Seducing the first kiss
As is customary at Sushan Market, after dinner, everyone gathers to do their own things before going to sleep.
Originally, everyone would gather together to chat happily, but now that the "triangle poop" incident has leaked information, distrust has begun to spread, and the atmosphere has become tense.
After rambling on for a few minutes, the courtyard returned to silence.
Since Pei Qingwu couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to research new desserts, such as sesame brittle, in the kitchen.
The kitchen was brightly lit, with only Pei Qingwu remaining.
She put aside the frustration caused by the recent internal traitor incident and focused on developing a new dessert, sesame brittle.
The key to this sesame candy lies in its aroma, crispness, sweetness, and crunchiness, which are achieved by controlling the heat of the syrup and the ratio of sesame seeds.
Take the best hulled white sesame seeds, pour them into a clean iron pot, and stir-fry them patiently over low heat. Gently shake your wrist and flip the spatula to ensure that each sesame seed is heated evenly until it turns slightly yellow and emits a rich and mellow nutty aroma. Then quickly remove it from the pot and let it cool.
Next comes boiling the sugar.
Pei Qingwu selects fine white sugar, adds an appropriate amount of water and a small spoonful of maltose to increase its toughness and luster, and then places it in another small pot. First, bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. After the sugar syrup boils, turn the heat to low and simmer slowly.
This is a process that tests one's patience to the extreme. If the heat is too high, the syrup will burn and become bitter; if the heat is too low, it will not solidify.
Pei Qingwu stared intently at the bubbling syrup in the pot, observing how the bubbles decreased in size and the syrup's color gradually changed from transparent to a light amber. He then dipped a small amount of syrup into cold water with chopsticks. If it immediately solidified into a brittle, hard sugar bead, it was just right.
Pour the toasted and cooled sesame seeds into the prepared syrup and stir quickly to ensure that each sesame seed is evenly coated with syrup.
Then, while the sesame syrup is still hot, pour it onto a lightly oiled stone cutting board and quickly roll it out into a sheet of even thickness with a rolling pin.
At this point, the syrup is still warm and has the perfect consistency, making it the ideal time to cut and shape it.
She took a sharp, thin knife, and with a few swift strokes, cut it into neat, square pieces.
The freshly made sesame candy has a beautiful color and evenly distributed sesame seeds. When you pick up a piece and gently break it, it breaks easily with a clean cut.
When you put it in your mouth, you first feel the hardness and crispness of the candy. As it melts with the warmth of your mouth, the rich aroma of sesame and the sweetness of the candy blend perfectly. It's crispy and crumbly, sweet but not cloying, and leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth.
Pei Qingwu looked at the fruits of his labor and nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to pick up a piece to savor it, he heard faint footsteps coming from the kitchen doorway.
Looking up, he saw Xu Rong.
She rubbed her hands together, looking somewhat uneasy, her eyes darting around, and hesitated at the doorway.
"Rongniang? It's so late, is something the matter?" Pei Qingwu put down the sesame candy and asked in a calm tone.
Xu Rong seemed startled, timidly shuffling in, her voice barely audible: "Master, I... I think I saw something, but I don't know if I should say it..."
Pei Qingwu's heart stirred, but he showed no sign of it on his face, remaining gentle: "Speak freely, there is no one else here."
Xu Rong took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and whispered, "I... I think I saw Sister Baizhi at the back door, passing... passing something to the manager of Ganweizhai..."
After she finished speaking, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to look Pei Qingwu in the eye.
Pei Qingwu's eyes darkened slightly, and he tapped his fingertips lightly on the table twice. Then he smiled and said gratefully, "I see. Thank you for telling me. I understand. I will keep an eye on it."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of freshly made sesame candy and handed it to Xu Rong: "Here, try the sesame candy I just made, how does it taste?"
Xu Rong was flattered and took the food. She took a small bite, her eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly: "Delicious! It's fragrant, crispy, and the sweetness is just right!"
"I'm glad you like it." Pei Qingwu's smile remained unchanged. "It's late, go and get some rest."
Xu Rong felt as if she had been granted a pardon, quickly thanked him, and hurriedly left the kitchen.
The following day, Su Shan Xiao Ji officially launched its new sesame crisp candy, which was once again welcomed by customers due to its unique crispy texture.
