Grandma’s Tofu Shop My Prose

A certain moment or image in childhood is likely to be remembered for a lifetime. For example, one afternoon, with smoke pouring down from the kitchen, a tofu shop was placed in a corner of the countryside, and it also slept in my memories. middle. The tofu shop belongs to my grandma, and she has been running it for most of her life. When I was a little girl half a person tall, I often regarded the tofu shop as my castle.

My grandma has been busy with the tofu shop for most of her life, and I have been wandering and playing around the tofu shop for the entirety of my childhood. My grandma’s job at that time was to run a tofu shop and take care of me. In my impression, I have spent time with my grandma and tofu shop since I was born. Before I learned to walk, my grandma would carry me on her back with a sling to make and sell tofu; after I learned to walk, my grandma would watch me entertain myself and run a tofu shop. When selling tofu, he held my little hand and walked through half the village. Throughout my childhood, my grandma and Tofu Fang were my playmates. It was my grandma and Tofu Fang who accompanied me as I grew up. Therefore, after a long, long time, I can still clearly recall the scene at that time, and I can still clearly remember my grandma’s busy back, my joyful laughter, and the sweet and soft fragrance of tofu, which made my heart heal. Leaves hair soft and warm.

When I was young, a piece of tofu only cost 20 cents. When many older people were thirsty, they did not buy water or popsicles, but bought one or two pieces of tofu, which can both quench their thirst and Can satisfy hunger. Our family's tofu shop was passed down from our ancestors. Grandma has been running it for most of her life, but she still failed to protect this small business and fell into ruin in her hands. Before giving up this business, the price of tofu rose to 50 cents a piece, which was a bit expensive in comparison. But considering that the economy is becoming more and more developed and people's living standards are getting better and better, it is still cheap. It is precisely because tofu is cheap but requires a lot of time, energy and manpower to make, so my father is no longer willing to take over this business. Grandma was not willing to give up at first, but her body became thinner and thinner, and she no longer had the strength and energy she had before. Grandma had no choice but to obey her father's words and give up this ancestral small business.

Now I can still vaguely remember that during the time when I just gave up, my grandma would still get up early. It was only after she got up that she felt that she no longer needed to get up so early, and then she went back. Go to the room and lie down, sighing softly. At that time, I didn't understand the complex emotions contained in this sigh, but now that I think about it, I should understand. In that sigh, there was helplessness, reluctance, and regret. But so what? She no longer has the ability to do anything.

Our tofu shop can be said to be famous in several surrounding villages. Whenever there is a Chinese New Year or a festival, they have to come to our house to make a reservation in advance, because if they come late, the tofu will be sold out and there will be no more. . At that time, I asked my grandma, why not make more and sell them? Grandma smiled and said, "Help me, help me and I'll do it." I knew what grandma said was a joke, but I still didn't have the courage to agree to her, so I had to stay silent. I have seen the whole process of making tofu, so I clearly understand how tiring the process of making tofu is. Therefore, grandma needs the help of her parents and uncles to make tofu during the Chinese New Year and festivals. She is busy from the evening of the day before the festival until late at night. Sometimes it lasts all night. During that time, whether I was in my dream or outside my dream, I could hear their busy voices.

Making tofu is a delicate job, and the whole process consumes a lot of time, energy and manpower. Before making tofu, soak the soybeans in water the night before so that they can fully absorb the water, and then grind them into a pulp the next day. Graphite is entirely made of huge rocks. It takes a lot of effort to push the graphite, and it can't just rely on strength, it also requires skill. If you only use strength without technique, you will be exhausted, sweating profusely, and panting in a short time. In the process of making tofu, almost all of it requires strength. Unlike now, where machines can be used instead, the tofu made by my grandma is all made by herself, without the use of machines. So now when I think of the taste, I still feel it's particularly sweet, soft and delicate.

During the whole process of making tofu, we children generally cannot resist the temptation to eat. In the process of turning beans into milk, we drink soy milk; after boiling the soy milk and adding lime paste, it can become tofu curd. After the tofu curd is squeezed, it can become real tofu cubes.

