When the pears are green

In the faint morning light, Jiang Qingzhou and Master Li leaned on either side of the kitchen door frame. Their eyes passed over Li Yi and Jiang Qingye who were gathered around the wooden table and stared at the kitchen knife in Song Li's hand that was moving in the wooden box.

"Okay, Xiaoxing, bring the plate over."

Song Xing quickly put the plate next to Song Li, and a piece of white and tender tofu appeared in the middle of the plate.

Jiang Qingye poked the tofu with chopsticks, and the tofu began to tremble like an old man walking with a hunched back.

Seeing this, Li Yi asked Song Li a little worriedly: "Sister, will it break?"

Song Li casually cut a small piece of tofu and threw it into an empty bowl on the wooden table. The tofu drew a parabola, bounced back and forth on the edge of the bowl a few times, and finally landed in the middle of the bowl.

The three children quickly lowered their heads to check the condition of the tofu cubes. Jiang Qingye brought the bowl to Song Li and said, "Sister-in-law, it's not broken, but there are cracks."

Song Li smiled and explained to Jiang Qingye: "Tofu made with gypsum is softer and tenderer, not as firm as tofu made with bittern. If I can buy bittern in the future, I will make hard tofu for you."

Song Li then asked Jiang Qingzhou to kill the grass carp kept in the wooden basin and make grass carp stew with tofu for breakfast this morning.

The three children cheered and followed Jiang Qingzhou out of the kitchen, leaving Master Li to help Song Li light the fire.

While Song Li was adding water to the pot, she said to Master Li who was using a fire starter to light the fire, "Master, Qingzhou and I are going back to my parents' home tomorrow. I'd like to trouble you and Li Yi to look after the house for us."

Master Li smiled and assured Song Li, then stuffed the corn husks into the stove. The kitchen, which was originally a little chilly, gradually warmed up.

Song Li covered the pot and went to the well to see if Jiang Qingzhou had slaughtered the fish.

"Qingzhou, has the fish been slaughtered?" Song Li asked loudly as she walked towards the vegetable garden, then bent down and pulled out two scallions from the edge of the garden. The chrysanthemums on the side were in full bloom and could be picked and dried in two days.

"Right away, just wash it twice more."

Jiang Qingzhou picked up the fish, Song Xing picked up the wooden basin and poured water into the vegetable field, and Jiang Qingye casually poured the clean water from the wooden barrel into the wooden basin. After two cycles, Jiang Qingzhou handed the grass carp, which was still dripping with water, to Song Li.

"Qingzhou, go cut some more garlic sprouts. There are many people at home and one dish is not enough. Scramble some garlic sprouts and eggs." After Song Li gave Jiang Qingzhou instructions, she carried the fish back to the kitchen.

Li Yi took the green onion from Song Li's hand and followed Song Li to the kitchen, skipping and jumping.

With Li Yi's help, a sumptuous breakfast was quickly prepared.

Song Li fairly divided the grass carp stewed with tofu into two portions and placed them on the left and right ends of the wooden table to ensure that everyone could have a share.

Seeing this, Master Li smiled and said to Jiang Qingzhou who was sitting next to him: "Qingzhou, Xiaoli always considers everything. It is your blessing that you can marry Xiaoli."

After hearing this, Jiang Qingzhou smiled and picked up a piece of fish and put it on the steamed bread in Song Li's hand, causing the three children to lower their heads and laugh secretly.

Song Li gave Jiang Qingzhou a reproachful look, then picked up a piece of tofu for Jiang Qingzhou and asked him to taste whether the tofu she made was delicious.

Jiang Qingzhou praised Song Li while chewing: "Xiao Li's stewed tofu is delicious. Qingye and I have bought tofu before, but it was not tasty after all."

"You can cook tofu and fish in a thousand ways. Marinate the fish with salt first, then simmer it over low heat, and it will naturally taste good. After dinner, I will soak a few pounds of soybeans, and we will have tofu pudding in the evening."

Song Li's words resonated with Master Li, and he smiled and said that he would try Song Li's method in the future.

After breakfast, Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou went to the new house to cut seven pounds of garlic sprouts and put them in a basket. Five pounds were sent to the restaurant, and the remaining two pounds were sent to the Li family and Yang Yu along with dried vegetables.

Song Li gave Jiang Qingzhou the things he needed to take to the town, and reminded him again not to forget to go to the grain store to buy some rapeseed.

Jiang Qingzhou listened carefully to Song Li's instructions and smiled as he told her not to worry about him.

Jiang Qingzhou and Master Li went to the town together. They first sent Jiang Qingye and Song Xing to the study, and gave the prepared dried vegetables and garlic sprouts to Yang Yu.

Yang Yu was very grateful and took good care of Jiang Qingye and Song Xing in the study.

Master Li pointed at the tung tree outside the study wall and asked Jiang Qingzhou to help cut down the tree in the afternoon.

Jiang Qingzhou readily agreed, thinking that he would ask the three brothers Jiang Ming, Jiang Chen and Jiang He for help after returning home, and divide the branches between the two families after chopping down the trees.

