There was a mole.
"I just like you as a person, nothing else matters."
Pei Qingwu said this very seriously.
Upon hearing this, Gu Heng seemed not to have reacted at first, his eyes widening in disbelief like a puppy.
After confirming that Pei Qingwu's eyes were filled with tenderness and seriousness, his heart suddenly began to pound wildly.
He never imagined that his employer would speak to him like that.
He was tempted, but he also understood that the gap between them was enormous.
No matter what, Pei Qingwu was a respectable woman from a good family, while he came from a brothel and didn't even know who his biological father was. If Pei Qingwu hadn't found him, he probably would have been stuck in a lowly status until his death.
She didn't want to be Zhao Xu's concubine, and he understood that. His master was proud at heart, and even if he couldn't make money from making pastries, he wouldn't allow himself to be ruined in a grand mansion.
Gu Heng had thought countless times about what he would do if one day she could find her own sweetheart like Jinniang.
Should he force himself to offer his blessings while his heart aches? He simply can't do that.
But at this moment, she said she liked him...
It felt as if countless butterflies had been hidden in his chest, bursting out all at once and excitedly pounding inside his chest cavity, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"I...I..."
He suddenly stood up, stammering, unable to utter a single word.
In contrast, Pei Qingwu was much more at ease, standing up unhurriedly and even teasing him, "What's wrong, are you overjoyed?"
"I'm not, I..." Gu Heng hesitated for a long time, his handsome face turning red, but he still didn't know what to say.
Was my confession too abrupt for you?
Pei Qingwu deliberately leaned forward, bending down slightly to look at Gu Heng's flushed face with a smile: "His face is so red it could bleed."
"Or are you saying you don't want to? Then I'll be very sad..."
With that, Pei Qingwu made the move to leave.
"No!" Gu Heng exclaimed urgently, grabbing her wrist. "Who said I don't want to? I..."
When he met Pei Qingwu's clear gaze, he felt as if he had lost all his strength, and the words he had prepared were no longer uttered.
"I……"
Pei Qingwu waited patiently.
"I'm willing, I'm just afraid..." Gu Heng stammered, "You're toying with me, you're playing with me, you..."
"Playing tricks? Ah Heng, after knowing you for so long, when have I ever lied to you?" Pei Qingwu asked seriously.
"N-nothing..."
"That settles it then. I, Pei Qingwu, am upright and honest, and I never lie. If I say I like someone, then I really like them."
As he spoke, Pei Qingwu took his hand.
"Aheng, if you're interested in me too, just be brave and nod."
Gu Heng nodded his head twice.
“So good…” Pei Qingwu smiled and reached out her other hand to pinch his cheek: “Just like Tuanzi and Mao Mao.”
"Come on, call me 'sister' and let me hear it."
"elder sister……"
Gu Heng's voice was sweet and sticky, which Pei Qingwu liked more and more as she listened.
No wonder some people just like younger men.
With those innocent puppy eyes, so affectionate and endearing, calling me "sister" in a spoiled way—who could resist that?
Seeing Pei Qingwu pinching his cheeks so enthusiastically, Gu Heng grabbed her hand in return, hooking his fingers around hers: "Does sister really like pinching my cheeks?"
"yes."
Their fingertips intertwined, and Gu Heng's little finger began to unconsciously hook onto Pei Qingwu's palm.
"Why?"
"Because your face is pretty, and your hands feel nice too."
Pei Qingwu had "ravaged" Gu Heng's face enough, and was reluctantly trying to withdraw her hand when Gu Heng grabbed it and pressed it to his lips.
His movements were not rough, but the force was resolute.
He lowered his head and pressed her palm tightly against his burning cheek, gently rubbing it, much like a large dog seeking comfort.
But in those peach blossom eyes that looked up at her, there was no longer pure dependence and shyness, but rather a surging, deeper, darker tide.
Pei Qingwu was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised by his sudden and forceful action, but she did not break free. Instead, she found it amusing and let him hold her hand, her fingertips even able to feel the rapidly pulsating blood vessels under his skin.
"Sister..." he called again, his voice lower and hoarser than before, with a cloying, nagging quality: "Is it just... because you're pretty?"
His gaze was fixed on her, and in those usually clear and bright eyes, two dark flames seemed to have ignited, carrying an almost obsessive inquiry and a hint of grievance.
It seems that they are not content with being treated merely as a pretty pet that can be teased at will.
Pei Qingwu raised an eyebrow, teasing him deliberately: "Otherwise what? What other good qualities does our Aheng have? Tell me about them, sister?"
