Cousin's "Tofu Shop"
Text/Zhang Longhui
A few years ago, her cousin, who lived on the street of Liang umbrella town, was admitted to Tianshui University in Gansu Province after graduating from high school, but she failed to do so. There are three reasons why she did not succeed: First, the cousin knew that her father was suspected of "preferring sons over daughters", and would rather let her brother go to school than let her read a lot of books. According to her father's words: the more knowledge the girl has, the more reactionary she is, and her clever tongue is like a spring, and she should respond to her mouth, which will make him difficult to teach and discipline in the future, and he will be angry! That was the reason why she could not enter a higher education institution. Secondly, the family is burdened, difficult, earns less money, uses more money, can't afford the high college tuition, and it is already very good for the cousin to finish high school. The main reason is that her cousin looks like a water spirit, her father is afraid that she will not return to her hometown after studying abroad, marry away from home, and lose her daughter when she gains knowledge, and he does not want to be old, and his children are not around and no one takes care of him. Therefore, the cousin has self-awareness, premonition that it is impossible to continue to study, after comprehensive consideration, had to choose to abandon school, and started a small tofu business in the umbrella street in front of the house.
The reason why my cousin chose this small tofu business was because of her considerations. Because the tofu business has little money, it does not pressure the rapid turnover of funds. Secondly, in the umbrella business, she occupies the time and place, are familiar with the acquaintances of the villagers, with a few familiar faces, will also do business. Besides, the water source of the umbrella is good, and the tofu made is particularly different from other places. Therefore, umbrella tofu has a reputation in all directions, outsiders have a special trip to the umbrella to buy tofu, not to mention the past truck drivers, as long as they pass by the umbrella, they will bring a few pieces of tofu home or send relatives and friends. The market prospect of umbrella tofu is broad, and there is an endless stream of people who need it every day, and sometimes they can't buy it if they start a little slowly. Why does umbrella tofu sell well? The reason is that the altitude is high, the sunshine time is long, the quality of soybeans is good, it is natural and pollution-free, and the water quality is suitable for making tofu. The production of umbrella tofu is very exquisite, it is the use of traditional stone grinding pulp, with gauze drainage, the pulp is opened to cool to a certain temperature, and then the gypsum is burned into a powder, mixed in proportion to soy milk to ferment into tofu brain, and then drained with gauze tofu brain, a plate of water tofu is homemade. In particular, the water of the umbrella is suitable for making tofu, and the tofu made is tender and delicious, and the aftertaste is endless.
There are many unique advantages in the production of umbrella tofu, but it is really difficult to do it well. As a newly graduated high school girl who wants to open a tofu shop, she must first pass the test ideologically, and the "tofu shop" is indecent in the hearts of locals. Therefore, when the cousin proposed to open such a shop, the family was strongly opposed, and everyone did not agree with the cousin's opening of this shop. But the cousin is stubborn and willful, and has to challenge the world. I thought to myself, the name of the store is like a name, just everyone's title, easy to remember, does not represent anything. Besides, I am not afraid of the shadow crooked, how about the tofu shop, I am a tofu shop that opens soybean processing ingredients instead of a tofu shop that is fun, and I make money to eat with my ability, there is nothing wrong with it, and she will do what she looks for. My cousin, who just left the book, was really difficult to make tofu in the first place. Not only do you have no experience in making tofu, but you must also be able to get used to sneering, especially if you have a good temperament, you must be able to deal with malicious ridicule and teasing, you must be able to listen to meat strips, you must be patient, you must endure patience, and your cousin is sometimes greatly hurt by foreign words.
In the process of engaging in the tofu business, my cousin encountered many setbacks and tribulations. But she never flinched, facing difficulties, she eliminated and resolved all the difficulties that hindered her future, and recorded them truthfully. In the business, she constantly sums up successful experience, and constantly innovates in product creation and research. She believes that relying solely on the operation of water tofu can only supply nearby consumers, can not meet the needs of distant consumer groups, can not become a big instrument, she decided to make the tofu shop bigger. The operation of water tofu is too limited, not easy to store, carry, the store has to transfer some dry items, easy to store and carry. Therefore, she made a fuss in tofu and evolved water tofu into dried tofu. She tentatively made some tofu gifts, added some blood tofu, rolled tofu and fine tofu, etc., which were quite popular with consumers after being put into the market, greatly expanded the consumption area, and the business was unusually hot. The number of practitioners has also grown from the original single-handedly to the current 4 people. The tofu shop has also changed from the original wooden bungalow to the current four-story brick and tile building, and the cost of the house alone has cost more than 800,000 yuan. My cousin also got married to a truck driver who often ate her tofu. The father, who had always advocated that his children stay by his side, finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish, and his cousin started a family on the spot. My father, who couldn't keep his mouth shut, said that my daughter's tofu shop was right, and she had her own happiness.
Now my cousin has changed the appearance of a high school student, from an ordinary village girl to a wealthy boss lady, and her fame is getting bigger and bigger, and people are becoming more and more mature. If anyone still wants to tease her by eating her tofu, my cousin will use the language of wisdom to cater to her: If you want to eat my tofu, count you have vision! If you want to eat, you can come, you come and I will have! In fact, the more generous the cousin, the more people who want to take advantage of it dare not. After a joke, the entertainer bought a piece of tofu and left knowing that he was not interested.
Under the influence and drive of my cousin, there are more and more tofu categories in Liang umbrella town, and the shops have developed from the original 2 to many now. Umbrella tofu will also move from a characteristic industry to a leading industry, becoming a highlight of the development of the national economy in Xinhuang, and the most important thing is that the cousin has found her own career and happiness, and has walked out of a bright life.
Zhang Longhui, born in 1968, college degree, party member, from Xinhuang County, Hunan. He is a member of the Huaihua Writers Association, the deputy secretary-general of the Xinhuang County Literary Association, and the secretary general of the County Writers Association. He has worked as a farmer, served as a soldier, attended school, worked as a worker, and passed through business, is a typical representative of workers, peasants, and merchants, who joined the army in 1987 and served in the 52891 Soldier Army Band of the Beijing Military Region, and has won four commendations and a collective third-class merit; in 2019, he was awarded the honorary title of "Excellent Communist Youth League Cadre of Xinhuang County" by the Xinhuang County Committee of the Communist Youth League; in 2000, 2003, and 2017, he was awarded the "Top Ten Excellent Correspondents" of the Xinhuang County Cpc Committee and the County Propaganda Department of the COMMUNIST Party of China. More than 600 works have been published on platforms such as People's Daily, Hunan Daily, China Rural Magazine, Guizhou Literature, Beijing Literature, Shanghai Literature, Xiangchu Literature, Huxiang Literature, etc.; in 2017, they were awarded the honorary title of "Outstanding Communist Party Member" by the Organ Committee of the Xinhuang County Economic, Scientific, Commercial and Grain Bureau of the Communist Party of China; in 2019, they were rated as "Excellent Trade Union Cadres" by the Xinhuang County Federation of Trade Unions, and the literary work "Perspective on the Rock" collected and written in the same year was awarded the "First County Literary and Artistic Excellence Award" by the Propaganda Department of the Xinhuang County Cpc Committee; in 2020, In 2021, he was twice rated as an "Excellent Member" by the New Huang Dong Studies Research Association; in 2020, he participated in the Poetry Culture and Art Festival of Xiang, Hubei, Qian, Gui and Yu provinces and the "Anti-epidemic Resumption" Moving China (Huaihua) Poetry prose photography contest and won the first prize of the prose essay, and at the same time won the first prize of the "People's Memories" of Huaihua Daily.