OFTLHFRO C23

Chapter 23: The Second Uncle Pays the Same

There were five people in the household, so Luo Mingchen first tried making five slightly larger bowls of steamed rice pudding.* Surprisingly, it turned out quite well.

Once they were steamed, cooled, and ready to eat, each person was given one bowl, using bamboo skewers to prick pieces and eat.

Luo Mingchen himself was quite satisfied with the taste. The surface was smooth and glossy with a sheen of oil, the texture delicate and silky, sweet but not cloying, with just the right amount of chew, and a strong, fragrant rice aroma.

After finishing, Luo Mingchen asked the others, “How is it? Does it taste good?”

Huo Xiang’s mouth was stuffed full, and upon hearing the question, he nodded frantically.

Huo Yuhui’s eating manners were much more refined. He said, “Little daddy,* this is even better than what I used to eat in my old home.”

Luo Mingchen nodded. It seemed that this steamed rice pudding was not entirely new, just that no one sold it on the streets around here.

“Do people here not like to eat steamed rice pudding?”

“Not exactly,” replied Huo Yan, who had already finished his portion. “People in the South eat it more often. The rice you’re using is Indica rice,* which is also mainly grown in the South. Taohua Village here is closer to the North, near the capital.”

So that was it…

Luo Mingchen smiled at them. “I plan to make a batch to sell. What do you all think?”

Huo Yan thought for a moment. “You can sell them. But at first, sales might not be very good.”

“In addition to this plain flavor, I can also make different fruit variations, like coconut flavor, and even ones made purely from rice milk.”

At this, Luo Mingchen paused. “Still, I want to try. If they don’t sell, we can just eat them ourselves.”

As soon as he heard “eat ourselves,” Huo Xiang’s eyes lit up, and he immediately said, “Okay!”

Everyone else turned to look at him at the same time. Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Huo Xiang stuck out his tongue awkwardly. “But it really is delicious…”

Hearing his words, Luo Mingchen suddenly had a new idea. “What if I sell them near the academy?”

“Great idea.”

Huo Xiang’s mind was entirely occupied with food.

Huo Yuhui also thought it was feasible. “Today I heard classmates say there’s a man selling candied hawthorn skewers at the alley entrance. His business is good, lots of people like to buy from him, even though his prices are a little high.”

“That reminds me to think carefully about pricing.”

As he said this, Luo Mingchen turned to Huo Yan. “If you were buying, what would you pay per bowl?”

“Three copper coins.”

Luo Mingchen was taken aback. “That expensive?”

Huo Yan hesitated. “Brown sugar costs a lot.”

Hearing that, Luo Mingchen pondered. He needed to check how much brown sugar cost per catty, since the supply he had stored in his space—both brown sugar and white sugar—would run out eventually.

And since he didn’t have the skills to refine sugar himself, he had to keep an eye on the market price.

Over the next two days, Luo Mingchen bought a batch of small bowls and made other flavors, letting the family choose four they liked the most.

The final selection was: plain white sugar flavor, brown sugar, coconut, and pineapple. The plain one would be cheaper at two coins, while the other three sold for three coins each.

Since they were already selling tofu daily, Luo Mingchen deliberately rented a fixed stall not far from the academy for half a month. It was larger than the average stall and could hold more goods, perfect for selling both tofu and rice pudding.

Because so many people came to buy tofu every day, Luo Mingchen was so busy he barely had time to look up.

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice said, “Five pieces of tofu, please.”

Looking up, Luo Mingchen saw it was Yang Cuifen. “Five copper coins.”

Yang Cuifen frowned. “You’re charging me? Qingfeng came back today, and he’s a licentiate now.* Don’t you think you should at least give us some meat? I’m only asking for five pieces of tofu—not too much.”

“Sorry, but we don’t sell on credit.”

Yang Cuifen was dumbfounded. “You’re even asking Qingfeng for money?”

Turning to Huo Yan, who was holding the baby and receiving payments, she said, “Eldest Brother Huo, tell me, since when do you ask family for money?”

What’s more, she had brought along her sisters from her maiden village, bragging beforehand that she could get tofu easily. If she didn’t, she’d lose face.

