Chapter 39 Pastry Shop
Gu Yunyi had no choice but to give up, and Xu Qingmeng immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
When Gu Yunyi turned around, he saw a young man wearing a moon-colored brocade robe and with a face as gentle as jade walking into the courtyard.
Gu Yunyi was puzzled and bowed like a scholar, "May I ask who you are, brother?"
"My name is Huang Boyang. My father and Mr. Shen are old friends. I often hear Mr. Shen and Yunyi mention you. This time, Brother Gu has won the first place, so I came here to ask Brother Gu for advice."
Xu Qingmeng had a good memory. She not only remembered Huang Boyang's name, but also remembered that he had been here yesterday.
Huang Boyang, the runner-up in the county exam, is the only son of the county magistrate. Unexpectedly, the Huang family has such a deep connection with Gu Yunyi's mentor, Mr. Shen.
This section was not mentioned in the original book, but Shen Yunyi knew about it. She was the heroine in the original book and would become Gu Yunyi's wife in the future.
Gu Yunyi's eyes flickered slightly, with a gentle smile on his face, "It's Mr. Huang, please come this way."
Huang Boyang agreed, his nose wrinkled slightly, and he was curious about what the Gu family had done to smell so fragrant.
Although Xu Qingmeng didn't understand Huang Boyang's purpose of coming, since he had come to her door, basic courtesy was necessary.
She hurried to make a pot of tea.
Ever since Gu Yunyi won the first place, there has been an endless stream of people coming to him to ask for advice. Huang Boyang is not the first one. In particular, those neighbors who failed the exam have visited him more frequently.
Scholars are particular about elegance, so they naturally cannot be entertained with just sugar water. Xu Qingmeng had already prepared tea at home.
The jujube paste cakes happened to be out of the pot, so I picked some, carefully arranged them on a plate, and sent them to the study.
Gu Yunyi and Huang Boyang were having a great conversation. When Xu Qingmeng brought in some tea and snacks, they were flipping through books and chatting happily.
Xu Qingmeng didn't stay for long. He put down his things and left.
The freshly-cooked jujube paste crisps have an enticing aroma, the golden outer skin is shiny, and the crispy outer skin seems to break at the touch. The sweet aroma of the jujube paste fills the study, adding a bit of sweetness of life to the original fragrance of books and ink.
Huang Boyang sniffed the aroma and said to Gu Yunyi with a smile,
"Brother Gu, your wife's cooking skills are truly amazing. The aroma of this jujube paste pastry is enough to make one salivate. I didn't expect that your wife is not only good at making stewed food, but also excellent at making dim sum.
Gu Yunyi smiled and said modestly, "Mr. Huang, thank you for the compliment."
Huang Boyang couldn't wait to take a bite of the jujube paste crispy snack. The crispy outer shell cracked between his teeth, and the delicate and sweet taste of the jujube paste instantly filled his mouth.
He couldn't help but exclaimed, "This delicacy is truly unique in the world. Brother Gu is truly a blessed man!"
Gu Yunyi smiled and said modestly, "As long as Brother Huang likes it."
"Of course I like it. I was lucky enough to bring back some braised food last night. My father really liked it. My mother prefers pastries and cakes. I'm sure this jujube paste cake will also please her."
Gu Yunyi pretended not to hear the hidden meaning, "Today, because my brother and sister-in-law are quarreling at home, my wife made this snack to comfort the children. If there is a chance next time, I will prepare more for Madam Huang."
Huang Boyang burst out laughing. He did not expect Gu Yunyi to respond like this, instead of flatteringly asking his wife to make some more for him to take back.
His impression of Gu Yunyi changed. He felt that he was not as cowardly as he thought yesterday. Instead, he felt that he was a man who loved his wife.
Although during the conversation, she felt that Gu Yunyi was worthy of Shen Yunyi, but there was no chance for Shen Yunyi. After all, Gu Yunyi was already married, and with the status of the Shen family, they would never let Shen Yunyi be a concubine.
Xu Qingmeng had no idea what the two were talking about.
But I knew that there were not many jujube paste cakes left. Jujube paste cakes were not made in large quantities, and a plate of them sent to the study would only cost about ten yuan.
The three children each took two pieces, and the rest was eaten up by everyone else.
After eating the cakes made by Xu Qingmeng, He sighed, "The so-called signature Poria cake of this cake shop is just so-so. It's not even as good as the mung bean cake made by Meng Niang, let alone this jujube paste cake.
Xu Qingmeng just smiled. Before this, He had quite liked the Poria cocos cake.
"Sister-in-law, please open a pastry shop so that I can eat pastries every day." Yun Sheng said innocently.
He was amused by Yun Sheng, "You little glutton, is it that easy to open a shop?"
Xu Qingmeng hadn't thought about it at first, but after hearing what Yun Sheng said, she felt that it might be a good idea. "If I really open a pastry shop, it wouldn't be a bad idea, right?"
He was shocked: "It's not that easy to open a shop. Yun Sheng is just greedy. Don't listen to her."
"Mom, don't worry. I just think it's worth considering. Now that Xinting and Xun'er are here, we can slowly get started on things in the shop. Although it's busier in the morning and afternoon, we have enough manpower.
"It will cost a lot of money for Yun Yi to study. Besides, Yun Sheng and Yun Mo should also start to learn. They are already late compared to other children. Rong Rong is over six years old and is ready to start to learn. Also, the current house is a bit small. Yun Yi still needs a quiet environment to study. In my opinion, we still need to buy a bigger yard."
He originally thought that her life was getting better and better and she was already very satisfied. But after hearing what Meng Niang said, she realized that what she earned now was far from enough.
"That being said, it's not certain that a pastry shop will make a lot of money. Look at Aunt Liu's pastry shop, it may not make as much as ours."
Xu Qingmeng smiled and said, "Then how much do you think Wufangzhai can earn every day?"
He was subconsciously shocked.
Wufangzhai is a famous dim sum shop in Yan County, located in the most prosperous area of East Street. It is not only famous in Yan County, but it is also said to have branches in other places.
It is said that the snacks there are extremely delicious. Each kind of pastry is in limited supply. The cheapest one costs three or four hundred coins, not to mention the most expensive one.
But even so, there are still crowds of customers every day and demand exceeds supply.
"This... How can this be compared? Wufangzhai is a century-old brand..."
"Mom, when it comes to opening a shop, the name of a time-honored brand is certainly valuable, but in the end, it has to win with the taste. If the taste is not good, it will be in vain even if it has the sign of a century-old shop. As long as our taste can keep people coming back, it may not be impossible."
He looked at Xu Qingmeng's confident look and couldn't bear to pour cold water on her.
However, He felt that it was pointless to say more at this moment. After all, this was just a budding idea.
When Xu Qing dreamed of He's reaction, she said no more. This idea was originally just a wake-up call from Yun Sheng. She thought it was quite feasible, so she mentioned it casually.
The pastry shop that Xu Qingmeng wanted was not just to sell old-fashioned desserts. She also wanted to make Western-style birthday cakes and other desserts.
Of course, these thoughts were premature. So-called Western-style pastries were almost unheard of in this place, and she just had such an idea.
In the afternoon, Xu Xinting and Xu Xun once again witnessed the hustle and bustle of the Gu family. The scene was even more exciting than at noon. Pots of braised food were brought out, and even though they thought the prices were very expensive, they still couldn't sell them.
Xu Xinting sighed in her heart that her aunt's cooking skills were truly amazing.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
