Chapter 127: Making Tofu, Zhou Sinian’s Tanghulu Tree

Sister-in-law Huang was the one operating the stone mill. She was eager to drink soy milk, and the rhythmic grinding of the stone created a steady, efficient sound—she was no less capable than a donkey. When Ming Dai offered to take over for her, she refused.

Soon, the first batch of soy milk was in the pot. Auntie Huang tended the fire while Ming Dai watched the pot. As the fragrance of the soy milk began to drift out, the five people in the house—one adult and four children—could no longer sit still. Led by Zhou Sinian, the group of five climbed off the kang and followed the scent into the kitchen.

Just then, the soy milk came to a boil. Ming Dai asked Zhou Sinian to fetch five bowls and set them on the table, along with some sugar. Zhou Sinian meticulously added three spoonfuls of sugar to his own bowl, while perfunctorily dumping a single spoonful into each of the four children’s bowls. As the rich, fragrant soy milk was poured in, the sweet aroma intensified. The five of them gathered around the table, sipping away until they all had white milk mustaches.

While they drank, Ming Dai began the process of curdling the tofu. The gypsum powder, which she had taken from her storage space, was dissolved and stirred evenly into the pot. Soon, the soy milk began to solidify into tender, white curds. Ming Dai ladled a bowl for each of the five who were waiting in line, and told Zhou Sinian to take them to his room to eat.

With the kitchen clear, Ming Dai took out her pre-prepared tools and began pressing the tofu. In total, she boiled three batches of soy milk, resulting in six slabs of tofu—enough for them to last until April or May of next year. Auntie Huang and her family had fewer beans, but they still produced two batches, which, if rationed, would also last them until the following spring.

While the tofu was pressing, Ming Dai used some starch to whip up a savory sauce, garnished with the bean curd skin she had just harvested and some crushed peanuts. She called the group from the room; Zhou Sinian had a bowl of savory tofu curd to himself, while the four children shared two bowls between them, as their small stomachs couldn't handle more. Ming Dai, Auntie Huang, and the others also enjoyed two bowls each, finally satisfying their cravings.

When the fresh, hot tofu was ready, the children could only watch, and Zhou Sinian was only allowed a small taste by Ming Dai. She fried some chili oil and mixed it with the hot tofu for their lunch.

At noon, at the Brigade Leader's house, Liu Dazhu stared at his rock-hard cornmeal pancake and a cup of steaming hot water. His wife and daughter-in-law were out, and he was being fed this by his three "wooden blocks" of sons?

"Bang! Bang!"
Liu Laifu cried, "You hit me again!"
Liu Laiwang rubbed his head in confusion, "Why hit me?!"
Liu Laifa lowered his head, "Wife, I think I'll wait a few years before getting married!"

Eventually, Auntie Huang and her two daughters-in-law left, satisfied, carrying their tofu. They planned to slice it all up and freeze it for the New Year's Eve feast. Ming Dai, meanwhile, placed one slab of hot tofu into her storage space to keep warm, and sliced another, having Zhou Sinian tend the fire so she could deep-fry it into tofu puffs. She planned to freeze the rest; she figured Zhou Sinian would enjoy the unique texture of frozen tofu. She also made a jar of fermented bean curd, placing it in her storage space to ferment—the aroma of sesame oil and bean curd would be perfect with porridge.

Before the New Year, Ming Dai took advantage of the oil pot to fry radish and meat balls. She also made plenty of sesame-coated glutinous rice crisps, which Zhou Sinian loved. Fearing he might get internal heat, Ming Dai only allowed him a few each day.

On the last day of Zhou Sinian's twentieth year, Ming Dai fulfilled her promise of candied hawthorns, and he was happy all day long. She had specifically gone to the Brigade Leader's house to get some rice straw to tie into a bundle. The hawthorns Auntie Huang gave her were soft and not too sour. Coated in a thin layer of caramelized sugar and skewered four to a stick, they filled the straw bundle.

From the moment Ming Dai started making them, Zhou Sinian’s eyes had been crinkled with joy. When he saw the bundle full of candied fruit, his eyes widened even further.

"Ming Dai! This tree is beautiful!"

Ming Dai was amused by his comparison and handed him the bundle. "Here! The candied hawthorns you've been wanting!"

Zhou Sinian took it happily, turning it over and over in his hands to admire it until Ming Dai reminded him to try one. He cautiously pulled one skewer off and took a bite.

"Ooh!"

It seemed that no child of any age could resist a stick of candied hawthorns!

"Ming Dai, this is too delicious!!!"

Ming Dai took one for herself, eating and laughing. "Keep that one for now. I'll make some strawberry ones for you later; those are also delicious."

Zhou Sinian nodded excitedly, holding the straw bundle, unwilling to put it down. Considering the temperature, Ming Dai made the rest outside her storage space.

Zhou Sinian carried his straw bundle around the courtyard, eating and playing. Soon, he wasn't content just staying in the yard; he wanted to go out and show it to his little friends! He had a whole tree of candied hawthorns!

Watching him twist around at the door like a pretzel, the bright red headscarf he wore making her eyes ache, Ming Dai asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Sinian giggled, "Ming Dai, I want to go out and play for a while."