Huo Yan said calmly, “Cousin-in-law, you cut in line. If you don’t have money, step aside. One coin per piece of tofu—if even Second Uncle came, it would still be the same price.”

At this, an auntie further back piped up, “Exactly. If you don’t have money, stop blocking the way.”

“You—!”

Hearing the murmurs of disapproval, Yang Cuifen grew furious and looked ready to overturn the stall.

But Luo Mingchen was quicker. He grabbed her wrist with precision and strength, making her cry out in pain, “Ah! My hand is broken!”

Holding onto her wrist, Luo Mingchen shoved her aside and sneered, “I already said we don’t exploit relatives of your so-called younger brother, but you insist on asking for a beating instead. Don’t think I won’t fight back. Your family’s brother has nothing to do with us! Calling us family? Family, my ass. My two children are studying at the academy—how come you haven’t given us anything for that? If you don’t want to pay, then get lost. Dare to lay a hand again, and I’ll snap your arm!”

After the pain subsided, Yang Cuifen finally grew afraid and slunk off without daring to utter a single threat.

Turning back to the other customers, Luo Mingchen smiled again. “Thank you all for waiting. Let me wash my hands first.”

After carefully washing his hands, he went back to wrapping tofu for them.

The crowd watching the commotion wanted to laugh. From his words, they could more or less guess at the situation.

Otherwise, in this scorching heat, why would two men bring along a child not even three years old just to sell tofu?

But this was their business, and the most anyone could do was silently feel sympathy.

Luo Mingchen hadn’t spoken out of pettiness. In this world, kinship bonds were considered extremely important.

Yang Cuifen was banking on her “cousin-in-law” identity and talking about Qingfeng, who was now a licentiate.

To outsiders, having relatives who held scholarly titles was an enormous boon, so such connections could easily ruin the goodwill Luo Mingchen’s family had painstakingly built.

It was better to lay things out plainly. Better to provoke some laughter than to lose customers entirely.

After finishing with the tofu, Luo Mingchen brought out the rice pudding he had prepared. Smiling, he called out, “Soft and smooth rice pudding, chilled and refreshing—once you take a bite, you’ll want another—”

In the summertime heat, nothing sounded more enticing than “chilled and refreshing.”

Even people who had not been interested in pastries at first stopped to take a look at the rows of little bowls on the stall.

Though they were described as “little bowls,” they weren’t especially small.

The puddings inside were quite distinctive, with a slight depression in the middle.

A man dressed like a scholar asked, “How much are these puddings?”

“The white sugar flavor is two coins per bowl, and the others are three coins each. But note, the bowls themselves are not for sale.”

Luo Mingchen deliberately added that last point, so no one would think they were getting both pudding and bowl for three coins, a bargain that would seem too good.

The scholar frowned. “What kind of pudding costs three coins a bowl?”

Luo Mingchen paused, then grinned brightly. “Young master, sugar is expensive. This one with brown sugar also includes red beans. That one is coconut, with a milky fragrance. And that one, pineapple, has added fruit. The plain one is also delicious—rich with rice aroma, cool and refreshing.”

Standing nearby, Huo Yan silently watched. Luo Mingchen had picked up the sales pitch quickly.

Sure enough, once the scholar heard his words, he bought one plain pudding.

Huo Yan collected the money, and Luo Mingchen carefully packed it, reminding him, “Young master, we keep ice under the bowls. Best eaten quickly for the best taste—it’ll also help with the heat.”

Feeling the chill through the bowl, the scholar realized he was telling the truth, and nodded slightly. “Good.”

Once he left, school was just letting out in the academy, and a stream of students began pouring out for lunch.

Footnotes:

• Steamed rice pudding (缽仔糕, bōzǎigāo) – A Cantonese dessert made with rice flour, sugar, and water, often steamed in small bowls. The name literally means “small-bowl pudding.”

• Indica rice (籼米, xiānmǐ) – A long-grain rice variety commonly grown in southern China, used in traditional puddings and sweets.

• Licentiate (秀才, xiùcái) – The lowest degree-holder in the Chinese imperial examination system. Although not an official, holders of this title were socially respected and exempt from certain taxes and corvée labor.