Su Wenchen couldn’t wait. He picked up his bowl, lowered his head to blow on the liquid, and then puckered his lips to take a sip. The piping hot soy milk made him knit his brows in pain from the heat, but even so, he refused to stop, taking one gulp after another. “Sister, it’s so delicious!” He set down the bowl, rubbed his hands together, and stuck his tongue out at Su Tian.
The rest of the Su family swallowed hard. One by one, they picked up their bowls to have a taste. “Mm, this flavor… I’ve never tasted anything like it. It definitely tastes of beans, but it’s much easier to drink than eating the beans themselves,” Su Wanhai said after taking a sip.
“Yes, yes! The texture is so smooth; it doesn’t scratch the throat at all. This is much better than that thick grain porridge!” Su Wanqing nodded in agreement. Wu Fen wiped Su Yin’s mouth before picking up her own bowl for a taste.
“Indeed, even Yin-jie’er can drink it. She seems to love it quite a lot.”
As if to prove her mother right, Su Yin’s entire little face was almost buried inside her bowl. The others were too busy drinking to speak, merely nodding along in unison. Seeing everyone’s reaction, Su Tian felt her heart settle.
“Soy milk doesn’t just have this one flavor. I happened to buy some sugar in the county town yesterday afternoon; it’s also delicious if you add some in.” As she spoke, she added a small amount of sugar to everyone’s bowl—just enough to give it a hint of sweetness. Zhang Guihua stirred her sweetened soy milk. “With sugar added, this soy milk becomes quite a precious commodity.”
Su Tian nodded. “That’s right. I was thinking that offering two flavors would give people more options.”
The family pondered for a moment before Su Dashu made the final call. “Then it’s settled. Second and Third sons, go grind more soybeans in a bit. Everyone else, get some rest early. If we’re going to sell this for breakfast, we’ll have to rise at dawn.”
“Wait, Dad. We haven’t decided on the price for the soy milk yet,” Su Wanhe spoke up, stopping Su Dashu. Su Dashu slapped his forehead.
“Look at me, forgetting such a crucial matter. Tian-jie’er, what do you think is an appropriate price?” Su Tian pursed her lips and smiled.
“I was thinking this: we have those water ladles at home, right? One ladle of original soy milk for one copper coin, or three ladles for two coins. One ladle of sweetened soy milk for two coins, or three ladles for five coins. The more they buy, the cheaper it gets. Grandpa, do you think this method works?”
“I think it works too,” Su Wanhe agreed. He was the only one in the family who worked as a bookkeeper in the county town, so he had some understanding of such things. Su Dashu wiped his face.
“Does anyone else have an opinion? If not, we’ll go with the prices Tian-jie’er set.”
The members of the Su family nodded their approval. “Alright then.” Su Tian smiled faintly. “Second Uncle, Dad… One catty [1]Catty (斤 – Jin): A traditional Chinese unit of weight. In modern terms, 1 catty is 500 grams, but in ancient settings, it is often treated as roughly 1.1 lbs. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1784955_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1784955_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); of soybeans yields about five catties of soy milk. Can you grind eighty catties tonight?”
“A small matter. It’ll be grounded in no time,” Su Wanqing said, pulling Su Wanhe toward the courtyard.
In the yard, Su Wenzu was leading Su Wenyang in checking the family’s handcart, seeing if any modifications were needed to transport the soy milk the next day. After helping Su Wanhai back to his room, Zheng Chunmiao joined Wu Fen to scrub the buckets intended for the soy milk. As the night grew deep, the Su family retired to their rooms to rest.
Early the next morning, before the sky was even bright.
Su Tian stretched her limbs, fighting back the urge to dally in bed. “Can’t sleep, can’t sleep. Once I’ve made money, I can sleep as long as I want.” Opening the door, she inhaled a breath of icy air. A shiver ran through her, and she was instantly wide awake.
