2: Make a fuss about the craft of stinky tofu

Lu Chuan never expected that the system would make him sell stinky tofu next to a public restroom.

Leaving aside whether he could sell any, wouldn't people think he was crazy?

However, no matter how Lu Chuan communicated with the system, it was unyielding and absolutely refused to change the mission location.

Watching the death countdown tick away, Lu Chuan felt the urgency of time.

Just the initial preparations like ingredient procurement and brine fermentation would take some time, and he didn't know how easy it would be to earn appetite coins once the stall was set up.

Lu Chuan could only reluctantly accept the system's arrangement and walked away from the bottom of the valley.

Yinhua Mountain is not very high in elevation, but it covers a vast area and boasts a wide variety of species.

Therefore, many villagers from nearby settlements make a living by foraging in the mountains.

What was strange, however, was that Lu Chuan climbed up the cliff from another gentle slope and then descended along the same route he had taken to go up the mountain.

Walking all the way down to the base of the mountain, it was unlike usual; he didn't see a single forager for a long time.

Not only that, but along this not-so-short descent, Lu Chuan also saw many plants he had never encountered before.

He had been foraging for several years, and while he couldn't recognize all the vegetation on Yinhua Mountain, he knew at least forty to fifty percent of it.

But along this path, the plants he could name accounted for only a very small proportion.

Although puzzled, Lu Chuan, eager to get down the mountain, didn't delve too deeply into it.

He just put it down to coincidence.

However, he did raise his guard, and relying on his rich foraging experience accumulated over the years, he carefully avoided paths left by passing animals.

Finally, he safely left Yinhua Mountain and returned to the familiar Lu Family Village.

Lu Chuan's house was in a corner of the village; to the side of his small flat-roofed house were a five-acre fish pond and a ten-acre farmstead.

When Lu Chuan's parents were still alive, both the fish pond and the farmstead belonged to his family.

But his parents passed away early, and his grandmother was bedridden with cancer.

Lu Chuan, being young and inexperienced, could only entrust the village committee with notarizing the transfer of his family's sole source of income, the fish pond and farmstead, to a wealthy family in the village.

Fortunately, that wealthy family was kind and didn't haggle with Lu Chuan.

The wealthy family even promised that when Lu Chuan had money in the future, he could buy them back at the original price.

Lu Chuan was grateful for this.

However, the money from selling the fish pond and farmstead was still not enough in the face of his grandmother's cancer.

Eventually, all the money was spent, and his grandmother still left him.

Without the money from selling the fish pond and farmstead, and having dropped out of school early with a low education level, Lu Chuan couldn't find work in the city.

He could only learn from the villagers and go foraging in the mountains.

He hoped to make a living and earn some small money to save for a future business.

However, foraging is a livelihood dependent on the weather, and even experienced foragers, if unlucky, still manage to find some meager comfort in their earnings.

As for Lu Chuan, who relied solely on his own exploration, his harvests were predictable.

It was already difficult enough just to keep himself from starving.

"The system only provided the recipe and stall tools; as for the cooking skills I need, those are given as mission rewards."

"As for the raw materials needed for the stall, I'll have to figure that out myself."

Lu Chuan frowned and quickly walked towards the small wooden bed in the corner.

He grabbed the old bed frame with both hands and lifted it up.

With a teeth-grinding creak, the bed frame awkwardly shifted, revealing a faded piggy bank underneath.

Over the years, whenever Lu Chuan had a successful foraging trip, no matter how much he earned, he would always set aside twenty and put it into the piggy bank.

Even if he had no harvest for the next few days and was reduced to eating wild vegetables and drinking water, he would force himself not to touch the money in the piggy bank.

This was because, after the successive blows of his parents' early deaths and his grandmother's cancer, he had finally understood some principles of survival.

Lu Chuan held the piggy bank, his thumb caressing its mottled patterns, a look of deep emotion on his face.

With his parents gone so early, the things they left him were becoming fewer and fewer as time went on.

"Alas."

A sigh.

Followed by the sound of porcelain breaking.

Lu Chuan clutched the wrinkled banknotes and hurried out the door with a worried expression.

"No matter what, I still have to verify if 'setting up a stall to sell stinky tofu next to a public restroom' is feasible or not!"

..."It's indeed not feasible! It seems I'll have to make improvements to the stinky tofu's crafting process!"

The long memory ended.

Lu Chuan shook his head.

Taking advantage of no one being around, he quickly summoned a tricycle from the system's storage space, got on, and rode away.

Half an hour later, Lu Chuan returned to Lu Family Village.

"Chuan Wa Zi, you bought a tricycle? This vehicle looks really nice."

