Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 55

The next morning, after finishing the work at the shop, Lu Yao personally took Xiao Dou to school.

 

When they reached the gate of the school, Xiao Dou pointed to a boy ahead and said, “Sister-in-law, he was the one who hit me yesterday!”

 

Lu Yao looked over and saw that the boy was about the same age as Xiao Dou, with a well-proportioned face. Although he was wearing a simple cotton outfit, his demeanor was different from the other children, like he was from the city.

 

Lin Zijian turned around when he heard them and, seeing Xiao Dou with an adult, his face turned pale. “What do you want?”

 

Lu Yao asked, “Why did you bully Zhao Beidou yesterday?”

 

Lin Zijian hesitated for a moment and said, “He wouldn’t let me copy his writing.”

 

“Do you think it’s right to copy someone else’s writing?”

 

The boy pressed his lips together and remained silent, nervously clutching his clothes.

 

“Since you know that copying is wrong, why did you still hit him?”

 

“It was him who insulted me first. He called me a fool and said I was as stupid as a pig! He was the one who pushed me first! He even hurt my hand.” The boy stretched out his hand, showing a cut on his palm, which looked much worse than Xiao Dou’s injury.

 

Lu Yao felt a bit awkward and patted Xiao Dou on the head. “How can you insult others? You pushed him first, and then you went home and complained?”

 

Xiao Dou lowered his head, not saying a word, while Lin Zijian’s tears began to fall.

 

“You should apologize to Zijian.”

 

“Sorry… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called you that.”

 

Lin Zijian wiped away his tears. “I shouldn’t have torn your bookbag strap either.”

 

Lu Yao patted both children’s heads. “Alright, no more fighting in the future. Xiao Dou, bring him to our house for tofu flower sometime.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The two children walked into the school hand in hand. Lu Yao took the opportunity to meet with the teacher and ask how Xiao Dou was doing in his studies.

 

The teacher, stroking his beard, said slowly, “This child is diligent and studious, with a steady temperament. He may achieve great things in the future.”

 

Lu Yao could believe the diligence, but he wasn’t sure about the steady temperament. However, hearing the teacher praise Xiao Dou made him happy, so he secretly slipped the teacher a bundle of coins, asking him to keep an eye on Xiao Dou’s studies.

 

After leaving the school, Lu Yao returned to the shop and saw Zhao Beichuan working alone, drenched in sweat. He quickly rolled up his sleeves and joined in.

 

By the time it was a quarter past the hour of Chen, the shop closed for the day.

 

Today, they sold all the dough they had mixed, five more pounds than yesterday, including the soy milk and tofu flowers. Only a block of tofu remained.

 

Lu Yao decided to turn the tofu into dried tofu. While making the bone broth, he added the tofu to make salted dried tofu.

 

Tomorrow would be a busy market day, so Lu Yao made a big pot of broth and soaked more soybeans than usual.

 

Making soy milk and tofu flowers was easy. If they sold out too quickly, they could always make more during lunch.

 

On the 20th of March, just past the time of Chou, the two of them got up.

 

Lu Yao was so tired that his eyelids were heavy, and Zhao Beichuan was yawning continuously. To make some money, they splashed their faces with cold water and instantly became more awake.

 

Once again, Lu Yao boiled soy milk while Zhao Beichuan kneaded dough. The twenty pounds of flour were kneaded effortlessly in his hands.

 

When the tofu flowers were ready, the two of them loaded everything onto the cart.

 

Lu Yao locked the door carefully and planned to return just before dawn to open the shop and let the children come out for school.

 

“Is it cold?” Zhao Beichuan reached out to adjust the fur collar on Lu Yao’s coat.

 

“Eh—it’s alright.” Lu Yao shivered as he got onto the cart. The early spring morning was colder than the night, making his skin tighten and his throat stick together when he breathed, with his nose filled with the cold, frosty air.

 

Arriving at the shop, Lu Yao quickly lit the fire. The orange-red glow flickered on the stove, and the two of them huddled together, almost wishing they could stick their hands in to warm up.

 

After finally warming up, Zhao Beichuan started unloading the cart, while Lu Yao busied himself dividing the dough into pieces about the size of a child’s fist to save time when frying the dough sticks.

