Seeing her smile so happily, Fan Zehao couldn't help but reach out and playfully poke her nose, "As long as you're happy."
However, he held no hope for the tofu delicacies his wife spoke of. Pickles were nothing compared to the deliciousness of hot pot and grilled skewers. Carrying his wife onto the horse, they arrived at the inn within fifteen minutes.
The first thing Zhao Jiaqi did upon returning to the inn was to find Shi He and ask him to go to town and buy a house. A two-courtyard or three-courtyard residence would suffice, mainly because making tofu delicacies required a process. A thousand catties of tofu could not be handled at the inn. They might as well buy a house and temporarily stay in this small town; perhaps they could even develop a profitable business here.
Shi He left and found a real estate agent. Money was not an issue as long as the house was good and move-in ready. Money indeed made the world go 'round. In no time, he found several options. After Shi He's selection, he finally chose a three-courtyard residence with complete amenities, a large space, a well in the courtyard, and a large patch of private land in the backyard, perfect for planting vegetables after some tidying up. The house was purchased for seven hundred taels of silver.
That evening, Chunfen, along with Su Ya, tidied up the house inside and out. The next day, they bought some daily necessities, as it seemed their mistress intended to stay here for a while.
At noon, the man from Nan Village who was delivering tofu arrived at the inn as agreed. Shi He didn't even let them enter the inn; he directly took Li Hua's family, who were delivering the tofu, to the newly purchased residence.
In the afternoon, Zhao Jiaqi led her maidservants to cut the tofu into cubes, each about the size of a mahjong tile. After cutting, they were placed on bamboo sieves, with each piece spaced apart. Not only that, but a layer of white cloth was also placed on each bamboo sieve to cover the tofu. Seeing her mistress's operation, Chunfen frowned, "Your Highness, if you cover them like this, the tofu will grow mold and spoil, and then we won't be able to eat it!" In the countryside, any elder would scold someone for placing tofu like this. Chunfen couldn't bear to see good food wasted and couldn't help but advise Zhao Jiaqi.
Conversely, Zhao Jiaqi wanted the tofu to grow white mold, as this was how fermented bean curd was made. She patted Chunfen's shoulder and said, "I want this tofu to grow white mold. You keep a close eye on it for the next few days, and tell me immediately once it grows mold!"
Chunfen's frown deepened instead of easing. What was her mistress trying to do? Moldy food was spoiled and would cause stomachaches if eaten. But her mistress had said that this was the effect she wanted. Helpless, Chunfen sighed as she looked at the tofu, hoping it wouldn't grow mold, yet also hoping it would. Every day, she had to struggle with herself.
Chunfen was in a constant state of conflict. Ever since the tofu arrived, she hadn't smiled. Shi He, who was washing the purchased ceramic jars, secretly shook his head seeing her so troubled. This girl was good in every way, but her stubbornness was truly remarkable, the kind that wouldn't back down even after hitting a wall.
"Miss Chunfen, don't worry about the tofu growing mold. When have you ever seen our mistress waste food or vegetables? I think this tofu might actually become a delicacy. Think about it, how good is our mistress at cooking!"
Chunfen, who was squatting, listened to Shi He's words and found them quite reasonable, yet also somehow wrong. "Tofu spoils when it grows mold, and eating it will cause stomachaches!"
"Well, Shi He, what was the point of saying all that!" She was now solely focused on the tofu spoiling, not considering that spoiled tofu might be exactly what her mistress wanted! He couldn't change someone so single-minded. He turned back to wash the ceramic jars, as the mistress said they would be used once the tofu grew mold.
By the end of May, the weather had become warm. A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard. The tofu placed in the shady areas of the courtyard finally began to grow white mold, taking less than six days in total. Chunfen excitedly ran to find the Empress, pointing at the courtyard and saying, "Your Highness, the tofu has grown mold." And it was completely spoiled, she thought to herself, but dared not say it. She felt a pang of regret for the five taels of silver.
While she was worried about the mold, Zhao Jiaqi was unaware. She lifted the white cloth and saw that the small tofu cubes underneath were covered in a layer of white mold. Zhao Jiaqi was overjoyed. She patted Chunfen's shoulder and praised herself, "Well done. Once the fermented bean curd is made, I'll let you be the first to taste it." Chunfen's face turned pale with fright. She took two steps back and waved her hands, "Your servant... doesn't like to eat it." How many people in the world could resist delicious food, especially Chunfen, who loved spicy food? She just hadn't tasted it yet. Once she tasted it, she wouldn't say that anymore.
She plucked a foxtail grass, inserted the stalk into the tofu, and when she pulled it out, a slight stickiness clung to it, indicating fermentation was complete. Zhao Jiaqi rolled up her sleeves and went to the kitchen to prepare the marinade for the fermented bean curd. She also instructed the guards and maids to rinse each piece of white tofu with the strong liquor they had purchased. This was a meticulous task. The guards and maids carefully rinsed each piece of tofu with the strong liquor. A thousand catties of small tofu cubes were quite a project.
Suddenly, Chunfen felt like crying. How long would it take to rinse all these tofu cubes with liquor? Before she could finish contemplating this, her mistress had several large basins of marinade brought out and instructed those working in the courtyard, "After rinsing the tofu cubes with strong liquor, coat them with the marinade. Remember, each tofu cube must be thoroughly coated with strong liquor, then with the seasoning, and then neatly placed in the ceramic jars and sealed."
At this point, everyone in the courtyard felt like crying. Forget eating it; just looking at the white, fuzzy stuff made them feel nauseous. Chunfen and Shi He discussed it and decided it would be best for two teams to work separately. She led the maids in rinsing with liquor, while Shi He led the guards in coating the white tofu with the marinade. Working separately, their efficiency was quite good. As the saying goes, "Men and women working together, the task is not tiring." Zhao Jiaqi also felt for the workers. That afternoon, she sent Song Fei out to find some clean and nimble older women to join the team.
Oil lamps were lit in the courtyard, many of them hanging together, along with lanterns hanging under the eaves. The entire courtyard was brightly lit. They worked through the night, and the task was finally completed as dawn began to break. After breakfast, everyone returned to their rooms to catch up on sleep. Only Song Fei, holding a small notebook, stayed to chat with Zhao Jiaqi, fully embodying the spirit of asking questions when one doesn't understand.
"Your Highness, why do we have to let the tofu go bad to make it?"
"Your Highness, why do we rinse the tofu cubes with strong liquor? Can't ordinary liquor be used?"
"Your Highness, what are the ingredients in the seasonings you are making? What are the proportions?"
"Your Highness, why are the tofu blocks sealed in jars after being put in? Can't they be left unsealed?"
There were never as many questions as Song Fei asked!