Lu Deyang, who was leisurely fanning himself under the big tree at the village entrance, sat up in surprise and called out to Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan gave a simple, honest smile, called out "Uncle De Yang," and then bid farewell.

"This kid's life is getting better and better, that's good, that's good."

Lu Deyang watched Lu Chuan's retreating figure, a smile on his face, and lay back down in his chair.

As the village secretary, Lu Deyang naturally knew Lu Chuan's family situation.

He felt great sympathy for this ill-fated young man and had even organized villagers to donate money and goods in earlier years.

But they were all poor farmers with low incomes, so they could only help for a while, not forever.

Lu Chuan was also a proud person; he believed that with his own hands and feet, he didn't need others' help to live.

Since he started foraging in the mountains, he had declined the help of his fellow villagers.

After Lu Deyang repeatedly confirmed that Lu Chuan could support himself, he stopped bringing up the matter, only inviting Lu Chuan to his home for a meal during festivals.

"But where did Chuan Wa Zi get the money to buy a tricycle? That vehicle doesn't look cheap."

Lu Deyang shook his head and didn't delve deeper.

Perhaps he encountered a batch of premium goods while foraging and sold them for a good price.

It was a livelihood dependent on the weather, so it wasn't impossible.

Riding his tricycle home, Lu Chuan inevitably encountered curious villagers who asked questions.

But seeing that Lu Chuan only gave an honest smile, everyone stopped pressing, though they were all happy for Lu Chuan.

Having a tricycle was good; he could do other profitable businesses, which was better than the foraging life that depended on the weather.

Lu Chuan, on his tricycle, couldn't navigate the small alleys, so he had to stick to the main road of the village.

After turning another corner, he could already see his house.

At this moment, as he passed by a villager's doorstep, the familiar sound of the news broadcast passed through the gate and into Lu Chuan's ears.

"Recently, our country's scientific expedition team has discovered... in Lop Nur... and other places..., which has attracted widespread attention. It is expected that... new species... are currently undergoing further research..."

Lu Chuan blinked in confusion.

"New species?"

He inexplicably thought of the unfamiliar flowers and plants on Yinhua Mountain, but then quickly shook his head.

"What's it to me?"

With a tight grip on the handlebars, the tricycle stopped in front of his house.

Then he began unloading the raw materials and tools from the vehicle, busily going in and out of his house several times to finish moving everything.

"Phew!"

He wiped away some sweat, and after a moment of daze.

He lightly patted his cheeks, dispelling the anxiety and worry on his face.

"Once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back. Come on."

Lu Chuan neatly arranged the raw materials he had pushed onto the ground and the tools needed for making stinky tofu.

Then he quickly tidied up the kitchen, transforming it into a small workshop-style workspace.

By the time everything was ready, it was already mealtime.

Lu Chuan casually ate a few dry steamed buns, then began to organize his thoughts.

"The system rigidly requires me to set up a stall to sell stinky tofu next to a public restroom, but I verified this morning that it's not feasible; there's no market for it at all."

"Since the system won't change the mission, I can only find a solution with the stinky tofu itself!"

"I suppose, as long as I can make sufficiently delicious stinky tofu, there should still be some hope of completing the mission, right?"

Lu Chuan thought helplessly.

The "Delicious stinky tofu" recipe granted by the system encompassed all stinky tofu production techniques, ancient and modern.

With this knowledge, he would not be exaggerating to call himself a contemporary master of stinky tofu production.

But the question was, could this alone produce stinky tofu delicious enough to make people overlook the poor environment?

According to the system's recipe description, stinky tofu production is divided into two methods: traditional craftsmanship and modern craftsmanship.

Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.

For example, traditional craftsmanship's disadvantage is a long brine fermentation period, requiring at least half a month of fermentation, and the fermentation and frying heat are difficult to control.

But its advantage is that natural fermentation retains more nutrients, creating a layered sensation of "crispy outside, tender inside, initially stinky then fragrant," with a richer flavor.

Modern craftsmanship's advantage is a short brine fermentation period, completing fermentation quickly, and using additives to ensure stable flavor.

Its disadvantage, naturally, is that it doesn't achieve the mellow flavor of stinky tofu made with traditional craftsmanship.

According to Lu Chuan's preference, he would naturally lean towards using traditional craftsmanship to make stinky tofu.

With the knowledge he possessed, the stinky tofu he produced would definitely be more delicious than other stinky tofu made with traditional craftsmanship on the market.

However, the system's time limit was very tight.

The death countdown had less than 29 days left.

And one mission cycle would likely not yield enough appetite coins, so he naturally needed to complete as many missions as possible before the countdown ended.

This also left Lu Chuan with no choice.