The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 187 - 176: Taste

Chapter 187: Chapter 176: Taste

Junior Ms. Qian checked the time, estimated that it was about right, and handed the spoon to Zhou Dalang, instructing him, "You and Four grind here together. Once it’s done, bring it back to me, I’m going to cook at the school."

Zhou Dalang agreed.

Junior Ms. Qian then stepped forward, grabbed a child with one hand, and pulled them outside, saying, "Let’s go, it should be time for class. Be careful, or the teacher will spank you with the paddle if he can’t find you."

The mill wasn’t far from the school; a few dozen breaths’ worth of running got them there, so once they cleared the crowd and ran a few steps forward, they turned a corner and saw Mr. Zhuang standing at the crossroads looking their way.

Junior Ms. Qian quickly led the two children forward to pay their respects, apologetically saying, "Mr. Zhuang, I’m sorry the kids have caused you trouble."

Mr. Zhuang just laughed and said, "No trouble at all, it’s time for their break anyway. What’s all the commotion over there?"

Junior Ms. Qian replied with a smile, "Well, with the Winter Solstice approaching, everyone in the village is grinding things to make snacks for the children."

Mr. Zhuang nodded and said with a smile, "That’s right."

The school also had holidays for the Winter Solstice, and they would be off for three days.

Before class ended that day, Mr. Zhuang announced the good news, and everyone was immediately overjoyed.

Manbao was also very happy, already whispering to Bai Shanbao, discussing where to play during these three days.

But as the children were about to run out, Mr. Zhuang caught the two kids and took them to the small courtyard. Manbao immediately said, "Teacher, we’ve completed the homework you assigned."

"Good," Mr. Zhuang nodded, "which is why I’ve decided to assign you some more for these three days."

The interval between this vacation and the last was too short. They had returned from break and went back to school for just a couple of days before encountering the Winter Solstice holidays. Mr. Zhuang always followed protocol, so even though he knew the students were restless, he didn’t cancel the break.

Understanding the balance between work and rest, Mr. Zhuang did not assign too much homework over the holidays, but he made an exception for Bai Shanbao and Manbao. This time, Mr. Zhuang assigned them two additional texts to study.

These were texts they had not yet covered, and Mr. Zhuang wanted them to memorize them. "I will check upon your return," he said.

The kids could only agree, accepting the homework and withdrawing.

Walking together, Manbao invited Bai Shanbao, "My family is going to make tofu, do you want to come watch?"

Bai Shanbao didn’t understand, "What’s so interesting about making tofu? I want to go catch mudfish."

"You can’t; both riverbanks have been turned over by my brother Zhou Si," Manbao said, "You’ll have to wait until next year, otherwise if you catch them all now, there won’t be any to eat next year. Aren’t you curious how beans turn into tofu?"

Bai Shanbao was not curious, but he still followed Manbao to the Zhou Family to take a look.

Hearing that the Zhou Family was making tofu, Ms. Liu specifically sent Aunt Rong over to show Junior Ms. Qian how to make the tofu.

By the time they arrived, the tofu had already been made and was now sitting on a table in the courtyard, covered by a layer of gauze with a water bucket pressing down on top.

Manbao, curious, leaned over for a look, and Junior Ms. Qian lifted the top layer of the gauze for her to see, laughing and saying, "It’s all thanks to Aunt Rong’s help; I couldn’t have managed it on my own."

Then to Bai Shanbao, she said, "Young master, please take some back with you when you go home later, so you can also taste our family’s tofu this evening."

Manbao, seeing it was white and looking tasty, sneakily scooped a piece into her mouth while no one was looking, just as Bai Shanbao turned his head and saw her: ...

Manbao sneakily spat it out and, noticing Bai Shanbao staring at her, she whispered, "Uncooked tofu doesn’t taste good."

Bai Shanbao: ...Isn’t that obvious?

The Zhou Family’s batch of tofu turned out very successful and plentiful.

Previously, Manbao hadn’t mentioned how much tofu a pound of beans would make, so Junior Ms. Qian had soaked five pounds of beans, thinking her family could eat it all, only to find that they made far more tofu than expected.

Junior Ms. Qian estimated that the two blocks of tofu weighed around forty pounds.

She prodded it, felt it was ready, and then picked up a knife to cut the tofu.

Ms. Qian stood under the eaves watching; she nodded and said, "Take out two basins of it: one basin for the Bai Family and one for the head of the village. With what’s left, take some and pack it well for Mr. Zhuang."

She looked at the time and said to Zhou SiLang, "Mr. Zhuang will probably go into town today; you should deliver it now."

Zhou SiLang agreed and carefully lined the bottom of the basket with dried lotus leaves from their house, so the tofu wouldn’t break during delivery.

Watching as Junior Ms. Qian finished dividing the tofu meant for delivery, Ms. Qian then said, "The rest, keep it until tomorrow. You can take some back to your parents’ house, let them also try something fresh."

When Junior Ms. Qian and the others heard this, they excitedly agreed.

Manbao ran to Ms. Qian’s side and asked with her little head tilted upward, "Mom, do I go to my uncle’s house tomorrow too?"

Ms. Qian laughed and said, "Your brothers can go. Wouldn’t you like to stay at home and keep Mom company?"

Manbao pouted her mouth, not too pleased, "I haven’t been to my uncle’s house to play for a long time."

Ms. Qian gently touched her little head and said with a smile, "Tomorrow we have guests at home, Mom can’t leave."

Unless Ms. Qian personally went back to the Qian Family, Manbao usually wouldn’t go back, and that was often the case when Zhou Dalang and Junior Ms. Qian took the younger ones with them, even during the New Year.

Upon hearing there would be guests at home, Manbao immediately perked up, curiously asking, "Who will it be?"

"A respected guest; there will be a pretty girl among them. Tomorrow, help your mom have a look, and see if you like her."

Manbao, always quick-witted, instantly thought of that morning’s teasing of Zhou SiLang, her eyes rolling as she deduced, "Oh, I get it, they’re coming to see Fourth Brother, aren’t they?"

Ms. Qian just smiled and didn’t speak.

Indeed, the visit was for Zhou SiLang.

Before Zhou SiLang went out to serve in the military, Ms. Qian had already sought a matchmaker, but the matchmaker had not given any response, which she guessed was because the villagers nearby all heard about Four’s gambling, and thus were reluctant.

It wasn’t until the Zhou Family’s house was completed that the matchmaker finally came by, proposing two matches, but Ms. Qian was dissatisfied before even meeting them, naturally refusing to see them.

The proposed matches were simply not up to par.

While Ms. Qian rarely went out, the happenings of the neighboring villages never escaped her. With many sons who grew up in succession, and inevitably reaching the age for matchmaking, she had canvassed the nearby villages when Zhou Dalang first began to seek a marriage.

She knew who had daughters, what the family traditions were, and what the public opinions were; she was clear on all of it. Despite being homebound due to poor health in recent years, people still visited, and with Junior Ms. Qian, Ms. Feng, and Ms. He, her three daughters-in-law, the matchmaker couldn’t fool her with unsuitable girls.

This time, she finally agreed to meet the girl, both wanting to see what the girl’s family was like and also wanting to let the children have a look.

Manbao couldn’t keep secrets, and immediately ran off to find Zhou SiLang, telling him to dress up nicely for the next day. For this, she even helped Zhou SiLang snatch Zhou Wu’s new clothes from last year, "Fifth Brother, just wait until Fourth Brother meets the pretty sister, and he’ll return them to you."

Zhou Wu wasn’t too concerned but looked at Zhou SiLang skeptically, "Can you even fit into it?"