TATSD Chapter 51

Two more days passed, and by the time the tofu covered in straw started growing white mold, Ji Wei finally took it out. The freshly fermented tofu smelled both sour and foul. Only after frying it to a golden brown in hot oil did the strong odor subside somewhat.

During the frying process, the kitchen was filled with a pungent smell, forcing Liu Yimian to flee. He moved a table outside and started cutting vegetables there instead.

Ji Wei prepared a serving of stinky tofu, with a broth he had devised himself. The dish turned out quite well. The light aroma of garlic mixed with cilantro, but neither completely masked the tofu’s distinctive stench.

The flavor was rich and complex.

When Ji Wei brought a bowl of stinky tofu to Liu Yimian, Liu Yimian couldn’t take it any longer. Pinching his nose, he ran off, refusing to eat it.

“Brother Ji, it’s too smelly! I don’t want to eat it!” Liu Yimian exclaimed, standing at the far end of the table, looking nervously at the small bowl in Ji Wei’s hand, shaking his head furiously.

“Just try a bite! Didn’t you always say that Brother Ji can turn anything bad into something amazing? If you said that, how can you not give it a try?” Ji Wei coaxed, slowly inching closer to him.

Liu Yimian had indeed said that, and he believed it too.

Cornered with no way to argue back, Liu Yimian hesitated for a moment. Before he knew it, Ji Wei had already grabbed his arm, holding the small, strong-smelling bowl right under his nose.

The clear broth had tiny oil bubbles floating on top, with minced garlic at the bottom and bright green cilantro leaves, steaming from the heat. The tofu, fried golden and fluffy, looked tempting—if only it didn’t smell so bad, Liu Yimian would have eagerly given it a try.

“I swear, it’s good. Just taste it.” Ji Wei picked up a piece of stinky tofu and brought it to Liu Yimian’s mouth, signaling him to open up with a playful “ah.”

Reluctantly, Liu Yimian glanced at Ji Wei, his face filled with dread. Like a man walking to his doom, he closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling, and opened his lips.

At that moment, Ji Wei felt a faint twinge of guilt, like he was bullying a child.

No, this is sharing good food, he reassured himself.

Steeling his resolve, Ji Wei cooled the tofu with a blow and touched it to Liu Yimian’s lips, waiting for him to take a bite.

“Don’t take too big of a bite; the inside is full of hot broth. Be careful not to burn yourself.” Ji Wei’s warning came a little too late—Liu Yimian, fearing the strong smell, was already trying to gobble it all in one go.

As a result, he bit off more than he could handle. The hot broth inside the stinky tofu spilled out, burning Liu Yimian, who clutched his mouth and started hopping in place. If Ji Wei hadn’t been standing right in front of him, he would have spat it out.

“Hurry, spit it out! You’ll burn yourself!” Ji Wei panicked, setting the bowl down and rushing to grab Liu Yimian’s wrist, holding his chin to make him open his mouth.

Liu Yimian’s lips were even redder from the burn, sweat beaded on his forehead, and tears welled up in his eyes. But he stubbornly shook his head. Only after the tofu cooled down a bit did he chew it and swallow it, though he couldn’t quite taste it anymore.

“You silly boy, I told you to spit it out! Why didn’t you listen?” Ji Wei gave him a gentle tap on the head. “Let me see your tongue.”

Liu Yimian’s already slightly flushed cheeks turned beet red at Ji Wei’s words.

He knew Ji Wei didn’t mean anything by it, but he couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. His face burned as he mumbled and hesitated, not wanting to stick out his tongue.

It wasn’t until Ji Wei applied a bit of pressure to his chin that Liu Yimian reluctantly opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

The tip was red, clearly scalded from earlier.

Ji Wei fetched a bowl of cool water and had Liu Yimian hold it in his mouth. Once Liu Yimian felt his tongue wasn’t burning anymore, Ji Wei asked him how the stinky tofu tasted.

“It is a bit stinky, but it tastes pretty good,” Ji Wei said with a smile. “What do you think?”

Liu Yimian hadn’t tasted it properly after being burned. All he knew was that it wasn’t as bad as he had feared. Since Ji Wei asked, he quickly swallowed the water in his mouth and took another piece.

His face twisted at the first bite.

When he broke through the crispy tofu skin, the broth inside flowed out through the opening.

Liu Yimian blew on it and cautiously sipped the broth. The combination of flavors—fragrant, spicy, hot, salty, and savory—exploded in his mouth, sending tingles through his scalp.

What kind of divine tofu is this?!

Liu Yimian was astonished. After swallowing the last bite, his face flushed with embarrassment, and he shyly apologized to Ji Wei.

“I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

“Brother Ji is amazing—I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“Since you’re so sincere, your punishment is to finish the whole bowl.”

Ji Wei chuckled and ruffled Liu Yimian’s hair before heading back to the kitchen to make more stinky tofu soup.

Once the soup was ready, Ji Wei poured it into a large, freshly washed bucket, covered it, grabbed some utensils, and prepared to leave.

Noticing Liu Yimian looking like he wanted to follow, Ji Wei smiled and flicked him on the forehead.

“It’s finally a bit quiet around here. Shouldn’t you take this chance to study? I’m going to keep Aunt Zhou company; you don’t need to come along.”

Liu Yimian had his books to study, while Ji Wei had cookies to bake.

The courtyard was usually so lively, so when peace finally returned, it was important to seize the moment to focus on studies.

Ji Wei waited until Liu Yimian went back inside and closed the door before leaving. Behind him, a somewhat melancholy Liu Yimian leaned against the window and let out a deep sigh.

