“Big Sister, why is it called Guanyin Tofu?”
“Though the name says ‘tofu,’ it is actually a type of leaf jelly. Ancient records say that during a famine long ago, the merciful Goddess Guanyin sprinkled nectar with a willow branch. Wherever the nectar fell, a type of Guanyin tree grew. The starving people took its branches and leaves, added plant ash, and made it into tofu. They survived the famine by eating this, so they called it Guanyin Tofu. This ‘Guanyin tree’ is the ‘Stinking Lady’ you mentioned, also known as Guanyinchai. it has many other names: fubei, tofu-wood, June-freeze, jelly-wood, and so on.”
Lin Xiaopu said with a giggle, “I won’t call it Stinking Lady anymore; I’ll call it the Guanyin tree.”
The three of them shared the dish, and the plate of Guanyin Tofu was quickly polished off. Lin Xiaopu hadn’t had enough and stole a glance at the half-block remaining in the ceramic pot.
That was saved for Father; she only looked.
Lin Shu couldn’t help but laugh. “There are plenty on the mountain. If Xiaopu and Mother want to eat it in the future, we can make it whenever we want.”
Lin Xiaopu remembered something and quickly said, “Mother, Big Sister said those chaste tree branches all over the mountains can be used to make alkaline zongzi. Big Sister traveled all this way and missed the Dragon Boat Festival; she said she wants to make a few to eat.”
He Guixiang lightly pressed a finger against Xiaopu’s brow and chided gently, “I think it’s your gluttonous self that wants to eat them, right?”
Lin Xiaopu gave a silly grin.
He Guixiang added, “If Shu’er wants to eat them, we shall make them. It’s just that there isn’t much old glutinous rice left at home, so we probably can’t make many.”
Lin Shu smiled and replied, “That’s perfect. We won’t make a lot, just a few for everyone to taste. Xiaopu, the spring water in the vat isn’t cold enough. Go to the back of the house and fetch some fresh mountain spring water. We’ll use it to chill the remaining Guanyin Tofu so Father can have a cool, heat-relieving treat when he returns.”
The spring water directly from the mountain source was the coldest, but going up the mountain would take too long; the water flowing behind the house would suffice.
“Got it!” Lin Xiaopu answered and immediately grabbed the gourd ladle, scurrying away.
While she called it fetching water from behind the house, she actually had to walk a short distance to the point where the mountain spring met the field ditch, taking the water before it flowed into the ditch.
Lin Shu didn’t stay idle either. She prepared to clean the loaches and snails. Since there were no small brushes, she had to scrub them repeatedly by hand. Once cleaned, she used scissors to snip off a small section of each snail’s tail so the meat could be easily sucked out later. After snipping, she washed them once more with fresh water.
Because snails were a hassle to prepare, Lin Shu hadn’t gathered many, only a few handfuls from the field.
It wasn’t completely dark yet, but He Guixiang had already placed an oil lamp on the table. The two worked together on the loaches and snails under the warm yellow light. Once processed, He Guixiang took over the cooking, but because of Lin Shu’s impressive display with the Guanyin Tofu, she followed Lin Shu’s instructions for the dishes.
The snails were stir-fried directly. Oil was added to a hot wok, followed by minced garlic, wild onion heads, and Duck’s Foot Mugwort to release their fragrance. Then, the snails were added and stir-fried until cooked through. However, because He Guixiang was reluctant to use too much oil, the stir-fry eventually turned into a braise. Fortunately, the braised snails were still very aromatic.
For the loaches, they made a simple Loach and Tofu Stew. Since there was no regular tofu, they used the freshly made Guanyin Tofu. Minced garlic, onion heads, a large handful of Duck’s Foot Mugwort, and the sliced loaches were stir-fried together before fresh water was added to simmer. Once the loaches were tender and thoroughly cooked, the smooth Guanyin Tofu was added, followed by a pinch of salt and a handful of chopped green onions.
Before the loach stew was finished, Lin Dashan returned, calling out from a distance, “Wife, I’m back!”
