The wine was finally brewed, and all that remained was to wait.
Early the next morning, Grandma Jin got up and called Chen Lan awake. Chen Lan groggily checked the system time with her mind. My heavens! So early?
It was only five-thirty in the morning, no wonder it was still pitch dark outside. Chen Lan hadn't even heard her Grandma Jin knock on the door!
Five-thirty must have been just after she had fallen asleep! Last night, Jia Hui had an upset stomach. Chen Lan wasn't sure if it was gas or indigestion, but she had been whimpering and refusing to sleep. Chen Lan had been massaging her stomach and had to get up in the middle of the night to give her some medicine to aid digestion. The little one finally fell into a groggy sleep around two or three in the morning! Chen Lan also fell asleep with her.
Chen Lan yawned and asked, "Grandma Jin, why are you up so early!"
Grandma Jin looked at the twins and said in a low voice, "Early? The soybeans have already been soaked. We're just waiting for you to get up and make tofu."
Chen Lan asked in surprise, "When did you soak the beans? They're already soaked?"
Grandma Jin whispered, "After you left yesterday, Hong Xiu, Chun Mei, and I soaked the beans in a large basin. The three of us calculated that if so many people are going to eat for a year, one batch probably won't be enough. We'll have to make tofu several times."
Chen Lan was speechless. They weren't waiting to eat it right now, so why the rush to get up so early?
So she said, "Grandma Jin, we don't need to eat it right now, why the rush?"
Grandma Jin saw Chen Lan's unhurried demeanor and said anxiously, "Can we not be in a hurry? Xiao Lan, get up quickly, we're waiting for you to grind the beans."
Chen Lan, not fully awake, said, "Grandma Jin, why the hurry? Jia Hui had an upset stomach last night and was fussy half the night. She only calmed down in the latter half of the night. I just got a little sleep. I still feel groggy. How can I help you grind the beans? Please let me sleep a little longer, and I'll get up to help."
Grandma Jin gently touched Jia Hui's head to check her temperature, seeing if she had a fever.
Seeing that Chen Lan had misunderstood, she quickly and softly explained, "Xiao Lan, I didn't explain it clearly. I meant for you to tell Grandpa Jia Hui that we need to buy a bean grinding machine to make tofu. Does he have one?"
Chen Lan was completely confused by Grandma Jin's mention of "Jia Hui's Grandpa." It wasn't until Grandma Jin called her a few times that she came back to her senses. "Who is Jia Hui's Grandpa?"
Grandma Jin asked anxiously, "Xiao Lan, what's wrong? I called you several times, and you didn't answer. Does your father-in-law not have a bean grinding machine? Alas! This is my fault for being impulsive. I should have asked you beforehand."
Seeing Grandma Jin's self-blaming expression, Chen Lan immediately explained, "Grandma Jin, no, it's not that. Oh! Everything's a mess. Yes, there is such a machine. Wait a moment, I'll go wash up and come with you."
Grandma Jin said worriedly, "Is Jia Hui alright? Will it be okay if no one is watching Jia Hui and Jia Yao? Why don't I go get your mother to help watch them?"
Chen Lan quickly refused, saying, "Grandma Jin, no need. Jia Hui is fine. She probably ate something yesterday that didn't agree with her and had indigestion and gas. I gave her medicine in the latter half of the night. My mother also stayed up half the night yesterday and only fell asleep in the latter half of the night. I'll only be gone for a little while. The twins are still sleeping soundly, they won't wake up anytime soon. I'll be back quickly."
Chen Lan quickly got up, went to the washroom to freshen up, and then followed Grandma Jin out.
As Chen Lan walked, she mentally opened the system and searched for an electric soy milk maker. She soon found a user-friendly, high-power electric soy milk maker and immediately placed an order.
When the mother and daughter-in-law reached the makeshift shed where the beans were soaking, Chen Lan looked around. Ming Wei and the others hadn't arrived yet. Chen Lan quickly took out the electric soy milk maker from the system's warehouse and placed it.
Grandma Jin said at this time, "Xiao Lan, don't worry, they haven't arrived yet. I called you first. They'll probably be here in a while."
So, the mother and daughter-in-law began to rinse the soy milk maker with water and a rag. Soon, Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Zhao Xiaoyue, and Hu Yuzhen also arrived one after another.
When Grandma Jin saw that they had all arrived, she began to assign tasks. Grandma Jin ordered, "Cui Qiao and Hu Yuzhen, you two wash the soaked beans twice more."
"Xiao Lan, connect the machine's power, and we can start grinding the raw soy milk."
After the beans were washed clean and the power was connected, using the soy milk maker was fast. Soon, a large basin of raw soy milk was ground.
Grandma Jin pulled out a piece of coarse white cotton cloth and asked Chen Lan and the other three to each hold a corner of the cloth, with a large basin placed underneath to catch the filtered raw soy milk. Grandma Jin and Ming Wei poured the raw soy milk into the middle of the coarse cotton cloth for filtering.
After the raw soy milk was filtered, it was put into a large pot. Grandma Jin asked Hu Yuzhen to boil it over high heat.
While boiling the soy milk, Grandma Jin continuously stirred the pot and explained, "Stirring like this is to prevent the bottom from burning and overflowing. You need to promptly remove any foam you see around the edges of the pot."
"After the raw soy milk boils, it needs to be boiled for another five minutes until the foam on the surface of the pot breaks. Then, after removing the heat, it will be fully cooked soy milk." With that, she called Hu Yuzhen to remove the heat.
At this time, Grandma Jin held a thin stick and walked to the pot of boiling soy milk. She dipped the stick into the pot and then lifted it upwards, picking up a layer of soy skin. Grandma Jin then said, "This is yuba. Take it out and dry it. This layer of soy skin is the essence."
With that, she asked Cui Qiao to scoop the boiled soy milk out of the pot into a large vat. She then used a small spoon to constantly stir the soy milk, slowly adding the pre-prepared brine. She continued to stir and add brine until the soy milk formed tofu curds the size of corn kernels. Then she told Chen Lan, "Xiao Lan, you can cover the pot now. It will be ready in about half an hour."
Half an hour later, they lifted the lid and looked. It was truly magical. With just a little brine added, the soy milk had turned into tofu pudding. The tofu pudding in the vat was pure white, tender, and smooth, with a texture like congealed fat, making it look appetizing. This truly was "brine curdles tofu, one thing conquers another."
At this time, Grandma Jin said cheerfully, "Ming Wei, go get some bowls. Let's drink tofu pudding. Do you prefer sweet or savory tofu pudding? You can add your own seasonings."
In her previous life, Chen Lan had always loved sweet tofu pudding. She loved its delicate, pure white appearance and enjoyed its smooth and refreshing taste, as well as its rich, mellow aroma and the feeling of happiness it brought. A mouthful of hot, smooth, tender tofu pudding went down, sliding from her mouth into her stomach, instantly warming her insides.
Ming Wei also ate sweet tofu pudding. Grandma Jin and Cui Qiao ate savory tofu pudding. Chen Lan watched them, each holding a bowl of white tofu pudding with bright red chili oil floating on top. The red and white colors, along with the green coriander and scallions, looked beautiful and greatly increased their appetite.
Finally, the tofu pudding was poured into a wooden frame lined with coarse cotton cloth, wrapped up, and then pressed with heavy objects to squeeze out the water, thus becoming tofu.