Chapter 94: Chapter 56: Acorn Tofu (Part 2)

Stepping on the rice straw in the furrows—straw she and Qingmu had brought to cover the young vegetable seedlings at night, fearing they wouldn’t survive the cold—she crouched down to get a good look at the yellow-hearted cabbage that had endured frost and snow.

The outer leaves of the entire plant were curled back, lying flat against the ground. The leaves were pockmarked with little hollows, some still holding bits of straw ash. The yellow heart in the center, however, was gathered into a tight cluster. So tender!

She let out a satisfied sigh and, though a little reluctant, chopped down two heads and placed them in her basket. After one last careful inspection to ensure nothing was amiss, she stood up.

Straightening up, she saw that the Big Cabbages in the distance were also beginning to form heads. The Yang family, wanting them to head up faster, had tied them with straw ropes, making the rows of Big Cabbages look as if they were being tortured, all trussed up!

She couldn’t help but laugh. That delicious spicy cabbage had made the Yang family much more meticulous about growing their Big Cabbages. For one thing, people were always delighted to receive them as gifts. They were so much more flavorful than ordinary pickled vegetables.

She left the large vegetable garden, went over to the small vegetable patch to pull up some spinach, and then crouched by the well to draw water and wash it all.

Around noon, Juhua took two blocks of tofu and sliced them thinly. She seasoned them with vinegar, chili sauce, toasted sesame oil, and chopped scallions, then ground a bit of salt into a fine powder and tossed it all together in a large basin.

She also ladled some pig offal into a clay pot, took two more blocks of tofu, cut them into small cubes, and spread them on top. She placed the pot on a charcoal stove to simmer until the savory, meaty aroma of the broth had completely infused the tofu. Only then did she bring it to the table along with a few vegetable dishes.

Qingmu picked up some of the cold-tossed tofu and took a bite. “This would be so refreshing on a hot day!” he said to Juhua.

Juhua was taken aback. ’You might not know how to cook, but you’ve certainly got a good palate,’ she thought. ’Isn’t this the perfect cold dish for staving off the summer heat? If you mix in a bit of sugar and chill it in well water, it becomes cool and luscious, so smooth and refreshing. In my past life, though, I always ate the most of it in autumn. It would be long gone by the next summer.’

’Later, after I moved to the city, you could buy it on the street, but the flavor was never as good as the homemade kind. No matter what traditional food it is, it loses its authenticity once it’s mass-produced. Even scorched rice crust was sold in supermarkets. The brands gave them folksy, rustic names, but as soon as you soaked them in water, they turned into a soft, sloppy mess with no bite to it. Of course, they could never compare to the crust baked in a proper earthen stove.’

Hearing Qingmu say that, Juhua replied, “I’ve dried a lot of the powder, so it’ll keep until next year. That’s when it tastes best, mixed with sugar.”

The Yang family said approvingly, “Now that this powder is prepared, it’s so convenient to use. And it won’t spoil once it’s dried. We should grind some more in a few days. We can give it away for the New Year—it’d make a nice gift.”

Zheng Changhe just kept stuffing his face, and Qingmu did the same. They no longer felt the slightest bit awkward about eating the same food as the pigs.

The clay pot stew was piping hot, and everyone felt the tofu tasted even better than the pig offal itself. They all used their chopsticks to fish out pieces of tofu.

Juhua explained with a smile, “Tofu absorbs flavors really well. It soaked up all the savory goodness from the pig offal, so of course it tastes great, but that leaves the offal itself a bit less flavorful. It’s not like when you stew offal with pickled vegetables. Then, the saltiness from the pickles seeps into the offal, and the richness of the offal melts into the pickles. Neither one gets the better of the other—they both end up delicious.”

Qingmu couldn’t help but laugh. Only his little sister could analyze the flavors in a dish and turn it into a grand theory.

He remembered Huai Zi saying he wanted to come try the tofu that night, so he said to Juhua, “Huai Zi and Little Shitou want to taste this acorn tofu. Why don’t you make some more like this tonight? I’ll ask Third Uncle Zhao to come try it, too. They’re all planning to go up the mountain to gather acorns.”

He was afraid it would be awkward to invite Zhang Huai by himself, so he included Zhao San. Besides, both families were close to theirs and ought to be invited for a taste anyway. That way, they would learn the benefits of acorns and know to gather more in the future.

The Yang family, worried their daughter would be overworked, told her, “That’s no problem. Just make it the same way tonight. In the winter, stir-fries get cold too fast anyway. We’ll just do a big hot pot and add more ingredients as we go. It’s less trouble, and the food stays warm.”

Juhua nodded. ’That’s a much easier way to do it,’ she thought. ’The pig offal and tofu are already prepared; all I have to do is dump them in the pot. It saves me the trouble of making a whole table of dishes like I usually do when we have guests. What a pain!’

Sure enough, Zhang Huai, Little Shitou, and Zhao San all came that evening.

Zhao San declared in his booming voice, “I’ve wanted to ask what you were doing with those soaked acorns several times now, but I always forgot when I saw you. If I’d known people could eat them, not just pigs, I would’ve gathered them like my life depended on it!”

Zheng Changhe said, “Say no more. We’ve been swamped with one thing after another ourselves and didn’t give it much thought. It was only when Juhua made some the other day that we realized people could eat it, and then we remembered to tell you. You can still go up the mountain to gather some now, but I’m afraid some might have rotted. You’ll have to be careful when you sort them after shelling. Just don’t feed the bad ones to the pigs. Why don’t you take some of our prepared feed for your pigs in the meantime? The acorns you gather will need to soak for a long while, or else they’ll be bitter and astringent.”

Zhao San agreed.

The group sat around the table, continuously fishing out tofu, large intestines, pig stomach, and more from the steaming hot pot, eating with hearty abandon!

The Yang family urged them enthusiastically, “Help yourselves! There’s plenty more. It’s all cooked through, so we can just add it to the pot to heat it up. Take some home with you later, too. A small ball of this powder makes a huge basin of tofu. I’m planning to grind a lot more to share with everyone.”

Little Shitou was so flushed from the hot food that sweat beaded on his forehead. He quickly ate some of the cold-tossed tofu to cool down, then said to Juhua, “Sister Juhua, can you make some more for me to take home to my mom? My mom is going to have a baby sister!”

The Yang family asked Zhao San, pleasantly surprised, “Really? Shitou’s mother is expecting?”

Zhao San grinned from ear to ear. “Yep! Probably about two months now!”

Everyone burst out laughing. Juhua asked, “So you want a sister, Shi Tou?”

Little Shitou beamed. “Gou Dan says he has a big sister, and Brother Yangzi has a big brother. I want a little sister. We can have a baby brother next time!”

The whole room erupted in laughter.

Zhao San chuckled. “Good plan, son. We’ll have a boy next time.”

Zhang Huai watched Juhua as she ate. She had folded her face covering inward, though it still concealed most of her features. She kept glancing at Little Shitou, her eyes crinkling in amusement. Through the rising steam from the pot, he could see she was smiling, truly happy.

As he ate the fragrant, spicy acorn tofu, Zhang Huai felt a complex mix of emotions. It seemed there was nothing Juhua couldn’t do. ’What skills do I really have to deserve her?’

’If I don’t work harder, will I ever be able to marry her? I’m afraid not.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep