For each picture she flipped through, Grandpa Bai would introduce it to her and briefly tell her what it treated.
Soon, she found several herbs that could treat bruises and injuries: one was panax notoginseng, one was salvia miltiorrhiza, and there was also the Xu Duan that Grandpa Bai ntioned.
She wanted to secretly pick the herbs and then give her dad a surprise.
With a small goal in mind, Zhao Zhitong felt very fulfilled. She was filled with energy and swept away her previous sluggishness. During dinner, she had a great appetite, eating more than half a stead bun and a bowl of porridge.
Zhao Dong and Sun i also noticed that Zhao Zhitong’s mood wasn’t very high during the day.
However, with the tofu business opening soon, they were both busy and didn’t have ti to attend to her. They planned to spend quality ti with her after finishing their work in the evening.
Unexpectedly, by dinnerti, the young girl’s mood had recovered on its own, and the couple felt much more relieved.
Thinking about picking herbs the next day, Zhao Zhitong went to bed early.
The room was a bit stuffy, and Zhao Zhitong had already fallen fast asleep. Sun i and Zhao Dong held large cattail fans, fanning away the heat and chatting softly.
Sun i said, "At this busy ti, I feel like it would be nice to have an older brother or sister in the family. When we’re busy, soone could play with Tongtong so she doesn’t feel neglected."
Thinking of sothing, Sun i continued, "If there was a kindergarten, that would be fine too, as there would be teachers and classmates at school."
While fanning himself and rubbing his leg, Zhao Dong said, "Right now, we don’t have money. When we make money from selling tofu, we’ll send Tongtong to school to study. I think Mr. ng likes our Tongtong very much, so he should accept her."
As soon as this was ntioned, Every ti she saw Scholar ng, Sun i recalled, his fondness for Tongtong was clearly evident.
A proud smile touched the corners of Sun i’s lips. "We must send Tongtong to school. We’re not expecting her to achieve great success, but it’s important for her to understand reason, distinguish right from wrong, and not be easily deceived by others."
Sun i paused, then added, "However, it’s not enough that Mr. ng likes Tongtong. The Private School belongs to Country Gentry Wei, and he has admission requirents. I don’t know if he’ll agree to let Tongtong attend."
Sun i wasn’t worried that Country Gentry Wei would refuse Zhao Zhitong because she was a girl.She had observed over the past few days that Country Gentry Wei wasn’t the type of person who believed girls shouldn’t study. This was evident, as the girls from his own family also attended the school. Furthermore, the restrictions on won in this dynasty hadn’t reached the oppressive point of them being confined to their hos; it could be considered a period where won held a relatively high status. Her main concern was that Country Gentry Wei might not accept Tongtong because he highly valued the scholarly atmosphere of his Private School and therefore had specific requirents for admitted students.
Zhao Dong nodded, taking her words to heart. "I’ll bring so gifts to Country Gentry Wei’s family and ask when the ti cos. Alright, dear, go to sleep. We’ll be busy tomorrow as well."
"Tomorrow will be another busy day," Sun i exclaid. "I suddenly miss modern life. In my past life, I wasn’t this tired."
With that, she also lay down.
Zhao Dong then said, "By the way, if Tongtong is bored at ho tomorrow, let her go to the school and play with Mr. ng and the students. Send so food to the school so Tongtong can have lunch there too; it’ll save her from running back and forth."
"Okay," Sun i replied.
Thus, they spent a quiet night.
「The next day, between five and six in the morning, Sun i and Zhao Dong got up.」
The soybean milk had been filtered the night before. Now, it just needed to be boiled and set with plaster. Therefore, they weren’t in a rush. Zhao Dong went to fill the water tank first, while Sun i filled a hemp bag with the soybeans soaked the previous night.
After they finished these initial tasks, Zhao Dong helped Sun i start the fire and then left with the loaded cart of soybeans.
Boiling a pot of soy milk took about a quarter of an hour, and it took another half an hour for the tofu to set.
By the ti Zhao Dong returned from delivering the soybeans, Sun i had already finished processing one pot and was scooping the curdled soy milk into the molds.
Zhao Dong quickly weighed it: the large pot had yielded over thirty catties of tofu.
Since it was their first day selling, the couple wasn’t sure if they could sell everything, so they decided to make two pots: one of tofu and another of tofu.
By the ti they finished these preparations, it was already around eight o’clock in the morning.
The local farrs typically ate two als a day: one between nine and eleven in the morning, and the other during Shen ti.
This timing coincided with when the villagers would be heading ho to cook.
Zhao Dong opened the main gate, placed a table at the entrance, and officially started their business!
So villagers who had tasted the tofu the previous day detoured to Zhao Dong’s Residence on their way back from the fields.
The first to arrive was Mrs. Tian, the elder daughter-in-law from the Village Chief’s house. As soon as she entered, she exclaid loudly, "Sun i, your skills are truly wonderful! The tofu we had last night, stewed with cabbage, was so delicious—as fragrant as eating at!"
Zhao Dong chuckled. "This tofu truly is the ’at’ of the plant world; it’s very nutritious."
Tian Cuihua laughed, "Haha, really? That’s great! You know, my father-in-law and mother-in-law have poor teeth and can’t chew at well. This tofu is soft and tender, perfect for them. In fact, as soon as they woke up this morning, they urged to co and buy so."
The Zhao Family’s main gate was open, and villagers returning from the fields would occasionally pass by. Tian Cuihua deliberately raised her voice so that people outside could hear.
Zhao Dong and Sun i understood her kind intentions and were naturally very grateful. When cutting her tofu, they gave her an extra tael.
Just then, Shi Tou’s wife, Sun Sanniang, also rushed over. As soon as she arrived, she got straight to the point: "Brother Dong, give two catties of this tofu, and I also want two bowls of this tofu. It’s so delicious! You wouldn’t believe it, Shi Tou was actually fighting with the kids over it yesterday, haha!"
With the enthusiastic endorsents from these two "town criers," Tian Cuihua and Sun Sanniang, the courtyard soon attracted many villagers.
Sun i greeted the villagers with a smile, then entrusted the task of selling tofu to Zhao Dong.
She went to the kitchen, wrapped a piece of tofu in steaming cloth, placed it in her back basket, and prepared to take it to the school. She planned to offer it to the children and the Teacher for free. She considered it a way to advertise in Xiaoyi Village.
"Tongtong, ti to go to the school!"
Sun i, with the basket on her back, searched the courtyard but couldn’t find the little girl. She found it curious; usually, Tongtong would have already been pestering her, asking when they were going to the school. Today, however, she was nowhere to be seen.
anwhile, behind the house, Zhao Zhitong was digging up an achyranthes bidentata plant. Hearing Sun i’s voice, she called out in her little voice, "Mom, Mom, wait for !"
While shouting, she used both her small hands, braced her little feet against the ground, and pulled upwards with all her might.
"OUCH!"
The achyranthes bidentata didn’t co out by the roots; instead, it snapped off at the base, and Zhao Zhitong plopped right down onto the ground.
Sun i called out, "Tongtong, what are you doing? Hurry up!"
Hearing Sun i’s voice again, Zhao Zhitong endured the pain in her bottom, quickly scrambled to her feet, hastily tossed the weed into her space, rubbed her little backside, and ran out.
"Coming!" Zhao Zhitong called back.
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