The couple began to discuss the details one by one: how much to pay for a day's labor, whether to provide one meal or two, and the need to rent an ox since they hadn't managed to buy a suitable one yet.
Juhua listened to them talk as she worked. After cooking a pot of cornmeal mush, she was about to stir-fry some vegetables when she suddenly remembered the moldy tofu dregs. She hurried over to the corner and lifted the old clothes and straw covering the basket. Sure enough, the balls of dregs had grown a fine, grayish-white fuzz. They weren't quite ready, though; they needed to mold for a few more days. If Juhua hadn't warmed them previously, they wouldn't have even gotten this far in the current weather.
Still, she couldn't resist. She picked out three, rinsed them clean, and sliced them. They felt a little soft; if they were fully molded, they would have been much firmer and more solid.
