In the end, Qiao Xiaomai did not sign the contract, and instead got a donkey, a board cart, and a large millstone sat on the cart.
Since Qiao Xiaomai didn't know how to drive a donkey cart, Shopkeeper He had a waiter accompany her back to Anping Village.
To allow Qiao Xiaomai to focus on tofu making, Shopkeeper He said that he would send someone to collect the tofu every day so she wouldn't have to deliver it to the town.
Touched by such consideration, Qiao Xiaomai naturally expressed her gratitude, and told them about several dishes made with tofu.
By the time they returned to Anping Village it was nearly noon. Qiao Xiaomai enthusiastically invited the waiter to stay for lunch, but he needed to return to the shop. Out of gratitude, she gifted him a bag of pastries she had just bought.
After bidding the waiter farewell and closing the courtyard door, Qiao Changshun finally asked, having contained his confusion for a while, "Xiaomai, what's going on?"