Looking at the stars in his eyes, Ming Dai knew he wanted to go out and show off. "Fine, but you can only go to the Brigade Leader's house and give one to each of their children. Don't go teasing other people's kids!"

Zhou Sinian nodded repeatedly. "I know, I know!"

Seeing him bundled up warmly, Ming Dai felt a bit more at ease. "Alright, go and come back early. I'll have a surprise for you later!"

Zhou Sinian agreed happily and marched out with his candied hawthorn tree. Once outside, he found that because of the cold, everyone was hunkered down indoors; there wasn't a child or even a dog to be seen. He was a bit disappointed as he walked toward the Brigade Leader's house, but his spirits lifted once he arrived.

He gave a perfunctory knock and pushed the door open. The loud "bang" startled everyone inside. Liu Laifu climbed off the kang to look and saw Zhou Sinian walking into the courtyard carrying his "tree."

Seeing people, Zhou Sinian grew excited. He held the straw bundle out in front of him, showcasing his masterpiece from every angle until he saw Liu Laifu’s jaw drop in shock. Then, satisfied, he walked inside.

Liu Dazhu was on the kang cleaning his pipe, the women were doing needlework, the useless sons were napping, and the children were gathered around looking at the comic books Ming Dai had traded for them. When Zhou Sinian entered, everyone was busy and assumed it was just Liu Laifu, so no one looked up.

Zhou Sinian waited for a moment, but when he saw there was no reaction, he frowned. Liu Laifu, who had followed him in, realized what was happening and cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem!"

The cough startled Auntie Huang, and she nearly pricked herself with her needle. "What are you coughing for? You scared the..."

Before she could finish, she saw Zhou Sinian standing at the door with his undeniable candied hawthorn tree.

"Wow!"
"Wow, wow!"
"Wow, wow, wow!"
"Wow, wow, wow, wow!!!!"

While the adults were still in shock, the children had already scrambled off the kang in a frenzy, circling Zhou Sinian. The chorus of "wows" made him feel immensely satisfied. The worshipful gazes of the little ones and their cries of "Big Brother! Big Brother!" made it impossible for him to suppress his grin.

Having shown off enough and seeing the children’s mouths watering, Zhou Sinian squinted and carefully picked out the four smallest skewers to hand to them. Tiedan looked at his grandfather, and Liu Dazhu, surprised by Zhou Sinian's generosity, hesitated before giving a nod. The children took them happily, licking them cautiously and jumping with joy.

Tiedan didn't eat his first; he offered it to his grandparents. Seeing this, Auntie Huang and Liu Dazhu shook their heads with relief, looking at the happy children with affection; their impression of Zhou Sinian improved even further. After all, even if Ming Dai had instructed him, if the "Great Demon King" Zhou Sinian didn't want to share, nobody could force him!

Goudan followed suit and offered his to his parents. He had only intended to make a gesture, as he only had one and was reluctant to part with it. Liu Laifu patted his son's head and declined, but Sister-in-law Huang took a big bite. Goudan stared at his shortened skewer in shock, looked at his mother eating happily, and burst into tears! Auntie Huang was furious and started scolding again.

Huang Tao and Huang Xing also offered theirs to their parents, who both declined. Liu Laifa watched this, thinking that perhaps getting married early wasn't so bad after all.

Finally, amidst Goudan’s crying, Zhou Sinian carried his straw bundle away. As he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, pulled one skewer off the bundle, and walked back.

By the stable, the horse had its ears pricked, waiting until the commotion died down to poke its head out to continue grazing. Just as it was eating happily, a shadow fell over it. The horse’s hair stood on end, and it froze, not daring to move. Soon, the shadow vanished, and a string of red fruit dropped into the trough.

The horse waited until the footsteps faded before peeking out. Seeing no one, it cautiously approached the trough. It sniffed—the smell was good. It gave a lick with its tongue.

Huh?!!! What kind of heavenly flavor was this?!

With a long roll of its tongue, the horse took the entire skewer into its mouth. The mix of caramelized sugar and the tart sweetness of the hawthorn was the best thing the horse had ever tasted in its short life! It looked at the open gate, thinking, *He's actually not a bad guy. Even though he trimmed my tail hair, he gave me sweet fruit to eat!*

Afterward, Zhou Sinian carried his tree, knocking on the doors of his little friends' houses to showcase his treasure. Whenever he didn't know where a house was, Tiedan and the others would point it out. Zhou Sinian was having the time of his life, having completely forgotten Ming Dai’s instructions. Every time he left a house, the sound of children crying would inevitably follow him.

Only after visiting every house did Zhou Sinian head back toward Liu Dazheng's place, feeling completely satisfied. On the way, he met the Third Uncle Liu, who had come out to watch the commotion. In a good mood, Zhou Sinian gave him a skewer, making the old man so happy he instantly forgot about Zhou Sinian hitting him earlier.

When Liu Dazheng saw his "Brother Sinian" walking toward him with a straw bundle full of candied hawthorns, he was shocked! When Zhou Sinian handed him two skewers, he was moved to tears. *Oh, his Brother Sinian really did care about him! Even while eating, he thought of him!*

Zhou Sinian gave the weeping Liu Dazheng a look of disdain and carried his tree home. Ming Dai had said there would be a surprise waiting for him! He needed to hurry back and see!