you another bowl!”

 

“No way!”

 

The two kids took turns eating from the same bowl, finishing it to the last drop, and even seemed ready to lick the bowl clean.

 

Carrying a pot of soy milk into the house, Zhao Beichuan asked, “Was it good?”

 

“Delicious!” the children answered in unison.

 

Lu Yao smirked and raised his chin proudly, as if to say, Am I impressive or what?

 

That look, combined with his handsome face, made him seem like he might grow a tail and wag it in the air.

 

Zhao Beichuan felt his heart race slightly and couldn’t help but lick his dry lips. His little wife was just too endearing.