Chapter 73 Lotus Seed Paste and Egg Yolk Mooncakes
at this time
Inside the boss's office at Trendy K.
The lingering warmth of the osmanthus-flavored rice wine still lingered on her lips and teeth, but Jin Xuan grew angrier the more she thought about it. Her fingertips gripped the bottom of the empty cup, her knuckles turning white. Documents were scattered all over the floor of her desk, and the revenue report for "Trend K" from last month was crumpled into a ball, the edges wrinkled from her grip—it was clearly a newly opened KTV, with a more fashionable decor and more advanced equipment than "Golden Brilliance," so how could it be overshadowed by that "antique shop" full of old posters?
"Boss, what's wrong with frozen crabs? Didn't you say you were controlling costs before?" The manager's voice was aggrieved as he bent down to pick up the documents on the ground. "Ms. Jin, our rent is 50,000 a month, plus utilities and waiter salaries, that's all we have in our budget. Fresh crabs cost almost 50 a pound, and if we really use fresh crabs, it'll cost at least 300 per person. Young people simply won't buy it, that would be a huge loss."
"Not buying it? Then why would they be willing to queue up for Golden Splendor Spicy Crab?" Jin Xuan slammed the empty milk tea cup heavily on the table, splashing the milky white beverage residue onto the tablecloth.
"That woman, Su Yingxue, is always up to something fancy!" She recalled the scene she had just seen by the window—a transparent milk tea bucket was placed at the entrance of "Golden Brilliance KTV," and a staff member in an apron was scooping osmanthus-flavored rice balls for customers entering the store. The rising steam carried the fragrance of osmanthus, which could be smelled from two streets away.
The store manager quickly stepped forward, his face beaming: "Ms. Jin, don't be upset. If they're going for spicy crab, we'll go for something even more upscale! We'll have a private room themed around a full crab feast, with gilded crab shell decorations on the walls, crab-shaped bone china tableware, and a Cantonese chef to make Typhoon Shelter Crab and Crab Roe Tofu. The price will be 580 yuan per person, and we'll focus on 'affordable luxury crab feast karaoke.' It's sure to attract white-collar workers who are willing to spend money!"
"Five hundred and eighty?" Jin Xuan frowned, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the inside of the milk tea cup. "Isn't that too expensive? How much do they usually spend singing?"
"Not expensive at all!" the manager patted his chest confidently. "I've been in this business for twenty years, and what I've mastered is appealing to young people's competitive spirit—'Golden Splendor' is affordable and approachable, so we'll go for the high-end route, making them feel that eating crabs at 'Trend K' is a status symbol!" He paused, then added, "Besides, isn't Su Yingxue doing short video promotions? We'll make some too! We'll hire a few restaurant review bloggers to film the private rooms looking glittering gold, and emphasize the 'exclusive crab feast,' guaranteed to be a hit! Making money will be a piece of cake!"
Jin Xuan hesitated for a moment, her gaze falling on the long queue outside the window at the "Golden Glory" restaurant—young people holding milk tea, taking pictures in front of an old-fashioned karaoke machine, their faces beaming with smiles. She suddenly remembered the osmanthus-flavored rice wine milk tea she had just drunk; the smooth fresh milk was coated with the subtle sweetness of rice wine, and the aroma of osmanthus was neither overpowering nor cloying, much more refreshing than the chain milk tea she usually drank.
"Oh, right," Jin Xuan suddenly spoke up, "can we make the milk tea that Su Yingxue makes?"
The manager paused for a moment, then looked down and picked at his fingers: "That osmanthus rice wine milk tea is a dessert, and our kitchen has never made it before... But I saw a simple tutorial online. If we cook it with ready-made rice wine, milk, and dried osmanthus flowers, we should be able to replicate it."
"Imitation?" Jin Xuan sneered. "Is it a good imitation? That cup just now had just the right amount of sugar, not too sweet at all. It must have been her own recipe." She recalled her surprise when she took the first sip—she had bought the milk tea to "spy on the enemy," but she hadn't expected to finish it all, and she was still thinking about the osmanthus fragrance.
"Forget about the milk tea for now," she waved her hand and threw the empty cup into the trash can. "Just do as you said, have a full crab feast private room, budget of several hundred thousand, right? And all the tableware and ingredients, I need to hire the best chefs? I approve it. Also, find someone to talk to that millionaire blogger Ren Jie, spend some money to quickly take down those negative review videos online, especially the one saying our frozen crabs have loose meat, it's really annoying me!"
"Okay!" The store manager quickly agreed and turned to make the arrangements.
“Wait,” Jin Xuan called out to him, her ears turning slightly red. “You… send someone to ‘Golden Glory’ to queue up and buy two more cups of Osmanthus Rice Wine Milk Tea, hot ones, and leave them in my office. I’m going to go shopping for a bit, and I’ll want some when I come back.”
The store manager paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly: "Understood, Mr. Jin, I guarantee to buy the freshest!"
Jin Xuan grabbed her bag, stomped out of the office in her high heels, and deliberately avoided the direction of "Golden Brilliance." But the further she walked, the clearer the osmanthus fragrance lingered on her lips and teeth. She couldn't help but take out her phone and open the page of a local food blogger—the pinned video was a review of "Golden Brilliance." The blogger, holding up a milk tea, smiled at the camera: "Family! Who would have thought! Drinking freshly brewed osmanthus-flavored rice wine milk tea in a 20-year-old KTV, paired with spicy crab, the autumn atmosphere is absolutely perfect!"
In the video, Su Yingxue, wearing a light gray apron, was bending over to serve milk tea to a customer. A small dried osmanthus flower was tucked behind her ear, and her smile was as gentle as the autumn sun. Jin Xuan stared at the screen, her fingers unconsciously tightening around her bag strap—damn it, even her smile is so endearing, and even her milk tea tastes so good.
She thought about what had happened between her and Ye Bingbin. Suddenly, she wasn't so angry anymore. Instead, she wanted to drink milk tea even more.
She took a deep breath and quickened her pace, but stopped as she passed the park. Fresh osmanthus blossoms were blooming at the park entrance, their fragrance rich and intoxicating. As if possessed, she went inside, took a picture, and picked the most fragrant branch—consider it… a gift for herself, and nothing to do with Su Yingxue.
But as she walked out of the park, she couldn't help but think: those two cups of milk green tea should be ready soon, right? They should be hot, still steaming, with the sweetness of the fermented rice, the fragrance of osmanthus, and the soft, chewy rice balls all mixed together. They must taste even better than the previous cup.
She shook her head, trying to shake off these thoughts, but her feet involuntarily turned towards "Trend K"—forget it, shopping isn't interesting, I should just go back early and wait for those two cups of milk tea.
Meanwhile, Su Yingxue was still planning new dishes. Crabs are perfect for autumn, and she'd already made them. She'd also made drinks, and everyone seemed to enjoy them. Even the usually boisterous Meng Cong and Chef Wei were frequently seen sipping milk tea, proving their irresistible appeal.
As I pondered this, I checked what cuisines the system recommended.
The spinning wheel spun and spun. Finally, it landed on the egg yolk.
"Hey. What kind of dish is this? We've had something similar before."
Su Yingxue looked curiously at the dessert pictures on the spinning wheel. She then realized she had eaten this particular dessert before.
It belongs to the Cantonese style of mooncake.
Especially for people who love desserts.
"Lotus Seed Paste and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake" is simply a classic symbol of the sweetness of mooncakes.
And right now is the perfect season for mooncakes. I've decided that'll be my next dessert!
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