Stepmother Reborn: Dad, my mom hasn't hit me for three days

Zhang Xiuhua wanted to make tofu, but she couldn't do it alone, so she found two helpers, Zhou Pandi and Li Xiaoying.

"Let's test the waters with tofu first. I'll sell it in a few nearby villages, and you two will go to the black market to sell it. The profits will be split according to what we agreed on before."

Zhou Pandi nodded, "No problem."

The most difficult and tedious step in making tofu is grinding the soybean juice. Now we can directly use a grinder, which can save a step.

Before making tofu, Zhang Xiuhua had to buy a basin. She had planned to buy a basin after the Chinese New Year when she was making sweet potatoes. But now that she was making tofu, she naturally had to buy it in advance.

Of course, there was no need to think about the plastic basins in big cities. Zhou Pandi bought aluminum basins from the black market at a high price. The sizes were all based on the size of bathtubs, and there were three in total. For a plate of tofu, these three basins plus a few large basins at home were enough.

Thirty years later, people had given up using aluminum as basins, but at that time, the conditions were such that if they didn't use aluminum, they had to use enamel basins. But enamel basins were not this big.

On the first day, Zhang Xiuhua was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to sell all of them, so she didn’t dare to make too much and soaked 100 kilograms of soybeans, which had to be soaked the night before.

After soaking, you have to get up at five o'clock the next morning. Then take it out and squeeze it into residue, cook the soy milk, put it in a tank to cool for a while, and then filter it with gauze. The good bean residue can be used to feed pigs in thirty years, but of course there is no such condition at this time. Zhang Xiuhua plans to pinch the pancake, put it on the stove and bake it, and then eat it as a pancake.

After the bean juice has been boiled, add the brine to the tofu, pour the brine into the vat to form the tofu pudding, stir it constantly, and after cooling for twenty minutes, put the tofu pudding into the mold.

This mold was custom made by a carpenter in the village. Two were made at a time.

An aluminum basin is placed on the mold and filled with water. The water in the tofu pudding is squeezed out and pressed for an hour to become tofu.

Zhang Xiuhua made two boards, and it was just after nine o'clock when she finished them. Zhou Pandi and Li Xiaoying rode her bicycle to the town.

Several children gathered around and stared at tofu.

Zhang Xiuhua kept two kilograms of it for her family, and then cut a small piece for each of her children while it was still hot.

At this time, Northeast soybeans were not the high-yield soybeans that came later. They had a better taste and richer flavor.

Youcai is a good eater. After he got his share, he ran back to the house and took some Korean kimchi. He cut two pieces of tofu in half and sandwiched the kimchi in between. The food was spicy and fragrant, and so delicious that he was drooling.

The other children followed suit, and their comfortable little looks were so adorable.

After they finished eating, Zhang Xiuhua assigned tasks to Youcai and Baolin, asking them to go around the village and shout that if they wanted to exchange for tofu, they could come to her house. One pound of soybeans for one pound of tofu was the price in the next door village, and Zhang Xiuhua did not raise the price.

Worried that the two children would not try their best, she used points as a reward, "Shout a hundred times and I'll give each of you one point."

This is much easier than doing homework. The two children immediately shouted at the top of their lungs throughout the village. Their hoarse voices could be heard from far away.

Soon someone from the village came to exchange for tofu.

Li Jianxin heard the noise and ran over, "Sister-in-law, how many pounds of tofu did you make?"

Zhang Xiuhua smiled and said, "There are a lot. How much do you want to change?"

"Give me a pound."

Zhang Xiuhua was speechless, thinking he wanted a few pounds. It turned out he only wanted one pound, so she smiled and gave it to him.

Li Jianxin changed the tofu but was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he asked mysteriously, "Sister-in-law, you have several children with you and you can't go to other villages to sell them. Why don't I help you sell them? Just give me some hard work fee."

Zhang Xiuhua touched her chin and said, "Then I am no longer a hired laborer, but a capitalist?"

