Chapter 17: Aren't you ashamed to say that?
Mother Xiao left with a smile after sitting for a while.
Shi Qingluo woke up early today and was feeling sleepy. She went to wash up and returned to their room to tidy the bed and saw the little crouch at the corner.
She made sure that she wasn't ill-treated.
She walked up to Xiao Hanzheng's bed and asked, "Do you prefer sleeping inside or outside?"
Xiao Hanzheng wasn't surprised by Shi Qingluo's decision.
He chuckled and said, "I thought you would let me sleep on the couch."
Shi Qingluo said exasperatedly, "If you weren't a patient now, I would definitely let you sleep on the couch."
"Thank you." Xiao Hanzheng couldn't figure out whether he should laugh or cry.
Shi Qingluo waved her hand. "You're welcome."
"Why don't you sleep outside?"
Xiao Hanzheng didn't mind. "Okay!"
Thus, Shi Qingluo took off her shoes and crossed over his leg onto the inner side of the bed.
Xiao Hanzheng's bed was about 1.8 metres wide.
Both of them were thin, so Shi Qingluo's side was very empty.
She covered herself with the blanket and looked at Xiao Hanzheng. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Xiao Hanzheng felt that she was very daring. "Aren't you afraid that I'll do something to you?"
Shi Qingluo rolled her eyes. "Come on, with my current bean sprout body and sallow and emaciated appearance, I look so shabby. How could you have the guts to do it?"
Xiao Hanzheng couldn't help but smile. "Seems like it."
How could a girl say that about herself?
Shi Qingluo raised her eyebrows and glanced at Xiao Hanzheng.
She smiled while still deep in thought, "Moreover, with your fragile body that can collapse with a blow of the wind, even if you do, are you sure you can do anything?"
Xiao Hanzheng, who was originally smiling, had his face turned black.
This woman was so shameless, she had the gut to actually doubt his ability...
He explained, "Before I got sick, my body was very healthy."
Shi Qingluo yawned carelessly. "Even if you return to the past, you can't make any wild movements without my permission. If you dare to molest me, I'll blow your head off."
"I'm going to sleep first. Up to you!" Then, she rolled up the blanket, turned around, and closed her eyes with her back facing Xiao Hanzheng.
Xiao Hanzheng muttered to himself, not only was she courageous, she was also a little tigress.
He sat down and thought about what he should do next.
Previously, his young wife had said that she was earning money to support the family, but he did not take it seriously.
It was not that he looked down on her, but as a man, he should shoulder the responsibility of this family.
Of course, he would not object to his wife making money or anything like that.
Since he had decided to try marriage and become a family, their relationship might become tense if he made a fuss about it.
Hearing the sound of even and calm breathing, the corners of his lips curled up.
He blew out the oil lamp and lay down.
In his previous life, he had insomnia every day. It was even more difficult to fall asleep at night.
He had to rely on medicine to sleep for five, six hours.
He had thought that he would be unable to fall asleep if he suddenly had another person by his side.
Who knew that Xiao Hanzheng would wake up again when the sky was already bright.
He was also surprised.
Shi Qingluo had already woken up and was practising a set of wellness Taiji.
In Shengyuan's memories, her days at the Taoist temple were still pretty good.
The old priest did not mistreat them, and they could fill their tummy every day.
However, as the old Taoist priest did not eat meat, they also followed him to eat vegetarian food.
After not eating meat for many years, Shengyuan's nutrition was out of balance.
When she returned home, she woke up early and slept late. She had to do a lot of work every day.
Not only was the food quality bad, but she also had insufficient food.
This directly led to malnourishment, resulting in her fair skin and usually healthy-weight body, becoming shallow, weak and thin.
In her previous life, she was a great beauty with all the curves that all women aspired to have.
Shengyuan was 70-80% similar to hers, but now, she really couldn't bear to look at her current appearance.
Fortunately, she didn't have a mirror, so she could only see herself from the reflection in the water. Otherwise, she would cry.
Therefore, she had to quickly take care of her body.
She had to restore that 70-80% of her perfect figure from her previous life.
As she was thinking, she felt someone staring at her from behind. She turned around and saw Xiao Hanzheng standing at the door with a walking stick.
Last night, she had given him another round of glucose and nutrients to replenish his energy.
Most importantly, she had given him several rounds of spring water from her space, so he was able to walk today.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and asked, "What fist-technique are you practicing?"
He had never seen such fist-technique before. It looked soft, but there was strength hidden in it.
Shi Qingluo replied, "Wellness Taiji. My master taught me.
"When your body is not so weak, I will teach you this fist fighting technique. It can dredge the meridians, balance the yin and yang, and strengthen your body."
Xiao Hanzheng nodded and smiled. "Okay!"
He had seen the old priest that the villagers had mentioned twice.
Seeing that she was as thin as a stick, her body did not look very good. It seemed that she was addicted to something and often burnt the midnight oil.
