24 Selling Fermented Bean Curd

Hot.

Ye Miao felt as though his whole body were about to burn up.

The heat made his mind go hazy.

How had things come to this...?

Only moments ago, he had been grinning like a fool, even happier than the last time Qin Jin had taken the initiative to place two chicken legs in his bowl.

He had been overjoyed that day. Whenever the other husbands or wives had something good to eat, they would always save it for the head of the household, since men were stronger, had more work to do, and needed better food.

Yet his Brother Jin had given both chicken legs to him without the slightest hesitation!

He had been so delighted that he had completely forgotten his father and An were still in the courtyard, and had kept pressing himself against his Brother Jin.

Still, he understood that Qin Jin regarded him somewhat like a child, though Qin Jin was only two years older than he was.

Giving two chicken legs to a child was nothing more than proof that his Brother Jin was a kind and gentle man.

Qin Jin still had no special affection for him as a husband.

But now...

Qin Jin had been willing to do something like this for him. Surely that meant he had begun to like him, did it not? Otherwise, why would he have gone so far?

The thought went round and round in Ye Miao’s mind. Even after Qin Jin returned from rinsing his mouth and drew him back into his arms, it refused to fade.

His cheeks were still burning. He had never witnessed anything like this before and truly had no idea where his Brother Jin had learned it...

As soon as the thought arose, an inexplicable bitterness welled up in his heart. He pressed his lips together for a long while. When he felt that Qin Jin was almost asleep, he still could not hold back and called softly, “Brother Jin?”

Qin Jin had indeed been on the verge of sleep.

He was actually feeling a little awkward.

He felt that he had once again fallen into the intoxicating atmosphere of their wedding night. The difference was that on that first night, his little husband had been pitifully wiping away his tears, while tonight the little husband had been so happy he seemed ready to grow a tail and wag it.

In any case, Qin Jin had simply wanted to indulge his little husband. In a moment of heated impulse, he had truly used his mouth.

Afterward, the little husband had hidden himself at the inner edge of the bed like a quail, and Qin Jin had felt somewhat uncomfortable himself. So he had rinsed his mouth, snuffed out the lamp, and silently pulled the man into his arms, intending to sleep.

Now that his little husband had called out to him so suddenly, his hazy mind cleared at once.

After hesitating for two seconds, he answered, “Mm? What is it?”

“How... how did you learn that sort of thing?”

He was already embarrassed enough. When he reached the words “that sort of thing,” Ye Miao could barely manage more than a breath.

“...I heard about it. When men gather together, they always end up exchanging a few obscene jokes.”

“Oh...” Ye Miao let out a breath of relief, then felt somewhat ashamed. What on earth had he been imagining? His Brother Jin had merely been greedy and lazy in the past. Aside from that, he had no other bad habits.

Feeling guilty, he said, “Brother Jin, I... I can serve you once, too.”

With that, he began to slide downward.

Qin Jin hurriedly tightened his arms around him. “You fool. I did it willingly.”

“I’m willing, too!” Ye Miao said anxiously.

“I know.” Qin Jin held him tighter. He did not yet possess the kind of love one had for a true lover, so how could he let Ye Miao do such a thing for him? The boy was seven years younger than he was.

He added, “I only wanted to make you happy. Were you happy just now?”

“Happy.” Ye Miao’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s.

“That’s good. Go to sleep. We’re selling fermented tofu tomorrow. You’ll have to help me push the handcart there, and you’ll be setting up the stall with me. Are you looking forward to it?”

“I am!”

At once, Ye Miao’s eyes lit up.

The family’s fermented tofu was finally ready, but the handcart could hold only two baskets: one filled with pea cakes and the other with tofu sheets. There had been nowhere to put the fermented tofu. After repeatedly insisting, Ye Miao had finally persuaded Qin Jin to let him accompany him to the market the next day.

He was nervous.

And restless.

“Then go to sleep quickly, or you’ll be nodding off tomorrow.” As Qin Jin spoke, he pressed Ye Miao’s head against his chest.

The position was not especially comfortable, but half of Ye Miao’s thoughts were already occupied by tomorrow’s market, while the other half were occupied by Qin Jin. The two concerns tangled together, and before long he fell asleep.

When he awoke again, Qin Jin had already dressed and risen from the bed. Ye Miao rubbed his eyes, sat up in one swift motion, and hurriedly got out of bed.

After washing up, he began making pea cakes while Qin Jin and Zhao Feng went to buy silken tofu.

It took nearly two hours to finish the pea cakes and tofu sheets. After eating breakfast, Ye Miao pushed the fermented tofu in a handcart while Qin Jin pushed the pea cakes and tofu sheets, and the two of them quickly made their way toward the city gate.

Once they arrived, Ye Miao obediently stayed by Qin Jin’s side, following his every instruction.

In fact, he could have gone home after bringing the fermented tofu. Although they now had three kinds of food, Qin Jin could manage alone and had no real need of him.

But the sky had not yet brightened fully, and Qin Jin did not feel safe letting him return alone, so he told him to wait there for the time being.

Qin Jin cut up samples of the fermented tofu, pea cakes, and tofu sheets. Before he even had the chance to call out, someone approached.

His stall had already gained a little reputation, and lately he hardly needed to hawk his wares at all.

