When the pears are green

Chapter 201 Preparation for Making Tofu

When Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou arrived at the study, Yang Yu was standing outside the gate watching Song Xing and Jiang Qingye playing the shadow-stepping game in the open space in front of the gate.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, two children were playing and chasing each other back and forth. Their "hahahaha" laughter like silver bells floated under the blue sky, adding a touch of vitality to the bleak late autumn.

Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly stepped forward to thank Yang Yu, while Song Li quietly watched the two children who were still playing. When Song Xing's shadow passed by Song Li, Song Li gently raised his foot and stepped on it.

Song Li smiled and shouted to Song Xing who had already run away: "Xiao Xing, I stepped on you."

Song Xing was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and his shadow was instantly stepped on by Jiang Qingye who was chasing him.

Jiang Qingye jumped up happily, shouting, "Haha, I won, I stepped on Xiaoxing's shadow."

Song Xing looked at Song Li in annoyance. He felt that if Song Li hadn't called him, his shadow would not have been stepped on by Jiang Qingye.

Song Li gently tried to comfort the aggrieved Song Xing: "Xiao Xing, I am wrong. I saw that you are all sweating, so I want you to take a break. Master Yang is also going back, so say goodbye to him."

Song Xing no longer bothered with Song Li. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, then he and Jiang Qingye smiled and waved goodbye to Yang Yu.

Jiang Qingzhou came over and rubbed Jiang Qingye and Song Xing's heads, and told them not to play the shadow-stepping game again.

"Why?" the two children asked in unison.

Jiang Qingzhou rubbed his chin, frowned, and answered in a pretentious manner: "Because it's unlucky."

"Okay!" the two children said uninterested, and then started chasing each other again in the sunset.

Song Li looked at the playful figures of Jiang Qingye and Song Xing from behind, and smiled as she ran behind Jiang Qingzhou to step on his shadow which was lengthened by the setting sun.

Jiang Qingzhou listened to the "click" and "click" sounds coming from behind him, smiled and ran forward a few steps.

Song Li knew that Jiang Qingzhou was teasing her on purpose, so she hurriedly ran forward to chase him. However, Jiang Qingzhou seemed to have eyes on his back, and whenever Song Li was about to step on his shadow, he would always hide his shadow aside in time.

After a few times, Song Li, who was a little tired, put her arm around Jiang Qingzhou and told him the stories she had read.

"A long time ago, there was a monster that could replace human bodies. It would appear at dusk. If you accidentally stepped on the monster's shadow or the monster stepped on your shadow, you would be replaced."

"Xiao Li, how did they replace each other? It can't be that the monster turns into a human, and the human turns into a monster, right?"

"Of course not. The person who was replaced will reappear in the world, but the person who comes back will keep the appearance and clothes of the person who was replaced, but will no longer have any memory. The most painful thing is that as they grow older, the person who comes back will remember the moment when they replaced someone else, and thus spend the rest of their life in pain."

After listening to this, Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly turned around to take a look at his own shadow and Song Li's shadow blended together, then moved sideways to separate the two shadows.

Seeing this, Song Li chuckled and asked Jiang Qingzhou: "It's just a story, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm just afraid that you will suddenly leave one day, and she will suddenly come back." Jiang Qingzhou said, and then he held Song Li's hand tightly, fearing that she would ask who he was the next second.

Song Li was amused by Jiang Qingzhou's behavior. She covered her mouth and whispered to Jiang Qingzhou, "Don't worry, it won't happen. If I knew you were so sensitive, I wouldn't tell you this story."

"Really?" Jiang Qingzhou asked.

Song Li kept nodding, repeatedly assuring the man in front of her who cared about her so much that he would definitely not do that.

Jiang Qingzhou finally felt relieved, but he still held Song Li's hand tightly. When Song Li was about to go find Zhang Ying, he reluctantly let go of his right hand.

Song Li did not stay at Zhang Ying's house for long. After telling Zhang Ying what she had heard from Wu Mingde about Jiang Qian's situation, she hurried home.

Jiang Qingzhou asked Song Li, who had been busy all day, to rest first, while he and Master Li went to cook dinner.

Song Li first carefully placed the purchased plaster into a ceramic jar, and then sat in the yard and used branches to repeatedly draw a wooden box containing tofu on the ground.

"Sister, what are you drawing?" Li Yi asked while squatting beside Song Li.

Song Li answered while drawing: "I am drawing a wooden box for tofu. When I make the tofu, I will make fried tofu, stewed tofu, and cold tofu for you. I am a little tired today, so I will make fish fillet soup for you tomorrow."

"You're so awesome, sister. There are tofu vendors in town, but it's usually only available in spring, autumn and winter. Tomorrow, sister and I will learn how to make fish fillet soup. When I learn it, I'll make it for you, sister." Li Yi said to Song Li while looking at the figure on the ground seriously.

Song Li smiled and said that she was waiting for the day when Li Yi would become an apprentice, and then asked about the price of tofu in the town.

Li Yi scratched his head and thought about it, then said it was five cents a piece.

Song Li didn't know how heavy the piece Li Yi was talking about was, so she thought to herself that she would go to the town on market day to buy a piece and weigh it. Only by knowing both ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle.

The weather is getting colder, and the bean sprout business will only stop for a month at most. The garlic sprouts can be harvested in a few days. If tofu can be made successfully, it will just make up for the business gap in winter.

After some thought, Song Li and Li Yi went to the new house together. She wanted to install the stone mill in the new house so that even if she got up early to make tofu, she would not disturb Jiang Qingye and Song Xing's rest.

The two of them looked around the new house and finally decided to place the stone mill in the southwest corner. After delivering the mulberry leaves to the old doctor tomorrow, they would build a shed in the southwest corner first.

During the meal, Song Li told Jiang Qingzhou about her plan, and Jiang Qingzhou readily agreed.

Master Li quickly interrupted, "Qingzhou, there is some wood in the study that is useless. We can pull it over to build a shed tomorrow."

Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li quickly refused, both saying that they couldn't use the library's things for free.

Master Li's attitude became tough, and he said to the two people with a stern face: "Hey, the two of you should not be polite to me. Nian Nian and I have received your kindness, and we are worried about how to repay you. This opportunity has finally come, so please don't let an old man like me feel guilty towards you."

Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li had no choice but to agree, thinking of making it up to Master Li in other ways later.

Master Li then laughed happily. After they finished their meal happily, Song Li took Jiang Qingzhou with an oil lamp to see the wooden boxes and wooden trays he had painted.

Although Song Li's painting was relatively abstract, after Song Li's demonstration and explanation, Jiang Qingzhou still understood what Song Li wanted. He quickly said that he also knew some carpentry skills and could try it the day after tomorrow.

"I believe you can do it." Song Li smiled and gave Jiang Qingzhou a thumbs up.

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and held Song Li's fingers, and then the two of them went to the main room to find the remaining wooden boards in the house and put them on the eight-immortals table.

The next morning, Li Yi chased Song Li and asked when they would go to pick mulberry leaves.

Song Li smiled and told Li Yi that they had to wait until the sun rose to the treetops before going, otherwise there would be dew.

Li Yi stared at the sun moving slowly in the sky. When she saw that it was about to rise to the top of the tung tree, she hurriedly picked up the basket and urged Song Li, Jiang Qingzhou and Master Li to go to the mulberry field.

Master Li touched the top of Li Yi's head lovingly and joked that she was bored of staying at home and was eager to go out for a walk.

Li Yi pouted and defended herself: "I didn't, I wanted to help my sister with work."

Song Li smiled and led Li Yi to the mulberry field first, Jiang Qingzhou and Master Li followed closely behind. The four of them carefully picked mulberry leaves and picked out all the damaged ones.

The four of them went to the clinic together to deliver mulberry leaves in the afternoon. The old doctor first checked the mulberry leaves in the basket, and then happily paid Jiang Qingzhou.

The old doctor took Master Li's pulse and said with a smile that Master Li was recovering well and that the medicine for reducing swelling and removing blood stasis could be stopped for the time being.

Master Li thanked the old doctor gratefully, and they went to the study together.

Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou left the cart in the bookstore first, and then went to the carpenter in the town to order a stone mill.

This place is located in a plain, and the stone mill was transported from Caizhou, two or three hundred miles away, so it is naturally much more expensive.

A large stone mill cost two taels of silver. Song Li first gave the carpenter a deposit of one hundred coins. The carpenter smiled and said that he would ask someone to deliver it to his home early the next morning.

After leaving the Jiang family's address, Song Li returned to the study with Jiang Qingzhou. The two of them, together with Master Li and Li Yi, pulled the wood back home and prepared to build a shed.