Chapter 73: Stinking

Everyone’s eyes widened when they saw that he had really eaten that smelly thing.

“Wow!” Little Bruiser exclaimed in disbelief.

“Wow ~” Zhenzhen also let out a soft and milky voice.

After Master Xiao Wu ate one, he quickly grabbed the second one. He probably felt that the chopsticks were troublesome, so he used his hands to eat as if the stinky tofu that had just come out of the pot was not hot at all.

The Yu brothers were dumbfounded.

If Master Xiao Wu only ate one, it could be considered that he was bold and a tough guy. However, why was he eating one after another without stopping?

“Is… is he stupid?” Yu Song muttered in shock.

Yu Song lowered his head and glared at his brother’s head floating below him. “Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Am I wrong? That’s spoiled tofu. It’s smelly. It’s even worse after being fried. Can it be eaten?” Yu Song could not believe that such a thing could enter his mouth, especially since this thing was fried by Yu Wan. With her culinary skills, even good tofu could be ruined, let alone bad tofu.

“Slurp~” Little Bruiser drooled as Master Xiao Wu wolfed down the food. “It really looks delicious…”

The stinky tofu that Yu Wan brought out did not have any seasoning or sauce. It retained the taste of fermented tofu. The outer skin was crispy, but the core was so tender that it melted with a single bite.

It was not that Master Xiao Wu had never eaten fried tofu before. It was the first time in his life that he had tasted such a unique taste. Coupled with the indescribable stench, it corresponded to the saying: It smells bad but tastes good.

How fragrant!

A large plate of stinky tofu entered Master Xiao Wu’s stomach.

The tofu was gone, but the stubborn stench spread in the room for a long time.

“Is-is there more?” Master Xiao Wu asked.

“Yes.” Yu Wan went to fry another plate.

This time, Little Bruiser couldn’t take it anymore. He broke free from his brothers’ grip and ran over. He poked a piece of stinky tofu with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Wow! It’s hot!” Little Bruiser gasped.

“Zhenzhen wants to eat.” Zhenzhen was also tempted when she saw Brother Bruiser eating.

In the end, the entire family, including Shopkeeper Cui, who had escaped to the fields, tasted the stinky tofu one by one.

“It can even be eaten with vegetables.” Yu Wan poked a small hole in the center of the stinky tofu, cut the sweet and spicy dried radish that her uncle had marinated into cubes and put into the stinky tofu. She then poured a small spoonful of spicy red brine over it. The texture of the stinky tofu instantly became richer.

The hot tofu and the cold pickled radish gave off a salty and sweet taste, waking up the taste buds on the tip of one’s tongue. Those who didn’t like the juice could also dip it in chili. The taste was indescribably pure.

Other than Yu Feng and Aunt, who were really not used to it, the others snatched the fried tofu.

Master Xiao Wu could not help but praise Yu Wan’s culinary skills when he saw that she could make the spoiled tofu so delicious. He asked her to make a few home-cooked dishes, but after tasting them, Master Xiao Wu doubted his life.

Master Xiao Wu wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Just… just stinky tofu.”

Yu Wan smiled. “I won’t charge you less for just one dish.”

Master Xiao Wu said seriously, “Alright.”

Only by adding a few more dishes would you be able to charge me less money. But your other dishes can kill people… How can I compensate them…

This business was happily decided just like that. Master Xiao Wu was a diligent and thrifty person, but he was never stingy with his aunt. This business cost ten taels of silver and he paid the deposit of five taels in advance.

Thanks to Shopkeeper Cui, they received a big business deal. Yu Wan gave Shopkeeper Cui a big red packet of five taels of silver, but Shopkeeper Cui firmly refused.

Yu Wan returned to her room and took two boxes of tea leaves from the box that Uncle Wan sent. She thought that wrapping them in a cloth bag would not be presentable so she casually took a piece of paper to wrap the boxes.

“If Shopkeeper Cui thinks highly of it, take these tea leaves back and drink them.”

At this point, if he did not accept it, he would be looking down on the poor old farmers.

Shopkeeper Cui took the tea leaves and thanked Yu Wan. He originally thought that it was a local bitter mountain tea, but after getting into the carriage and opening it, he almost peed his pants!

Who could tell him why a farmer in a ravine would have a top-notch Longjing tea that was produced for ten pounds a year?! And the calligraphy and painting of this bag of tea leaves… Are you sure it’s not the current Emperor’s calligraphy?!

Shopkeeper Cui wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He-he seemed to have gotten to know some impressive family…

… .

After Shopkeeper Cui and Master Xiao Wu left, Yu Wan returned to the stove in the old residence to work.

This was the first business deal of the year. She had to do it well so their business would be booming for the entire year.

The filling was very important to make the stinky tofu well.

In Yu Wan’s opinion, although the radish cubes and spicy marinade were delicious, the stinky tofu that used them as fillings did not have a soul.

There were still three to four pounds of stinky tofu left in the jar. She decided to make them into stinky bean curd and use the fermented bean curd as the filling. This way, it could add to the stench. It would stink out the soul and stink out the sky!

… .

In the Yan Manor, Mrs. Yan and Yan Ruyu also talked about Master Xiao Wu’s birthday star.

The birthday star’s husband’s surname was Wei. They had settled down in the Capital and everyone called her Old Mrs. Wei.

Yan Ruyu was puzzled. “Aren’t we going to pay respects to our ancestors on the tenth day of the first month?”

Mrs. Yan said, “Of course we have to go. Old Mrs. Wei’s birthday banquet isn’t grand. We don’t have to disturb her. We can just send someone to deliver the congratulatory gifts.”

“I didn’t see anyone from the Wei family at my welcoming banquet,” Yan Ruyu said as she played with her handkerchief.

Mrs. Yan sighed slowly. “You don’t know this, but Old Mrs. Wei doesn’t have any children. She only has a daughter who’s as beautiful as a flower. Miss Wei was also brought to the palace by Wan Zhaoyi. It’s rare for her to come out. It’s not appropriate for Master Xiao Wu to come too. Rough men like them are most impatient with reciprocity.”

Yan Ruyu did not reply.

Mrs. Yan continued, “Besides, we have nothing to do with the Wei family. Her nephew is Marshal Xiao’s sworn brother. When you marry the Young Master in the future, you’ll be considered the daughter-in-law of the Xiao family. This Master Xiao Wu is your elder.”

Yan Ruyu said, “But I heard that Master Xiao Wu is only a subordinate of Marshal Xiao.”

Mrs. Yan smiled knowingly. “In terms of intelligence, I’m not as good as you, but in terms of these connections, you have to consult me more.”

“Why? Could there be more to it?” Yan Ruyu asked.

Mrs. Yan whispered something into her daughter’s ear.

Yan Ruyu was surprised. “There’s such a thing?”

Mrs. Yan smiled faintly. “That’s why don’t underestimate this Master Xiao Wu. Marshal Xiao thinks highly of him. Moreover, brothers who risk their lives together on the battlefield are sometimes more precious than biological brothers. You offended the Princess Consort, so you have to have someone who can speak to the Princess Consort.”