Three women stood before them, each carrying a basket. They were plainly dressed, and before Qin Jin could say anything, the tallest one asked, “You’re the young man who sells tofu sheets, Brother Qin, aren’t you?”

“That’s right, I’m Qin Jin. These tofu sheets were just made. Would you ladies like to buy some? You can have a free taste.” Qin Jin smiled.

“Let’s try them.” The woman nodded.

The other two nodded as well.

As soon as the women tasted the tofu sheets, they took out their coppers before Qin Jin could say another word.

They had heard of tofu sheets long ago. Someone from their village had bought some, saying they tasted good—better than ordinary tofu, and somewhat like meat.

They had been half skeptical, but now that they had tasted them for themselves, they agreed that the tofu sheets were indeed better than tofu. As for the claim that they tasted like meat, perhaps that would become clear only after they had been stewed.

That did not stop them from paying.

The autumn harvest was nearly upon them. Before the harvest, they would have no time to come to the market again. Today they needed to buy not only tofu sheets but also two pounds of meat. Harvest work was exhausting; without something fatty to eat, they would never endure it.

As she was paying, the first woman noticed the bright red pieces in the dish and asked, “What’s that?”

“Fermented tofu. It’s made from tofu and eaten as a small salty side dish. You can eat it with porridge or flatbread. One copper each. Would you like to try some? It contains wine, chili powder, Sichuan pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon, so the flavor is quite distinctive.” Qin Jin explained.

One copper each?

All three women were startled.

A pound of tofu could be cut into eight pieces, and each piece cost one copper? Such a tiny piece cost a whole copper?

Even an entire sheet of tofu cost only one copper!

The woman who had asked the question shook her head without hesitation. “Never mind.”

She accepted the tofu sheets Ye Miao handed her and turned to leave.

Since she had no intention of buying any, she felt embarrassed to taste it.

“It’s all right. The tasting is free. Come, ladies, have a try. I made it myself today. You don’t have to buy any.” Qin Jin warmly urged them.

The three women saw that he was sincere, without a trace of contempt or disdain, and stopped in their tracks.

They accepted the small pieces of fermented tofu Qin Jin offered with his chopsticks. Before the pieces even reached their mouths, they could smell the wine. Once they tasted them, layers of numbing spice, heat, salt, and fragrance spread instantly across their tongues.

They immediately understood that a great many seasonings had gone into it.

At one copper a piece, it was not an unreasonable price after all.

Still, the flavor was strange, and not something they were accustomed to.

Two of the women said nothing after tasting it.

The tall woman hesitated for two seconds before saying, “Wrap up two pieces for me.”

There was a taste of wine. Perhaps her husband would like it.

She herself found it acceptable as well. If it had not been so expensive, she would certainly have bought more.

At once, Ye Miao picked up a corn leaf, deftly removed two pieces from the crock, wrapped them carefully, and handed them to the tall woman.

His Brother Jin really knew what he was doing. The woman had not intended to buy any at all.

After seeing the three women off, Ye Miao looked at Qin Jin, just about to praise him for being so capable, when another customer appeared before the stall.

He swallowed the four words back down.

His family’s business really was doing well. They did not even need to call out; customers came to them of their own accord.

This was the busiest time of day. Farmers from the countryside rarely had the leisure to wander about. When they came to the market, they headed straight for their destinations, and so customers streamed constantly toward the stall.

Still, the fermented tofu sold less well than the tofu sheets.

Tofu sheets cost six coppers a pound, while fermented tofu cost eight—two coppers more, nearly the price of a live chicken.

There was nothing to be done. The fermented tofu contained wine and expensive spices, making its production cost high. They earned only three coppers per pound. Besides, its flavor was distinctive. Those who liked it would love it—his father, for instance—but those who disliked it, such as Ye Miao, would not take even a single bite.

So he did not force the matter. It could be preserved for a long time; they could sell it gradually.

Ye Miao was responsible for wrapping the customers’ purchases. He worked quickly and neatly, twisting the corn leaves together so skillfully that they would not come undone even without string.

He was lowering his head to wrap a customer’s tofu sheets when he heard Qin Jin call out to Shopkeeper Chen. He raised his eyes.

Was this the shopkeeper who owned the inn?

When Shopkeeper Chen saw Ye Miao, he was somewhat surprised as well. He had not known that Young Brother Qin had such a husband.

His attention soon shifted to the fermented tofu, however.

Something to eat with porridge?

After accepting a piece of fermented tofu and savoring it carefully, he took a handkerchief from inside his robe and wiped the red sauce from his palm.

“Give me three pounds for now.”

The inn’s small salty side dishes served with porridge really ought to be changed. Since this fermented tofu could be stored for a long time, he could buy a larger quantity.

Shopkeeper Chen wanted quite a lot, which left Qin Jin in a quandary. Fermented tofu could not be squeezed, or it would lose its shape.

Seeing his hesitation, Shopkeeper Chen chuckled. “I’ll have one of the lads from the inn come over with a crock to carry it.”

Qin Jin immediately relaxed. “That would be perfect.”

With Shopkeeper Chen as a major customer, five pounds of fermented tofu had been sold by the time the sun climbed higher—far more than Qin Jin had expected.

He picked up the water flask and took a drink, then counted out fifty coppers from the money pouch.

“It’s rare for you to come all this way. Go look around up ahead. Don’t be stingy with your money. Buy whatever you want to eat.”