Chapter Twenty-Nine: Absolutely Delicious

Chen Jun wasn't sure whether his tolerance for alcohol was simply too high, or if he was simply too excited; his mind was filled with thoughts of how to help the Prosperity Restaurant thrive, to win Wang Shuangxi's heart in the process.

No sooner had they finished their meal than he eagerly asked Chu Yun, "Brother, half an hour has passed—how are you going to turn those soaked beans into a delicacy?"

Chen Ping and his wife, along with Yang Liu'er, looked at Chu Yun with anticipation.

Chu Yun smiled. "Let's all work together to make this dish."

He then led everyone in grinding the beans into a fine paste using a stone mill. After filtering out the bean dregs with clean linen, he poured the resulting liquid into a pot and began to heat it.

When a frothy layer of white bubbles formed on the surface, Chu Yun skimmed off the foam and told Yang Liu'er to bring over some bowls. He ladled out a serving for each person. "This is soybean milk. Have a taste."

Everyone, drawn by the aroma, didn't care whether it was too hot. Blowing on the steam, they took a sip and found it surprisingly refreshing and delicious. They couldn't help but praise, "This soybean milk is wonderful! Who would've thought beans could be made into something like this? We only ever made bean cakes or stir-fried beans before."

After her compliments, Li Sanniang glanced at the large pot of soy milk and said, "Yun'er, this is delicious, but there's so much of it—we can't possibly finish it all. If it sours by tomorrow, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Chu Yun waved her concerns away. "Don't worry, just keep watching."

He then took the gypsum solution he'd prepared earlier and prepared to pour it into the pot. Though the civilization here was a bit behind, gypsum wasn't uncommon—wealthier families used it for wall decorations.

Seeing this, both Li Sanniang and Yang Liu'er stopped him in alarm. "Why are you putting gypsum in? That's for decorating; can you even eat it?"

Chu Yun reassured them with a smile, "Relax, this is a method taught to me by an immortal. It'll be fine, just watch."

Chen Jun, for his part, believed in him and spoke up, "Mother, sister-in-law, don't interfere. Let's watch how Brother does it—I trust him."

Li Sanniang and Yang Liu'er nodded, their faces full of curiosity as they watched Chu Yun at work.

Chu Yun poured the gypsum solution into the pot and stirred it thoroughly. He asked Chen Jun to bring over a clean wooden basin, ladled several scoops of the mixture into it, and continued adding and stirring more gypsum solution into the pot.

"The portion I just scooped out," he explained, "once it cools, will become a delicious, smooth tofu pudding. As for the rest in the pot, it will solidify into a different treat—bean curd, or tofu, which can be enjoyed in many ways. Even if it molds, it's still edible, so you needn't worry about wasting food."

Li Sanniang grew even more interested. "I wonder what kind of food could still be eaten even after it molds."

Yang Liu'er praised, "Husband, you're amazing to know so much."

Chu Yun just waved his hand. "All taught to me by the immortals in my dreams."

Chen Ping couldn't help but say, "Yun'er is truly blessed to have gained so much from the immortals. I can finally rest assured."

Chen Jun said nothing, but a thoughtful gleam shone in his eyes, as if pondering something.

After adding all the gypsum solution, Chu Yun instructed Yang Liu'er to prepare the wooden basin and a large sieve. He lined the sieve with clean linen and poured the rest of the soy milk mixture through it.

He explained, "The liquid that drains into the basin is bean water. It tastes of gypsum and isn't suitable for drinking—too much is bad for your health, so discard it. The coagulated soy milk left behind, once cooled, will become tofu."

Everyone nodded, eyes filled with anticipation as they watched the soy milk and the forming tofu, hoping it would cool and set into the promised delicacies.

Before long, Chu Yun saw that the tofu pudding had set. He scooped half a bowl for each person.

Without waiting for Chu Yun's invitation, everyone eagerly took up their bowls and chopsticks. As they tasted the tofu pudding, they found it as silky and tender as Chu Yun had said—delicate and delicious—and couldn't help but exclaim in delight.

"This is incredible! I've never tasted anything so smooth and soft."

"It's truly miraculous; who knew beans could be eaten this way?"

"Delicious, simply delicious..."

Seeing their delight, Chu Yun grinned with satisfaction. "If you add sugar or seasonings, it'll taste even better."

At his suggestion, everyone quickly tried adding seasonings, and sure enough, the flavor improved further, prompting another round of praise.

After two bowls, Chen Jun looked thoughtfully at Chu Yun. "Brother, seeing you turn beans into such delicacies gave me an idea. Could rice or wheat be turned into something similar?"

Chu Yun patted his shoulder approvingly. "Very clever of you to think of that. But wheat doesn't work this way, and for rice, only glutinous rice will do. You also can't heat it with water as we did with tofu—otherwise you'll just get rice paste. After grinding it into a slurry, you need to drain the water and treat the residue as flour."

A flash of pride crossed Chen Jun's face. "Great! I'll buy some glutinous rice, soak it, grind it, drain it, and use it as flour for steamed buns and bread. Let's see how they turn out."

Then he asked, "Brother, when it comes to making tofu pudding and tofu, the amount of gypsum seems like a technical detail. I’m not sure how much to use—you'll need to show me."

Hearing this, Chen Ping offered his advice. "Chen Jun, I think you should be cautious and not introduce tofu pudding and tofu at the Prosperity Restaurant just yet. Focus first on steamed buns, bread, and soy milk. People get thirsty after eating bread, and soy milk is the perfect complement. Besides, you'll have steamed buns and bread made from glutinous rice, right?"