“A few years ago, the Turks were triumphant, but the late emperor destroyed them. Later, we fought the Tuyuhun, all the way to Ahda, and now, we no longer have to worry about foreign enemies coming.”

　　David Clark, while speaking, set up the table. Andrew Bennett put the tofu onto a plate, placed a wooden spoon beside it, and then called out to the travelers on the official road, “White jade tofu, white jade tofu!”

　　Why call it white jade tofu? Because in China, jade is considered beautiful; a gentleman is like jade, gentle and warm like jade...

　　For example, when praising a woman, saying: skin like jade, can make people yearn for her.

　　Huazhou is one hundred and eighty li from Chang’an City, with Tongguan on the left and Lantian Pass on the right, truly a place with the Azure Dragon on the left and the White Tiger on the right.

　　Those travelers looked over at the sound. Andrew Bennett scooped a spoonful of tofu into his mouth, his face full of bliss.

　　“Delicious!”

　　A traveler came over and asked, “What food is this? How much does it cost?”

　　David Clark sniffed, touched the money pouch at his waist, which held the last five coins of the old Jia family’s fortune.

　　“This is fate.” Andrew Bennett said seriously, “Try it first.”

　　“No charge?” The traveler frowned. “A man of the Great Tang never eats for free.”

　　The traveler spoke as if it were only natural. Andrew Bennett smiled, “I said it’s fate, just eat.”

　　He scooped a spoonful of tofu and handed it over. The traveler glanced at him, then ate it in one bite.

　　“How is it?” Andrew Bennett was absolutely confident in the tofu. David Clark, however, looked conflicted, thinking his cousin was acting crazy again, actually not charging money. If there weren’t outsiders present, he’d probably start wailing again, reporting his cousin’s unreliability to his aunt.

　　The traveler slowly looked up, his throat moving a few times, and praised, “Tender, smooth, fragrant and sweet... delicious! Truly delicious!”

　　There are many words to praise good food, but no matter how many or how fancy, none compare to such straightforward words.

　　The travelers nearby all stopped. Andrew Bennett called out, “Fate, today it’s all fate. Anyone who wants to try, come on over, I won’t charge!”

　　Someone said, “What if you change your mind?”

　　Aren’t people of the Great Tang supposed to be bold and forthright? How come there’s a nitpicker!

　　Andrew Bennett glanced at the shrewd-looking man and said, “A man of the Great Tang always keeps his word!”

　　“Good!”

　　Everyone crowded over, tasting the tofu with the same wooden spoon, and no one minded.

　　Andrew Bennett felt a bit guilty, thinking everyone was sharing one spoon—clean or not was another matter, just hope there’s no infectious disease.

　　“Delicious!”

　　“Tender and smooth, I’ve never eaten anything so tender and smooth.”

　　“This melts in your mouth, so tender, fragrant and sweet!”

　　“……”

　　Two jin of tofu were gone in an instant. Those who had tasted it were left wanting more, praising it endlessly. Those who hadn’t tasted it felt itchy with desire, and someone even said directly, “Is there any more? I’ll pay for it.”

　　Andrew Bennett smiled, “This is hard to make and costly. That’s all for today.”

　　Everyone was waiting for him to name a price, but seeing him walk away, they were left bewildered.

　　David Clark carried the table and caught up, whispering, “Andrew, why not sell it?”

　　He thought his cousin must have been bewitched by bad luck and lost his mind.

　　Andrew Bennett whispered, “If you want to sell at a high price, you have to be reserved.”

　　In later generations, merchants used all kinds of tricks to raise the value of their products, such as exquisite packaging, fancy names, hype, and limited supply.

　　And tofu was making its debut in the Great Tang—should it be sold like some common street food? Andrew Bennett would rather bang his head to death.

　　He remembered how, in supermarkets later on, women would offer small samples for free. If you liked it, you’d naturally buy it. Andrew Bennett followed this idea: let people try it for free, let them know how delicious tofu is, then wait for smart merchants to come and buy it.

　　“Reserved?” David Clark had no idea what that even meant.

　　Andrew Bennett heard footsteps catching up and said, “Tell them we’re at Yangjiawu, but don’t say I said so.”

　　This act of being reserved had to be done thoroughly—never lower your head.

　　David Clark pretended to be tired, slowed his pace, and fell behind.

　　A merchant caught up and asked, “May I ask, gentlemen, where is your home?”

　　Up ahead, Andrew Bennett said, “Can’t say, can’t say.”

　　The merchant was stunned. David Clark, lagging behind, said, “My home is at Yangjiawu up ahead. I don’t tell just anyone.” After saying this, he ran off with the table, tears streaming down as he ran, feeling his cousin was truly foolish for not taking money.

　　A few men smiled at each other, exchanging glances, all grinning.

　　That fool, not even taking money—he must be an idiot. If they coax him a bit, maybe they can get the recipe. By then... wouldn’t they be rich?

Chapter 4 Getting Rich

　　After returning home, David Clark put down the table, squatted there and wailed, “Aunt, Andrew still refuses to take money... he’s gone stupid.”

　　This idea of being reserved in business was completely unnecessary to David Clark. In his world, doing business should be simple: money in one hand, goods in the other.