Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Where There Are
Abnormalities, There Must Be Monsters
Translator: 549690339
“That’s the way it is…”
Everyone was enthusiastically debating, and Zhuang Qingning laughed with her eyes crinkled in amusement.
Layer by layer, the tofu skin was peeled off, and soon a new layer congealed.
This tofu skin was gently scraped off, one layer at a time, and hung on a rod to dry, awaiting the natural formation of the next layer of tofu skin.
The more tofu skin was removed, the thinner the soy milk in the bucket. New soy milk needed to be added in order to maintain the normal thickness of the soy milk and to allow for the creation of new tofu skin.
Today, Zhuang Qingning just started making tofu skin, so she decided to first provide fresh tofu skin. Once all the processes were familiar, she would start making tofu sticks and dried tofu skin. For now, she brought a portion of the fresh tofu skin to stew in chicken soup, and the rest went to Zhuang Qingning’s brother, Zhuang Mingliang, and the others who were working there.
The workers always had fresh tofu to eat, and now they even had oily tofu skin to create cold dishes, so they profusely thanked her.
When Zhuang Qingning returned home, the chicken soup was still slowly simmering on the stove, emanating a bubbling sound. Zhuang Qingsui was watching the fire, while eating a tomato.
The tomatoes grown with the plant growth solution were sour and sweet, extremely tasty. They were so delicious that Zhuang Qingning would eat several a day, let alone Zhuang Qingsui.
“This soup looks about right, doesn’t it?” said Zhuang Qingsui, watching Zhuang Qingning lift the lid of the pot.
Zhuang Qingning skimmed the fat off the chicken soup and removed the foam, leaving the soup clear and aromatic. Due to the addition of dried jujubes and Goji berries, the soup had a sweet fragrance.
In a nutshell, it smelled marvelous.
It smelled so good that Zhuang Qingsui couldn’t help but lick her lips.
“Pretty much, let’s add the tofu skin to stew a bit. We can add some salt when it’s ready to be served,” Zhuang Qingning said. She cut the oily tofu skin into large diamond pieces using a kitchen knife, then put them in the pot. She sliced a piece to cool down and gave it to Zhuang Qingsui.
“Try it. People say it’s good.”
Zhuang Qingsui eagerly took a bite, and then gave Zhuang Qingning a thumbs up.
“It’s really delicious.”
Zhuang Qingning had told her to watch the pot while she went to the tofu factory to make oily tofu skin. She had now returned with the tofu skin, even making it delicious.
There was truly nothing that her sister could not do!
Zhuang Qingsui’s eyes crinkled when she smiled: “Sister, you’re amazing.”
Zhuang Qingning saw the admiring, star-struck look in Zhuang Qingsui’s eyes and playfully scruffed her nose, “That’s enough, go get the bowls and chopsticks, and bring the clay pot over after washing it. I’ll scoop half the pot for Great Aunt and let’s bring it to her.”
“Alright.” Zhuang Qingsui nodded smilingly. She cleanly finished the remaining piece of tomato in her hand with two or three bites, and began to follow Zhuang Qingning’s instructions.
They delivered the stewed chicken and tofu skin soup to Mrs. Wen, after that the two sisters began their delicious dinner in the courtyard.
The chicken soup was delicately fragrant, as was the tofu. Two different but delicious fragrances mingled together in a symphony of savoury aromas. The taste was so wonderful that they felt like swallowing their own tongues.
It was a truly delightful experience.
The next day, as usual, he went to the town to manage the shop and take care of the business as usual.
Only this time, he brought several pieces of tofu skin, prepared to deliver them to Zhang Yongchang, and also gave them to Mrs. Cao and Zhang Qiuying, asking them to bring them back for Mrs. Liu to taste.
With the incident of Feng Yongkang last time, Zhuang Qingning delivered the goods, but this time, he didn’t take anything extra and let Lian Rong do it.
When Lian Rong heard that Zhuang Qingning was delivering tofu skin to Zhang Yongchang, he was both happy and angry.
His happiness was because Zhuang Qingning was just too kind, so considerate of Zhang Yongchang. Whenever the tofu shop had new tofu skin, he would specifically reserve some for him. Lian Rong felt full of joy just by seeing Zhuang Qingning, who would treat his master with respect along with him.
His anger was due to frustration. Zhuang Qingning had good intentions, yet because of Feng Yongkang’s unreasonable trouble, he was always cautious and fearful, afraid that Feng Yongkang would cause trouble again and put Zhang Yongchang in a difficult position in the middle.
“Miss Zhuang, thank you so much.” Lian Rong sighed, “Actually, you were unfairly treated.”
“But you don’t have to worry, Miss Zhuang. The previous incident was indeed Manager Feng’s fault. My master was so angry with him that he even took down the sign for the braised pork bones from the wall, saying that he would no longer serve this dish in the future.”
“My master is trying to save face for you.”
Zhang Yongchang was no longer serving braised pork bones?
Zhuang Qingning was taken aback, and then she moistened her lips, “But Uncle Zhang is…”
Given Feng Yongkang’s petty nature, if he knew that his signature dish had been discontinued, he should be furious and would likely quarrel with Zhang Yongchang. Hopefully, Zhang Yongchang would not be at a disadvantage.
Before Zhuang Qingning finished her words, Lian Rong knew what she meant and said, “My master is fine. Manager Feng hasn’t even been to Fushun Tower these days. I guess he still doesn’t know about this.”
“But sooner or later, manager Feng will come to know about it…”
When that time comes, a dispute is definitely inevitable. And when they really start arguing, Zhuang Qingning is not afraid of anything else, but Zhang Yongchang, who values love and righteousness, might suffer.
“However, speaking of it, the people in this town, even if they don’t live in the town, they also come and go frequently. The news in the town spreads within two days.”
“Like the fact that Fushun Tower no longer serves braised pork bones, many people should know about it, such as customers and other businesses. If they don’t make braised pork bones, they might not buy pork bones anymore, and Manager Song from the meat shop should also know about it. If a sudden shortage occurs in his business, Manager Song might talk about it to others, and word will spread…”
“I think, at this moment, it’s impossible that Manager Feng doesn’t know about this.”
Zhuang Qingning said.
“Now that you mentioned it…” Lian Rong nodded his head, “Manager Feng should know by now, but he hasn’t shown any reaction these days!”
“This doesn’t make sense. With Manager Feng’s hot-tempered nature, if he truly knew about it, wouldn’t he have argued with my master already?”
Even if he didn’t dare to argue with him because Fushun Tower still needed to rely on Zhang Yongchang to make money, he would at least vent his anger on him. It’s simply unacceptable to turn a blind eye and neglect everything.
Lian Rong felt that this was not right.
“There’s definitely something wrong when things are off. Before a heavy rain, the weather is often very sultry, without any wind, and even the tips of the trees don’t move. It’s so peaceful that it’s unbelievable. But when it rains, it’s stormy with flashing lightning and pouring rain, and people can’t even hide.” Zhuang Qingning said, “I always feel that this matter is not that simple. You should let Uncle Zhang be careful, and you should also be vigilant, so as not to let Uncle Zhang suffer if something goes wrong..”