Li Hongyue and Wu Fen were already up. One was busy boiling the soy milk while the other prepared breakfast. Su Wenzu was also there, checking the handcart and the carrying poles. The four of them were headed to the county town today, so they had risen much earlier than usual. The rest of the family had discussed it the night before and decided they still needed to work the fields, so they didn’t rise quite so early.
They ate a simple meal of coarse grains and set off, pulling the handcart. They needed to reach the county town quickly to catch the breakfast rush. They took turns pushing the cart, moving faster than usual. This time, they reached their destination in less than two shichen.
Qiyun County was bustling with people. Both sides of the streets were lined with teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, and various workshops. Shop signs and banners fluttered high in the wind, and the atmosphere of prosperity promised many business opportunities. Su Wenzu pushed the cart, panting slightly. The weight of the cart plus eighty catties of soy milk and the insulating quilts was no small burden; Su Wenzu was quite impressive for pushing it this long.
Li Hongyue carried a bundle of firewood while Wu Fen carried a small pot on her back so they could reheat the soy milk if it got cold. Su Tian wiped away her sweat and gave Su Wenzu a hand. “Mother, Second Aunt—when Big Brother and I came to town yesterday, I scouted a spot. It’s by the river, on the main road. There are plenty of people and many other food stalls nearby. Let’s head there.”
“Alright, let’s go. You two lead the way,” Li Hongyue nodded.
The spot Su Tian had chosen was right at the corner of a stone bridge by the river. After giving the area a thorough cleaning, they parked the cart and neatly arranged their supplies. Wu Fen usually had a loud voice and wasn’t shy even back in the village. As soon as the stall was set up, she began to shout at the top of her lungs: “Piping hot soy milk! Cheap and delicious soy milk!”
Her voice immediately drew the attention of the passersby, but they looked at the milky-white liquid in the bucket with puzzled expressions. Soy milk? Never heard of it. What kind of food is this? It looks quite nice, though.
Just then, a well-dressed woman stepped out of the neighboring bun shop. She watched the cart for a moment before slowly walking over. “What is this ‘soy milk’?”
“It’s a treat we’ve prepared ourselves. It’s smooth and fragrant, and it’s still hot right now. It goes perfectly with dry rations. Would the Madam like some?” Su Tian used the ladle to stir the soy milk in the bucket. The milky-white liquid rippled, and the natural aroma of the beans wafted out with the steam. The woman caught the scent and nodded.
“How much is it?”
Su Tian said with a beaming smile, “We have two flavors: original and sweetened. The original is one copper coin per ladle. The sweetened is two coins per ladle. However, if you buy three ladles, the original is only two coins total, and the sweetened is five coins.”
The woman did a quick calculation in her head. “Give me one ladle of sweetened and three ladles of original, then.” She turned back into the shop and brought out two large bowls.
“Coming right up!”
Su Tian happily accepted the four copper coins and signaled Li Hongyue to fill the woman’s bowls. Watching the four copper coins enter the box, Wu Fen looked at Su Tian with excitement. That was four whole coins! It wasn’t a fortune, but it was the start of their earnings!
Sensing Wu Fen’s gaze, Su Tian looked up and smiled, subtly gesturing for her to stay calm.
On the other side, the woman carried the two large bowls back to the bun shop, brought out three small bowls, and divided the milk. She then called her husband and son over for breakfast. “Mom… I don’t want to eat buns today…” A boy about five or six years old dawdled behind his father, slowly taking a seat at the table.
“Eh? What’s this?” The boy noticed the soy milk in the bowl, his eyes going wide.
The woman tapped his head. “You little monkey, you’ve had too many good days if you’re tired of buns. This is something your mother just bought called soy milk. Try it and see if it suits your palate.”
Hearing this, the boy picked up the bowl and leaned in.
“So hot!” The boy’s handsome brows knitted together from the heat. “It’s so good, Mom!! It’s sweet!”
Seeing her son drinking gulp after gulp, the woman laughed as well. “If it’s good, drink more. Mom bought plenty; there’s more in the bowl. This soy milk is indeed not bad. Pairing it with the buns we’ve eaten for years actually gives them a unique flavor.”
