Before coming here, Zhang Li was hoping for the best, but after seeing the 30% discount card, he no longer had any doubts about Yang Yajing's abilities.
He carefully took the small black box out of the large box, opened the lid, and Zhang Li was so shocked that he was not only not suspicious, but completely dumbfounded.
Inside the box were three beautiful "fruits," and inside the flip-top was written in white: "The red candle has burned out and the body has departed, but the spirit is pleased and the students are all over the world."
The three "fruits" they correspond to are pear, peach, and plum.
However, these are not real fruits, but three fruit cakes wrapped in almond icing.
Yang Yajing chose to wrap the product in almond icing not only because it keeps it fresh for a long time at room temperature without spoiling, but also because it allows for a variety of colors.
The pears were made with yellow peaches and some green food coloring, the peaches were made with watermelon juice, and the reddish-purple plums were made with mashed plums with the skin on and red bean paste.
Yang Yajing handed Zhang Li a small knife and asked him to cut it open and taste it. But Zhang Li held the knife for a long time, reluctant to use it, for fear of damaging this "work of art".
In the end, Yang Yajing reluctantly took the knife from Zhang Li and cut the pastries.
Once these "fruits" are cut open, the true nature of the pastries is revealed. The dark-colored fruit paste, wrapped in a thin layer of sugar icing, smells sweet and has a rich flavor upon tasting.
After chewing a few times, Zhang Li suddenly heard a crisp crunch in his mouth. After chewing a few more times, the crunchy beans mixed in emitted a slightly bitter taste, but it wasn't unpleasant; it even had a hint of coffee aroma.
"What are these crispy beans?" Zhang Li was quite surprised.
"Coffee beans," Yang Yajing replied with a smile.
These "coffee beans" aren't actually coffee beans, but rather a popular children's treat that's become trendy in the last couple of years. They're small, coffee bean-shaped candies made from coffee powder and cocoa powder, sold in individual packets, and they're quite delicious.
"Why put coffee beans in it?" Zhang Li didn't understand. Who would put sugar beans in pastries? He'd never even heard of it.
"Uncle Zhang, don't you think this bittersweet flavor is quite fitting?" Yang Yajing simply asked in return.
"Sweet with a hint of bitterness...bitter with a hint of sweetness?" Zhang Li pondered Yang Yajing's words, nodding repeatedly, "That girl is so thoughtful!"
“With a heart free of shackles, isn’t that Grandpa Zhang’s teaching? Who says you can’t put sugar beans in pastries? We can’t let traditional shackles imprison our creative spirit, right?” Yang Yajing winked at Zhang Li.
“Sigh! No wonder I couldn’t inherit the old man’s true skills,” Zhang Li said with a self-deprecating laugh. “If the old man were still alive, he would be very pleased to know that he had such a clever little girl like you.”
“Uncle Zhang, the old man has passed away, but his teachings remain.” After saying this, Yang Yajing waited quietly without urging the transaction to proceed.
Zhou Pengfei then began to explain, telling Zhang Li that these three images would be replaced with photographs when the product was sold as a genuine item. The tri-fold card could be used as a framed souvenir.
Sure enough, before Yang Yajing and the others could say anything, Zhang Li took the initiative to place an order. He was extremely satisfied with this funeral gift!
Nine days later, those who attended the funeral were full of praise for the funeral gift. Some held the box as if it were a treasure, while others looked at the photos and wept.
It was because of this incident that Yang Yajing and Zhou Pengfei's little story spread among the restaurant's customers. Coupled with the word-of-mouth from the three groups of people who had received various gift boxes, business quickly picked up one wave after another.
With the funds, Yang Yajing invested in a second-hand photocopier, a second-hand rear projection camera, and a manual paper cutter, which made the production process much smoother.
However, her small room of about ten square meters is now crammed full; it's more like a studio than a bedroom.
Yang Yajing wondered if she should persuade her father to sell the shop and move to a bigger house.
The concept of commercial housing didn't begin to enter the daily lives of Jincheng residents until around 1995 or 1996. At that time, in this area, a three-bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a multi-story building along the street would only cost around two or three hundred thousand yuan.
After deducting living expenses, the restaurant's revenue now allows her to save about ten thousand yuan a year. But that's just a small part; Yang Yajing's business dealing with weddings and funerals has brought in tens of thousands of yuan in extra income in just three months.
If the shop is sold, this one-bedroom apartment could fetch at least tens of thousands of yuan.
At this rate, she should be able to buy a new house in three years at most, once she enters junior high school.
However, this job cannot be done by Yang Yajing's family alone; Zhou Pengfei's continued participation must be ensured.
So on this day, Yang Yajing came to the Zhou family and went to "discuss business" with Zhou Youcheng.
"Ya Jing? Are you here to see Peng Fei? Come in!" Zhou Youcheng opened the door and saw Yang Ya Jing, naturally assuming she was here to see her son.
"Uncle Zhou, I've come to see you today." Yang Yajing's words surprised Zhou Youcheng.
Looking for me?
“Yes!” Yang Yajing nodded. “Of course, we should also look for Zhou Pengfei.”
Hearing Yang Yajing's voice from inside the room, Zhou Pengfei ran out as well: "Is there another mission? What is it?"
Yang Yajing shook her head and said playfully, "No, I'm here to talk business with your guardian today!"
"Oh! Guardian? And you're talking business? This kid's interesting!" Wang Xiufen heard this as she brought tea and snacks into the living room and laughed.
"Talking business? What kind of business do you want to talk to me about? Tell me?" Zhou Youcheng was already used to Yang Yajing's mischievous little mind, so he didn't just ignore it as a joke.
"I want to ask you for someone."
"Who? Could it be my brat?"
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