There weren't many beans, and thus, not much tofu pudding. Even though they didn’t drink a lot, with the amount that Han Cheng had served, everyone couldn't have some.

This was where the benefits of power and status became apparent.

Of course, it also had much to do with Han Cheng's persuasive skills.

"The tofu pudding tastes great, and tofu is even better, but there are too few beans in our tribe. You all need to work hard on farming; in the autumn, we’ll have a bountiful harvest of beans. When the time comes, we’ll all be able to enjoy plenty of tofu and drink lots of tofu pudding…”

He taught the tribe members about the importance of hard work, subtly turning any feelings of unfairness caused by the scarcity of food into motivation for farming. This was Han Cheng's cleverness.

Yes, it was a form of wisdom in both life and management.

Han Cheng enjoyed the current tribe atmosphere, where everyone worked together without backstabbing or scheming. Living in such an environment felt truly refreshing. So, daily, he would intentionally guide others and take action to protect and maintain this peaceful state.

There was no rush for private property—it couldn’t be rushed. Given the Green Sparrow tribe's current development level and population size, collective labor and solidarity were the most appropriate models.

Having already figured out the nature of the primitive people, Han Cheng’s words were undoubtedly effective, as evidenced by how the tribe members pounded their chests in agreement.

Seeing the people motivated to farm and grow more beans, Han Cheng nodded with satisfaction.

This is the way it should be!

Reaching out, he touched the side of the large vat and felt that the tofu pudding had cooled to the right temperature. He then began using a large clay bowl to scoop the tofu pudding and pour it into a square wooden mold nearby.

The mold was lined with two layers of fine hemp cloth that Snowy had carefully woven to prevent the tofu from leaking through the holes.

There wasn’t much tofu pudding, filling only a little over half of the mold.

Han Cheng folded the corners of the cloth that lined the mold over the tofu, pulling them tight, and then placed a clean clay pot filled with some water on top to press it down.

Some warm, slightly cloudy water drifted down the mold's edges.

After waiting for a while, seeing that the water was dripping slower, Han Cheng lifted the clay pot and tightened the cloth.

About half an hour later, the water had slowed to a near halt.

With the tribe members watching, Han Cheng moved the clay pot aside, pulled off the cloth, and revealed the soft, steaming tofu that had formed inside the mold.

Han Cheng smiled. It's not easy to make tofu, but fortunately, it was finally done!

He eagerly grabbed a bone knife, cut off a small piece, and popped it into his mouth.

The fresh taste of the tofu surrounded him, bringing a long-lost feeling that was wonderful, almost as though his pores were opening up at that moment.

Shaman also took a small piece of tofu and tasted it. This time, it didn’t dissolve immediately in his mouth, and he could truly feel the texture of the tofu.

However, as the divine child had said, it was very soft, and even without teeth, it could be easily chewed.

It was indeed the perfect food for the elderly with missing teeth.

However, the taste was not as good as he had imagined.

Of course, the taste wasn’t as great as he had expected—plain white tofu hadn’t been cooked yet.

Han Cheng glanced at him sideways, looking quite proud.

How dare they doubt the taste of tofu? It seems that it’s time to show them a little skill today.

Once the idea was settled, Han Cheng started to think about how to prepare the tofu.

Green onion with tofu? It’s simple and easy, perfect for freshly made tofu, but the tribe lacked a small oil grinder.

Mapo tofu?

That would definitely be flavorful, and if made right, it would make the primitive people slurp and beg for more. Too bad they didn’t have chili peppers or Sichuan peppercorns... ꞦᴀN∅BƐ𝙨

Boiled tofu?

This could be done, though it would be a bit bland.

After thinking for a moment, Han Cheng felt a bit helpless. Having good ingredients but lacking the proper seasonings was indeed frustrating.

Fortunately, he was a food lover, and one from the Food Lover's Empire, no less. Making tofu was not something that would trouble him.

After a bit of thought, he came up with an idea.

