Yan Xia entrusted the making of the flower cakes to Guihua.
She was in charge of testing the peach shortbread.
Prepare flour, lard, pre-sedimented alkaline water, cornstarch, as well as salt, sugar, eggs, and sesame seeds.
First, put the lard and sugar in a bowl and beat them until they resemble feathers. Then, add a few eggs. Since it was a trial, Yan Xia only planned to bake one batch.
After mixing well, pour in the flour and continue kneading.
Finally, after kneading the dough into a ball, press a hole in the center with your hand and sprinkle black sesame seeds on top.
And that completes the task.
Once the first batch of flower cakes was baked, Yan Xia stuffed the peach shortbread into them to bake.
At this moment, there were already sounds outside the shop.
Jin Fu lifted the curtain and called inside.
"Mother, we have guests. It's too early. Is anything fresh out of the oven?"
"Yes, brother, come in and get it, a batch just came out of the oven."
Osmanthus answered first.
"Okay."
The first batch of fresh flower cakes sold out as soon as they were served.
"Mother, a customer asked when the limited-edition flavors will be available?"
Jin Fu returned with an empty plate; the whole process took only a few minutes.
"No more, sold out. Mother will go to the mountain tonight to look for some. Tell him there's no stock for the next couple of days."
There are still too few dendrobium flowers and lilies.
Looks like I'll have to find some other flowers.
Yan Xia thought to herself.
The baking time for peach shortbread is the same as that for flower cakes.
One batch can bake just enough for 30 pieces.
And it tastes even better than flower cakes.
A short while later, Jin Fu came to the backyard again to urge him on.
"Mom, is it ready yet? The line is getting long again."
"This time it's peach shortbread. The flower cakes have just been put in. Jinfu, come over. You do what your mother said on the opening day: take five peach shortbreads, cut them into small pieces, and take them outside for them to try. First come, first served. As for the price, just say it's only 200 coins a bag, with five pieces in a bag, limited to three days. Do you understand?"
Yan Xia wanted to test her boss.
"Okay, Mother, I'll go right away."
Jin Fu brought the peach shortbread into the shop, and many customers craned their necks to look at the plate.
Some people even asked him what it was.
Jin Fu smiled without saying a word, and divided the five peach shortbreads into small portions the size of a fingernail.
Take it to the store entrance.
They were shouting loudly.
"Take a look! Yan's Pastry Shop has launched a new product. I guarantee you've never tasted, heard of, or seen it before. This is peach shortbread, made exclusively by our shopkeeper. It's only available at this shop, and you won't find it anywhere else. Now I'm bringing out a sample for everyone to try. Everyone, come over quickly. Here, sir, you're in the first place. Please have a taste first."
Jin Fuxue's imitation was quite impressive.
He picked up a piece of peach shortbread with his chopsticks and placed it in the hand of an old man at the very front of the line.
Passersby stopped in their tracks and began lining up to try the food after hearing Jin Fu's words.
Five peach shortbreads were cut into small pieces—not too many, but not too few either.
It took more than a hundred people to send the messages.
Without exception, these people all started asking him how much the peach shortbread cost.
Everyone praised how delicious the peach shortbread was.
It even surpasses flower cakes.
After all, not everyone can accept the strong rose flavor of flower cakes.
"The shopkeeper said that the peach shortbread is on special for three days, only 200 coins a bag! It's more than half the price of the flower cakes, and a bag is still five coins."
Upon hearing the price, these people went crazy and all tried to squeeze into the shop.
Yan Xia's shop is only a few square meters, and it's so crowded that five people can stand there.
There's no way to accommodate so many people.
Jin Fu quickly restored order.
Make them line up.
That's when they started selling them.
I took five out of the thirty peach shortbreads to try.
Only twenty-five yuan left.
I sold five portions and left.
Those who didn't manage to buy one are waiting anxiously.
But there was only one stove in the shop.
Only one batch of fresh flower cakes and one batch of peach shortbread can be baked alternately.
Some people couldn't wait and left, but the majority of those who stayed made up the majority.
Some left, some came.
The long queue looked exactly the same.
“Mother, I think we should build another stove?” Jin Fu suggested.
He felt anxious for the people queuing outside.
"Yes, that's what I think too. So I'll leave this to you. Close the shop today and don't go back to the village. It's hot, so find someone to build the stove and then sleep in the backyard. Remember to burn firewood all night to dry the stove so it can be used tomorrow."
The stove is easy to cover.
A skilled craftsman can finish the job in two or three hours at most.
"Okay, I understand, Mother."
Jin Fu readily agreed, and he went back and forth into the backyard, actually just to put on a show for the people in line.
After all, everyone was urging him on; it didn't seem right for him to just stand there like an idiot.
They sold out until 4 p.m.
The money I made today was less than yesterday, all because the price of peach shortbread was too low.
Once the oven is built, bake the two types separately.
Increased efficiency will lead to more money.
At noon, the mother and her two children made some noodles in the backyard to fill their stomachs.
I didn't go out for wontons that night.
As usual, Yan Xia bought meat and went home.
She gave Jin Fu five taels of silver and told him to pay more to find someone to do it.
Express delivery usually costs twice as much.
In addition, my son needs to buy dinner at night.
I simply gave them more.
Just give the rest back to her.
When they returned to the village with Zhao Dali, the sun had already set.
It was too dangerous to go into the mountains at night, so Yan Xia had to postpone her search for dendrobium flowers and lilies.
As soon as I got home, I saw Zhu Xiaohua standing outside my door, looking impatient.
"Oh, Yan Xia, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you here for ages. Your two children wouldn't open the door when they saw me. I'm their elder, you really don't know how to discipline your kids. But it's okay, I'll teach you how to discipline them in the future. By the way, you're always going to town, are you doing some kind of business?"
Zhu Xiaohua, ever the social butterfly, linked arms with Yan Xia, trying to find out what she was doing in town.
Yan Xia didn't give her any face at all and immediately shook off her arm.
However, Zhu Xiaohua didn't feel embarrassed at all.
She continued rambling on with an unreadable expression.
“I know you’re angry with us, but Jinfu and the others are still descendants of the Chen family. How can they be left to wander outside? A family living in two different places would make them a laughingstock in the village. You should know that Dad didn’t bother you when you beat Mom like that. He’s soft-hearted. You’ve been making a scene for quite some time now, so I’m here on behalf of the Chen family to beg for peace. Please give me some face and back down. We’ve been sisters-in-law for so many years, so we’re practically family.”
Yan Xia was almost laughing out of anger.
"What face do you have? How much is your face worth? You want me and the children to go back to the Chen family? Fine! Make your in-laws kneel all the way from the village entrance to my door, and I'll go back. Otherwise, forget it!"
Yan Xia's voice was colder than ever before.
If she weren't afraid of scaring her gentle daughter and Xiao He in the house, she would have really started cursing.
"you!!"
Seeing that Yan Xia's face was becoming increasingly gloomy, clearly indicating that she didn't want to continue the conversation, Zhu Xiaohua's expression also began to tighten, and her breathing gradually became heavy, as if she was about to break down at any moment.
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