So when making tofu, I would help to light the fire for grandma and give her this and that. Because after helping grandma do some work, I can eat these delicacies more smoothly. In addition, the filtered tofu residue is added with chopped green onion and soy sauce, and it can be turned into a special side dish after frying.

Now, grandma no longer makes tofu, and most of the utensils for making tofu are scattered in the corners. The wooden ones are burned as firewood. Those stones have been piled in the backyard before, but in the past few years The foundation of the house was built at home, and the stones had a place to rest. The big pot was placed in the storage room, covered with a thick layer of dust. Now, it’s not that there’s no tofu outside, it’s just that I miss grandma’s tofu even more, so the tofu outside doesn’t taste as good.

I still remember that when I was a child, my grandma’s body was still very strong and her spirit was much better than it is now. Her eyes always shone with a light and glory that I can’t describe. But now my grandma's body has become extremely thin. The back that once carried me through my childhood has now become rickety, bent like a small slope; her ears are getting worse and worse. Every time I call home, , grandma said she couldn’t hear what I was saying. I had no choice but to let my mother convey my words.

I spent my childhood with my grandma. At that time, my grandma still ran a tofu shop, so I would follow her around. Grandma always thought I was causing trouble. It affected her work, so she would irritably drive me aside and say: "Go and play, don't mess around. If you can't do your job well, don't even think about eating sweets or popsicles."

Hearing what grandma said, you thought that maybe I would run far away so as not to hinder grandma from working. But I didn’t do that at that time. Instead, I ran to grandma with a bright face. Tell grandma: "Grandma, let me help you. I have strong strength, so you don't have to exert any effort." After that, I went to help grandma lift the big stone. At that time, part of the process of making tofu in our family was to use stones to press the tofu so that the tofu could condense into tofu cubes. Grandma looked at me and smiled anxiously, and waved her hand quickly: "Yao sister, grandma knows that you are strong, so go and help grandma move the small stone. Grandma will be useful." It is rare to have a chance to perform well, so I How could you not perform well? So I almost ran to the corner and effortlessly picked up the small stone and ran to grandma. After placing it, I said: "Grandma, I have moved here. Can Yaomei do it?" I felt happy in my heart. , can’t wait for grandma’s praise. Grandma was not stingy either, praising her and saying, "My sister is very strong, and she loves grandma so much that she can help her with her work." After hearing what grandma said, my smile became even brighter, and I felt as bright and bright as a flower blooming. . In fact, my purpose at that time was not grandma's praise, but the reward after the praise. Generally speaking, after grandma praises someone, she will reward them with some snacks or rewards.

I think everyone will be a glutton when they were young. I am no exception. I don’t think about eating every day, but think about those good-looking and delicious snacks. The snacks eaten at that time were extremely cheap. You could buy two candies wrapped in transparent and colorful plastic paper for a dime, popsicles for only a dime, and a small bamboo tube for a dime. sunflower seeds. So every time I want to buy snacks, I always ask my grandma for money. Asking grandma for money is something that requires luck, because when asking grandma for money, whether grandma will give you more or less depends on the sales volume of tofu. If the tofu is sold well, you will be given 20 cents. If the tofu is not sold well, you will be given only 10 cents or none. Because of this, I also learned to act with caution. Sometimes I ask grandma but she doesn't give me anything, and I feel that grandma is very discouraged and doesn't love me. After all, I was still young at that time, and I couldn’t understand the deeper aspects. I could only guess my grandma’s psychological thoughts from the most superficial and basic things. Thinking about it now, I was really willful at that time.

When I grow up, I can help in more places. I can help grandma sell tofu in the "store". The "store" is a fixed place where grandma sets up a tofu stall. It takes half a village to get to the "store" from the door of her house. As I grew up, my grandma also grew old. Grandma's strength is getting worse year by year, day by day. She carries a load of tofu to the "store" by herself, and has to rest several times on the way. Seeing this situation, I would help my grandma pick the tofu to the "store" every day before going to school.

