Tao Hongying quickly replied, "Yes, Mother, I'm also going to town today to buy some ingredients and supplies, so I need to get ready quickly."

“Each family in Xincun and Ercun needs to receive a share, we need to make arrangements with the people in Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang and Dahuaishu Village, and also with the Wen family, Liu family, Peng family, the academy canteen, and the Hou family’s share. Adding that, we need a total of two thousand mooncakes.”

“That’s quite a lot. Give us more money later. If we don’t have enough manpower, we can find more people from the village. I’m afraid we’ll have to do this much every year!” Old Lady Li waved her hand, giving her full support.

It's not that she's some kind of pushover who'd sacrifice her family's reputation just to gain a good one.

Broken Gold Beach is the fiefdom of Jia Yin, and it is only right that it should be rewarded during the New Year.

Moreover, now that the wounded and veterans of the second village have just settled in, and Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang and Dahuaishu villages are also working hard to move closer to the new village, the Li family must first show goodwill so that others can feel at ease to follow.

I don't expect them to be as united and close-knit as the villagers in the new village, but at least they should have some cohesion.

Cohesion isn't something that can be achieved by just shouting slogans or making empty promises; it requires tangible, visible benefits.

When the Li family baked mooncakes and distributed them, everyone who received one felt valued by their master, and it brought them pride.

Over time, this sense of superiority will make everyone consciously protect the Li family and the Broken Gold Beach, and not allow anyone to damage them...

Jiayin, thinking about going to the pastry shop today, said to her mother, "Mother, you can go shopping tomorrow. Today I'll check what fillings are available on the market and try to come up with some new and interesting flavors so that the gifts will be presentable!"

"That would be great! You lazy girl, are you finally going to set up that pastry shop?" Tao Hongying said with delight. "Then I'll find a place today to set up a few more ovens, and I'll also prepare more molds and iron pans."

After discussing the matter, Jiayin dressed up beautifully and happily went out with the Marquis, Mr. Wen, her second uncle, and her father.

What's remarkable is that Dr. Zhang received a medical book from Mr. Peng, and she hasn't come out since she locked herself in the courtyard last night, and no one has stopped her from going out to play...

When Li Laosi reached the fork in the road, he turned towards the dock. He and Li Yong took turns guarding the camp, giving Jiang Cheng a break.

Especially recently, the young masters and soldiers from various families are going to the military camp, and there's a lot going on at the docks!

Upon arriving at the city gate, Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen went about their respective tasks.

In the end, only the Marquis remained, and he accompanied Jiayin to the pastry shop.

The owner of the pastry shop was a middle-aged man in his thirties named Peng Chuan. He had a smiling face and was completely devoid of the arrogance and haughtiness of a royal servant. He was very attentive.

Of course, even if he had any complaints, he had to keep them to himself.

The shop's contract is in the princess's hands, and the princess is accompanied by the Marquis of Xinting!

Nowadays, which of the powerful officials and courtiers in the city wouldn't want to curry favor with this man?

As a result, at a time like this, he didn't care about anything else and just accompanied his adopted daughter to stroll around the shop...

Is the Marquis of Xinting really too idle?

That's definitely not the case, so the conclusion is that the Marquis of Xinting cherished this adopted daughter like a precious treasure!

Even if he had a thousand times the courage, he wouldn't dare to neglect the princess.

After all, his neck wasn't as strong as a barbarian's, and it couldn't withstand even half a knife from the Marquis of Xinting!

Jiayin carefully looked around the shop again, both in front and behind, up and down the stairs, before calling Peng Chuan forward.

She didn't stand on ceremony or hold back, and immediately began explaining her plan.

How should we modify the oven in the backyard? We need to lay wooden floors in the front, install wooden cabinets, and add glass panels. On the second floor, we need fabric sofas, partitioned private rooms, and plant greenery…

In short, there were dozens of questions, and Peng Chuan's eyes were practically spinning from listening. In the end, he hurriedly grabbed a pen and paper and frantically took notes. After asking questions for another half hour, he finally managed to understand them.

