What prestigious families lack is nobility, specialness, and uniqueness.
Looking at the pastries on the market, none of them are truly unique; at best, they are expensive and cater specifically to the wealthy.
For example, Youranju, or the long-established pastry shops run by several prominent families in Fengjing.
It's clearly unrealistic for Jiuzhenfang to try this path without any connections; they have to find another way.
For example, to achieve true uniqueness.
Jiang Sheng became more and more excited as she thought about it. She rushed back to Jiuzhenfang as fast as she could and pounced on Zhang Xianglian, calling out as if she were a pigeon that had come to life, "Auntie, Auntie, Auntie."
"Trying to sneak some candied hawthorns again?" Zhang Xianglian glanced over. "Your brothers have all told me not to let you eat too many candied hawthorns."
Jiang Sheng quickly and firmly said, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm all grown up now. I'm no longer a ten-year-old child, and I won't crave candied hawthorns."
It's as if she wasn't the one who got caught cheating last time.
Zhang Xianglian lowered her head, pursed her lips, and smiled softly. She picked up a candied hawthorn and twirled it around Jiang Sheng's round face.
The little girl, who had just been so confident, suddenly stared wide-eyed.
It took Jiang Sheng a long time to pull her eyes back from the candied hawthorn, and she said with a pained expression, "Auntie, you've gone astray."
"I'm here to talk to you about something really important. Our shop currently has more than ten kinds of pastries, but is there any that's unique and not available in other shops?"
Zhang Xianglian put the hawthorn balls aside, frowned, and thought for a moment. "No."
The making of pastries is not complicated. An experienced chef can taste a couple of bites and know the general ingredients. After making them a few more times, he can basically master the recipe.
When Jiuzhenfang first opened, the glutinous rice and jujube cake was the most novel item. However, only half a month later, the pastry shop across the street launched a jujube paste glutinous rice cake.
Aunt Zhang accidentally made candied hawthorns, and soon candied hawthorns were being sold everywhere in Fengjing.
Foods like Eight Treasures Cake, Thousand-Layer Cake, Water Chestnut Cake, and Osmanthus Cake are found in every household and can be seen everywhere.
“In Fengjing, nothing is a secret,” Zhang Xianglian concluded.
Jiang Sheng was stunned.
The idea that was once unique suddenly became commonplace, and the inspiration and clues that had been grasped seemed like a joke at that moment.
Undeterred, she remembered that the lotus-shaped pastries were exclusively supplied to Youranju, "but I haven't seen any other place in Fengjing selling lotus-shaped pastries."
“Because this pastry is complicated to make, they can’t sell it at a high price, and it’s not worth offending the owner of Youranju.” Zhang Xianglian shook her head. “If any shop really wants to make it, they can buy a couple and study it to figure it out.”
In the end, it all comes back to status and connections.
Behind You Ran Ju is the Jiang family, a first-class family, so ordinary pastry shops dare not offend them.
Jiuzhenfang has nothing, except for its best-selling roasted chestnuts. I heard that some pastry shops are already eager to transport two cartloads of chestnuts from Hebei County.
Although they have the advantage of being "first," their customer base will eventually flow out once others take it.
The concept of being unique also doesn't exist.
Jiang Sheng was extremely distressed, clutching Xiao Qiuqiu in both hands, not even noticing the stray hairs falling out.
Zhang Xianglian was very surprised. "Little Jiang Sheng, isn't your dream to eat well, drink well, and sleep well? Why are you studying Jiuzhenfang's pastries? Our business is doing quite well now, and we have no problem making ends meet."
“It’s not a matter of food and clothing.” Jiang Sheng shook her head, pausing slightly, “Auntie has been taking leftovers out again recently, hasn’t she?”
The food in the second courtyard was always good, and there were often leftovers.
Zhang Xianglian would usually pour the contents into an iron basin by the door to feed the stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood.
The iron basin by the door has been empty lately, and Aunt Zhang has started to appear and disappear mysteriously. Given the example of Miao Zhaoying and her daughter, how could the children in the courtyard not understand?
Aunt Zhang has encountered another pitiful person.
“Jiuzhenfang sells a limited number of pastries each day, and the supply to Youranju is also limited. Add in the roasted chestnuts, and it’s enough for you and Aunt Miao,” Jiang Sheng said calmly. “Hiring more people wouldn’t be worthwhile. Only when Jiuzhenfang sells more and is busier can we hire more people, right?”
She was only eleven years old, but she had already seen through the coldness of human relationships and understood that kindness needed to be based on one's own strength.
Are the people of Shilipu Village kind?
good.
If anyone had been ruthless enough, Jiang Sheng would have died long ago while begging for food.
Or perhaps someone had some wicked intentions and sold her to a slave trader, which would be a completely different story.
But they weren't kind enough to take Jiang Sheng home, shower her with care, and raise her like their own daughter.
Because Shilipu Village is poor, every household is struggling, and they simply cannot afford to feed more people.
The bigger the bowl, the more porridge it can hold.
Don't take on a job you're not qualified for.
For the first seven years of her life, Jiang Sheng struggled and struggled, without reading or writing, and without enough to eat or wear. Fortunately, life taught her countless lessons, which she kept firmly in her heart.
Back in the prefectural city, it was only after obtaining the land deed that I dared to muster the courage to reopen the workshop.
Now in Fengjing, the only way to continue taking care of my poor aunts and uncles is to expand my business.
“Besides, Jiuzhenfang was built with the hard work of my second brother. He handed it over to me, so I must do my best to make Jiuzhenfang even better.” The little girl looked up and said, “Auntie, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”
No, of course not.
Tears welled up in Aunt Zhang's eyes. She raised her hand several times to touch Jiang Sheng's head, but put it back because it was covered in syrup.
I really don't understand, which family would be so heartless as to abandon such a good child?
“But my idea has been shattered.” Jiang Sheng sighed again, like a little adult. “We can’t make unique pastries, and we will never become the first choice for entertaining guests for ladies of noble families.”
It seems we have to take another approach.
She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the sky, her little head filled with thoughts again.
Zhang Xianglian frowned, and after a long while muttered, "I do have an idea."
"Fengjing has a wide variety of pastries, and even if you innovate, it will be quickly copied by others. It's better to come up with something new from elsewhere."
"Do you remember the mold that Master Kong asked me to make?" Zhang Xianglian turned to the kitchen, took out a small wooden box split in two, with deep and shallow patterns carved inside. "Although the shop across the street also sells glutinous rice and jujube cakes, they don't have our carvings, let alone our molds."
Using carvings to differentiate shapes and create unique pastries is a great idea.
It's a pity that carving is not difficult, and molds can be found, so it will be imitated sooner or later.
Jiang Sheng seemed to have gotten stuck in a rut.
Emerging from the clinic next door, Chang Yan, who had been listening to the banquet for who knows how long, finally spoke up after putting away his folding fan, "Think about lotus flower pastries. Once your pastries are sold on the tables of aristocratic families, who would dare to risk their life to imitate them?"
Even if you imitate it, the established families won't approve of it, and you can only sell it for the price of ordinary pastries.
On the other hand, which shop would be willing to spend so much time and effort on ordinary pastries?
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