He Guixiang quickly wiped her hands on a cloth and went out to meet him. “Husband, why are you back a bit later than usual today?”
Lin Dashan had gone to town for work. Usually, he left and returned empty-handed, but today he held a small oil-paper wrap. His expression was tired but carried a hint of joy.
Lin Shu was still busy at the stove, but Lin Xiaopu ran over. “Father, Father, you’re finally back! Big Sister and Mother made something delicious for you!”
Lin Dashan handed the oil-paper wrap to her with a smile. “I bought two sugar cakes—one for you and one for your sister.”
Sugar cakes?! Lin Xiaopu jumped for joy. “Father is the best! Big Sister, Father bought sugar cakes!”
The loaches needed to simmer a bit longer, so Lin Shu first prepared the Guanyin Tofu. Having been chilled with mountain spring water, it was at its most refreshing.
“Father walked so far; you must be tired and hot. Hurry and eat this Guanyin Tofu to cool down!”
Lin Dashan had been in a hurry to get home, walking the sixteen li of mountain roads quickly. He was sticky with sweat, thirsty, and hot; the first bite of Guanyin Tofu sent a cooling sensation throughout his body. He was surprised. “Wife, did you go to town today too?”
He thought He Guixiang had bought the treat in town.
He Guixiang laughed. “It wasn’t bought. Shu’er gathered… gathered leaves from the mountain and made it. She said she read about it in an ancient book.” She caught herself just before saying “Stinking Lady,” deciding it was better not to mention the name. It wasn’t a lack of trust, but she knew her husband’s temperament—the less trouble, the better.
Lin Dashan wasn’t interested in the ingredients; he was simply shocked that his daughter, back from the Marquisate, had such skills! If leaves and grass from the mountains could be made into food, wouldn’t that mean they didn’t have to spend a single cent? He gave a foolish grin. “My daughter is amazing!”
After eating the entire plate of Guanyin Tofu, Lin Dashan was so comfortable he didn’t even want to move.
The coarse rice porridge saved in the pot was soon reheated and brought to the table by He Guixiang, along with the fresh stir-fried snails. The freshly cooked Loach and Guanyin Tofu Stew was also brought out by Lin Shu; its milky-white broth was rich and dotted with green, looking incredibly appetizing.
He Guixiang explained with a smile as she served, “The snails and loaches were caught in the field by Xiaopu and Shu’er. Shu’er cooked them, too. I had a taste; they are wonderful and not fishy at all!”
In the countryside, there were plenty of loaches and snails, but few people ate them. First, adults were busy with farm work and had no time to catch them. Second, these two things had a heavy earthy smell; if not cleaned properly, one would end up with a mouth full of grit. Rare was the person who treated them as a proper dish. If children caught them, they were usually used to feed the ducks and geese.
Lin Dashan was quite surprised after eating. To say there was no fishy smell at all was an exaggeration, but it was indeed much lighter. After a few bites, the smell could almost be ignored. His chopsticks moved faster and faster.
Lin Shu’s eyes darted as she took the opportunity to say, “Father, not just these loaches, but even the fish in the rivers and streams can be prepared so that no fishy smell remains. If we could dig a fish pond behind our house and channel the mountain spring water there, we could keep caught fish and shrimp in it. After two or three months, the quality of the meat would change. We wouldn’t even need to remove the fishy smell; just adding some water to make soup would be delicious.”
As Lin Shu spoke, she used a bamboo skewer to pick out the snail meat, feeding half to Lin Xiaopu and placing the other half in Lin Dashan’s bowl—she was extremely attentive.
Lin Dashan was already starving, gulping down the porridge and stuffing piece after piece of loach into his mouth. Hearing this, he laughed. “Daughter wants to build a fish pond? Catch a couple of fish first and let’s see.”
Similar to loaches and snails, the fish in Tianshui Village’s streams and rivers were rarely eaten. First, catching fish was much harder than catching loaches. Second, the wild fish in these small streams weren’t as fat as those in large rivers; they were full of bones and had little meat. Of course, if someone managed to catch a fish, it wouldn’t end up like the loaches; fish was considered a proper meat dish, and its smell was much milder. It was very nourishing when made into soup.
