Chapter 93: Chapter 56: Acorn Tofu

As Zhang Huai spoke, he couldn’t help but feel aggrieved, his eyes reddening—any young man would care about Juhua’s face, with the sole exception of her brother, Qingmu.

Why was it that for one wrong word, both his parents and Qingmu had gotten angry with him? He could accept that—it was his own fault for running his mouth. But now that he’d finally seen the light, Juhua was ignoring him. She no longer looked at him or clung to him the way she used to. She was polite, yes, but he always felt like something was missing. That was it! ’It’s like she’s become a completely different person.’ The thought was both painful and infuriating!

Poor boy! And hadn’t Juhua become a different person? He would never have dreamed that this Juhua was not the same Juhua he once knew!

Seeing his expression, Qingmu felt a little regretful for laughing at him.

’I’m not an unreasonable person,’ he thought. ’I know men care about appearances. It wasn’t entirely wrong for Huai Zi to have had reservations about marrying Juhua before. Didn’t Juhua herself say it wasn’t his fault? The fact that he can now think clearly and decide to marry her just proves he has good judgment, doesn’t it?’

Qingmu quickly grabbed Huai Zi’s arm and said, “As her big brother, isn’t it only right for me to be a little biased toward my sister? Don’t feel so aggrieved. Juhua is still young; it’s not like she’s at the age to marry just yet. When Juhua fainted last night, I was thinking it would be better to marry her to you. It would put my mind at ease. Her health isn’t good, and I really wouldn’t feel right marrying her off to someone else!”

Huai Zi was overjoyed. He looked up at Qingmu and asked excitedly, “Do you really think so?”

Qingmu smiled. “Of course I do. But you can’t just count on me. If Juhua isn’t willing, there’s nothing I can do. Compared to my sister, you’ll definitely have to take a backseat.”

Huai Zi laughed. “As long as you don’t object, I’m not afraid. I’ll come visit you often. I’ll make sure Juhua understands how I feel!”

Seeing his smug expression, Qingmu couldn’t resist the urge to tease him a little, but then he remembered the aggrieved look from just a moment ago and held his tongue.

A day later, Juhua felt her strength return. She took a large lump of the acorn powder that had been rinsed many times and placed it in a clean wooden basin. The rest she broke into small pieces and set them out to dry on a large sieve in the courtyard.

She heated some water in the large cauldron while adding about half a basin of water to the wooden basin. She worked the acorn flour with her hands, breaking it up and stirring continuously. Once the water and flour in the basin had combined into a slurry, she poured the entire basin’s contents into the steaming hot cauldron. Then she picked up the large wooden spoon next to it and began to stir vigorously.

As she stirred with the wooden spoon, the slurry gradually cooked and changed color, finally becoming a reddish-brown paste. Quickly, she used a large wooden ladle to scoop the reddish paste into a wooden basin. She filled it to the brim and placed it on the chopping board to cool.

Once it had cooled completely, Juhua poured in well water to soak the pinkish acorn “tofu.” She then took a knife and gently sliced it, cutting it into square, tofu-sized blocks.

She scrubbed the cauldron and poured the dirty water into the pig feed bucket. Then she changed into a pair of old shoes, but didn’t take off her apron. Grabbing a Lanzi, she headed for the large vegetable garden.

The napa cabbage in the large vegetable garden was on its second harvest. It had just grown big enough to be cut and eaten.

Juhua loved to pass the time in the vegetable garden most of all. She would pull some weeds here, turn over some soil there, or spread a mix of ash, soil, and manure evenly around the seedlings. The main purpose was to help them resist the cold and survive the winter; fertilization was a secondary goal.

In winter, everything was bleak and withered yellow, and only these two vegetable patches showed any signs of green life. Gazing at the expanse of green was extremely pleasing to the eye, and it soothed her heart. She was especially fond of the napa cabbage, spinach, and other vegetables that grew lush, thick, and sturdy even in winter.

Plants that endured the harsh cold were truly different. The vegetables were thick and sturdy, almost like animals that had stored up a layer of fat for the winter. Their flavor, naturally, was far superior to that of spring greens; they were guaranteed to be fresh and sweet. Anyone who has lived on a farm knows that vegetables before the frost can’t compare to those after. Even radishes only become exceptionally sweet after being touched by frost.

If it weren’t so cold, she’d probably come to look several times a day. Even though she was terrified of the cold, she still made two trips a day to pick some vegetables for home and carefully inspect the garden. On a clear, sunny day, she would be crouched in the vegetable patch, busy without end.

Juhua pushed aside the small fence gate meant to keep out chickens and walked in. She saw the napa cabbage, its outer leaves a vibrant green that gradually paled toward the center, turning yellow. In the middle was a tender cluster of yellow hearts, glowing with a soft color in the sunlight. Her heart immediately softened at the sight.

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