"Are you trying to rip off my young lady again?"

"Oh, since you put it that way, then never mind. I'm leaving, bye-bye."

Anle, with a nonchalant and indifferent expression, waved lazily at Xiaoju without even blinking, then turned and left without lingering.

"Hey, hey, why are you leaving? I didn't say I didn't want to. I'm willing to let you scam me, okay?"

"What kind of dessert are you talking about? We should at least try some first." Xiaoju hurriedly took two steps to catch up with Anle, who was about to leave.

Anle turned her head and bared her teeth.

"No, that won't do, but I guarantee the desserts will be something you've never tried before, and you definitely won't waste your money."

Xiaoju hummed.

"Who knows if you'll swindle my young lady out of her money and then disappear without a trace?"

Anle folded his hands in front of his chest, looking like he didn't care to talk.

"So if you don't believe me, that's fine. I didn't force you to do business with me, did I?"

After so many transactions with you, don't you know whether my goods are good or bad, or whether I'm going to cheat your young lady?

If you continue to treat me with this attitude and temper, then there's no point in doing business with you. Goodbye.

Anle gave Xiaoju a forced smile, then turned and continued walking.

She wants to take control of the business, so who is she trying to impress with that sour face?

This person doesn't respect her as a businesswoman, and she has no desire to continue the conversation.

If she just rents a shop in this town and opens the door to do business, with her delicious desserts, making and selling desserts would be a piece of cake.

Once she has earned enough money for a storefront, she will open a shop and start a business, such as a dessert shop.

"Hey, hey, little kid, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?"

I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Do you really have any sweets that will satisfy my mother?

Our matriarch is known throughout the town for her extremely discerning palate.

The taste wasn't very good; our old lady couldn't eat it at all. Even the pastries she usually ate had to be perfectly crisp and crumbly.

"Can your dessert be better than that bite-sized pastry?"

Xiaoju clearly didn't believe that there could be any sweets in this town that were more delicious than those made by the Yikousu pastry shop.

If this little girl really had that skill, would she have dressed like this?

He muttered to himself, then scrutinized Anle's shabby clothes with a scrutinizing look.

Anle looked Xiaoju up and down confidently, and spoke with great conviction.

"You don't need to question it, just look at the results. But the thing I make is quite expensive; one serving of pastry costs two taels of silver."

If your young lady is willing to spend next month's allowance on these pastries, I'll sell them to you. You can come and collect them on the day of your matriarch's birthday or the day before. That way, they'll taste fresher.

Xiaoju stared with her big, round eyes, her voice incredibly sharp and piercing.

Two taels of silver? That's too expensive! What kind of pastry is worth that price? This isn't eating pastries, it's eating gold!

Anle had a sly, cunning look on his face.

"Once your matriarch has tasted it, you won't think the money was too expensive; you'll think it was very worthwhile."

When is your matriarch's birthday?

Xiaoju gave a curt reply.

"Early next month."

With so much money involved, she couldn't make the decision for her young mistress; that was for her to decide herself.

Seeing Xiaoju's hesitant expression, Anle smiled understandingly.

"Then let your young lady think about it first, since it's next month anyway."

By the beginning of next month, the shops she wanted to open will probably all be open.

"Oh, but you're gone. Where am I supposed to find you now? What if my young lady wants to buy it? But she won't even be able to find you."

"Next month, just come to my newly opened shop to buy it. I'll be opening a pastry shop then."

Just ask around in town if there are any newly opened shops, and go straight in to buy.

Anle waved to Xiaoju, this time she was really leaving.

Xiaoju stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Anle's departing figure.

Did she hear that right? This little kid is going to open a pastry shop?

Is it true or false?

When Anle and Anmancang returned home that evening, they hitched a ride with a disciple sent by the temple.

Because the Christians were coming to the house to take the deer away.

It was precisely because the cultist entered An Dalin's house that the entire village gathered around to watch him like they were watching a monkey.

An Fuwang, with his hands tucked into his pockets, peered curiously through the courtyard fence.

"The An Dalin family has really made quite a commotion these past two days; even the temple's followers have come."

Xu Suozhu stared enviously at the five wild boars that were tied up in the yard.

"Yes, I heard that this sika deer is going to be offered to the temple. It is said that it was blessed by the gods that it received this sika deer and those five pigs."

An Shoushan, his eyes sparkling, tugged at An Fuwang's sleeve.

"Grandpa, An Yi went to school today. He studied with me at school. They even bought books. Has his family become rich?"

An Fuwang nodded with great satisfaction, his old eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Yes, life is finally getting better. Leaving An Laosan's family was definitely the right decision. From now on, life will only get better and better."

An Shoushan grinned, revealing his two small tiger teeth, his eyes practically disappearing as he smiled.

"Grandpa, this is wonderful! I can go to school with An Yi every day from now on. I'll have a companion now."

Xu Suozhu, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, then stared at An Shoushan in surprise and asked, "That Yiwa has entered the school?"

An Shoushan narrowed his eyes into crescent moons and grinned, revealing a set of small white teeth.

"Yes, yes, he went to the school early this morning to pay his respects to Master Meng. Master Meng praised him, saying that he was smart and that if he studied hard, he would definitely have a bright future."

Xu Suozhu let out a murmured sigh.

"So Yiwa really went to school!"

That's true. They've all made money. The Mancang family has earned quite a bit of money relying on that wooden block. It's only right that they should be able to go to school with that kind of money.

Looking at the wild boars scattered all over the yard, Xu Suozhu felt a mixture of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"The Mancang family has really hit the jackpot! I'd love to go up the mountain with them and see how they hunted those five wild boars!"

There's never been a precedent in the surrounding villages for bringing back so many large pieces of equipment all at once!