Sigh…

…

The street was bustling with people, lively and crowded.

Ji Wei walked along, carrying a heavy bucket of stinky tofu. The fresh and pungent smell of the boiling tofu wafted out despite the lid. People passing by immediately covered their noses, searching for the source of the smell, only to realize it was coming from Ji Wei. Most didn’t ask him about it, instead hurrying away with their noses covered.

“Oh my, what’s that smell?”

“Ji Wei, what on earth are you carrying? That smell is overpowering!”

“Yeah, could you move away? It’s unbearable.”

As soon as Ji Wei reached his stall, he removed the lid from the bucket. The intense stench of stinky tofu immediately spread through the air, causing several customers waiting in line and nearby vendors to jump in shock and back away.

The smell had arrived so quickly and unexpectedly that no one had a chance to brace themselves.

Even Aunt Zhou, who was nearby, was startled, dropping the rolling pin in her hands with a clatter. She quickly picked it up and wiped it with a cloth before covering her nose and staring in shock at the strange thing Ji Wei had brought.

“What is this? Daliang, quickly cover it up! This smell is unbearable, even for me!”

Some things are fragrant from miles away, while others stink from miles away.

Ji Wei’s stinky tofu was potent, and nearly everyone who passed by pinched their noses and gave him angry looks.

“Don’t be afraid, everyone. This here is called stinky tofu. It smells bad, but it tastes amazing. Don’t miss out—give it a try, and you’ll be hooked!” Ji Wei shouted confidently, though the people around him stared at him like he was crazy. No one believed anyone would willingly buy something that smelled so awful.

Unless they were crazy too.

Smells bad but tastes good? If it smells bad, it is bad—how could it possibly taste good?

A few customers who had already paid stuck around, but several others who were in line couldn’t handle the stench and left without buying anything.

Aunt Zhou, seeing her business slipping away, blamed Ji Wei.

“What were you thinking bringing this stinky stuff here? I just lost nine coins because of it!” Aunt Zhou complained, heartbroken.

“This bowl here is only five coins, Aunt. Don’t underestimate it,” Ji Wei said, scooping up a bowl of stinky tofu and offering it to her.

Aunt Zhou hesitated, taking the bowl but holding it at arm’s length as if she wanted nothing to do with it. Ji Wei couldn’t help but smile at her reluctance.

“It doesn’t cost you anything to try a bite.”

“Is this what you made with the tofu I bought you?” Aunt Zhou asked, puzzled.

“How did perfectly good tofu turn into this stinky stuff?”

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Ji Wei grabbed some tofu himself, blew on it, and took a bite, his face lighting up with satisfaction as he savored it.

Could this taste good? Aunt Zhou thought, confused and curious. Figuring she’d never tried something like this before, she decided to give it a try. She reluctantly took a bite.

To her surprise, it wasn’t bad at all!

Aunt Zhou’s eyes lit up.

Nearby, several people who were overwhelmed by the smell, especially the neighboring vendors who had no place to escape to, were stuck. Bored, they watched Ji Wei and Aunt Zhou to see what they were up to.

They were shocked when Aunt Zhou, who had just looked disgusted moments ago, suddenly changed her attitude, enjoying the stinky tofu as if it were some rare delicacy. It was bewildering.

“Is that stuff really good?” a vegetable seller asked loudly.

“Why don’t you try it and find out?” Ji Wei said, scooping up a bowl with three pieces of stinky tofu inside.

Each piece was about an inch and a half square, with a few vegetables on the side, making for a decent portion.

“I don’t think so. Ji, you should put the lid back on. Leaving it open like this is just inconsiderate!” An old man, frowning and irritated, snapped.

Ji Wei understood the power of stinky tofu and quickly apologized, putting the lid back on. But even with the cover, faint tendrils of the smell still seeped out. There was no way around it.

With no customers for the moment, Ji Wei leaned against the wall, casually glancing at the idle “Steamed Bun Beauty” across the way.

Noticing his gaze, she quickly looked up, only to glance away just as fast, embarrassed. But in that brief moment, Ji Wei caught sight of a bruise on her forehead.

Ji Wei clicked his tongue in disapproval and looked away.

A few days ago, they hadn’t set up their stall, and Ji Wei had been planning to visit them to settle a debt. Now that they were back, his plan would have to wait.

What a bother.

“Isn’t Lin’s Second Aunt selling here today?” According to what she had said before, she should have been here yesterday or today, but there was no sign of her on West Street.

“She’s selling here now too?” Aunt Zhou asked, surprised. “In such a short time, so many people have popped up selling the same thing. Looks like selling flatbreads won’t be easy anymore. No wonder Daliang switched to selling cookies.”

“I taught her the flatbread recipe to repay her for helping me,” Ji Wei explained briefly, and Aunt Zhou nodded in agreement.

“After all, she had no obligation to help you, but she went all the way to Daxi Town to do your work. It’s only right to repay her.”

Ji Wei nodded.

A young woman who had been observing for a while finally made up her mind. She had always loved Ji Wei’s flatbreads, but after he stopped selling them, she had occasionally gone to the Steamed Bun Beauty’s stall. It wasn’t quite the same, though, missing a certain flavor she craved.

Today, seeing Ji Wei back out, she found herself tempted, though the stinky tofu smell made her hesitate.

After circling for nearly a quarter of an hour, she finally decided.

Who knows when Ji Wei will set up shop again? Better to try it now.

“I’ll take one serving of this and one flatbread. But only if you make it yourself!”