The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 257: Tribute

In September, the harvest was abundant. During this critical period, A Luo was giving birth and observing her confinement. According to Nanny Zhong, completing a full two months of postpartum confinement was better for her health. Naturally, she was somewhat concerned about the farm and the management of agricultural affairs.

Fortunately, Shen Lie and Shen An were both on vacation at home. Apart from occasionally being called to the Governor’s Office by Cheng An during the Governor’s holiday, they were mostly at home. Since August, they had been harvesting the rice, wheat, and various beans they planted in the spring. For any additional planting, Shen Lie only needed to discuss it briefly with Sang Luo; the two brothers could handle it themselves.

That year, Daxing Village’s harvest was primarily beans—there were truly a lot of them. The mountainous areas were fully utilized to maximize the yield, and naturally, the results were good.

With the ample raw materials, Sang Luo started thinking about two special items: glass noodles and fermented tofu.

The glass noodles were something she had planned to teach the Chen family to make. Although the Chinese yam was not yet ready for harvest, green beans were available. However, since the Chen family was busy with both farming and tofu-making, Sang Luo decided to put off making the glass noodles and start with the fermented tofu instead.

To produce and sell fermented tofu in bulk, she needed a good amount of old tofu. She planned to make the old tofu herself, as it was best to make it in-house.

Originally, she had asked Concubine Fan to help buy a mule for the Chen family, but they didn’t have one yet. They usually carried the flour to be ground at the Chen family’s place. However, grinding tofu wasn’t difficult for Shen Lie, so when he returned at noon, Sang Luo discussed this with him.

Hearing that the shop would soon have new products, Shen Lie was quite curious. While making tofu was hard work for others, it was not difficult for him. He agreed, saying, “The stone mill at home is too small. I’ll buy a larger one. You see if there’s anything else we need to buy. I’ll take Xiao An and get everything at once.”

There were indeed many things to buy, with the most important being salt, wine, and seasoning.

Wine was out of the question. Not only modern high-purity alcohol but even the original kind of alcohol from this time and space was hard to find. With the recent harvest of grains, people barely had enough to eat, let alone any alcohol for sale.

Fortunately, even though fermented tofu lacked the strong flavor that high-proof alcohol would impart and had a shorter shelf life, it could still be made.

To make things more convenient, Sang Luo thought of custom-ordering a large steamer and a large iron pot. These would be useful not only for making fermented tofu but also for steaming and stir-frying other things, which was much easier than using clay pots and steaming vessels.

After hearing her requirements for the iron pot and steamer, Shen Lie said, “I’ll order the iron pot. Xiao An and I can make the steamer ourselves.”

He then asked Sang Luo, “What about packaging? Should we use jars?”

Sang Luo nodded, “That’s not urgent. I still need to calculate the size of the jars and draw up a design.”

The two little ones were still worry-free at this time, eating and sleeping. Sang Luo could still do some drawing in the room.

After lunch, Shen Lie and Shen An took a cart into the city, bought everything needed, and returned. The iron pot would take a few days to arrive, so in the afternoon, they worked on making the steamer Sang Luo needed instead of tending to the fields.

The design for the jars was not drawn by Sang Luo herself, as Nanny Zhong had instructed her not to strain her eyes during the confinement period. Instead, Shen Ning did the drawing. It wasn’t too difficult since their family had cooperated with pottery makers for their shop before. It was just a matter of noting the jar sizes, sketching a rough design, and writing a few labels.

The Daxing Village fermented tofu came in green, red, and white varieties, each with many possible flavors.

Sang Luo had only personally made the most common red and white varieties, the red coated with chili powder and the white plain. Due to health reasons in the past, she mostly made various white types—sweet and spicy, osmanthus, five-spice, sesame, and marinated. She decided not to try anything else and would start with the spicy red and five-spice white varieties.

On the day the iron pot arrived, Shen Lie and Shen An made tofu overnight and pressed it until morning. Once the moisture was sufficiently dried, the detailed work began, with Shen Ning, who had the best culinary skills, taking the lead while the brothers assisted.

The tofu needed time to ferment, and the row of buildings in the Shen family’s backyard came in handy.

Calculating the fermentation time, Sang Luo visited the backyard to ensure successful fermentation before letting Shen Ning proceed to the next step.

