I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Soon, the group returned to the temporary stove, each person carrying an armful of firewood.

Xiao Yue volunteered to tend the fire.

Wei Ping helped get it lit.

As the fire in the stove grew stronger, everyone on site gathered around it.

A roaring fire always seems to inspire hope.

After washing the pot, Li You and Liu Xu worked together to pour both buckets of soy milk into it.

The next step was simply to stir continuously while waiting for the soy milk to boil.

Everyone’s face was filled with anticipation.

Slowly, the soy milk in the pot began to bubble and roll.

After bringing it to a boil three consecutive times, the task was complete.

At this point, the soy milk was ready to drink.

Even though there was a large crowd, Li You decided to offer everyone half a bowl of soy milk.

This time, the goal wasn’t about how much tofu they made, but about letting everyone experience the process.

So, the final amount of tofu didn’t matter.

Da Bai brought out more than eighty bowls from the kitchen and laid them out in rows.

When everyone heard they could drink the soy milk, they grew even more excited and eager.

They were sure the soy milk they had a hand in making would be exceptionally rich and fragrant.

And it was.

After taking their first sip, everyone praised it endlessly. They all said they had never tasted such delicious soy milk.

More importantly, this soy milk was truly high in nutritional value—many times higher than the kind sold outside.

Liu Xu and many others once again posted photos and videos of them drinking the soy milk to the food group chat.

The previous food photos hadn’t managed to make the group members who didn’t come feel envious.

But this time, everyone who had missed out was green with envy.

"What’s that soy milk taste like? It must be amazing, right?"

"You not only get to be part of the tofu-making process, but you also get to drink fresh soy milk. Damn it! I really should’ve gone today."

"What’s next? How do you turn that soy milk into tofu?"

"Good question. You’ve probably heard the phrases ’setting tofu with gypsum’ or ’setting tofu with brine,’ right? This is where you use gypsum or brine. We’re using gypsum today."

"I’ve heard the saying, but I’ve never seen it done. You guys have to film the process and post it in the group!"

"No problem."

"..."

The group chat was buzzing, and back at the farm, everyone finished their soy milk and looked at Li You with anticipation.

They all knew that the most incredible and magical step was next.

Li You smiled faintly, took out a measured amount of gypsum powder, and dissolved it in a specific amount of clean water.

Then he asked, "Does anyone want to give it a try?"

"I will!"

"Me!"

Many people, including Wei Ping and Liu Xu, wanted to have a go.

They could take turns, relay-style. It was a good thing, too, since this step was quite strenuous.

They decided to start with Wei Ping.

Wei Ping took the bowl of gypsum water from Li You and said expectantly, "Boss, you’ll have to keep a close eye on me! I’ve never done this before."

Li You laughed. "Alright, I’ll watch."

By now, the remaining soy milk from the pot had all been transferred into a large stainless steel basin.

The temperature had cooled to around 90 degrees Celsius.

This was the perfect temperature.

"Master Wei, pour the gypsum water into the soy milk little by little. And keep stirring constantly as you pour," Li You instructed Wei Ping.

"Got it!"

Wei Ping began the process.

After Wei Ping, Liu Xu and the others took their turns.

With everyone taking turns and stirring continuously, the soy milk in the basin finally began to change, and curds started to form.

Slowly, more and more curds appeared.

These curds were tofu, just not yet pressed into shape.

If they wanted to eat tofu pudding, it was ready at this stage.

But they decided against eating the tofu pudding.

Mainly because there wasn’t enough to go around.

Watching the tofu appear little by little, everyone on site was thrilled, and they all took out their phones to record the magical process.

When someone posted a video to the food group chat, the members who hadn’t come also seemed quite excited.

"Hahaha! I finally got to see the whole process of ’setting tofu with gypsum.’ It’s really magical. The only regret is not being there in person."

"So that’s how tofu is made, it’s really amazing. But this doesn’t look anything like the tofu we buy at the market! Are you going to turn it into the kind of tofu we see at the market?"

"Of course. Right now, it’s still tofu pudding, which can’t really be used as a cooking ingredient. It has to be turned into those familiar square blocks of tofu from the market."

"So? How do you do that?"

"Well, we’ll just have to watch the Boss carefully. Don’t worry, we’ll film the process and post it in the group."

"Great! Thanks for the trouble."

"Don’t mention it!"

"..."

The group members who hadn’t come were extremely curious and eager to see how this tofu pudding would be transformed into firm, square blocks of tofu.

The people at the farm felt the same way.

Amidst everyone’s anticipation, Li You began the final step.

Pressing the tofu!

He brought out a wooden box that had been prepared earlier and lined it with a piece of cheesecloth.

Then, together with Wei Ping, Liu Xu, and the others, he poured all the tofu pudding from the basin into the wooden box.

He then smoothed out the tofu pudding.

After that, he folded the cheesecloth over the top and placed the lid on the wooden box.

Finally, he placed a large bucket full of water on top of the lid to act as a weight.

And with that, the job was done.

Next, the tofu would slowly take shape under the heavy pressure.

So that was it—the tofu was pressed into its final form.

Everyone present felt like they had learned something truly new.

To be there in person, to participate in and witness the entire process of making tofu, had been a truly meaningful experience.