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Heng tightened his grip on her wrist even more.
He suddenly took a step forward, instantly compressing the already close distance between them to its limit. Pei Qingwu could even clearly smell the clean scent of soap on him, mixed with the unique coolness of a young man.
"I……"
He seemed to be provoked by her nonchalance, or perhaps he was struggling with himself; his Adam's apple bobbed violently. "I will try my best to become more useful. I will always stay by my sister's side. No one can bully her... I... I can still..."
He said "yes" for a long time, but the rest of the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. His handsome face turned red, and his eyes struggled with embarrassment and an eagerness to prove something.
Pei Qingwu looked at his expression, which was both wanting to be "wild" and unable to suppress his shyness, and her heart melted completely. She found him incredibly adorable.
She was about to say something to comfort the suddenly furious puppy when she saw that Gu Heng seemed to have finally made up his mind.
He suddenly lowered his head, with an awkward yet fierce force, opened his mouth, and used his teeth to lightly bite the tips of the fingers that had just caused trouble.
"!"
A warm sensation instantly spread from my fingertips, accompanied by a subtle nibbling sensation from my teeth. It didn't hurt, but it carried a possessive allure.
Pei Qingwu's breath hitched; he hadn't expected him to pull this stunt.
Gu Heng raised his eyes, the redness at the corners of his eyes deepening, but his gaze was like that of a wild wolf locking onto its prey, carrying a hint of ferocity, mixed with endless trepidation and anticipation. He mumbled a few words through clenched teeth: "It's okay... like this."
He loosened his teeth, but his tongue, as if by accident, quickly grazed the skin of his fingertips that he had just "punished."
That instant of wetness and tingling, like a subtle electric current, unexpectedly surged through Pei Qingwu's limbs and bones.
Looking at the boy in front of her, who seemed to have instantly shed all his obedient exterior, revealing sharp fangs and a fiery heart inside, her heart skipped a beat.
The ambiguity in the air suddenly escalated, becoming sticky and dangerous.
Pei Qingwu, who had been so confident and playful just moments before, was caught off guard and outmaneuvered for the first time by the boy he had taken in.
Gu Heng stared intently at the fleeting look of surprise on her face, as if confirming that his "counterattack" had been effective. A glint of triumph flashed in his eyes, but he was mostly tense.
He released her hand, but immediately took advantage of the situation, enveloping her hand entirely in his larger, hotter palm, forcefully squeezing his fingertips between hers, and interlocking their fingers tightly.
"Sister..." he resumed his cloying tone, "From now on, you're only allowed to pinch my cheeks."
"Okay," Pei Qingwu agreed with a smile.
The branch store that Wu Niang and Yu Yi opened independently was doing well. The two of them were hardworking and meticulous, and they quickly built up a good reputation.
Having tasted the sweetness of victory, Pei Qingwu decided to recruit two more apprentices.
This time, there were even more people than before.
Naturally, the assessment was a headache; after looking at them for a long time, they finally settled on three.
The first one is named Ji Fanghua. She is sixteen years old this year. Her grandfather is a fruit merchant. The family is well-off and they used to live a good life. However, when she was ten years old, her mother suddenly passed away. After she got a stepmother, life became worse day by day.
She became an apprentice because her grandfather and stepmother had taken money and planned to marry her off to a fifty-year-old man as his second wife.
Because she used to cook for her family at home, Ji Fanghua picked up cooking skills very quickly. In addition, she wanted to live independently, so she was also very down-to-earth and sincere when learning to make pastries.
The second one is named Xu Rong, who is seventeen years old. Her parents died early, and she lives with her uncle, which is very difficult. When she heard that Sushan Market was recruiting apprentices, she came to sign up.
She wasn't particularly gifted and learned things slowly. Pei Qingwu took her in because her background was similar to his own and she was indeed hardworking and ambitious.
The last one was named Wen Baizhi. Her family originally ran a pharmacy. After her parents passed away one after another, their property was seized by relatives. She lived under the roof of her uncle and depended on him.
He became an apprentice in order to support himself and pay off the money he owed his uncle.
All three were girls with difficult pasts and struggled lives.
“I think that life is not easy for women in this world, there are always all kinds of shackles. I am lucky that I have my own place now.”
“But there are always women who can’t escape. Now that I have the means, I should help them in any way I can.”
Upon hearing this, Yin Lan said with tears welling up in her eyes, "Our boss has the heart of a bodhisattva."
Life went on in this orderly fashion.
Everyone in the shop was kind, and the three new apprentices quickly became familiar with each other.
Occasionally, when Wu Niang and Yu Yi returned, they would tease them by calling them "Senior Sister".
Meanwhile, Pei Qingwu was already thinking about developing new products.
During her undergraduate years, she went to Sichuan and Chongqing for vacation and ate the local specialty triangular rice cakes a few times. They were fragrant with rice, soft, chewy, and came in several flavors, which she never forgot.
I tried buying online a few times afterward, but I never felt that it was as authentic as eating it locally.
Here, she wanted to try to replicate it.
Without hesitation, Pei Qingwu began experimenting repeatedly, relying on the taste and texture from her memory.
The key to making triangular rice cakes lies in the fermentation of the rice batter and the heat during baking. She selects high-quality japonica rice and glutinous rice, mixes them in a certain proportion, soaks them, grinds them into rice batter, adds old dough starter, and places them in a warm place to wait for them to ferment naturally until the rice batter produces fine bubbles and emits a slightly sour wine aroma.
The mold she used was a small triangular iron pot that she specially commissioned from a blacksmith. She brushed a thin layer of oil on it, poured in the fermented rice batter, and slowly baked it over low heat.
Once one side has set and turned golden brown, use a special small bamboo skewer to skillfully flip it over until both sides are golden brown and fragrant.
The freshly baked triangular rice cakes have a slightly crispy outer layer, while the inside is incredibly soft and chewy. The rich aroma of rice is mixed with a subtle fermented sourness, and the taste is sweet.
Based on this, Pei Qingwu first created three flavors: original rice flavor, red bean paste flavor, and nut flavor.
The new product, "Triangle Cake," caused a sensation at the Sushan Market as soon as it was launched.
This snack has a unique appearance and taste. It has the soft and glutinous texture of traditional rice cake, as well as the crispy aroma of pan-fried rice cake. Each of the three flavors has its own characteristics, and the price is also affordable. It quickly became a new favorite in the store, and it was in short supply every day.
Regular customers praised the shop, which led to a significant increase in sales of other pastries.
However, the good times didn't last long.
About half a month later, Ganweizhai Dim Sum Shop, which was a few streets away from Sushan Market, also brazenly put up a sign to sell "triangle cakes". It also launched three flavors: original, red bean paste and nut, and even the names were exactly the same!
When the news reached Pei Qingwu's ears, she initially thought it was a coincidence, perhaps someone else had also come up with a similar dessert.
But when she asked Gu Heng to secretly buy a serving to try, her heart sank.
Ganweizhai's triangular rice cakes are extremely similar to those of Sushan Xiaoji, whether it's the degree of fermentation of the rice milk, the soft and chewy texture, the delicate sweetness of the red bean paste, or the variety and proportion of nuts and other ingredients. This level of quality is something that cannot be achieved through independent research and development.
Especially in the red bean paste flavor, Pei Qingwu specially added a little bit of homemade tangerine peel powder to increase the flavor layers. This extremely subtle taste was also reproduced in the Ganweizhai version.
This is definitely not as simple as just imitating the appearance.
Pei Qingwu put down the triangular rice cake from Ganweizhai in his hand and looked around at the people who were busy in the kitchen. Yin Lan was checking the accounts, Qian Tao was packing pastries, Jin Niang was doing odd jobs, and the three new apprentices were doing their jobs according to their division of labor, such as grinding rice paste, preparing fillings, or tending to the stove.
The recipe and production process for Su Shan Xiao Ji's triangular rice cakes are known only to her and a few key members of the kitchen.
She had personally demonstrated and explained each step. Now that the recipe has been leaked, it's almost certain that the problem lies within the shop itself.
A chill mixed with disappointment crept into my heart.
She believed she had treated these girls well, paying them generously and sharing her skills without reservation. She especially cared for her three new apprentices with difficult backgrounds.
Unexpectedly, someone reciprocated in this way.
Gu Heng stood beside her, looking at her tightly pursed lips and the coldness in her eyes, feeling both pain and anger in his heart. He whispered, "Master, I'll go investigate..."
Pei Qingwu raised her hand and gently interrupted him.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart: "Starting today, the sale of triangular rice cakes will be suspended."
Upon hearing this, everyone stopped what they were doing in surprise and looked at her in confusion.
Pei Qingwu stood up, walked to the workbench, picked up the triangular rice cake from Ganweizhai, and looked calmly at Ji Fanghua, Xu Rong, and Wen Baizhi.
"Ganweizhai has started selling triangular rice cakes, and they taste almost exactly like the ones from our shop. What do you think is going on?"
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