By then, the Chen family had also become less busy. Sang Luo asked Shen Ning to invite Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang over to teach them how to make green bean glass noodles.

Since she could only give oral instructions during her confinement, and although she was familiar with the process from making videos to earn some money in the past, Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang found it confusing and asked multiple times to make sure they understood. Sang Luo then suggested they prepare the tools and try making a small batch.

After a few attempts, they failed twice due to errors in the details. By the third attempt, they decided to make a small batch in the second courtyard of the Shen residence, with Sang Luo supervising the whole process, which finally succeeded.

That evening, both the Chen and Shen families tasted the glass noodles they made themselves and were very excited. Preparations for mass production began.

September passed quickly, and Shen Lie and others returned to school. Shen Lie’s classmates at the provincial school, who knew about his newborn dragon and phoenix twins, congratulated him.

Meanwhile, Doctor Xu, who returned from Shezhou to the capital, naturally dealt with his leave first. Then, he discreetly found Cen Xi and took the opportunity to report to the emperor.

Doctor Xu was quite relieved that he had lost some weight after staying on the boat for half a month, which would otherwise have been a poor impression on the emperor.

He reported Sang Luo’s situation accurately. The emperor was pleased to hear about the twins and felt it was a blessing for the Shen couple. After asking a few questions about Shezhou’s living conditions, the emperor dismissed him with a wave.

As Doctor Xu left, bowing and retreating a few steps before turning to leave with clean sleeves, the emperor felt melancholic.

“Couldn’t they send me some food? I guess only the secret guards I brought with me could.”

The emperor lamented the inadequacy of his ministers.

He wondered when the capital would have a shop like Daxing Village’s.

…

In early October, the Daxing Village specialty shop added a new product: fermented tofu, priced at sixty coins per small jar, and claimed to be excellent with porridge.

Sang Luo’s shop had already established a good reputation in Shezhou city. It was always feared that it might sell out quickly, and there were never complaints about the taste. Given that the target market was the wealthy families in the city, sixty coins was quite affordable for this shop. With the habit of buying in bulk, getting several jars of a single flavor was a good idea.

Indeed, it was true. In the south, people still mostly ate porridge in the morning. The fermented tofu appeared on the tables of some wealthy families in the city the next day. And then… the shop became lively again.

Since people didn’t know what it was made from, they feared it might be like the earlier bread, cakes, and meat products—if they missed out, they might not get any. Thus, returning customers came the next day, buying in bulk. Fortunately, this product actually tastes better with some additional fermentation, so as long as they didn’t buy too much, it was fine.

Moreover, because this was a relatively inexpensive item in the Daxing Village specialty shop, once its reputation spread, it attracted a lot of new middle-class customers. Business was truly thriving.

After selling for a few days, Shen Ning reviewed the accounts. The three siblings were very enthusiastic about making this product. Since it needed to be fermented directly in the steamer, Shen Lie and Shen An had prepared more than ten additional sets of steamers. Throughout early October, they barely rested except to play with the children after school. The only reason they could manage so many was the abundance of rooms in the backyard; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to dry so many batches. It wasn’t until Sang Luo mentioned that the product didn’t store well for long that the siblings started to take it easy.

By mid-October, with the popularity of fermented tofu still high, jujube cakes and glass noodles were also introduced. People in Shezhou knew that if they wanted something rare, they should often visit the Daxing Village specialty shop. Even people from surrounding counties who came to Shezhou would invariably stop by the Daxing Village shop.

The Daxing Village specialty shop had gained fame, and so had Daxing Village itself. The Shen family’s interactions with the Governor’s Office had also caught the attention of those who were observant.

In mid-month at the provincial school, Old Master Lin, the current provincial school’s principal, quietly instructed one of the teachers.

The teacher, who was employed by him and had a close relationship with the Lin family, was surprised and asked, “Sir, what do you mean? Is it not what I’m thinking?”

Old Master Lin smiled, “Just help me inquire for now.”

The teacher hesitated for a moment but advised, “Sir, have you reconsidered? During the September clothing break, most students at the school were genuinely on vacation for a whole month. Daxing Village had five, no, six people, including Wang Yunzheng. Returning from a month-long break, they seemed genuinely darker.”

The implication was that they were truly involved in farming.

