After the winter solstice, there are only ten days or so left before the twelfth lunar month begins, and once that begins, the New Year is not far away.

It was very cold, but the people in Liaodong City discovered an interesting place.

On the busiest street in the city, at a corner, one early morning, the storefronts of two houses were covered with curtains.

Some locals know that this is a shop in the front and a small courtyard with three main rooms and east and west wing rooms in the back. Originally, this place was a spice shop, but the owner was said to have gone back to his hometown in the south, so the shop had been empty. No one knows when the shop was rented out.

All the shops on this street have the same style. The storefronts all have a high threshold, behind which, besides the wooden door, there are wooden panels. When closing the shop, the panels are put up one by one, and when opening the door, they are taken down one by one.

This is truly the first time I've seen a shop that uses curtains to cover up its renovation every time it opens its doors.

Some people, driven by curiosity, lifted the curtain to peek inside, but were persuaded to turn back, told that the shop would be open soon after the renovations were completed, and that they would be honored to have the opportunity to visit.

These were all Xu Bai's ideas. Since they were going to open a shop, they decided to open one in Liaodong City first to test the waters and give those who were planning to open shops in other places some practical experience.

Several ovens were built in the west wing of the backyard, the rooms to the north served as dormitories, and the east wing served as the kitchen and canteen. After Xu Bai made the plans, he had the curtains drawn and even sent people to guard the store entrance. This was also a way of advertising the store in advance, since people are naturally curious.

The shop is just a place to sell things. Time is too tight, and we can't make custom-made glass of the right size. If we had a large glass of the right size, we could set it on the outside and see inside at a glance, which would give people a very direct visual impact. Now we can only use a very thin gauze to cover the display case where we put the snacks, which looks very quiet and hygienic.

Due to limited resources, many of Xu Bai's good ideas could not be implemented. Every day, Xu Bai would go back to the shop to check on things, and each time he would feel a lot of regret. Xu Bai felt that his scientific research should be started as soon as possible. Although many people have already installed glass windows, large-sized glass is still difficult to make. Xu Bai decided that large-sized glass should be put on the project as soon as possible. Once large-sized glass is made, the quality of life will be greatly improved.

According to Xu Bai's plan, the store was renovated quickly. On Laba Festival, many children wearing the same clothes appeared on the street, holding stacks of paper with the simple name of a store printed on them: "The Taste of the Distance".

The teenager, quite poised and confident, would approach passersby with a piece of paper, greet them, and say, "Hello, Taste of the Distance welcomes you. Take this piece of paper with you to Taste of the Distance and you'll receive a small gift."

Children waved papers in their hands, shouting as they walked: "The Taste of the Distance is having a grand opening sale! Bring the store's flyers and you'll receive a gift when you enter. The Taste of the Distance welcomes you!"

Someone took the paper and read it carefully. It said that the "Far Away Taste" cake shop would have its grand opening on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. Below that was the shop's address. Most importantly, there was a sentence at the end: anyone who brought the promotional leaflet into the shop would receive a small gift.

No matter the time, many people will be interested in anything that doesn't cost money.

Some people took the leaflets from the children and asked with some doubt if they were true. The children, however, did not seem impatient and patiently explained the situation. Suddenly, the onlookers became quite interested in these children. These children who had suddenly appeared all looked radiant and wore the same clothes, but the materials and workmanship were of excellent quality. Ordinary families would only spare the expense of making such clothes for their children during the Lunar New Year.

What amazed everyone most was the children's attitude: they were enthusiastic, neither humble nor arrogant, and no matter what questions they were asked, they always had a smile on their face and answered the questions quickly and clearly.

The children in the city's academies may not even have the flair of these children, and this is not just the opinion of one or two people.

On Laba Festival, everyone in Liaodong City knew that a cake shop called "Far Away's Taste" would open in two days. Some well-informed people knew that this was the same shop that had been under renovation with curtains drawn a few days ago. They were already very curious, and knowing the opening date and that there would be small gifts, everyone was trying their best to search for the promotional materials.

This is the time when Xu Zhi's business started. Xu Zhi is very nervous. The oven in the shop has been lit in advance. At present, the shop makes mostly sponge cakes.

To make sponge cake, Xu Di had written down the ingredients of the yeast powder for Xu Bai long ago. Since Xu Di didn't have time to research this now, he asked Xu Bai to develop the yeast powder. Fortunately, Xu Bai lived up to his expectations and managed to develop the yeast powder under pressure. It was because of the yeast powder that the sponge cake turned out so fluffy and soft, and tasted so good.

Actually, this is a trump card for the cake shop. Nowadays, steamed bun shops and mantou shops all use sourdough, but when making cakes, using sourdough is not only inconvenient, but also doesn't taste good. When steaming mantou or steamed buns with sourdough, baking soda is added to neutralize the sour taste. If baking soda is added when making cakes, the pastries will not only taste bad, but also look bad. It was because of this that the Xu brothers developed yeast powder.

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