It did not look like she knew how to practice fist techniques to strengthen his body.
Shi Qingluo had already finished practising her fist techniques.
As she wiped the sweat off her forehead, she looked at Xiao Hanzheng and asked, "Do you know tofu?"
Xiao Hanzheng was puzzled. "What is tofu?"
Shi Qingluo smiled. "It's a kind of food."
Shengyuan didn't have memories of any tofu, but she wasn't sure if there was one in this world.
Now that she heard Xiao Hanzheng reply, she knew there wasn't. The tofu was recorded in the Song dynasty.
The current Daliang dynasty was similar to the early Tang dynasty. Even if other places already had it, their county definitely didn't have it.
Shi Qingluo said, "Let's make tofu to eat today."
She once visited a tofu village when she was on a tour. There, tofu was the main tourist attraction. Not only could tourists visit the tofu workshop for free, they could also learn how to make tofu.
She also learnt it with her friend.
Before she left, her friend bought some brine and gave her a portion, saying that she could make her own tofu to eat when she went back.
On the way back, she was afraid that the brine would be scattered in her suitcase, so she put it in her space.
When she went back, she gradually forgot about it.
When she was tidying up her space at the Shi family, she found this brine in a corner.
The time in the space was so stagnant that it would not expire. That was why she had asked the Shi family for soybean as her dowry.
Xiao Hanzheng looked at her with a faint smile and asked, "Did your master teach you this as well?"
Shi Qingluo met his black eyes that seemed to be able to see through something, and she looked away without guilt.
Instead, she nodded confidently. "That's right! I also brought some tofu brine from the mountain."
If they spent too much time together, a smart person like Xiao Hanzheng would definitely find out about her secrets.
It seemed that he was suspicious that she did not learn from the Taoist temple.
But what if he was suspicious? She wasn't afraid.
In any case, it was the old Taoist master who taught her to bite the bullet.
It did not matter who went to investigate.
The old Taoist master had already passed away, and he even blew up the main hall of the Taoist temple. There was no way to prove it.
"Okay, what should I do? Do you need my help?" Although Xiao Hanzheng was skeptical, he did not expose it.
Since his wife said that she learned it from the old Taoist, if anyone asked about it in the future, she would say she learnt it from the old Taoist too.
Anyway, to the villagers, the old Taoist was immortal.
As an immortal, of course, he would know many things that no one had seen before.
Shi Qingluo didn't realise that Xiao Hanzheng had already taken the initiative to help her.
She just felt that this guy was not bad and very sensible.
Chapter 18: He did what she planned to do
Shi Qingluo had asked Mother Xiao to soak the soybeans last night.
She asked, "Is there no grinder at our house?"
Xiao Hanzheng replied, "There isn't, but there's a common stone grinder in the village."
"You want to grind the beans?"
Shi Qingluo snapped her fingers. "Smart!"
"I asked our mother and our younger siblings to grind the beans too. Only then I could make tofu."
Xiao Hanzheng nodded. "Alright. When I'm better, I'll help you guys."
He didn't think that Shi Qingluo would make tofu just for today's food.
She would probably make it frequently in the future.
When Shi Qingluo heard that, she knew the hidden meaning in his words.
She realised that not only was Xiao Hanzheng's appearance and temperament up to her aesthetic sense, he was also very intelligent and was her cup of tea.
In the past, she had rejected all her suitors because they don't have tacit understanding or a rapport with her.
"Okay!" She nodded.
She went to the kitchen and called for Mother Xiao and Xiao Baili.
She carried the soya beans and buckets filled with water and walked towards the stone mill.
Along the way, she met some villagers who would greet Mother Xiao when they saw her.
It was obvious that Mother Xiao had a pretty good relationship with others in the village.
Shi Qingluo also noticed that the people in Xiaxi village were much more rustic than those in Shangxi village.
Some also greeted Shi Qingluo, and she responded with a smile.
Seeing them carrying beans and buckets, a few people who were on good terms with Mother Xiao asked, "Yuelan, what are you guys going to do?"
Mother Xiao's name was Kong Yuelan.
She smiled and replied, "My daughter-in-law wants to grind all the beans out."
Some people were puzzled. "Grind all the beans for what?"
Wasn't this a waste? They had never seen anyone grinding beans and had always eaten them as grains.
Shi Qingluo smiled and replied, "Because I want to make tofu."
"What is tofu?" Everyone was even more puzzled.
Shi Qingluo did not try to hide it. "It's a type of food. When I was in the Taoist temple, my master taught us how to make it."
They asked curiously, "Is it delicious?"
Shi Qingluo nodded. "It's delicious."
She smiled and said, "After it's made, everyone can come over to our house to try it."
She had already planned ahead.
After she made the tofu, she would give those who had helped the Xiao Family some as food tasting.
Other than exchanging favours, she also wanted to do the first round of publicity.