He immediately sent the tribe's young ones to the small river with fish baskets.

With the subtle shift in the tribe’s diet and a decrease in fish in the river, the Green Sparrow tribe no longer fished daily.

Now, they only went fishing every few days or longer.

Fishing was even rare in the spring because the divine child had said that many fish were spawning during this time.

Catching just one fish might cause many others to disappear, which would be pretty unwise.

After thinking it over, the tribe agreed with the divine child’s advice.

After all, the fish roe in the bellies of the fish were few, but if left to grow, they could become many more fish.

Of course, this only worked if the tribe had plenty of other food to rely on.

Without enough other food, it would be impossible for the fish in the river to thrive.

Han Cheng’s fishing ban was proving effective. Ten young ones returned by noon with over forty pounds of fish.

Such efficiency hadn’t been achieved in the previous year.

After cleaning the fish, Han Cheng cut it into chunks, salted it, added some wine to remove the fishy smell, and then began slicing the tofu, which had been cut into cubes.

Yes, he was preparing fish tofu soup.

If he had enough ingredients, fish head tofu soup would be the best, but the fish in the river were fewer now, and there were many mouths to feed in the tribe.

Using only fish heads for the soup would be too wasteful.

After cutting the tofu, the fish pieces had been salted enough.

The fish pieces were placed in a large clay jar with a small amount of water and simmered for a while. Then, a lot more water was added, and the tofu was placed in as well, covered, and simmered together.

There’s a saying: "Boil tofu a thousand times, fish a thousand times." It means that both tofu and fish tolerate long cooking times, and the longer they stew, the better the flavor.

Of course, the water must be brought to a boil first, then the heat lowered to a simmer, or the fish will turn to mush after too long.

After a while, the aroma began to spread.

The novelty of tofu in the tribe, combined with the wonderful smell, stirred everyone’s appetite.

Shaman, Shi Tou, the eldest senior brother, and other high-ranking tribe members gathered around the large jar, salivating. The rest of the tribe went about their work, also salivating.

The slaves, like Chang Tui and Cao Geng, had only heard whispers of the great divine child making new, delicious food. They could only gaze longingly from a distance, imagining how wonderful the taste must be.

The lid of the large jar was lifted, and white steam spread.

The tofu, white and with tiny holes from being cooked, mixed with fish pieces, soaking in the pale fish broth, and sprinkled with a few handfuls of fresh green onions, looked so delicious that it made one's mouth water.

Due to limited ingredients, only a few people, including Han Cheng, got a whole serving. The others received only a small half-bowl.

But no matter whether there was fish in the bowl, there was always a bit of tofu inside.

The tiny blocks of tofu, each only about two centimeters wide, four centimeters long, and less than half a centimeter thick, were split in half with a spoon and served in two separate bowls for two people. This miserly portioning made even Han Cheng, with his thick-skinned demeanor, feel a little embarrassed. It was just too frugal.

However, the people of the tribe didn’t see it that way.

They could see the amount of tofu, and yes, it was indeed very little. Many had already prepared themselves to wait until autumn to taste tofu again.

They hadn’t expected that the divine child would give everyone a taste of tofu today.

Each person’s heart warmed with gratitude. With this feeling, even a dish that only had a fraction of its usual flavor seemed to taste much better.

Moreover, since tofu was so scarce, everyone cherished it. The fish soup tofu tasted good, and by the end of the meal, everyone was singing its praises.

This also solidified their resolve to work diligently on growing beans so that in the future, they could eat tofu every day, just like eating millet.

The tofu's flavor had soaked into the fish soup, and when they bit into it, chewing slowly, Han Cheng closed his eyes in comfort.

Free of the summer heat, a breeze blew through the bamboo grove, rustling the green leaves. It almost seemed as if the bamboo itself was celebrating this historic moment.

Three days later, the Green Sparrow tribe’s merchant caravan set off once again. Having tasted the benefits of trading, they were determined to exchange everything good they could find for more treasures to bring back to the tribe.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay