There is a kind of scholar

Chapter 3 Stinky Tofu

Zhang Cuihua finished pouring the rancid tofu and returned with the empty barrel.

After cleaning up briefly, I went upstairs to Liu Huixiang's boudoir.

"Cuihua is back, have you given the quilt and food to Mr. Su?"

Liu Huixiang is soaking her feet.

She sat upright on a small wooden stool, lifted her skirt, and placed her feet in the steaming wooden basin.

Her calves were perfectly formed, worthy of the works of art of the greatest sculptors.

Her skin is as white as a pile of snow, and even in the dim light of the oil lamp, its crystal clear texture can't be concealed, which dazzles the eyeballs.

"Master Su accepted it and said, 'Thank you, Madam Liu.'" Zhang Cuihua said with a smile.

Liu Huixiang pursed her lips, her face darkened, and she said slowly: "Why bother to say thank you? If we hadn't moved here, Mr. Su would not have..."

"Miss."

Zhang Cuihua's eyes were moist, she shook Liu Huixiang's shoulders and said loudly: "I never believe that young lady can defeat others. If this is true, then why am I fine?"

"Miss, these are all nonsense. Mr. Su is a sensible person..."

Whoa!
Liu Huixiang's feet moved, and the sound of water came from the wooden foot basin.

She remained silent, unwilling to argue further on the matter.

"Cuihua, you said today that Mingyuelou returned the tofu we sent? Have you ever found out why?" Liu Huixiang calmly changed the topic.

Their tofu stand is really too remote, no matter how good the tofu is, it is useless to have few customers.

Therefore, there is also a business of delivering tofu to major restaurants. Restaurants have a high demand and are the main source of profit for tofu stalls.

Liu Huixiang rarely goes out on weekdays and has almost no expenses. Apart from food, she only buys some cheap rouge and gouache and pulls a few feet of cloth to make clothes.

Over the years, she has indeed accumulated a lot of wealth, but she is still a little rich woman.

"We found out that it was Chen Shenjun of the county government office who ordered his men to do it. The shopkeeper of Mingyue Tower was forced to return the tofu we sent due to pressure."

"Why did Hu Cao Chen join the army..."

"I heard that Chen Canjun's nephew opened a new tofu shop."

"That's it." Liu Huixiang's beautiful eyebrows frowned for a moment, then relaxed.

"Miss, all the returned tofu has gone rancid. It's such a pity that it has been dumped." Zhang Cuihua felt distressed. After all, it was the hard work of their master and servant. Grinding tofu has always been a hard job.

"Forget it, I have made a lot of money these years, so let's do less in the future. Why save so much money, is it a dowry?" Liu Huixiang laughed at herself and didn't want to argue.

"But Miss, I feel depressed."

Zhang Cuihua's face suddenly turned fierce, and she clenched her fists tightly, "Miss, how about I take a kitchen knife and go to Hucao Chen to join the army to reason with you?"

Zhang Cuihua is not a weak woman, she is incredibly strong and she has practiced before.

Remembering that when she first moved here, someone coveted Liu Huixiang's beauty, Zhang Cuihua held two kitchen knives in her hands and chased that person from the south of the city to the north of the city, and then from the north to the south of the city...

Thanks to this, no one dares to mess with their little tofu stall.

Later, Liu Huixiang's reputation as "a swindler, a slut for matchmakers, and a slut for those close to her" spread, and no one came to provoke them, for fear of being swindled.

"Don't be reckless. This is not a big deal. Just stay in peace and don't cause trouble." Liu Huixiang hurriedly tried to dissuade her.

"Yes." Zhang Cuihua was discouraged.

Whoa!
Liu Huixiang lifted her feet from the wooden basin, and the water dropped down, like white jade water, and rested on a small wooden bench.

She stared at her bare feet with an expressionless face, in a daze.

Zhang Cuihua took away the wooden basin and said before going out: "Miss, please rest early."

After a long time, Liu Huixiang took a towel to dry off the water, stood up, turned off the lights, and lay down on the spacious bed.

