bullyxtreme Chapter 55 The Tofu Shop
Chapter 55 The Tofu Shop
When they got home, they saw Old Mrs. Xiao sitting in the house with a worried look on her face.
Xiao Siyue was puzzled. What was going on? Nothing should have happened during the New Year holiday.
"Grandma, what's wrong? Who upset you?" Xiao Siyue quickly sat down next to Grandma Xiao to ask with concern, while the others were also very curious.
"Oh, it's all because of your aunt," Old Mrs. Xiao sighed before explaining the whole story.
It turns out that Xiao Xiaogu's shop had run into trouble.
Just a few months ago, a new tofu shop opened next door to their shop, which directly took away a lot of their business.
My aunt's family relies entirely on this shop for their livelihood; when business is bad, life becomes difficult.
To make matters worse, they had been tricked before, causing the shop to suffer considerable losses.
However, the younger sister-in-law is stubborn and unwilling to ask her family for help, which has dragged on until now, and the situation is difficult to manage.
When she returned to her parents' home today, Old Lady Xiao noticed that she looked strange and only learned what had happened after pressing her for answers.
"Has your aunt already gone back?" Xiao Siyue asked.
"Yes, I gave your aunt some silver so she can have some money in case of emergencies," said Old Lady Xiao.
“But this isn’t a solution. If business keeps going badly and the shop keeps losing money, that won’t do,” Xiao Siyue said, frowning.
"Yes, but there's nothing we can do," Old Mrs. Xiao sighed.
"Grandma, I have a way," Xiao Siyue said, glancing at Xiao Qinian.
Xiao Qinian immediately understood that his daughter was about to make him take the blame again.
"Really? What's the method?" Old Mrs. Xiao asked in surprise.
“Grandma, I read in Dad’s book that beans can be used to make more than just tofu; there are many other bean-based foods. If Auntie’s shop had these, I think business would be much better,” Xiao Siyue said earnestly.
Old Mrs. Xiao's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Oh, really? Then tell Grandma quickly, what else can these beans be made into?" She asked with great curiosity.
Xiao Siyue scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed, and replied, "How about this, Grandma, we'll go to town in a couple of days, and then we'll make it and show it to you. You'll see then! I can't explain it clearly now." She thought to herself that it would be more intuitive to make it and let everyone see it for themselves.
"Alright, let's go tomorrow." Old Mrs. Xiao was very anxious.
The next day, the group went to town together.
My aunt's tofu shop is named "Qian's Tofu Shop" in a very straightforward way. The location is a bit more remote than Xiao's toy shop. The shop is in the front, and their family's residence is in the back.
"Mother, what brings you here?" Xiao Gu had just laid out the tofu she had made that day when she saw her family arrive.
"Rong'er, I've come to see you today. Let's go inside and talk."
The group only began to speak after passing through the shop and entering the backyard.
"Well, Yue'er said she has a way to improve the shop's business, so we came here," said Old Mrs. Xiao.
Aunt Xiao glanced at Xiao Siyue's face, then swept her gaze over the others, finally settling on Old Lady Xiao. Her face said, "Are you sure you're not joking? A whole group of adults can't handle this, and you expect a six-year-old to solve it?"
Seeing her daughter's attitude, Old Mrs. Xiao said indignantly, "Don't you believe me? It was Yue'er's idea to open a shop in town, and it's doing just fine now, isn't it?"
"Really? How come I didn't know?" Aunt Xiao said in disbelief.
"Of course it's true," Old Mrs. Xiao said proudly.
Aunt Xiao looked at Xiao Siyue excitedly: "Yue'er, do you really have a way?"
"Mmm, Auntie,"
"Auntie, it's like this. I saw on the tree before that beans can not only be made into tofu, but also into dried tofu, bean curd sheets, yuba, and other bean products," Xiao Siyue said.
"What are all these?" Aunt Xiao asked in confusion. She had been making tofu for so many years, how come she had no idea?
"How about this, Auntie, let's just go and do it." Xiao Siyue felt that she couldn't explain it clearly.
The group arrived at the room where tofu was made.
"Auntie, bean curd sheets are the easiest to make. Just boil the soy milk, and a thin film will form on top. Take it out and let it dry, and that's bean curd sheets. If you take it out and dry it in the sun, that's dried bean curd sticks." Xiao Siyue said as her aunt made the bean curd sheets.
"Yue'er, this is very simple, it's easy for her to learn," Aunt Xiao said worriedly.
The tofu shop next door is actually a relative of the Qian family. She opened it because she saw that their business was doing well. She was afraid that her mother-in-law might be fooled by them and reveal their methods.
"Well, Auntie, none of that is the most important thing. Next, I'm going to tell you how to make dried tofu."
"To make dried tofu, you need to steam the prepared tofu in a pot, then take it out and dry it in the sun. This way, it can be stored for a longer period of time. I don't think anyone else will learn this method in the short term."
Xiao Siyue thought to herself, "If only I could make soy sauce, I could make spiced tofu." But no, she had to put it on her agenda when she got back; many dishes didn't taste good without soy sauce.
However, soy sauce is too important; it's almost as essential as salt, a daily necessity. Selling it isn't feasible, so I'll make some for my own consumption. Making soy sauce takes at least six months. I'll make it when I get back. By then, it'll be just in time for the hot pot restaurant to open.
"Auntie, beans can also be sprouted," Xiao Siyue explained, showing how to sprout beans. By the afternoon, it was mostly done. On her way back, Xiao Siyue also took some tofu, planning to stir-fry some spicy tofu.
Within a few days, Xiao Xiaogu came to the Xiao family and returned the money she had taken from Old Lady Xiao.
"Mother, here's your money," Xiao Xiaogu said happily, handing the money to Old Lady Xiao.
"No rush, you can use it first." Old Mrs. Xiao didn't take it.
“Mother, no need. Business is very good at the shop now. We’ve already made back the money we lost in just a few days. I have to thank Yue’er properly.” As she spoke, Aunt Xiao turned her gaze to Xiao Siyue.
"Yue'er, your uncle and I have discussed it. Thanks to you this time, we plan to give you 30% of the profits from your shop," Aunt Xiao said solemnly.
Xiao Siyue panicked upon hearing this. She hadn't helped her aunt for these reasons. "Aunt, I don't want to. I didn't do anything. These are all from the book."
"No, you have to give it to her," Aunt Xiao insisted. Xiao Siyue anxiously turned her gaze to Old Lady Xiao, pleading for help.
"Rong'er, forget it. We're all family. If Yue'er ever needs anything in the future, you can help her then," Old Lady Xiao advised.
“Yes, Auntie,” Xiao Siyue echoed, not forgetting the kindness her Auntie Da and Auntie Xiao had shown her since she was born.
"Alright then," Aunt Xiao said helplessly, but she remembered Xiao Siyue's kindness in her heart.
Afterwards, Aunt Xiao happily recounted what had happened during this period.
Many people have developed a strong interest in these novel bean products, especially dried bean curd, which has almost become a staple in everyone's daily diet.
More importantly, thanks to Xiao Qiren's introduction, Xiao Xiaogu's shop began to establish a cooperative relationship with Jixiang Restaurant and supplied the restaurant with various bean products every day.
Xiao Siyue secretly planned that once she opened her hot pot restaurant, she would also need to purchase bean products from her aunt.
This way, the quality and taste of the ingredients can be guaranteed, and the younger sister-in-law's income can be increased, which is a win-win situation.