 

Before long, the old man who collected night soil arrived and placed his load in the distance. “Young master, give me a bowl of hot soy milk.”

 

“Coming right up.” Lu Yao took out a ceramic bowl, filled it with soy milk, and added a small piece of sugar before bringing it over.

 

“Sluurp—it’s nice to have a bowl of your hot soy milk early in the morning. It warms me up.”

 

Lu Yao smiled without saying anything, and once the dough was ready, Zhao Beichuan started frying the dough sticks.

 

The first dough stick was a bit overcooked, so Lu Yao took it out and brought it to the old man. “Grandfather, have this one, no charge.”

 

“Oh, how could I accept that?”

 

“It’s fine, it got a bit burnt.”

 

The old man chuckled and took the dough stick, dipping it in the soy milk to eat. The aroma made him squint his eyes in pleasure.

 

Before long, more customers began to arrive, and the old man quickly finished his soy milk, leaving two large coins on the table before leaving.

 

He was worried that his smell would bother others and affect the shop’s business.

 

Lu Yao put the money away and hurried to attend to the other customers. In the past few days, tofu flowers had sold well, and most people didn’t drink soy milk, thinking it was just thin, watery soup that wouldn’t fill them up.

 

However, more people started drinking soy milk these days. They had originally thought it just tasted like soybeans, but were surprised to find that the shop added a bit of sugar to it. Although the sugar was just a small amount, it really made the soy milk taste sweet.

 

Whether adults or children, after living through hard times, who didn’t want to try something sweet?

 

Just before dawn, Lu Yao returned home to bring two fried dough sticks for Xiao Dou and Xiao Nian. The soy milk at home was still warm, so he let them eat it while it was hot.

 

Xiao Dou went to school by himself, while Xiao Nian washed her face and followed him to the shop, worried that her sister-in-law and elder brother might be too busy to manage everything.

 

As soon as the day broke, the shop was packed with customers. It was so crowded that some customers had to squat at the door to eat. All thirty ceramic bowls were used up, and many others were still waiting in line for the tofu pudding.

 

Zhao Beichuan was frying the dough sticks in a sweat, while Lu Yao served food to customers and cleaned the tables. Xiao Nian took the used bowls to the back to wash them.

 

At the third watch, Lu Yao’s family suddenly arrived—Lu Guangsheng, his mother, Lu Lin, and Hu Chunrong. Today, they were going to buy a mule at the market.

 

When Lu Yao’s mother saw the couple working non-stop, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and stayed to help, while Lu Guangsheng and Lu Lin went to the market.

 

Lu Yao’s mother cleaned the tables, and Hu Chunrong helped Xiao Nian wash the bowls. Lu Yao only had to handle the money and serve the food, which greatly lightened his workload.

 

By midday, when the crowd had thinned out a little, Lu Yao served two bowls of tofu pudding. “Mom, sister-in-law, come eat. Don’t keep working.”

 

Xiao Nian liked sweet soy milk, so Lu Yao made her a bowl and added extra sugar.

 

Hu Chunrong wiped her hands and came over from the back. She had been curious about the taste of the tofu pudding, so now was the perfect time to try it.

 

Both of them scooped up a spoonful and were immediately surprised. “This is made from tofu?”

 

“Yes, it’s tofu, but it’s softer and not pressed too much, so it becomes tofu pudding.”

 

Hu Chunrong said, “This is delicious! It’s like a smooth egg custard! By the way, how come you’re selling food now? Didn’t you use to sell tofu?”

 

“This makes me upset. How’s the tofu business been these past few days?”

 

Hu Chunrong replied, “It’s the same as usual. We only make one batch of tofu every day, and it all sells out.”

 

After calculating for a customer nearby, Lu Yao moved a stool and sat down, saying, “That’s good. But it’s not the same in town. A competitor came in and ruined the market. He’s selling tofu for only three pennies per pound and offers a deal where you can exchange a pound of beans for two pounds of tofu. How can we make any profit?”

 

When Lu Yao’s mother heard this, she leaned back in anger. “Who’s that shameless person?”

