Li Qiushuang also felt distressed about the grain, but seeing the firewood pile grow taller day by day, she couldn’t help feeling happy. Even doing needlework by the firelight at night felt less straining on her eyes.
Tang Tian didn’t want her mother to work so hard, but she simply couldn’t persuade her otherwise.
Although the family had already acquired most of their household assets, in Li Qiushuang’s heart, even mountains of gold and silver could eventually be depleted. No matter how much they had, having daily income was the most important thing.
Tang Tian had no choice but to wait for the bean sprouts to give her mother a big surprise.
And the beans in the cellar didn’t disappoint her expectations. In fact, due to the high proportion of Space Spring Water mixed in, the growth period shortened from five days to just three.
When Tang Tian got up early and lifted the pottery basin to water them once more, she discovered the pottery plate on top of the beans had been pushed up quite high. She casually lifted it open and was amazed by the bean sprouts with their little yellow heads.
Each plump, white, and crisp bean sprout stood like neat soldiers, crowded together—lively yet well-behaved.
Needless to say, this was a great success!
Tang Tian swiftly removed the pottery basin and other items, climbing out of the cellar carrying only the sieve.
Li Qiushuang had cooked millet porridge and was hesitating whether to boil some dried vegetables sent by Aunt Wu, sprinkling a bit of soy sauce to make it easier for the children to eat with their meal.
“Mom, mom! Look what I’ve brought!”
Tang Tian ran in cheerfully, nearly tripping over the doorstep and kneeling directly on the ground, which made it look like she was presenting a treasure.
Li Qiushuang quickly helped her daughter up, scolding her affectionately, “What’s all the fuss about? Be careful not to hurt your legs!”
“Mom, wait a moment. I’ll make you two delicious dishes!” Tang Tian directly shoved the sieve into her mother’s hands, then ran to find scissors. She deftly trimmed the roots that had grown through the sieve holes, simply picked off the shriveled soybean heads, and finally inverted them into a bowl, producing a large bowl of carefully selected soybean sprouts!
“What is this?”
Li Qiushuang looked at it curiously and couldn’t resist putting one in her mouth. There was a faint beany smell, but more prominent was the fresh, tender juice and crisp texture!
“Is this… something you made from soybeans? You silly girl, didn’t I tell you these things aren’t edible!”
Li Qiushuang spat out the bean sprout and pretended to hit her daughter a couple of times.
Unfortunately, Tang Tian dodged like a loach, arguing confidently.
“Mom, getting diarrhea from eating soybeans is because they weren’t prepared correctly. I’ve grown the beans into bean sprouts—they’re delicious and won’t upset your stomach. If you don’t believe me, just wait and taste them.”
As she spoke, she poured half of the bean sprouts into the pot of boiling water!
Li Qiushuang was so angry she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to walk away but was afraid her daughter might get scalded by the hot water, especially since the girl was barely taller than the stove…
With only four people in the family, they had gotten used to placing the breakfast table on the heated kang, where it was warm to sit.
Tang Chuan and Tang Hai were both curious and delighted by the two plates of tender new dishes.
The cold-tossed bean sprouts had been slightly wilted by blanching. Paired with red carrot shreds and green pepper strips, seasoned with a bit of soy sauce, salt, and sugar, drizzled with sizzling hot oil, and finally garnished with cilantro sections—just smelling it was enough to make one’s mouth water uncontrollably.
The stir-fried bean sprouts hadn’t been blanched. They were quickly stir-fried in a hot iron pan with oil after sautéing minced garlic, seasoned with a little salt and soy sauce, and finally garnished with some vibrant green garlic sprouts. They actually looked even fresher than the cold-tossed version!
In truth, Tang Tian wanted to secretly bring some pork from her Space to add to the dish—it would definitely taste even better. But although her family knew she had learned “miraculous skills,” fully accepting it would still take time.
The fact that her brother and mother could look at the side dishes like carrots, green peppers, and cilantro on the plate without exclaiming in surprise was probably their limit!
Li Qiushuang picked up her chopsticks, intending to be the first to “test the poison,” but Tang Hai, that greedy little fool, was already drooling like a river. He grabbed a bite of the cold bean sprouts and shoved it into his mouth first.
He wasn’t one for praise, but his wide eyes and the way he kept reaching for more with his chopsticks said it all…
A short while later, the family of four sat with full, round bellies, staring blankly at the empty plates and bowls on the table.
It was just too delicious!
After years of famine, everyone’s stomachs, like withered grass, desperately longed for nourishment, even just a little.
And these bean sprouts—each one seemed to hold a pool of moisture. Once eaten, they brought immense comfort to the entire body, as if all the restlessness had been washed away.
“Tang Bao’er, are these… really sprouts grown from soybeans?”
“Of course, Mother! These are just soybeans watered until they sprouted! And with just one jin of soybeans… in five or six days, you can grow seven or eight jin of these bean sprouts!”
Tang Tian planned to reduce the proportion of spring water used, so she doubled the time frame. After all, the spring water was precious, and it was best to save as much as possible.
“One jin of beans yields seven or eight jin of bean sprouts!” Li Qiushuang was so shocked her mouth hung open, but then she grew excited. “Then next time we work for the Wei Suo, I’ll ask for more soybeans as payment. This winter, we won’t lack vegetables to eat!”
“Mother, I’m afraid we’ll have to ask Second Grandpa to go with you to the Wei Suo again! From now on, our family might need several hundred jin of soybeans a month, maybe even several thousand!” Tang Tian sat up, rubbing her belly, a sly smile on her face. “Because we’re going to sell bean sprouts to make a living!”
Sell bean sprouts?
Li Qiushuang gasped, about to say that Military Households weren’t allowed to engage in trade and would be punished if discovered. But then she suddenly remembered their household registration had been changed, and she froze.
Tang Tian leaned over, hugging her mother’s arm, and whispered, “Mother, our family are farmers now. Using beans grown in our fields to sprout and sell—no one can fault us for that.
“Beans are practically worthless, and the well has water again. If we start this business, at most we’d need to buy some sieves, gauze, and clay pots. A few hundred wen would be enough.
“But if we sell these bean sprouts to taverns in the city or wealthy households, or even hawk them on the streets, surely two wen per jin would sell well, right? Let’s start small: if we sprout ten jin of beans a day, we’d get eighty jin of bean sprouts, selling for one hundred sixty wen. In a month, that’s four thousand eight hundred wen!
“Don’t you think this business is like striking gold? We have to try it! We don’t need much—just work hard through the winter, and by spring, we can send my eldest brother to school. Our family won’t lack for food or clothing anymore!”
Li Qiushuang didn’t speak, her mind racing.
Four thousand eight hundred wen—that was nearly five taels of silver!
And that was just from sprouting ten jin of beans a day, yielding eighty jin of bean sprouts. In a town and county as large as theirs, where no one had fresh vegetables to eat in winter, eighty jin would hardly be enough to meet demand. They’d need at least one hundred sixty jin!
That would be… ten taels of silver a month!
Li Qiushuang’s eyes gradually turned red. She forgot to breathe in her excitement, nearly suffocating herself!
Tang Chuan, sitting across from her, swiftly pinched the philtrum below her nose to revive her.
Li Qiushuang took several deep breaths, barely managing to calm her emotions before clutching her daughter tightly, kissing her repeatedly with a choked voice.
“Tang Bao’er… Tang Bao’er, Mother always knew you weren’t a jinx! Your grandmother and the others were all wrong—you’re Mother’s little lucky star, no, you’re the God of Wealth!”