Although most of the new food his new employer mentioned was something he had never seen or eaten before.

But the customers have never seen or eaten this before, so the business is definitely going to be great!

Peng Chuan was overjoyed and couldn't wait to make a big splash. Afraid of being impolite, he took the opportunity to go out and prepare tea to calm down.

Just then, a horse-drawn carriage arrived outside the shop.

Soon, Peng Chuan led in a nanny.

The old woman was dressed very elegantly and was very well-groomed, but she held her chin up, which gave her a somewhat arrogant air.

She probably hadn't expected that the Marquis of Xinting was sitting in the room. She didn't react for a moment, then quickly bowed her head and bowed, her expression becoming extremely humble.

"This old servant greets the Marquis and the Princess. I am the nanny in charge of the Third Princess's daily life, a position bestowed upon her by Her Majesty the Empress."

Perhaps fearing that the Marquis would misunderstand, the old nanny immediately explained her background clearly.

The Marquis frowned and asked, "What brings you here?"

The old woman lowered her head even further, looking very embarrassed and guilty.

She forced a smile and said in a low voice, "Um... the new pastries that Chief Eunuch Yi brought back to the palace yesterday, His Majesty really liked them..."

Jiayin sat next to her godfather, tilting her head, unable to understand what the old woman was up to.

Even if the Emperor hadn't had enough and wanted another piece, it should have been Steward Yi who sent someone to fetch it. Why did they send someone from the Third Princess's side instead?

Even if she did have cake, she couldn't let the Third Princess's people take it back!

What if the Third Princess does something malicious and tampers with the cake? Will she be able to explain herself to the Li family?

So she spoke first, saying, "I'm sorry, Granny, you'll be disappointed. The new dessert we presented to the Emperor yesterday was a birthday cake, which is not easy to make, and we don't have any left in our house."

"If we were to prepare to bake a new batch, it would probably take two days. At that time, please ask my godfather to bring it to the palace for my uncle, so that we won't trouble you, nanny!"

Remembering the mistress's temper in the palace, the old nanny mustered her courage and said, "Princess, it's troublesome to bring food from inside or outside the palace. Could you write down the recipes?"

"It just so happens that the Third Princess has been thinking about making desserts to show her filial piety to the Emperor. If we have this recipe, the Third Princess will be very happy."

Jiayin sneered inwardly. She finally understood that the Third Princess had sent people to steal the peaches!

If the two get along well, she wouldn't mind helping the Third Princess win over her uncle, the Emperor.

But she hadn't forgotten how the Third Princess had bullied her last time!

She doesn't intentionally cause trouble for the Third Princess, and she can just vent her anger, so why should she satisfy the Third Princess's greed?!

“Granny, you may not know this, but this pastry shop belongs to me. Birthday cakes will soon be sold here, so I can’t give this recipe away. Of course, if my royal uncle likes it, I will offer it to him often, so there’s no need to trouble the princess.”

Jiayin's smile vanished, replaced by the displeasure of a child whose toy had been taken away, leaving the old woman feeling annoyed.

Seeing that the Marquis remained silent, she mustered her courage and said, "Princess, it's just a recipe. If others heard that the princess wanted it, they would surely offer it to her with open arms. Princess, shouldn't you reconsider? Is the business of a small pastry shop more important than the princess's orders?"

"Of course!" Jiayin's eyes widened in surprise. "This shop is a business that my Uncle Huang and I opened together. I still need to report the accounts to my Uncle Huang at the end of the year."

"If the Third Princess steals the recipe, how will the shop make money in the future? How am I supposed to explain this to my Imperial Uncle? The Third Princess is my Imperial Uncle's daughter; is she trying to steal his business?"

After saying that, she looked at the Marquis and asked innocently, "Father, is my royal uncle more senior, or the princess? Whom should I listen to?"

"Isn't it unfilial of the princess to steal her royal uncle's business?"