The elderly couple have moved all their bedding, daily necessities, and clothing to their new home, looking to settle in for the long term. This gives Jing Shu peace of mind, reassured that her grandparents are under her watchful eye in this life.
Aunt Jing Lai and Wu You Ai pay a special visit to Jing Shu. Jing Lai has knitted a cotton vest, knee pads, and socks for Jing Shu out of wool. Wu You Ai brings several silkworms in a cardboard box, explaining, “Didn’t you say you wanted some silkworms the other day? I got these from a professor; they’re Amber Silkworms, not native to Hua Xia, but they produce golden silk and can feed on a variety of plants.”
Jing Shu is delighted to receive the silkworms, having forgotten about them amidst her busy schedule. The timing is perfect, as most other silkworms would not have survived the current climate without conditions like those in her villa, which maintains a constant temperature.
She is grateful for the thoughtful gifts from Jing Lai and Wu You Ai, which are a way of thanking her for the medicine she provided earlier. Jing Shu values this genuine exchange of kindness among relatives.
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“Making tofu is indeed a profound craft!” exclaims Jing Shanhe, Jing Shu’s grandfather, as he operates a small grinding stone. Jing Grandma supervises, adding water and directing the process, while Jing Shu watches amusedly.
Over the next few days, Jing Shu busies herself with transforming soybeans into various delicious forms of tofu.
In the south, gypsum is used to coagulate the soy milk, producing a tender tofu, while in the north, brine is used, resulting in a firmer, more flavorful tofu. In Wucheng, located in the north, brine is more common.
Jing Shu also sets aside several 2-liter containers of soft tofu pudding for future breakfasts and cooks a large quantity of soy milk, storing it in the last cubic meter of space in her magical cube for easy access.
She collects the film that forms on top of boiling soy milk to create tofu skin, which she fries until crispy. She also produces plenty of dried tofu sticks and stores them in the freezer.
Some of the tofu is transformed into frozen tofu for hot pot use, various flavored dried tofu, and deep-fried tofu. The fried tofu, simply seasoned with salt, is delicious and easy to prepare.
Jing Grandma plans to make stinky tofu, reminding Jing Shu of the delicacies from Changsha and making her crave it.
Jing Shu decides to use all the remaining soybeans to make spicy and salty crispy fried soybeans. With no more space in her magical cube, she stores them in sealed 2-liter jars, ensuring she has snacks available anytime.
As mid-March approaches, the relentless heat and the unending dark days weigh on everyone’s minds, with no indication that the situation will improve. Households run through their food supplies quickly due to a lack of vegetables and other staples, leading to significant food waste as refrigerators fail to keep food cold due to inadequate power supply.
The scarcity of various everyday items continues to exacerbate the situation, causing widespread frustration and desperation.
Jing Grandma expresses concern over their adaptability to their living situation, noting the inconvenience of their current setup. Jing Shu plans to move more family members to her well-equipped home, seeing it as a safer and more comfortable option.
That evening, Jing Shu’s mother returned from work late due to her busy schedule, influenced by her potential promotion and frequent visits to the agricultural center with a senior official, hinting at her possible future responsibilities managing the cultivation projects.
The family enjoys a lavish meal featuring a variety of dishes, but Jing Shu, still not satisfied, ends up eating more at her own home. Her magical cube is nearly full, prompting her to plan for an upgrade to accommodate more food production.
Jing Shu spends additional time each day practicing with her magical cube, hoping to enhance her ability to manage the space and prepare for the continued challenges of living in a post-apocalyptic world where food and resources are becoming increasingly scarce.
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