Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Ticket to Heaven
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The tofu, created using modern knowledge as a cheat, received incredibly positive reactions in the market.
The business began by introducing the food to nobles as a 'meat substitute that can be eaten on Meatless Day'.
"Ah. This is called 'bean meat'. You can make it by mixing tofu and flour."
"Eh?! Making meat from beans and wheat? That's amazing! With this, we can eat meat even on Meatless Day?!"
Meat that could be eaten on Meatless Day.
No noble could resist hearing that contradictory and aggressive catchphrase.
Some houses came in person out of curiosity,
and others sent their head chefs to verify its authenticity.
Either way, they couldn't help but marvel after tasting the tofu.
"This soft texture is similar to egg whites?"
"Tofu steak?! And this isn't meat?!"
"Tofu chips? These are subtly delicious too. Feels like cookies."
"Soy milk...? Milk made from beans?"
On Meatless Day, anything derived from animals is forbidden.
Meat, eggs, milk, cheese...
Half the food on the table vanishes in an instant, as if a purple alien snapped its fingers.
And tofu can substitute for most of those foods.
Instead of curdling soy broth with nigari, strain it clear for soy milk.
Smooth tofu has a texture like boiled eggs.
It's good in salads instead of cheese, or braised in sauce like meat for steak.
Of course, it works in stews too.
"We braised this 'bean meat' made from tofu and flour dough in sauce... and it's tastier than real meat? The texture is similar too."
"What?! I have to try it right now."
And above all—
Tofu was an incredibly versatile ingredient for cooking.
"It doesn't require tedious off-flavor removal and perfectly brings out the sauce's flavor and aroma...?"
"This is a dream ingredient for chefs, isn't it...?"
To begin with, meat in this world wasn't all that tasty.
Of course, it was better than grass.
Relatively speaking, meat was considered 'delicious' compared to bitter, astringent weeds in most eras.
Simply because it had animal fats and proteins.
But even so,
simply grilling gamey, tough meat yields at best a rubbery chew.
It might seem decently tasty by this world's standards,
but by modern standards, it was hard to call it delicious meat.
That's why spices and sauces were crucial.
Cooking is the process of twisting oneself to make bland food tastier.
Braise in sauce, char over coals, deep-fry in oil.
Chefs devise all sorts of techniques to reduce off-flavors and enhance savoriness.
In this era without advanced breeding,
people could only reach the state of 'Ah, this is delicious' through cooking.
But
this ingredient called tofu held infinite possibilities for 'deliciousness'!
"Ah— This is delicious."
"Eh? This is beans? What were those bean stews I've eaten until now...?"
"Beans weren't just food for livestock during fallow periods...?"
The modern shock assaulting these uncivilized folk who knew neither 'tofu' nor 'deliciousness'!
Now, they could never return to the days before knowing tofu.
They had learned it.
That in this world, the sensation called 'deliciousness' existed.
"Why have bean prices shot up like this?"
"Can't use them for livestock feed anymore."
Incidentally, Torsso had bought up soybeans in advance,
and signed futures contracts with farms for massive profits on top.
All this had happened in just one month.
...
"Tofu is selling well? Good."
"...Is that all?"
"How much can you really make from food business anyway? This stuff is a seasonal fad by nature."
"..."
Of course, recovering the funds spent buying slaves in just a few days was impressive...
but it wasn't likely to keep booming like this.
Food business is inherently seasonal.
No matter how special the dish,
it sells the most during the initial hype.
Tanghulu was like that,
yogurt ice cream was like that,
cotton candy shaved ice was like that.
Then knockoffs flood nationwide, fad fatigue sets in,
and as shops close, it normalizes.
"Right now, 'meat from beans' feels special, so everyone's trying it once or twice, but once the trend fades, only those who want it will eat it. People who eat meat on Meatless Day will keep doing so anyway. Just the difference between sneaking it or doing it openly."
"Hm. Still, with so many ways to prepare tofu, won't it hold a corner of the table from now on too?"
"It'll do that much. Not with the current hype, but steady long-term demand. But tofu isn't that hard to make in the first place."
"That's... true."
"So expansion has its limits inevitably."
The tofu I made doesn't have any grand secret.
Probably any random Joseon-era person could make better tofu than me.
Beans and nigari.
Just those two make tofu.
