Chapter 422 Zhuang
Lin Yuesha was initially quite confident in her skills, but after receiving Yan Yan's high praise, she became somewhat uncertain again.
The two were chatting when there was a knock on the door.
Bai Cha went to open the door, where the shopkeeper and a young girl dressed as an unfamiliar maid stood.
"Ms. Lin, I'm sorry to bother you."
The innkeeper reluctantly knocked on the door, knowing it was inappropriate to disturb the guests. However, he had received a tip from the lady upstairs, so for the sake of the money, he had no choice but to bring his maid to knock.
"Shopkeeper, who is this gentleman?"
Lin Yuesha stood up, glanced at the girl dressed as a maid, and asked in confusion.
She had a hunch that the generous lady must like hazelnut shortbread, so she sent a maid over.
"Miss Lin, this is your servant Liu Ya. My mistress really enjoys your hazelnut pastries and would like to invite you upstairs to meet her."
Liu Ya was very polite and felt apologetic for asking the innkeeper to buy hazelnut pastries earlier. Since the aroma came from the inn's kitchen, the master and servant naturally assumed that it was made by the inn's cook, which was a bit presumptuous.
"Miss Lin, Miss Liu Ya, it's all because I didn't explain clearly. It's a misunderstanding!"
The innkeeper took the blame upon himself, turned his back and winked at Lin Yuesha. The lady was dressed plainly, but had an extraordinary bearing. Her choice to stay at their inn was likely to keep a low profile.
Since I've been invited to speak, there must be some benefits to be gained.
"Alright, Miss Willow Sprout, please lead the way."
Lin Yuesha wasn't after any personal gain, but rather because she observed that Liu Ya's demeanor was refined and courteous. Having studied etiquette at the girls' school, Lin Yuesha guessed that the lady upstairs held some status or position.
None of these are the most important things; the main purpose is to conduct a review of the hazelnut shortbread.
Lin Yuesha followed Liu Ya upstairs and headed straight for Room 1 of the Heavenly Division. She first informed the maid at the door, and after waiting for a while, another maid came out from inside.
"This servant is Xiangye. Miss Lin, please come with me."
Lin Yuesha followed Xiangye, bypassing the hall outside the door and heading straight for the inner room.
Room No. 1 in the Heavenly Rank was very large. Several maids stood with their hands at their sides inside the door. Lin Yuesha glanced at them and could roughly tell what was going on.
That lady was most likely the wife of an official. Although wealthy families had no shortage of manpower, they could not afford to perform such etiquette. Moreover, her official rank was no lower than that of the wife of a prefect. At least, Madam Yan did not have such pomp and circumstance.
Despite her doubts, Lin Yuesha remained calm and displayed the humility of a junior.
"Little girl, did you make the hazelnut cookies?"
The woman speaking was in her early forties, with a kind face and a neatly combed hairstyle. She was very dignified and dressed simply without much adornment.
Although she has developed some fine lines around her eyes as she gets older, it does not diminish her beauty at all. Instead, it adds a sense of composure that comes with age, something that young women would never have.
Women in the Great Qi Dynasty marry young, and by the time Madam is this age, she is likely already a grandmother. Lin Yuesha has a good impression of Madam and thinks to herself that if she can grow old calmly and gracefully, wouldn't that be a kind of elegance?
"In reply to your question, it was done by the junior."
Lin Yuesha showed no smugness, but eagerly awaited the lady's evaluation.
"Since you consider me a junior, why don't you call me Auntie?"
Zhuang nodded repeatedly to Lin Yuesha. She was well-mannered but not dull, spoke logically, and was not arrogant or complacent. She was a pleasing person.
"Aunt Zhuang, you asked me to meet you because of the hazelnut pastries, right?"
Lin Yuesha said that she would make more anyway, and if Zhuang Shi liked them, she would have her maid send some over. Although they were just strangers who met by chance, their meeting was fate.
"Lin girl, could you sell me the recipe for hazelnut shortbread?"
Zhuang gestured for Lin Yuesha to sit down and talk. There had been a death in the family, and she had been feeling down lately, not having eaten properly for a long time.
Today, while in her room, she suddenly smelled the aroma of roasted hazelnut shortbread. Seeing that she was interested, the maid took some silver to find the shopkeeper. She hadn't inquired about the details beforehand, and her actions were quite offensive.
"Yes, Miss Lin, our lady actually ate all the hazelnut pastries."
Liu Ya persuaded Lin Yuesha to sell the girl, saying that it was a rare treat for the lady of the house, and they could offer a high price that the restaurant couldn't get.
Or rather, if Lin Yuesha were to state her desired price, as long as it wasn't excessive, the lady would certainly agree.
"I'm so glad you like it."
Lin Yuesha pondered for a moment. Although there were many other dessert recipes, making butter was the essence. Selling the recipe would be tantamount to telling people how to make butter, so Lin Yuesha would not sell it.
Thinking of this, she said, "Aunt Zhuang, to be honest, I am going to the capital to open a shop there."
If you open a pastry shop and hazelnut shortbread is one of your signature items, you won't be able to keep the business afloat if you sell the recipe.
"Going to the capital this time? What a coincidence, my home is also in the capital."
Zhuang only wanted to buy a recipe so that her maid could help her make pastries in the future. However, when she heard that Lin Yuesha had opened a shop in the capital and wanted to eat hazelnut shortbread, she could have her maid buy it for her. So she gave up the idea of buying the recipe from her son.
“Aunt Zhuang, you must be very knowledgeable in the capital. Do you think my hazelnut pastries could help open up a market for them?”
Upon learning that the Zhuang family was in the capital, Lin Yuesha immediately asked anxiously.
Dr. Yan's appetite doesn't represent everyone's. Lin Yuesha needs to do more research before opening a shop, otherwise she might lose money. Losing money in the capital is a different story than losing money in the north.
"Miss Lin, the aroma of your hazelnut cookies is simply superb, not to mention the taste."
Liu Ya gave Lin Yuesha a thumbs-up, encouraging her.
Mr. Zhuang nodded. Selling them would certainly not be a problem, but since he was opening a pastry shop, he couldn't be too limited to just one type of item. In addition to the signature item, he also needed to offer other categories of food.
After giving Lin Yuesha a few pointers, Lin Yuesha reciprocated by saying, "My maid will come back later to buy ingredients. If you are not resting, she will bring you some cakes."
Hazelnut shortbread, almond shortbread, sunflower seed shortbread, and many more—they're all the same kind, just with different flavors.
With butter, Lin Yuesha could make almost anything—cookies, bread, butterfly cookies, etc.
"Our wife has been worrying too much lately and hasn't been sleeping well at night. She can definitely wait."
Liu Ya saw Lin Yuesha to the door. She wanted to offer to help find the ingredients, but then she remembered that Lin Yuesha might have a secret recipe. To avoid being misunderstood as coveting the recipe, she held back.
The lady had been sullen for several days, but she smiled a little after eating hazelnut pastries. The maids were also happy, so Liu Ya treated Lin Yuesha very well.
"Sister Liuya, your aunt is in a bad mood, so she can have something sweet."
Lin Yuesha chatted with Liu Ya for a few minutes before returning to her room. Qingxing and Qi'er also returned.
The two strolled through the food street and brought back seven or eight kinds of snacks. They were recommending fish tofu to Bai Cha.
Yingcheng is great because it's by the sea. The fish tofu is made from pure fish meat. You can dip it in a spoonful of chili sauce and eat it. It's soft, tender, fragrant, and spicy.
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