 

“That person is Lin Daman’s sister-in-law.”

 

“I told you from the start not to use outsiders, but you didn’t listen. See what’s happened!”

 

“It wasn’t Lin Daman who gave us the recipe, it was his mother who tricked us into it.”

 

“That’s the same thing! So you couldn’t sell tofu, so you changed to selling breakfast?”

 

“Yes, it’s tiring, but the earnings are decent. Look, by the end of the morning, both tubs of tofu pudding and soy milk are almost sold out. The twenty pounds of flour used for the dough sticks are nearly gone as well.”

 

Lu Yao’s mother pitied her son and pinched his thin arm. “You’re working yourself to death! Look at you, you’re so thin there’s hardly any meat on you! Don’t you want to have kids?”

 

Hu Chunrong also said, “Two people can’t manage this business on their own. It’s too tiring. I’ve noticed you’ve lost weight, so don’t overwork yourself.”

 

“I was planning to hire some help these days.”

 

Lu Yao’s mother replied, “What help? Just have Lu Miao come help. He’s doing nothing at home, and all you need to do is feed him three meals. It’ll be fine! Lu Miao’s fifteen now, so he’s old enough to help. It’s better to have family help than outsiders.”

 

“Alright, you can go tell him. I’ll pay him five coins a month so he doesn’t work for free.”

 

Lu Yao’s mother pinched him again. “You’ve got too much money to spend?”

 

“Mom, if I hire someone else, it’ll cost the same amount. I’d rather give the money to Lu Miao so he can save up for his future marriage.”

 

“I won’t argue with you about it. You figure it out.”

 

Before long, Lu Yao’s father and Lu Lin returned, leading a mule. This mule was slightly smaller than the one Zhao family bought, but it was sturdy with strong limbs and would serve well as a work mule. It cost six taels and three coins, which was two coins cheaper than the one the Zhao family bought, nearly depleting all the savings Lu Lin had earned from selling tofu.

 

Zhao Beichuan finished frying the last of the dough sticks. “Dad, second brother, come in and eat something.”

 

“Okay.” Lu Lin tied the mule at the door of the shop, and both of them washed their hands before sitting down to eat a few fried dough sticks with warm soy milk.

 

Zhao Beichuan wanted to go buy some wine and side dishes, but Lu Yao’s father stopped him. “Don’t worry about it. We should be going back now. I’ll come help you fix the roof in a few days.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Before they left, Lu Yao quietly slipped a tael of silver to his mother. “Take this. Don’t let anyone see it.”

 

“Why are you giving me so much money?”

 

“Buy some meat and make sure dad and second brother get some nourishment before spring planting.”

 

“Do you need to spend money on that?”

 

“Consider it my way of showing respect. Just take it and spend it.”

 

Lu Yao’s mother lightly patted him. “Take good care of yourself. Don’t be silly and just focus on earning money. If you overwork yourself, all this hard-earned family wealth will be taken over by someone else!”

 

“Don’t worry, with our shop’s reputation, no one can take it away from us.”

 

After Lu Yao’s family left, they closed the stall. Today, Lu Yao was really exhausted, and on the way home, he fell asleep in the cart.

 

Once they got home, Zhao Beichuan carefully carried him inside, took off his shoes, and covered him with a blanket. He then went back to wash the wooden tubs, soak the beans, and feed the animals…

 

It was hard work, and Zhao Beichuan’s hands trembled as he washed the tubs, but both of them felt content.

 

Making money was hard, and the work was tough, but who doesn’t struggle to earn a living?

 

Moreover, in just a few days, they earned more than a whole year’s worth of farming income in the village. The hard work was worth it!

 

Tofu flower (豆花) refers to a soft, delicate form of tofu that has a custard-like texture. It is made from soybeans and is typically served in a savory or sweet dish. In savory versions, tofu flower is often served with a salty broth or a spicy sauce, sometimes topped with ingredients like soy sauce, chili oil, and vegetables. In sweet versions, it might be paired with syrup or sugar, and sometimes served with toppings like sweet beans or fruits. Tofu flower is popular in Chinese cuisine and is known for its smooth, soft texture that melts in the mouth.