No one knew the method until now, that's all.
Besides,
in this era without patents,
monopolize the recipe?
Impossible.
Tofu business can't be monopolized.
"...Then, what 'sustainable growth business' does Your Excellency have in mind?"
"People."
"Pardon?"
You need life to do anything.
I will survive.
You need freedom to do anything.
The slaves will be freed.
"I'm going to invest in people."
Slaves.
For my survival, please become free citizens.
...
A slave is a tool. An object. Merchandise.
Not a person.
This wasn't a metaphor.
It was the ingrained notion, philosophy, and common sense of this world.
Everyone lives to reach Heaven,
but even Heaven's gates are denied to mere slaves.
If there's a way for a slave to reach Heaven,
it's through devoted service and labor to become a favored slave and enter alongside the master.
That's this world's common sense.
"Matt! Wanna join for meat stew? The room slaves pooled talants today to buy some together. Master said he'd discount group buys."
"No thanks. I'm good."
"Huh? No talants?"
"No. Just... not in the mood for meat today."
"Oh?"
The man called Matt—
Matthew was just another ordinary slave like that.
A sensible, average slave who didn't believe he could reach Heaven on his own.
But Matthew had one stark difference from other slaves.
"It's Meatless Day today, after all..."
Matthew imagined himself reaching Heaven every night.
Of course, he didn't truly believe he could go.
Impossible.
Even the rich find it harder to enter Heaven than a camel through a needle's eye,
but slaves are born riding needles without holes to begin with.
"..."
But imagination is free, right?
Whips could steal freedom,
but not even imagination.
Unlike other slaves,
Matthew preserved his bright soul amid grueling labor, whippings, and brainwashing.
"...What meaning does this even have?"
But even Matthew was reaching his limit now.
Not from whippings.
Not from sleep-depriving indoctrination.
Not from harsh labor.
Lately... Matthew had it too easy.
Everything was good.
So, he was happier than expected.
"Maybe it's better to just eat meat stew with everyone and make a racket. Maybe I'm isolating myself over vain hopes."
Matthew muttered to himself.
As if pleading to God,
as if making excuses,
spilling words to convince himself.
"Everything's good. Save talants for tasty food, get straw bedding. Maybe rent a bed later. Beer too... though it costs absurd talants."
In the past, the 'happiest' imaginings Matthew could have were only possible in Heaven.
Tasty meat stew,
plush bed,
beer forbidden to slaves.
That was the utmost happiness a slave like Matthew could imagine.
That was all.
Greater happiness was unimaginable.
And since even this was denied to slaves,
Matthew imagined Heaven.
Imagined happiness after death.
"I'm just... a slave anyway."
But now, those imaginings had become achievable in reality.
Just save talants.
Become a better slave.
Work hard as a slave,
raise your value,
and happiness would come someday.
Matthew no longer imagined eating meat stew and beer in Heaven.
Now, Matthew
imagined eating meat stew and beer still in chains.
"...Yeah. What Heaven for someone like me."
The last hope he clung to as a slave.
No need for such hope now.
With slight regret, Matthew let go of his old hope and slowly stood.
He planned to say he'd join the meat stew after all.
But had he pondered too long?
The slave who'd invited him was already back from the overseer's room.
"Oh, Matthew. What's up?"
"Um... can I join the meat stew too?"
"Ah, we postponed it to tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"Something about Meatless Day? Can't eat meat today, they said. Master won't distribute any today."
"..."
"Matthew?"
Slaves have no need to observe Meatless Day.
No master,
no,
no free person or priest demands it of slaves.
Because slaves are objects.
Not people.
Can't reach Heaven anyway.
"...Matthew? What's wrong?"
"..."
In other words, the order from his master to observe Meatless Day
was acknowledgment that his soul was that of a 'person'.
Affirmation that he could reach Heaven,
that he should avoid sin,
that even as a slave, he was worthy of the Heavenly Lord's side.
He was a person.
Truly, he possessed a soul as a person.
"You... crying? Whoa, that bummed about missing stew?"
"Sniff..."
"Whoa. Here, have this instead? They said tofu chips are free on Meatless Days from now on. Try it. Tasty."
Munching the tofu snack,
Matthew imagined.
The gates to Heaven,
and at those gates, his master
reaching out a hand to him.