Grandma doesn't go home to eat at noon, because no one will watch her when she's gone, so when she gets home from school and is full, she takes some food in her lunch box and takes it to the "store" for her to eat. Instead of going home after school, I went directly to the "store" to pick up grandma. I was swaying in front of me with my burden, and grandma was walking leisurely with her hands behind her back. During those times, I really felt like I had grown up, and I couldn't be more happy.

In the summer, grandma is most worried about not being able to sell the tofu. In fact, there is nothing that can be done about it. It’s just that grandma feels that she will suffer a big loss if she can’t sell it. But sometimes there is no way to sell the tofu, so grandma has to turn the tofu into fermented bean curd to extend its shelf life. Making bean curd is a relatively simple process and I have been making it since I was very young. To make bean curd, you only need to cut the original tofu cubes into nine small pieces, and then evenly sprinkle a layer of mold on each side of each small square to ferment it. After a few days, it can be put into a glass jar. Make it delicious. When I was a child, I could cook but not cook. When the adults were away and there was no food to eat, I would take out a bottle of fermented bean curd and eat it as a side dish. Now that I think about it, it was actually a very simple meal, but at that time I ate it with gusto. Although it is a very simple taste, I can't forget it for a long time. Many times, big fish and meat are not as delicious as a simple can of fermented bean curd. Was it because the thoughts in my heart were simple at that time, so I could feel satisfied and happy so easily? The more I think about it now, the less I understand what I want.

My grandma has been selling tofu for most of her life. I have always wondered where the money from selling tofu went, and then I started to make wild guesses. Later, when I first entered college, my grandma privately gave me a thousand yuan and gave my brother five hundred yuan. When I saw the money, I was stunned and asked her where the money came from. Grandma didn't say anything, but said with a straight face: "Just take it, what are you thinking about?" Seeing that Grandma's tone was a little unhappy, I didn't continue to ask. It was only when I quietly pulled my mother into the room at night and asked about it that my mother told the truth. Mom said that it was grandma’s private money, some of it was given by others, and some of it was earned from selling tofu. She was reluctant to use it herself, so she spent the money year after year to supplement the tuition fees for my brother and me. I was speechless and my mind went blank. Only then did I understand why my grandma always said "study hard" every time she went back to school.

Grandma has never studied, but she knows everything clearly every time she settles accounts. It's not that grandma is smart, but that she spent a lot of effort and time to know how to calculate accounts, how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Maybe grandma doesn't have these concepts in her mind, and she just relies on her own experience to do calculations. But it is precisely because of this that grandma knows the importance of reading, and she gives us countless instructions to study hard. Grandma just hopes that we can study hard so that we won’t have to live such a hard life in the future. What grandma hopes is that everything will be fine for us in the future.

Grandma is at home now. When she wants to go out, she goes to the fields to have a look. If she doesn’t want to go out, she stays at home. I asked her why she didn't come to visit? Grandma always said: "When people get old, they will become annoying to others." I felt very uncomfortable when I heard this, because the old lady was annoyed by my father before. So at this time, I hugged my grandma and said, "Grandma, I don't mind it. When I have money, we will go traveling. I will take you by plane, train, or ship." Grandma also smiled and said, "Okay. Ah, I’m waiting for that day.”

In fact, I didn’t feel confident when I said those words. I don’t know when I will be rich, and I don’t know how long my grandma can wait for me. I am away from home all year round, so my family has become the people I care about the most and the most inseparable part of me. Every time I pass a new place, I will take a photo with my phone and send it home to show them and grandma, telling them that this is the place I have been to. Every time I listen to my grandma's voice on the phone, I can feel her warm smile. Even though she can't hear my voice, I believe she can sense what I'm going to say, and I believe she can understand my mood.

Now every time we come home, we are busy chatting with grandma, recalling the past and looking forward to the future, so that the whole home is filled with a warm feeling of love. We have grown up, and grandma has become the youngest child in our family, so she should be relaxed and carefree, just smiling happily every day.

Therefore, I will use my best efforts to make her grow up happily, just like she used her best efforts to make us grow up happily.