Falling asleep every night is a huge test and torture for her.

An endless emptiness enveloped her.

There seemed to be an invisible and intangible iron chain that locked her neck, getting tighter and tighter, tighter and tighter...

Heartless parents, bumpy road, rootless and helpless.

She often wakes up in the middle of the night, her pillow mostly wet with tears.

……

……

When Su Xian returned home, he first put the soft quilt back into the bedroom.

Then open the food box and take out a bowl of rice, a bowl of vegetables, and a small can of soup.

The dish was sliced ​​cooked mutton, and I brought a small plate with some unknown dipping sauce.

The soup is fish head and tofu soup, and the tofu should be made by them themselves.

Mutton is not cheap these days, and the family cannot afford it if they don’t have two bucks.This shows how prosperous Liu Huixiang's tofu business must be.

Su Xian moved his index finger and swept it all away.

Burping, I washed the dishes and went upstairs to the bedroom.

“It feels so good to have the Five Zang Temple filled up!”

"The food at Mrs. Liu's house is really good!"

Su Xian hummed a little tune, walked to the bed, grabbed a corner of the quilt and shook it gently.

The quilt is very light, the inside should be silk, and the quilt cover is smooth silk...

Wait, it’s okay that the fabric of the quilt cover is bright red, but what does the big word "囍" embroidered on it mean?Zhang Cuihua must have made a mistake.

"Oh, forget it. It's good if it's useful. You're still picky..." Su Xian lay on the bed and twisted comfortably. His back and waist were finally treated with tenderness.

"Stinky tofu, dried tofu, hairy tofu, fermented bean curd, what else are there? Well, tender tofu curds are also good..."

The quilt must have been scented, and the light fragrance lingered on the tip of his nose, accompanying him to sleep.

I wonder if Liu Huixiang has ever used this quilt...

night!
It finally quieted down, and a waning moon hung high outside the window.

This was Su Xian's first night after traveling through time. Strange dreams arose one after another, and the past and present lives alternately emerged.

At the end of the dream, a beautiful woman in ancient costume walked towards him, with a warm and fragrant fragrance. She looked at him and smiled, laughed, and laughed.

Then he gently lifted the thin skirt and slowly opened it...

the next day.

Su Xian faintly woke up.

The sky turned white, and the faint morning light filtered in through the window, giving a clear view of the dilapidated bedroom.

He sat up in confusion, and it took him a long time to realize that this place was no longer...

"Stinky tofu!"

He stood up, put on his robe, opened the door and went downstairs.

There was no grain of rice or copper left at home, so he had to start the "stinky tofu" plan as soon as possible.

As soon as I got downstairs, I heard the sound of stone grinding coming from next door. It was Liu Huixiang and Zhang Cuihua grinding soy milk.

Making tofu is a hard job, especially in ancient times when there was no mechanical power.

Zhang Cuihua is very strong and is a good player, but Liu Huixiang still needs to get up early.Because grinding beans with a stone mill requires the cooperation of two people, one is grinding and the other is adding ingredients.

After briefly washing up, Su Xian went out directly.

There are few pedestrians on the streets in the early morning. Except for steamed cake stalls, porridge shops, cake shops, and noodle stalls operating in the morning market, almost no shops are open.

Liu Huixiang's tofu stall is close to the southeast city wall, just under the corner.There are city walls on the right and behind, and Su Xian's house is next to the left.

The family on the opposite side felt unlucky and had already moved away.

For a business person, the location in the corner is not good, but Liu Huixiang has no choice. Because she has a bad reputation, she can only settle down in the worst location.

Su Xian came to the street and smelled the fragrance of steamed wheat noodles from a distance.

Glancing sideways, I saw steamers stacked three to four feet high, steaming, and people were buying freshly baked steamed cakes.

He touched his belly and shook his head. His unsatisfactory belly was protesting again. You must know that he had a full meal just last night!He hasn't had breakfast yet.

(End of this chapter)