However, just as Pei Qingwu had expected, in the afternoon, Ganweizhai also followed suit and launched its so-called "secret recipe sesame candy".
The news made the atmosphere in the shop even more somber.
After closing that night, Pei Qingwu summoned all the staff of Sushan Xiaoji, as well as his three apprentices Ji Fanghua, Xu Rong, and Wen Baizhi, to the main hall.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what their master intended, especially Xu Rong and Wen Baizhi, whose expressions varied.
Pei Qingwu sat at the head of the table, slowly sipped his tea, then took out a letter from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and calmly swept his gaze over everyone: "As you all probably know, Ganweizhai has copied our sesame candy again today."
Everyone fell silent, their faces filled with indignation.
Pei Qingwu continued, "However, what's interesting is that I specifically asked Aheng to buy a portion to try."
She paused, looked at Xu Rong, and said with a hint of amusement, "The taste... seems to be slightly different from the ones at our Su Shan Xiao Ji. It's not as fragrant, nor as crispy. What do you think is the reason for that?"
Everyone was puzzled, but Xu Rong's face turned slightly pale.
Before anyone could answer, Pei Qingwu answered his own question: "Because I deliberately let that mole see a slightly different recipe. It was missing a key ingredient, maltose, to adjust the toughness, and the sesame seeds were also roasted at a slightly different temperature."
These words shocked everyone present, and all eyes instantly focused on Pei Qingwu.
Pei Qingwu picked up the letter on the table, slowly stood up, walked to Xu Rong, whose face was pale and whose body was beginning to tremble slightly, and handed her the letter: "Rongniang, now, explain to everyone why the letter you secretly communicated with the second young master of Ganweizhai, informing him of the recipe for sesame candy, ended up in my hands?"
Xu Rong suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with horror and disbelief. Looking at the familiar letter in Pei Qingwu's hand, her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground.
This reaction is practically an admission of guilt.
“Rongniang, I know you’ve never been truly loved since you were little, and you yearn for love in your heart. But when I took you as my apprentice, I taught you that nothing is more important than the skills you have in your own hands, and we will all be your family.”
Why did you make such a mistake?!
Pei Qingwu spoke with deep sorrow and indignation.
Xu Rong's background destined her to lack love. When Ye Cheng, the philandering second young master of Ganweizhai, approached her with ulterior motives, it was natural that she couldn't resist and plunged headlong into his arms.
If she couldn't be persuaded and remained determined to fall for Ye Cheng, Pei Qingwu would only sigh and prepare a dowry for her. If she suffered any injustice in the Ye family in the future, she would definitely stand up for her because Xu Rong had once called her "Master".
But what she shouldn't have done was become a "commercial spy."
Pei Qingwu knew that if there really was a mole, it was most likely among her three newly accepted disciples, since Yin Lan and the others had followed her for so long and their character was trustworthy.
She had been observing closely for the past few days, and sure enough, she caught Xu Rong and Ye Cheng meeting in secret.
Then, she deliberately revealed the wrong method of making sesame candy in front of him to verify her inner suspicions.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Rong would actually use framing tactics to try and pin the blame on Wen Baizhi.
She was utterly disappointed.
Looking into Pei Qingwu's icy gaze, Xu Rong could no longer hold back. She knelt down with a thud, hugged her legs, and pleaded tearfully, "Master, Master, I was just momentarily bewitched. I'll never do it again, Master. I had no choice..."
"What do you mean there's no way?"
Seeing that the damage was irreversible, Xu Rong gritted her teeth and laid her cards on the table: "I... I'm pregnant, with Young Master Ye's child, but..."
Seeing her hesitant manner, Pei Qingwu understood what was going on.
It seems that Ye Cheng was unwilling to take responsibility, so he tricked her by saying that as long as she sent him a few more pastry recipes, he would definitely marry her.
"Don't call me master anymore," Pei Qingwu said. "Our master-disciple relationship has ended. I misjudged you and brought this loss upon myself."
“Master…” Xu Rong cried sadly and gagged several times.
Looking at her pitiful appearance, Pei Qingwu felt bad.
She did something wrong, but the real culprit is Ye Cheng!
"Rongniang, go and abort the child, find a job, and work steadily. Don't think about Ye Cheng anymore; he is not a good man."
