After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

Lin Fan straightened up and stretched his sore shoulders.

Grinding soybeans is a tedious job that requires pure physical labor, but looking at the thick, fine foam floating on the surface of the raw soybean milk in the wooden bucket and smelling the most primitive aroma of grains, he felt very at ease.

According to the procedure, the next step is to filter the residue.

Lin Fan walked to the solid wood long table, picked up the cross-shaped wooden frame and the pure cotton filter gauze.

Pour in the raw soy milk, gather the four corners together, and twist and squeeze it down firmly.

The pale yellow, finely crushed soybean dregs were pressed tightly into the cloth, and the pure soy milk was filtered through the mesh into the earthenware jar below.

This job relies entirely on arm strength to squeeze, and after filtering most of the bucket, the muscles in Lin Fan's forearms were slightly sore.

He poured the filtered soy milk into a large iron pot and lit the firewood underneath.

Then, holding a long-handled wooden spoon, Lin Fan steadily stirred the pot in one direction.

As the water temperature continued to rise, the soy milk in the iron pot began to undergo a violent reaction.

When heated, the saponins unique to raw soy milk cause a thick layer of bubbling white foam to quickly rise on the surface of the pot, and the water level surges upward, almost overflowing the pot and causing it to boil over.

This is the "false boiling" stage that is necessary when boiling soy milk to make tofu.

Lin Fan reacted quickly, bending down to remove two thick pieces of firewood from the stove, thus swiftly reducing the heat.

Then, he picked up a fine mesh strainer and, holding it close to the surface of the scalding liquid, skimmed off the layer of bitter-tasting foam little by little, pouring it into the waste bucket next to him.

Skim off the foam, control the heat, and stir constantly. This process is tedious and scorching, but it allows no room for carelessness.

As the foam was completely skimmed off and the water finally boiled, a wonderful change occurred.

The slightly cool, earthy smell of raw beans completely dissipated along with the white steam.

Instead, it has an incredibly rich, pure, and mellow aroma of cooked soybeans.

The aroma was gentle yet powerful, carrying the primal vitality of grains and cereals, instantly filling every corner of the entire Tiangongfang workshop.

"Gurgle gurgle..."

Once the soy milk in the pot was boiling vigorously, producing thick bubbles, and thoroughly cooked, Lin Fan stopped using the spoon, removed the burning firewood from underneath, leaving only a little dark red embers to keep it warm.

As the heat subsided, the bubbling soy milk gradually calmed down.

In no time, a thin, yellowish, shiny, and cicada-wing-like oily film condensed on the surface of the thick slurry upon cooling.

Lin Fan casually picked up a small white porcelain bowl, gently lifted the layer of oil with a spoon, and scooped up a full bowl of piping hot pure soy milk from the bottom of the pot.

The pure white, slightly yellowish liquid clung to the edge of the porcelain bowl, giving it a visibly thick texture.

Lin Fan held the bowl, lowered his head and gently blew away the rising steam on the surface, then carefully took a sip along the rim of the bowl.

The moment the scalding liquid touches the tip of the tongue, its intense, mellow aroma instantly spreads throughout the mouth.

The delicate, silky texture, combined with the rich oils of the golden snow soybeans, warms you all the way down your throat to your stomach.

After swallowing, a subtle sweetness, unique to mountain spring water, even lingered on the lips and teeth.

Nowadays, most of the soy milk sold in breakfast shops is made by mixing soy milk powder.

Even freshly made tofu in the market, in order to maximize yield and save time, is mostly centrifuged and descrambled in one go, then defoaming agent is added, and then gypsum or glucono-delta-lactone is used for coagulation.

The resulting product, though visually appealing, has long lost the original essence of soybeans in the industrialized assembly line, and is nothing more than a lifeless piece of protein.

Authentic stone-ground tofu is made with skillful grinding and patient simmering.

After boiling thoroughly, Lin Fan removed the firewood from underneath.

He took a clean, large-capacity thermos, scooped a full pot of boiling hot soy milk from the iron pot with a wooden ladle, tightened the lid, and placed it on the wooden table next to him.

Once the temperature of the soy milk in the pot had slowly dropped to around 80 degrees Celsius, Lin Fan took out a small white porcelain bowl and dripped the dissolved salt brine into it, one drop at a time.

With his left hand, he held a wooden spoon and gently stirred the contents of the jar in one direction, creating a soft vortex.

"When you see the tofu pudding start to form, stop making the braising liquid as soon as you stop."

The milky white liquid quickly changed. Tender, flocculent matter slowly emerged and clumped together, and the tofu and the slightly yellow liquid separated completely.

Lin Fan stopped, took out the wooden spoon, and covered his head with the thick wooden lid.

Ten minutes later, the lid was lifted. Inside the jar was a whole block of white, tender tofu, steaming hot.

He used a wooden ladle to scoop the tofu pudding layer by layer into a square wooden mold lined with damp gauze.

After filling it, wrap it tightly with gauze, cover it with a wooden board, and then place the square bluestone brick in the center.

Excess water dripped down the gaps at the bottom of the mold, making a soft "drip-drip" sound.

Pressing tofu takes time.

If the cooking time is too short, the tofu won't set properly; if it's too long, the water will be squeezed out, resulting in a tough and dry texture.

Lin Fan didn't just wait idly in the Tiangong Workshop.

He walked to the long table, picked up the thermos that had just been filled with hot soy milk, and with a thought, exited the farm space.

Back in the lobby on the first floor.

Tuantuan was sitting at the square table, coloring the animals in her picture book with a red watercolor pen. Su Xiaoxiao sat opposite her, watching her with her chin propped up on her hand.

Hearing Lin Fan's footsteps coming out of the kitchen, the two of them looked up at the same time.

"Dad!" Tuantuan put down her paintbrush.

Lin Fan walked over and placed the thermos steadily on the table. He then turned and took two clean white porcelain bowls from the sterilizer.

"Brother Lin, what did you make? It smells so good!" Su Xiaoxiao had a sharp nose; even before she opened the thermos, she could smell a rich aroma of grains.

"Freshly boiled pure soy milk."

Lin Fan unscrewed the lid of the thermos.

A strong, rich aroma of roasted soybeans wafted out along with white steam, instantly dispelling the slight chill in the air.

He tilted his wrist slightly and poured the scalding hot soy milk into two white porcelain bowls.

The pure white, slightly yellowish liquid clung to the edge of the porcelain bowl, giving it a visibly thick texture.

As soon as it was poured out, a thin layer of oil, as thin as a cicada's wing, formed on the surface upon cooling.

"Have some hot water to warm your stomach." Lin Fan pushed one of the bowls in front of Tuantuan. "It's a little hot, blow on it before you drink."

Tuantuan hadn't eaten properly at the Su family's house for the past few days, and her stomach was quite empty.

The familiar aroma of food immediately whetted my appetite.

She held the white porcelain bowl in her two small hands, puffed out her cheeks, carefully blew on the steam rising from the surface of the bowl, and then slurped a small mouthful.

The moment the warm soy milk touched her tongue, Tuan Tuan's big eyes lit up instantly.

There is no raw, beany taste, only the rich, oily aroma of golden snow soybeans, infused with the subtle sweetness of spring water, warming you all the way down your esophagus to your stomach.

This warm, life-giving current completely relieved the acid reflux and discomfort she had experienced from taking medication and injections.