Chapter 522: Selling Soybean Paste

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chu Qingzhi took the chestnuts to the kitchen, “Aunties, could you please help me wash some chestnuts and peel half of them? Take some home to eat later. 1 need to check if the beans are steamed at the old house and can’t manage here. Thank you for your help.”

“No problem, you go ahead. We’ll take care of the chestnuts.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Chu Qingzhi hurried to the old house.

At the old house, the beans were steaming, filling the entire house with their fragrance.

Entering the kitchen, Chu Qingzhi opened the steamer and tasted a bean. It needed to be soft enough to easily mash, and a few more minutes of steaming would do.

Auntie Zhang asked, “Qingzhi, is it ready?”

“Just a few more minutes, then we can turn off the stove,” Chu Qingzhi replied.

“Okay, got it,” Auntie Zhang crisply responded.

Chu Qingzhi brought in the prepared chili and spices, chopped both green and red chilies, sliced green onions and ginger, and chopped peanuts.

With the ingredients ready, the beans were also ready to come off the stove.

There were two pots in the old house’s kitchen. Chu Qingzhi transferred the steamer from one pot to another, freeing up the first pot. She then heated oil in it, adding green onions, ginger, coriander, bay leaves, and other spices, frying them slowly until golden before filtering them out. She added the chopped chilies to the pot, frying until the spicy aroma filled the air.

The chilies of this era were not particularly spicy and were acceptable to most people.

When the spicy fragrance was just right, Chu Qingzhi added a tenth of the steamed beans, stirring until they appeared glossy. She then added soy sauce and other seasonings, continuing to stir until a rich sauce aroma developed.

Finally, she added sesame and chopped peanuts, stirring until fragrant. The spicy bean paste was ready.

The bean paste, now a glossy brown with a rich sauce and a slight spicy aroma, was irresistible in both smell and appearance.

The aunts couldn’t stop inhaling the aroma and salivating, fixated on the pot. The ordinary beans had transformed into a tantalizing bean paste in the blink of an eye.

Swallowing, Auntie Zhang asked, “Qingzhi, is this the bean paste?”

“Yes, it’s ready to eat now.” Chu Qingzhi scooped the bean paste from the pot into a basin, ready to cook the next batch.

“How are you planning to sell it?” Auntie Zhang asked, “Can I use half of today’s wages to buy some bean paste?”

“Yes, but I can’t sell too much to you. I still need to sell some outside for testing. However, if the test sale goes well, we’ll produce more and then you can buy as much as you want,” Chu Qingzhi explained.

“Okay, okay, we’ll do as you say,” Auntie Zhang eagerly agreed.

The other aunts also expressed their desire to buy, captivated by the tempting aroma.

Outside, a few passersby stood at the gate of the old house, looking in…

“What delicious thing is Qingzhi cooking? It smells so good!”

“Half the village can smell it. My mouth is watering.”

“Should we ask Qingzhi if we can buy some to take home? 1 won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t try that aroma.”

The villagers, drawn by the aroma, kept coming in greater numbers.

Amidst their discussions and curiosity, they elected someone to go in and gather information. This person was the village’s big-mouth, Fang Cuiyun.

Fang Cuiyun happily entered Chu Qingzhi’s kitchen, and as soon as she stepped in, she felt almost intoxicated by the aroma, “Qingzhi, what delicious thing are you making?”

Chu Qingzhi turned around and replied with a smile, “Bean paste.”

Fang Cuiyun hurried to the stove, peeked into the pot, and then her gaze settled on the finished bean paste, “This bean paste looks delicious.”

Auntie Zhang joked, “We usually just make soy milk or tofu with our homegrown beans. 1 never thought it could be eaten this way. It’s an eye-opener.”

Auntie Xu chimed in with a laugh, “Exactly. Only Qingzhi could come up with such a thing. If this bean paste were to be sold outside, it would surely be popular.”

Auntie Wang also joined in, “Watching Qingzhi make bean paste, we were truly tempted.”

Fang Cuiyun turned back and asked with a smile, “Qingzhi, the aunties want to buy some bean paste from you, how about it?”

“You can, just bring a bowl from home, and 1’11 weigh it out for you. Otherwise, I’ll have to charge extra for the jars,” Chu Qingzhi responded.

“Qingzhi, you’re so considerate. I’ll go get one right away.” Fang Cuiyun turned to leave but then turned back, “Qingzhi, many outside also want to buy your bean paste. Should I pass on the word?”

Is the bean paste really that popular?

Chu Qingzhi thought for a moment and said, “Please tell them, but also mention to bring smaller bowls. I can’t sell too much for now.”

Fang Cuiyun readily agreed, “Okay.”

Fang Cuiyun relayed Chu Qingzhi’s message to the crowd, and they all hurried home to fetch bowls.

Li Qingyu, seeing the crowd at the old house and fearing something had happened, quickly approached. On her way, she met many villagers going back with bowls and learned the reason. She hastened her steps.

As she neared the old house, she inhaled deeply, captivated by the aroma. No wonder everyone was drawn here!

She hurried into the kitchen, where the aroma was even stronger. She swallowed hard, eyeing the half-finished bean paste in the pot and hesitantly spoke, “Qingzhi, is this… bean paste?”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “Yes, Mother.”

Auntie Zhang teased, “The aroma of Qingzhi’s bean paste even attracted you from the wasteland.”

Li Qingyu laughed and said in a joking tone, “Haha, as long as Qingzhi makes food, I can be attracted back from the county city by the fragrance.”

“Hahaha…” Laughter spread throughout the kitchen.

Chu Qingzhi said, “Mother, the aunties in the village want to buy soybean paste. Help them weigh it later. I can’t leave.”

Li Qingyu agreed without hesitation. “Alright, 1’11 go wash my hands immediately.”

The second pot of soybean paste was out of the pot. The fragrance was overwhelming.

The third pot continued…

Chu Qingzhi looked at the first and second pots of bean paste. With three hundred catties of beans, which doubled in weight after soaking and maintained their weight after steaming, and with the water content partially evaporated during frying, the added ingredients made up for the loss. Hence, a hundred catties of beans could produce two hundred catties of bean paste.

As for the cost, one catty of bean paste was about ten copper coins.

Li Qingyu then asked Chu Qingzhi how much it was for a catty. Chu Qingzhi asked her to sell it for 25 copper coins a catty.

The price of twenty-five copper coins was for retail. Wholesale would be much cheaper.

“Mother, we need to give some bean paste to Big Brother for test selling. For now, let’s sell only one catty per person.”

Li Qingyu nodded. “Okay..”

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