“Mhm!” The boy didn’t even lift his head, holding a large bun in one hand and taking a bite followed by a gulp of soy milk, eating with great joy. Seeing the family of three at the bun shop feasting, the onlookers who had been watching from a distance began to feel their interest piqued.
Is it really that fragrant? It’s only one or two coins for a large bowl; the price isn’t expensive. Should I… get a portion to try? It’s even cheaper if you buy more, maybe I should buy a bit extra?
Many people thought this way, and soon, the area in front of the handcart was crowded. Most people bought both original and sweetened flavors together. Since it was breakfast time, customers in the surrounding shops would ask the shop assistants to help them buy a portion of soy milk to pair with their meals. From the look of it, the Su family’s little stall was incredibly popular. Now, all four of them were busy. Su Tian and Su Wenzu were responsible for collecting the money, while Wu Fen and Li Hongyue were in charge of ladling the soy milk. Even then, they could barely keep up with the demand. Gradually, as the breakfast rush passed, the forty catties of soy milk they had brought were nearly gone. Su Tian let out a long stretch.
“Ah…”
Li Hongyue and Wu Fen were so tired they could hardly lift their arms, and Su Wenzu was off to the side rubbing his shoulders. “Tian-jie’er, how was our harvest today?” Wu Fen asked, rubbing her waist, her eyes shining as she looked at Su Tian.
“Well…” Su Tian put on an air of profound mystery. “Once we get home and count it, we’ll know!”
“Then what are we standing around for? Hurry up and pack so we can go back.” Li Hongyue finished speaking and briskly began to pack the handcart.
When they reached home, it wasn’t yet noon, but the members of the Su family who had been in the fields were already waiting. Seeing the four of them return, they hurried to help park the cart and ushered them into the main hall. “How was it? Did the soy milk sell?” Zhang Guihua looked nervous. She hadn’t slept well the night before, her heart feeling unsettled.
Su Tian placed the wooden money box on the table. The heavy thud it made brought a look of joy to everyone’s faces. Opening the box, it was about two-thirds full of copper coins.
“Oh, my ancestors…” Zhang Guihua practically collapsed to her knees on the spot, her hands trembling as she grabbed Su Dashu. Su Tian hurried to support Zhang Guihua.
“Grandma, don’t be so excited. We haven’t even counted how many coins there are yet.”
“Yes, yes! Quickly count! Quickly count!” Zhang Guihua leaned against Su Dashu and squeezed Su Tian’s hand.
“…Three hundred eleven, three hundred twelve, three hundred thirteen!” Su Tian set down the last copper coin and shouted happily. The smile on Su Dashu’s face didn’t fade for a long time.
“This soy milk has almost no cost; it’s just a bit tiring for the people. But to earn this much in a single day, a little exhaustion is nothing.”
Su Wanqing also nodded excitedly. “Tian-jie’er, your Second Uncle and I will grind even more tonight. A hundred catties definitely won’t be a problem!”
Su Wanhai, however, felt a bit of regret. “If it wasn’t for this leg of mine, we could grind even more.”
“Don’t worry, Eldest Uncle. Your leg was injured for the sake of the family. Right now, focusing on recovery is the most important thing,” Su Tian comforted him.
“Grandpa, the soy milk sold very well today. We’ll be relying on it to save up silver from now on. I want to buy a few more things this afternoon to prepare. We have to return the Village Chief’s stone mill this afternoon, so we need to buy one of our own,” Su Tian turned to remind Su Dashu.
Su Dashu had no reason to disagree. “Alright, take another two hundred coins. Have your Big Brother go with you to buy it this afternoon.”
“Second Brother won’t be back until tonight, so I’ll grind the rest of the soybeans from last night before we return the mill,” Su Wanqing chimed in.
Just then, Zheng Chunmiao finished preparing lunch, and the Su family ate their meal in high spirits. With today’s experience, the Su family was full of drive for the days to come.
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