Li Jianxin glared, "Who said that! We are real relatives, and Jianguo is my brother. It's my duty to help you. It's only natural for you to feel bad and give me some tofu, right?"

Zhang Xiuhua originally wanted to see how he would perform on the spot, but she didn't expect that he had already thought it through. It was the first time she saw someone so smart, so she nodded, "Okay. I'll do as you say. I won't let you suffer a loss. As long as you help me sell tofu, I'll give you a pound of tofu and 20 cents each time."

To make tofu with brine, one pound of soybeans yields about two and a half pounds. At that time, the soybean yield was not high and the price was not cheap. The supply and marketing cooperative sold it for 28 cents per pound, so she spent 50 cents, which was about the same as 10 work points.

Li Jianxin narrowed his eyes and smiled, "I only know how to work for my sister-in-law, you won't treat me unfairly."

He happily took the tofu and went home. Before leaving, he said he would come back tomorrow.

Zhang Xiuhua reminded him, "You have to borrow a unicycle from the team tomorrow. My family doesn't have a car."

Li Jianxin responded with a smile, "Okay!"

The villagers shouted loudly, and most of the tofu was sold out. It was already the end of the year, and everyone was tired of eating radishes and cabbages every day. Now that there was tofu, everyone wanted to change their diet.

Zhang Xiuhua borrowed a wheelbarrow from the team, pulled the remaining tofu to the farm behind, and shouted at the door for a while, and people came to buy it.

The farm has a big pot of food, and the people who come to the kitchen to buy food buy all the remaining tofu at once. Here, we also exchange soybeans.

After selling everything, Zhang Xiuhua returned home.

When she got home, Zhou Pandi and Li Xiaoying also came back. All the tofu on the mold was sold out.

The cold wind blew on the two of them, and their cheeks turned red.

After parking the bicycle, he took Zhang Xiuhua back to the house. The two of them went to the black market. Of course, they didn't exchange soybeans for tofu, but real money.

A pound of tofu costs 50 cents. The price has not doubled because she is afraid that she will not be able to sell it all and then lose money.

The three of them gathered around the kang and counted the money, and they finished it quickly.

"This business can be expanded and strengthened. I have already negotiated with the manager of the supply and marketing cooperative to deliver 50 kilograms of tofu every day. You can ask the members who deliver rice popcorn sticks to help with the delivery and give them a piece of tofu when the time comes. Tofu does not take up as much space as rice popcorn sticks, so they should be happy to help." Zhou Pandi felt that going to the black market every day was not feasible and too dangerous. It would be bad if she was caught.

Zhang Xiuhua nodded, "Okay. I'll discuss it with them later."

Zhou Pandi couldn't sit still. "The Red Heart Commune also has rice popcorn sticks, and the members will help deliver them. Maybe we can sell 80 kilograms."

That’s one hundred and thirty, equivalent to a plate of tofu.

Zhou Pandi asked her again, "Can we do more? I will find two more communes later, and Xiaoying and I will each deliver to one commune."

"But it's too far, it's not convenient for you to send me there." Zhang Xiuhua only has a bicycle. If she takes the bus, it will be too expensive.

In fact, the team leader has a bicycle at home, but bicycles are too expensive nowadays, so people are generally reluctant to lend them out.

Zhou Pandi had already made up her mind, "I have asked someone to help me exchange industrial tickets, and then I will buy a bicycle."

Li Xiaoying was shocked. "You still have money?"

Zhou Pandi felt a little guilty. She hadn't taken Li Xiaoying to the black market before, and she thought the money was sent by her family. Zhou Pandi didn't explain, "Is it okay?"

Zhang Xiuhua didn't expect her to work so hard. Since she was willing, why couldn't she do that? She agreed readily, "Okay. We'll buy a few more barrels later."

Zhou Pandi patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Zhang Xiuhua could see that she was very short of money and was eager to make money. Come to think of it, Zhou Pandi didn't rely on anyone in her previous life, she could go so far by herself, so her courage was naturally incomparable to ordinary people.