The two of them went to Li's shop together and handed the things to Li Ying, who was watching the shop. Li Ying thanked Jiang Qingzhou with a smile and promised to pass the things on to Lingling.

Jiang Qingzhou then led Master Li to the side door of the restaurant. Aunt Chen, who was guarding the door, first looked at Master Li, whom she had never seen before, and then smiled and told Jiang Qingzhou: "Brother Jiang, you came at the right time. Kai Xin just came back. Come in quickly."

Jiang Qingzhou thanked Aunt Chen and walked into the backyard of the restaurant with Master Li.

Zhang Er weighed the garlic sprouts, happily asked Master Li to wait in the backyard for a while, then took the backpack from Master Li's back and led Jiang Qingzhou to the second floor.

Kai Xin knocked lightly on the door of the private room. Following Hu Zhimin's response, Kai Xin respectfully led Jiang Qingzhou in.

Hu Zhimin put down the book in his hand, walked to the backpack and carefully checked the dried vegetables inside, then smiled and told Kai Xin to take Jiang Qingzhou to the shopkeeper to settle the bill.

When Jiang Qingzhou and Kai Xin were about to walk to the door of the private room, Hu Zhimin suddenly asked Jiang Qingzhou loudly: "Brother Jiang, have you made your tofu yet?"

"Mr. Hu, my wife and I cooked a few pounds last night. We are going to make some more today. It will probably be ready in the evening." Jiang Qingzhou said and looked at Hu Zhimin who was in deep thought.

Hu Zhimin did not talk about tofu anymore. He asked Kai Xin to take Jiang Qingzhou to the second floor again after paying the bill.

Kai Xin quickly replied "yes". He walked with the backpack in his hand and whispered to Jiang Qingzhou about the changes in the restaurant. The shopkeeper who had made things difficult for Song Li was replaced by Shopkeeper Sun who was transferred from Hu's farm. The vegetable purchases of the restaurant were settled every three days instead of every five days.

Jiang Qingzhou thanked Kai Xin. He remembered that Song Li once said that she would treat Kai Xin to hot tofu, so he asked Kai Xin to come to his house in the evening to eat tofu pudding.

"Then I won't be polite. But I'm a kid and I don't dare to walk at night. Can Brother Zhang go with me?" He asked happily with a smile.

Jiang Qingzhou naturally agreed, and happily took Jiang Qingzhou to the counter to find Manager Sun to settle the bill. Manager Sun, with a shrewd look on his face, first carefully read the previous receipt, then smiled and took out a piece of silver from the cash box, weighed it with a scale, and handed it to Jiang Qingzhou.

Kai Xin let Jiang Qingzhou go to the backyard to find Master Li by himself, and then ran up the stairs to the second floor.

Hu Zhimin asked Kai Xin expectantly: "Kai Xin, have you and Zhang Er delivered the things?"

"Boss, my younger brother Zhang and I threw the stuff into Liu Shulin's house before dawn. But, Boss, will this stuff work?" Kai Xin asked doubtfully.

Hu Zhimin knocked on the desk with his fan and said, "I once asked someone to investigate Liu Shulin. He relied on the fact that he was Liu Zhen's distant nephew, but he did a lot of evil things to bully men and women. Many people said that Liu Shulin got his retribution. Although he has reached the age of forty, he has no sons or daughters. In recent years, he has been most afraid of ghosts. Although this dead willow branch with chicken blood can't make him change his evil ways, it can make him restrain himself. If the tofu he sent these two days is still the same as before, I will use the second trick. Dead willow, dead willow, I don't believe he is not afraid in his heart."

"But, boss, there's a saying in The Analects of Confucius: The Master does not speak of strange things. Can Liu Shulin believe it?" Kai Xin couldn't understand why Hu Zhimin had to use this seemingly funny trick.

Hu Zhimin didn't expect Kai Xin to remember the words in the Analects. He looked at Kai Xin seriously and said, "Liu Shulin doesn't read the Analects, so he will believe it. Kai Xin has done well in his studies in recent years. Do you want to go back to your hometown and be Lao Wu's book boy? You two are of similar age and should be able to chat with each other. It's better than following me, a lifeless adult."

Kai Xin knelt down at Hu Zhimin's feet, grabbed Hu Zhimin's robe and cried: "Master, don't say that. You saved my life, so I will follow you all my life. If you hadn't saved me in the snow, I would have been a corpse in a mass grave. Master is not dead, it's just that you are old, and Miss Li is young and likes to be lively. Master, don't bother with a child."

"You mean she is young and I am old, and I am an old cow eating young grass." Hu Zhimin sometimes really wanted to shut up Kai Xin's mouth.

Kai Xin quickly shook his head and looked at Hu Zhimin, who wanted to drive him away, with a face full of grievance. He was just an innocent victim of the disaster.

Hu Zhimin rubbed his sour eyes. He first tried to cheer up Kai Xin, and then asked Kai Xin to go to Li's house to invite Ling Ling over. He wanted to ask Ling Ling what a lifeless adult is.

Kai Xin ran downstairs as if he had been pardoned, fearing that Hu Zhimin would pack him up and give him to the Fifth Young Master as a servant.