The few of them were a little embarrassed. "That's not necessary. You guys can keep it for yourselves."
The Xiao Family was in a bad situation now, so they were too embarrassed to take it.
They heard that these soybeans were brought here as Miss Shi's dowry.
Shi Qingluo smiled graciously and said, "You guys helped my mother a lot in the past. It's just a little tofu tasting. There's no need to be so polite."
Hearing her words, Mother Xiao also knew that her daughter-in-law really wanted to make tofu and share it with the neighbours who had good relations with her.
Regardless of whether it was tofu or not, they weren't from the Xiao Family.
She wouldn't take the initiative to return a favour with these soybeans.
However, since her daughter-in-law suggested it, she wouldn't object either.
In any case, she felt that her daughter-in-law was a formidable person.
It was right to listen to her.
Hence, she smiled and said, "This is a small token of appreciation from Qingluo. Please don't reject it."
When the few of them heard her say this, they didn't reject it anymore.
It was mainly because they were a little curious about what tofu was.
It was rumoured that the old priest on the mountain had previously ascended to become an immortal.
Since he was so powerful, the things he taught her eldest daughter-in-law to do shouldn't be that bad.
They even went forward to help and grind the beans together.
After grinding the beans, they helped to bring up the Xiao Family.
Shi Qingluo entered the kitchen and only asked Xiao Baili and Erlang to help.
The others did not say anything and just sat and chatted with Mother Xiao.
Xiao Hanzheng came out of the room with a cane, although his face was pale, it was obvious that he was really well.
"Xiao Dalang, you can actually get off the ground."
Seeing that he could still get off the ground after waking up, the few of them were happy for Mother Xiao and greeted him.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled elegantly. "All the credit goes to my dearest wife.
"Back then, she was lucky enough to have that old immortal as her master. After marrying me, she also brought me luck."
He took the opportunity to help Shi Qingluo improve her master's reputation.
These few people liked to gossip, and he believed that this matter would be made known to everyone in the village very soon.
"That's good. There are more happy days for the two of you in the future."
That makes sense too, the few of them thought.
Previously, their eldest brother had been in a coma and was on the verge of death.
At that time, Miss Shi had married to help him to chongxi.
And today, he was able to go down to the fields.
Miss Shi was really amazing. She was indeed a blessed one, no wonder she was a disciple of an old immortal.
After chatting for a while, Xiao Hanzheng greeted the few of them and went to the kitchen to look for Shi Qingluo.
At this moment, Shi Qingluo had already filtered the dregs and placed the soybean milk on the stove to boil.
She had a large medical gauze in her space, so she took it out to filter the dregs.
Shi Qingluo turned her head and asked, "Why did you come in?"
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and replied, "I came in to see you guys. Do you need to keep the process of making tofu a secret? If you do, I'll go out first."
He expressed that he wasn't here to peep at how tofu was made.
He was just curious about how his little wife was doing.
Shi Qingluo smiled and waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's fine. I don't need to keep a secret with my family members. You just have to watch."
In the modern world, even if one had never learned how to make tofu before, they could still search for it on Baidu and follow the instructions.
The 'time travel encyclopedia' that her cousin had given her also contained the recipe to make tofu.
It wasn't very different from the procedure she learnt.
At that time, she had stayed in the tofu village with her friends for three days, waiting to eat at the biggest tofu banquet held once a month.
While she was there, she had also learned how to make other tofu products.
The difference was that one had to personally learn how to make tofu, while the other was just learning by the books.
Hearing that Shi Qingluo treated them as a family and didn't need to keep it a secret, Xiao Hanzheng's heart, which had long been cold and sealed, started to ripple.
He could tell that Shi Qingluo was serious, so he did not leave pretentiously. "Then let me see what kind of tofu you can make."
Shi Qingluo chuckled. "Alright. Seeing that you're so smart, I'll give you a taste of the first bowl of soybean milk and the first serving of beancurd."
She had heard the conversation between Xiao Hanzheng and others just now.
This guy was really too smart and quick-witted, doing what she planned to do.
The key was that his credibility was higher than hers.
After all, he was the one who woke up from her chongxi.
Xiao Hanzheng knew what she was referring to and smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."
After a while, the soybean milk started boiling.
Shi Qingluo scooped up a few bowls and added some sugar from yesterday's banquet.
She stirred it with her chopsticks and handed a bowl to Xiao Hanzheng. "Here, drink a bowl of soybean milk first."
She added, "Drink a cup every morning. It's very good for your body."
Xiao Hanzheng took it and took a sip. "It's not bad."
The taste was not bad, and there was a strong fragrance of soybean.
Xiao Baili and Xiao Erlang also took the bowl and took a sip. "It's delicious!"
Shi Qingluo asked the two of them to bring out the remaining soybean milk for Mother Xiao and others to drink.
Then, they began to use the grinded soy grains to make tofu.