Chapter Seventy-Five: Plans Laid in Advance

The patriarch thought for a moment and said, “Alright, since you bought us soft leavened cakes and soy milk, I’ll help you gather everyone.”

Chu Yun smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, Patriarch, I won’t put you in a difficult spot. I’ll buy plenty of flour and make soft leavened cakes for everyone. And last night, I soaked some soybeans; I can make soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu for everyone. I guarantee it will taste even better than what the Celebration Restaurant serves.”

Previously, when he taught Chen Jun to make tofu, they only soaked the beans for an hour, so the beans weren’t very soft, and the tofu they made wasn’t that delicious, with quite a bit of bean dregs discarded.

What was laughable was that the Celebration Restaurant had been selling soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu for nearly half a month without improving this process.

“Really?”

The patriarch was visibly excited upon hearing this.

Just recalling the taste of the leavened cake and soy milk he had just eaten, he couldn’t help but swallow.

His son rushed out, saying, “Doctor Chu, I heard from inside that you’re going to make leavened cakes, soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu at our house. Did I hear you right?”

Chu Yun laughed and replied, “You didn’t mishear. The recipe for these soft leavened cakes, soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu came to me in a dream, passed on by celestial beings, and I taught it to Chen Jun.”

“I only wanted to help Chen Jun win Wang Shuangxi’s heart, but who would have thought she’d be so ungrateful, even saying Chen Jun was like a toad lusting after a swan.”

“Since that’s the case, I’ll make it in front of everyone and teach everyone how to make it, so you won’t have to pay high prices at the Celebration Restaurant anymore.”

He didn’t intend to kill Wang Shuangxi; he had already planned to remove the Celebration Restaurant’s monopoly on soft leavened cakes, soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu, so they wouldn’t maintain their competitive advantage.

Unfortunately, Wang Shuangxi was too arrogant, and even joined forces with the witch doctors to provoke them. Chen Ping, unable to contain his anger, sent her to the afterlife.

The patriarch grew even more excited at Chu Yun’s words and burst out laughing. “Ha! Doctor Chu, if you’re going to teach everyone to make these soft leavened cakes, soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu, I’m sure everyone will be even more enthusiastic. I’ll go and notify them right away.”

“I’ll go too!” the patriarch’s son chimed in immediately.

Chu Yun smiled and gave a polite bow. “Then I’ll trouble you both.”

“No trouble at all, this is a great thing!” the patriarch and his son replied before heading off in opposite directions to notify everyone.

When news spread that Chu Yun was going to teach everyone how to make soft leavened cakes, soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu—and that everyone would get to taste the finished products—everyone was overjoyed and eager to participate. They put aside their work and hurried to the patriarch’s house.

In no time, nearly all of Chu Family Town was headed there. After all, the delights from Celebration Restaurant had already become famous throughout the town. People wanted to try them, but the price was too high for most.

The first to arrive saw Chu Yun sitting on a chair at the patriarch’s door, seemingly unprepared, and couldn’t help but ask, “Doctor Chu, when will you start teaching us?”

Chu Yun smiled, “I was afraid that if I left, you’d think the patriarch tricked you, so I decided to wait until more people arrived, then we can go fetch the ingredients together.”

“Oh, I see. Have you found people to carry the food? I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll go too!”

“And me!”

When everyone heard Chu Yun needed help fetching ingredients, they eagerly volunteered.

Chu Yun selected ten people. “You ten, come with me to carry the food. The rest, stay and get the firewood ready, borrow some steamers, and clean the stone mills in these households. Get everything prepared.”

“Alright!”

“Got it!”

Everyone responded enthusiastically and immediately got busy.

Chu Yun led ten people to Chen Ping’s house first, carrying over a hundred catties of soybeans soaked overnight to the patriarch’s house.

Then he led the group to the grain shop, bought two hundred catties of flour, and brought it back as well.

By this time, those who stayed behind had cleaned ten stone mills, started twenty fires, borrowed ten steamers, and washed them all.

They also borrowed dozens of sets of Eight Immortals tables and chairs, filling the front yards of the patriarch’s house and neighboring homes.

“This looks like we’re throwing a grand banquet!” Chu Yun exclaimed at the sight.

He then turned to Chen Jun, “Go buy some sheep and chickens for everyone to slaughter. Let’s make this a big celebration, as if we’re marking my triumphant return from the capital and being granted the title of earl!”

With that, he handed ten taels of silver to Chen Jun.

“Alright, brother!” Chen Jun agreed with a smile and called for companions to help catch sheep and chickens.

When the crowd heard that there’d be mutton and chicken, they grew even more excited and eagerly volunteered to help Chen Jun.

Chen Jun casually picked more than ten people to go with him, telling the rest to stay and help, reminding them to arrange for their families to come and learn how to make the soft leavened cakes, soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu.

Then Chu Yun got ready to teach everyone. He walked to the center of the yard, climbed onto a table, and swept his gaze over the crowd.

Everywhere he looked, people were packed together—by his estimate, at least a thousand had gathered.

In truth, the whole of Chu Family Town had come, except those in remote villages. The Great Qi Dynasty had endured years of unrest, and the population had dwindled; many towns scarcely had any people left.

If not for refugees fleeing the chaos and gathering in Chu Family Town, there wouldn’t be so many people here.

Chu Yun saw the vast crowd, and as many were chatting noisily, he realized he’d never be heard over the din, no matter how loudly he shouted. So, he jumped down from the table.

The crowd was puzzled and started to chatter.

“What is Doctor Chu doing? Why did he get down from the table?”

“Is he still going to teach us how to make soft leavened cakes?”

“Will he still show us how to make soy milk, bean curd pudding, and tofu?”

“What’s going on…”

But Chu Yun remained calm. He walked around the patriarch’s house, eventually finding a pickling jar, which he bought, and summoned a craftsman to remove its base.

The craftsman was confused. “Why take the bottom off a perfectly good jar?”

Chu Yun replied, “You’ll see soon enough. Don’t damage the jar—just remove the base.”

The craftsman nodded. “Don’t worry, Doctor Chu, you can trust my skill.”

True to his word, he removed the base without damaging the jar.

Chu Yun then had two Eight Immortals tables pushed together, found a strong man to hold the jar aloft, and prepared further.

Though the crowd didn’t know what Chu Yun was up to, they still followed his instructions.

[End of Chapter Seventy-Five: A Well-Laid Plan]