But Xu Rong wouldn't listen to any advice, shaking her head like a rattle-drum.
Seeing that she was still stubborn, Pei Qingwu got angry: "Fine, since that's the case, for the sake of our past relationship as master and disciple, I will help you marry Ye Cheng in the end, and then we will have nothing to do with each other again."
With that, she turned and left.
Gu Heng followed closely behind and caught up with him.
The others watched Xu Rong kneeling and wailing, and whispered among themselves for a while. Finally, Wen Baizhi stood up, her eyes wide with anger: "Xu Rong, Master has treated us well, yet you do such a heartless thing! You are a complete ingrate!"
“That’s right! If Master hadn’t discovered it early, you probably would have revealed all the pastry recipes in this shop!” Ji Fanghua also chimed in with her criticism.
Xu Rong could only sit on the ground and cry, shaking her head as she cried, unable to utter a single word.
Gu Heng chased after Pei Qingwu out of the main hall and found him under the old plum tree covered in snow in the courtyard.
She had her back to him, looking up at the moon in the dark blue sky, her thin shoulders appearing somewhat lonely in the cold wind.
He walked over quietly and gently draped the fox fur cloak he had hastily brought out over her shoulders.
"Sister, don't let such an ungrateful person upset you too much."
Pei Qingwu didn't turn around, but simply raised his hand to adjust his cloak. His voice was calm, with a hint of detached understanding: "I'm not upset. She chose her own path, and she has to bear the consequences herself... I gave her a chance, but she didn't seize it. I have no regrets about those I can't keep."
As she spoke, she turned around, the moonlight shining on her face. Her usually bright eyes were now devoid of tears, only a clear calmness remained, as if the farce that had just taken place in the hall had not stirred much emotion within her.
She looked at Gu Heng's handsome face, which was filled with worry, and suddenly smiled. She raised her hand and gently brushed away a plum blossom petal that had fallen on his shoulder without her noticing.
"I just feel that people's hearts are fickle, and sometimes, it's really not as simple as making desserts."
Gu Heng held her slightly cool hand and warmed it with his palm.
"People's hearts are fickle, but some things will never change." He looked at her, his gaze focused and firm, as if making a solemn promise.
Looking at his serious expression, Pei Qingwu felt a significant dissipation of the chill she had felt due to the betrayal.
She suddenly remembered something and took out an exquisite ceramic round box from her sleeve pocket.
"Oh, right, the lip balm I bought a few days ago, it's supposed to be mixed with beeswax and jasmine oil, it's super moisturizing." She opened the box, inside was a bright red and delicate balm, emitting a faint jasmine fragrance.
"My lips have been feeling a bit dry lately. Could you apply some for me?"
After she finished speaking, she tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and brought her beautiful, unadorned face close to his, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Gu Heng's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he looked at her unguarded and proactive manner.
He took the box of lip rouge, dipped his fingertip into the bright red paste, his movements somewhat clumsy, yet exceptionally earnest and gentle.
He cupped her cheeks and gently applied his thumb, spreading the warm red color evenly over her full lips.
Beneath his fingertips lay her soft, warm skin, and the scent of jasmine lingered around his nose. Gu Heng's breathing became rapid involuntarily, and his heart pounded like a drum.
After finishing, he seemed to have accomplished an extremely important task, and breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his ears turned bright red.
Pei Qingwu slowly opened her eyes, her lips now tinged with a rosy hue, which made her skin appear even whiter than snow. Her eyes sparkled with a rare, captivating charm.
Looking at Gu Heng's nervous and shy appearance, she suddenly felt playful. She dipped her finger in some lip rouge and, taking advantage of Gu Heng's unpreparedness, quickly dabbed it on his beautifully shaped thin lips.
Gu Heng was startled and subconsciously pursed his lips. A small patch of crimson spread across his pale lips, strangely blending with his handsome face, creating a breathtakingly beautiful effect.
Pei Qingwu looked at the color on his lips that belonged to her, and the smile in her eyes deepened.
She leaned forward, almost touching his body, tilted her head back, and breathed softly: "Aheng, do you want to know what this lip rouge tastes like?"
The young woman's eyes were brimming with desire as they fell upon his red lips, a blatant seduction.
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