Old Master Lin stroked his beard and smiled, “I’m aware and have considered it. Just help me find out without mentioning that it was at my request.”

With that, the teacher had no further objections. Moreover, upon reflection, it was true that the five people from Daxing Village plus Wang Yunzheng had made noticeable progress in their studies, with some knowledge seemingly beyond what was taught at the school.

Realizing this, the teacher concluded that Old Master Lin must have noticed this as well.

Farming had its own rewards, after all. There would always be a day of recognition.

He agreed with a smile and went back to the school, where he called Shen Lie aside after class to talk.

…

That evening, when Shen Lie returned home, the two children were awake. After washing his hands and playing with them, he brought up a topic with Sang Luo.

“Brother Wei’s marriage should be taking shape soon.”

This caught Sang Luo’s attention. Wei Qinghe’s marriage was a major concern for Wei Lingzhen. Wei Qinghe was already twenty-four and would be twenty-five by the end of the year. How could they not be anxious?

Unfortunately, due to years of turmoil, finding suitable young women was quite challenging. The previous year, families had been busy with farming, so even if there were suitable girls, they stayed home to help, as survival was a priority. Wei Qinghe himself wasn’t very concerned, focusing entirely on his studies. He said it was fine to establish his career before starting a family.

Not only was Wei Lingzhen anxious, but the Zhou and Lu families were also busy finding suitable matches for Zhou Sanlang and Lu Sanlang. These two had been busy in the mountains and later in Daxing Village. Recently, with some free time, both families were inquiring about eligible young women.

So when Shen Lie mentioned Wei Qinghe’s marriage, Sang Luo was quite curious: “Which family? Did Wei Qinghe mention it to you?”

Shen Lie shook his head, “A teacher at the school inquired about Brother Wei and his family’s situation and whether there were any plans for his marriage.”

“Did the teacher have Wei Qinghe in mind as a son-in-law?”

Shen Lie waved his hand, “I don’t know, but the teacher probably doesn’t have a daughter of that age. It might be an inquiry for someone else. If there’s interest, you might hear some news soon.”

By the end of October, Sang Luo indeed found out. Xu Wenyin had quietly told Shen Ning that the matchmaker had visited the Lin family twice.

It turned out to be the Lin family.

This movement from the Wei family seemed to have set the stage for Daxing Village. By early November, Sang Luo finally came out of confinement, and both the Zhou and Lu families also shared good news.

Zhou Sanlang and Lu Sanlang’s marriages were settled. The one Zhou’s family mentioned was someone Sang Luo knew well—Dong Ge’er’s younger sister, Xin Niang, who worked in her shop.

As for Lu Sanlang, the match was a cousin of his second wife, Feng Liuniang.

Daxing Village was filled with festive cheer. Due to the current times, they had to schedule the weddings close together, either at the end of the year or early the next year.

Amidst the joy in the village, Concubine Fan, accompanied by Nanny Zhong and two maids, visited. This was to see Sang Luo after her confinement, to visit the children, and also to deliver a message to her husband about official business.

At the end of the year, tribute items were to be sent to the capital from each province. Shezhou’s tribute items included several specialties from Daxing Village.

Sang Luo’s eyes widened:!!!

“Tribute items? Sent to the palace?”

Sang Luo straightened up.

Tribute items! If they were sent to the palace, all of her family’s products could get an upgrade in packaging next year!

Concubine Fan chuckled and, while playing with the baby in the cradle, said to Sang Luo, “Do you have no awareness of your shop’s products? If the items weren’t perishable, I would have arranged them as New Year’s gifts to Taiyuan. And what do you think the highlight of this year’s tribute items is?”

Seeing Concubine Fan’s interested expression, Sang Luo asked curiously, “Does it relate to me?”

Concubine Fan smiled and nodded, “Yes, you’ll gain some fame.”

Sang Luo: “…”

What great achievement had she made this year?

She looked at Concubine Fan, then lowered her gaze, pondering. The plow had already gained some recognition, and papermaking couldn’t be publicized. So what could it be?

Just as she was thinking this, Sang Luo’s eyelids twitched as she realized something. She stared at Concubine Fan in disbelief: “You can’t be saying…”

Concubine Fan couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing that Sang Luo had guessed correctly, Sang Luo covered her eyes, feeling both amused and helpless.

“This kind of fame can be avoided, really.”