The village children who were too young for farm work went to the river to catch fish every day, but they might go a whole day without catching a single one. It was no wonder Lin Dashan laughed at Lin Shu’s idea.
“Father, if I can catch a few fish tomorrow, can I dig a fish pond behind the house?”
Lin Dashan replied jovially, “If you can really catch one—doesn’t have to be many, just one—I’ll call Ah Ye to help you dig the pond. You can dig it however you like.”
“A gentleman’s word is his bond!”
Lin Dashan scratched his head and gave a silly smile. He didn’t understand the fancy phrasing, but his daughter was an educated person, and that made him feel very proud.
The five loaches, varying in size, didn’t amount to much once sliced and stewed. Lin Dashan finished them all by himself, even drinking the soup to the last drop. After the meal, he let out several satisfied burps.
There were a few stir-fried snails left, so the mother and two daughters each took a thin bamboo skewer to pick out the meat, chatting leisurely.
“When will Brother Ah Ye be back? What does he usually bring from the mountains?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
Zhou Ye hadn’t returned all night, but the family seemed used to it. He likely stayed in the deep mountains often. This lad clearly had some survival skills.
He Guixiang explained, “Your Brother Ah Ye stays overnight in the deep mountains about three out of five times. Usually, he brings back two or three wild chickens or rabbits. He also gathers Xiangxun (shiitake). Those are different from other mushrooms; once dried and taken to town, they can sell for fifty copper coins per tael!”
Lin Shu searched her memory; Xiangxun should be shiitake mushrooms. At this time, shiitake were very precious mountain delicacies that ordinary people couldn’t easily afford. Fifty copper coins per tael meant 800 coins per catty (16 taels). It sounded like a lot, but the weight drops significantly after drying; it takes a lot of fresh mushrooms to make one catty of dried goods.
“Last winter, Ah Ye went into the mountains and even dug up a ginseng root. He exchanged it in town for a full eight hundred copper coins!” He Guixiang added, her face lit with smiles.
Eight hundred copper coins was a large sum; for a village family, it might take several years to save that much. Lin Xiaopu’s eyes widened with a “Wow.” She knew about it, but she didn’t know the ginseng had fetched so much money! Her mother hadn’t told her.
Lin Shu, however, made some calculations in her head. She didn’t know the variety or quality of the ginseng, but in a pharmacy, even the most ordinary ginseng weighing one tael would cost about two taels of silver. As long as a dried ginseng root wasn’t too small, it should weigh about a tael. But then again, the pharmacy had to make a profit; it was impossible for them to buy at the original price. Calculating it this way, the selling price was actually quite good.
She hadn’t expected this “plot device” from the original book to not only have a physique that hit all her aesthetic points but also be quite capable.
“Ah Ye is very capable. Thanks to him, our family isn’t as poor as you and Xiaopu think. I’ve been saving the money,” He Guixiang said with a gentle smile. “So, whatever you want to eat, just tell Mother. If we don’t have it at home, I’ll go to town and buy it for you.”
Back when Lin Dashan, out of spite, wanted to use a bag of grain to exchange for a man, He Guixiang had been strongly against it. First, seeing Zhou Ye’s “not-to-be-trifled-with” face and abnormally sturdy build made her feel uneasy, fearing they were inviting a wolf into their home. Second, they had just split the family property and didn’t have much grain, and Xiaopu’s medicine was a huge expense; how could they afford to support another strong man?
But after a short time together, He Guixiang began to celebrate Lin Dashan’s decision. Ah Ye was a very low-maintenance boy; although he ate a lot, he worked even more. Besides the family fields, he frequently went to the mountains for wild game, and the mountain delicacies he found could be sold for a lot of money.
In the end, it was the Lin family that had gained the advantage. If it hadn’t been for the desperate situation of the famine, a capable man like Zhou Ye would never have stayed in Tianshui Village