NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
Chapter 18: He did what she planned to do
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Shi Qingluo had asked Mother Xiao to soak the soybeans last night.
She asked, “Is there no grinder at our house?”
Xiao Hanzheng replied, “There isn’t, but there’s a common stone grinder in the village.”
“You want to grind the beans?”
Shi Qingluo snapped her fingers. “Smart!”
“I asked our mother and our younger siblings to grind the beans too. Only then I could make tofu.”
Xiao Hanzheng nodded. “Alright. When I’m better, I’ll help you guys.”
He didn’t think that Shi Qingluo would make tofu just for today’s food.
She would probably make it frequently in the future.
When Shi Qingluo heard that, she knew the hidden meaning in his words.
She realised that not only was Xiao Hanzheng’s appearance and temperament up to her aesthetic sense, he was also very intelligent and was her cup of tea.
In the past, she had rejected all her suitors because they don’t have tacit understanding or a rapport with her.
“Okay!” She nodded.
She went to the kitchen and called for Mother Xiao and Xiao Baili.
She carried the soya beans and buckets filled with water and walked towards the stone mill.
Along the way, she met some villagers who would greet Mother Xiao when they saw her.
It was obvious that Mother Xiao had a pretty good relationship with others in the village.
Shi Qingluo also noticed that the people in Xiaxi village were much more rustic than those in Shangxi village.
Some also greeted Shi Qingluo, and she responded with a smile.
Seeing them carrying beans and buckets, a few people who were on good terms with Mother Xiao asked, “Yuelan, what are you guys going to do?”
Mother Xiao’s name was Kong Yuelan.
She smiled and replied, “My daughter-in-law wants to grind all the beans out.”
Some people were puzzled. “Grind all the beans for what?”
Wasn’t this a waste? They had never seen anyone grinding beans and had always eaten them as grains.
Shi Qingluo smiled and replied, “Because I want to make tofu.”
“What is tofu?” Everyone was even more puzzled.
Shi Qingluo did not try to hide it. “It’s a type of food. When I was in the Taoist temple, my master taught us how to make it.”
They asked curiously, “Is it delicious?”
Shi Qingluo nodded. “It’s delicious.”
She smiled and said, “After it’s made, everyone can come over to our house to try it.”
She had already planned ahead.
After she made the tofu, she would give those who had helped the Xiao Family some as food tasting.
Other than exchanging favours, she also wanted to do the first round of publicity.
The few of them were a little embarrassed. “That’s not necessary. You guys can keep it for yourselves.”
The Xiao Family was in a bad situation now, so they were too embarrassed to take it.
They heard that these soybeans were brought here as Miss Shi’s dowry.
Shi Qingluo smiled graciously and said, “You guys helped my mother a lot in the past. It’s just a little tofu tasting. There’s no need to be so polite.”
Hearing her words, Mother Xiao also knew that her daughter-in-law really wanted to make tofu and share it with the neighbours who had good relations with her.
Regardless of whether it was tofu or not, they weren’t from the Xiao Family.
She wouldn’t take the initiative to return a favour with these soybeans.
However, since her daughter-in-law suggested it, she wouldn’t object either.
In any case, she felt that her daughter-in-law was a formidable person.
It was right to listen to her.
Hence, she smiled and said, “This is a small token of appreciation from Qingluo. Please don’t reject it.”
When the few of them heard her say this, they didn’t reject it anymore.
It was mainly because they were a little curious about what tofu was.
It was rumoured that the old priest on the mountain had previously ascended to become an immortal.
Since he was so powerful, the things he taught her eldest daughter-in-law to do shouldn’t be that bad.
They even went forward to help and grind the beans together.
After grinding the beans, they helped to bring up the Xiao Family.
Shi Qingluo entered the kitchen and only asked Xiao Baili and Erlang to help.
The others did not say anything and just sat and chatted with Mother Xiao.
Xiao Hanzheng came out of the room with a cane, although his face was pale, it was obvious that he was really well.
“Xiao Dalang, you can actually get off the ground.”
Seeing that he could still get off the ground after waking up, the few of them were happy for Mother Xiao and greeted him.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled elegantly. “All the credit goes to my dearest wife.
“Back then, she was lucky enough to have that old immortal as her master. After marrying me, she also brought me luck.”
He took the opportunity to help Shi Qingluo improve her master’s reputation.
These few people liked to gossip, and he believed that this matter would be made known to everyone in the village very soon.
“That’s good. There are more happy days for the two of you in the future.”
That makes sense too, the few of them thought.
Previously, their eldest brother had been in a coma and was on the verge of death.
At that time, Miss Shi had married to help him to chongxi.
And today, he was able to go down to the fields.
Miss Shi was really amazing. She was indeed a blessed one, no wonder she was a disciple of an old immortal.
After chatting for a while, Xiao Hanzheng greeted the few of them and went to the kitchen to look for Shi Qingluo.
At this moment, Shi Qingluo had already filtered the dregs and placed the soybean milk on the stove to boil.
She had a large medical gauze in her space, so she took it out to filter the dregs.
Shi Qingluo turned her head and asked, “Why did you come in?”
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and replied, “I came in to see you guys. Do you need to keep the process of making tofu a secret? If you do, I’ll go out first.”
He expressed that he wasn’t here to peep at how tofu was made.
He was just curious about how his little wife was doing.
Shi Qingluo smiled and waved her hand nonchalantly. “It’s fine. I don’t need to keep a secret with my family members. You just have to watch.”
In the modern world, even if one had never learned how to make tofu before, they could still search for it on Baidu and follow the instructions.
The ‘time travel encyclopaedia’ that her cousin had given her also contained the recipe to make tofu.
It wasn’t very different from the procedure she learnt.
At that time, she had stayed in the tofu village with her friends for three days, waiting to eat at the biggest tofu banquet held once a month.
While she was there, she had also learned how to make other tofu products.
The difference was that one had to personally learn how to make tofu, while the other was just learning by the books.
Hearing that Shi Qingluo treated them as a family and didn’t need to keep it a secret, Xiao Hanzheng’s heart, which had long been cold and sealed, started to ripple.
He could tell that Shi Qingluo was serious, so he did not leave pretentiously. “Then let me see what kind of tofu you can make.”
Shi Qingluo chuckled. “Alright. Seeing that you’re so smart, I’ll give you a taste of the first bowl of soybean milk and the first serving of beancurd.”
She had heard the conversation between Xiao Hanzheng and others just now.
This guy was really too smart and quick-witted, doing what she planned to do.
The key was that his credibility was higher than hers.
After all, he was the one who woke up from her chongxi.
Xiao Hanzheng knew what she was referring to and smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
After a while, the soybean milk started boiling.
Shi Qingluo scooped up a few bowls and added some sugar from yesterday’s banquet.
She stirred it with her chopsticks and handed a bowl to Xiao Hanzheng. “Here, drink a bowl of soybean milk first.”
She added, “Drink a cup every morning. It’s very good for your body.”
Xiao Hanzheng took it and took a sip. “It’s not bad.”
The taste was not bad, and there was a strong fragrance of soybean.
Xiao Baili and Xiao Erlang also took the bowl and took a sip. “It’s delicious!”
Shi Qingluo asked the two of them to bring out the remaining soybean milk for Mother Xiao and others to drink.
Then, they began to use the grinded soy grains to make tofu.