Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 262 Stinky Tofu

Xu Qing thought about it for a while, and it seemed that no one had ever sold it in Quan County or the prefectural city.

Just then, Madam He came in and asked, "Mother, is there any place on the street that sells stinky tofu?"

"Stinky tofu? Yes, I saw someone setting up a stall at the end of the street yesterday. Those people carrying jars are them? What, you want some stinky tofu? I'll go ask someone to buy you some?"

Xu Qingmeng was stunned when she heard this!

A jar?

Xu Qingmeng blinked: "Then the stinky tofu is in a jar, right?"

Because He Shi wasn't very good at cooking, but she wasn't completely incapable of it either; she just had a good appetite. After she got together with Shen Hongxin, she cooked even less.

Although the first half of He's life was full of hardships, to be honest, the second half of her life was quite happy.

After recalling for a moment, Ms. He said that although she did not know how to make it, Shen Hongxin used to make it often. "Yes, Yunyi's father used to love to eat it and even made it at home. He would buy fresh tofu from the street, let it get moldy, sprinkle some seasonings on it, and then put it in a jar."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingmeng understood that it wasn't the stinky tofu she had imagined, but rather something similar to fermented bean curd.

She wanted to eat the kind of fried stinky tofu, but it seemed unlikely to be available anymore, at least not in Quan County or the prefectural city.

Xu Qingmeng is the kind of person who does whatever comes to mind, and she can delay anything but her own stomach.

I bought a lot of tofu because I wanted to make vegetarian meatballs, and I still had some left, so I could use it to make the meatballs.

To make stinky tofu, you first need to prepare a fermentation tank. Xu Qingmeng found a pickling jar and lined the bottom with a layer of salt.

Add various spices such as Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves. These are always on hand at Gu's house, so there's no need to worry about not having them.

Then pour in high-proof liquor and water, and stir well.

Cut the tofu into small cubes and place them in the fermentation tank, ensuring that all the tofu cubes are completely submerged in the brine.
Then cover it and place it in a cool, ventilated place. If you can't wait, it will ferment for three to seven days. Of course, the longer the fermentation time, the stronger the odor will be.

During this fermentation process, white mold will gradually grow on the surface of the tofu, which is normal. However, if the tofu does not turn black or develop an off-odor, the fermentation has failed and the tofu needs to be made again.

Once fermentation is complete, you can prepare the batter. Mix flour and starch in a 1:1 ratio, add an appropriate amount of water, and stir to form a batter of moderate consistency.

Remove the fermented stinky tofu blocks from the fermentation tank, drain the water, and then coat them with batter, ensuring that the surface is evenly covered.

Pour oil into a pot and heat it to a certain temperature. Of course, the oil temperature should not be too high, otherwise the tofu will be burnt on the outside and raw on the inside when frying.

The batter-coated stinky tofu pieces are then deep-fried until golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They are then removed and drained of excess oil.

Then, according to personal taste, various sauces, seasonings, and other condiments are added, and the stinky tofu is ready.

Xu Qingmeng still remembers the day she made it. Everyone complained that it didn't taste good, but because of her skill, they all took a bite. Once they took a bite, they couldn't stop eating it.

Especially Gu Yunyi and Mr. Shen, and even Fang Ziheng, so after Xu Qingmeng made it, she didn't eat much herself, and it all went into the stomachs of the three of them.

But that’s a story for another day.

The following day, Pei Cheng delivered a cart full of New Year's gifts, including gold and silver jewelry, clothes and silks, and everything imaginable. Adults and children were all among them, along with a considerable amount of seafood, such as dried abalone, dried sea cucumber, and fish maw, all of excellent quality.

Upon seeing these, Xu Qingmeng immediately thought of a famous and extremely expensive dish.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Xu Qingmeng had already started counting on her fingers to see if there were any missing ingredients. She had almost everything except shark fin, but that was easy; she could use vermicelli instead.

Now, one of the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner is ready.

Looking at the cart full of valuable items, Mrs. He thought to herself, "My status should have meant I could enjoy this from a young age, but..."

Gu Yunyi remained calm. "Mother, these are all my uncle's kind gestures. Please accept them without worry."

Madam He knew this was a small token of her brother's affection, so she nodded.

Just as the Gu family was still immersed in their own thoughts, they noticed Pei Cheng appearing at the Gu family's door, followed by two elderly people.

The moment the lady saw Madam He, her eyes reddened and filled with tears, and Madam He's heart clenched instantly.

Mrs. He wanted to go forward and wipe away the tears on her elderly face, hoping to comfort her.

"Wan'er..."

The old woman called out softly.

This is her daughter. She has spent her whole life in repentance, all because she was useless and caused her daughter to be lost time and time again.

The woman walked slowly into the Gu family home, tightly grasped He Shi's hand, and gazed greedily at He Shi's face, even though it was no longer a young face, she could never get enough of looking at it.

Xu Qingmeng and Gu Yunyi stared at the scene before them, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

The capital is so far away from here. How did Master Pei and Madam Pei manage to get to the prefectural city in just a few days?

That's a long story. Madam Pei's health wasn't very good, and she was tired of living in the capital. Just then, Pei Cheng was transferred to the prefectural city, so Master Pei brought Madam Pei there. As soon as they arrived, they heard Pei Cheng say that he had found Madam He, so without lingering, they went straight to the Gu family.

Madam Pei was very emotional, while Old Master Pei was a little more composed, but in Xu Qingmeng's eyes, he was still very enthusiastic.

“Wan Niang, your parents are sorry. We had already found you, but we still lost you again, causing you to suffer so much in the first half of your life. We are derelict in our duty as parents. It is our fault. We are sorry, Wan Niang.”

As he spoke, Old Master Pei's eyes also reddened slightly.

He held a high position for many years, yet he failed to protect his own daughter; he was truly a failure.

Over the years, countless people have spread rumors, saying that no matter how powerful and influential the Pei family is, they still ended up losing their own daughter and letting someone else take her place.

Back then, Old Master Pei did investigate, and he did investigate Pei Qingwan, but after all, she was someone he had raised himself. In addition, He Shi was lost again, and Old Madam Pei fell ill once more because of this matter.

After Madam Pei was rescued, all the clues were gone; the matter had been completely disposed of.

The reason why Grandpa Pei said that was because he hadn't looked for her back then, and had been looking for her all these years, but the clues had disappeared, which led to so many years of regret.