Zhao Chuchu wasn't angry at all, and she slowly poured herself a cup of tea. "I'm not talking nonsense, I'm telling the truth. Soon, my family will open a pastry shop in Tangzhou Prefecture. You can come and try it. I'll give it to you for free."

"This person is bragging, right? In the past, only the nobles in the palace could eat the cakes from Baiweizhai."

"Maybe what they say is true? Don't tell me, I think the pastries at Baiweizhai are getting better and better..."

"What would a cake that only immortals can eat taste like?"

"A while ago, I had a fresh flower cake from my brother-in-law who lives in Renhe County. It was amazing, even better than the ones at Baiweizhai..." the man whispered, giving a thumbs-up. "My husband and kids keep talking about it, and I'm even thinking about making a trip to Renhe County."

There were all kinds of low-pitched discussions around, with mixed praise and criticism, and most people thought that Zhao Chuchu was bragging.

Zhao Chuchu looked calm and composed throughout the whole process. Since she had eaten the pastries from Baiweizhai, she didn't want to stay any longer and asked the waiter to pack up the remaining pastries.

The waiter felt aggrieved and wanted to say something, but considering so many people around, he choked back. He could only pack up his food indignantly and watch the three people leave.

Xiao Er's mother used to be a pastry chef at Baiweizhai. She became a disciple of a master from the Qin family and worked at Baiweizhai for more than ten years until she died unexpectedly.

In the past, she often watched her mother making cakes at home.

To him, the taste of his mother is the same as the taste of Baiweizhai pastries.

Now that her mother is gone, all her hopes are placed on the pastries of Baiweizhai.

Originally, she wanted to be a pastry chef at Baiweizhai, just like her mother, but they said that she didn't have enough talent to be a pastry chef, so she had to settle for being a waitress here.

She works as a waitress here, and occasionally she encounters people who find various excuses to come and eat the cakes and try to extort money. So when Zhao Chuchu said that, she had a preconceived notion that Zhao Chuchu and the others came in with an unfriendly attitude.

So she exploded all of a sudden.

Watching the backs of those people leaving, the girl clenched her fists, hummed softly, and repeated: "Baiweizhai's pastries are the best."

Zhao Chuchu didn't take this matter to heart.

Zhao Chuchu packed the pastries and gave them to a few beggars on the street, asking them to share them.

The three of them visited other places before returning to the inn where they were staying.

As soon as they entered, they saw a crowd even more crowded than the one in the inn before they left. Most of them were young students, talking loudly about something.

Zhao Chuchu listened carefully and found that they were holding a literary gathering and writing poetry.

"I heard that among the ten or so counties under Tangzhou Prefecture, the youngest person who passed the county exam was only nine years old. I heard that he only attended a private school for one year."

"I've heard about it too. He's said to be a genius."

"What young genius? Zhang Tian from our Zhang County is the real genius. The teacher said that if nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi in the future."

"Look, this is the Wing Chun poem Zhang Tian just composed. Who can compare to it?"

"Isn't it said that the nine-year-old genius named Zhang Xiulin lives in this inn? Why isn't she coming out? Is she scared?"

Zhao Chuchu looked up and saw a girl about eleven or twelve years old sitting among a dozen students. She was surrounded by people complimenting her. She had a calm expression on her face and seemed extremely humble, but a defiant look could still be seen in her eyes.