On another plate, there was a plate of white jade pastries. It did not have the oily aroma of lotus crisps, but it had the fragrance of the food itself, with a faint sweet aroma that made people want to try it. 

Xu Shaoyan stared at the plate and the pastries on the plate. It was as white as jade, cut into blocks, with holes as thin as needles, and a faint fresh fragrance wafted into his nose.

Xu Shaoyan took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, fearing that the flawless white jade pastries would be stained.

He raised his hand to pick up a piece, and his fingertips sank into the pastry, his eyes widened: “This, this pastry is so fluffy!”

He put it in his mouth and took a bite. It was soft and sweet. After tasting it carefully, he found that it was sweet but not greasy, and glutinous but not sticky, just to his taste.

“What kind of cake is this?”

Su Qingyu saw that he was satisfied, smiled, and said, “This is white jade cake. It also has another name Nianfa cake, which means getting rich every year and getting taller every year.”

“White jade cake? Nianfa cake? Yes, both names sound good. Then the one just now is the lotus cake?”

Su Qingyu nodded. 

Xu Shaoyan also ate two white jade cakes. Seeing that the plump shopkeeper next to him was staring at the cakes, he asked her to take them down and eat them with the chef. 

The plump shopkeeper happily took the cakes and left. Her plump body walked very fast.

Xu Shaoyan tapped his fingers on the table, his mind was working very fast.

Su Qingyu glanced at him and said, “Boss Xu can see that the two kinds of pastries are made using different techniques. Let’s talk about the white jade cake first. It uses a fermentation process to make the dough puffed, and the pastries made are soft and delicious, which is most suitable for the elderly and children. This process can be used to make a variety of pastries. Similar to the white jade cake, you can make steamed cakes, date cakes, egg cakes, etc.” 

“The lotus pastry is more complicated. It uses oil pastry, which contains several different kinds of dough and is finally fried. Oil is kneaded into the dough. Some pastries in your shop are also heavily oiled, but none of them have such good puff pastry and so many layers. Moreover, a variety of colors can be kneaded into it, and it does not fade during the frying process or when placed. I see that you have very few varieties of this kind of oil pastry.”

Seeing that he was silent, she said, “In fact, I would like to sell you another kind of baked pastry. This kind of baking process allows the pastry to hold a good shape and will not go bad even after a long time. The flavor will also stay fresh for long. It can be carried for long distances and can be made with sweet, salty, or complex flavors. But you don’t have the tools.”

“What tools do you need?” Xu Shaoyan asked.

“The stove, grill, or oven.”

“We can make it with the oven.”

Su Qingyu smiled, “That’s another matter. Today we’re only talking about the craftsmanship of lotus pastry and white jade cake. In addition to lotus pastry, there’s also a kind of swan pastry, which is made to look like a swan singing with its neck stretched out, and its feathers blooming layer by layer, as if it’s about to fly. It’s exquisite and beautiful, and it tastes even better. These two things should help you break into the market of wealthy families.”

Xu Shaoyan was very interested and leaned over to ask, “How to make swan pastry?”

Su Qingyu smiled faintly, “Today we’re only talking about lotus pastry and white jade cake.” 

Xu Shaoyan glanced at her, “I want lotus pastry and white jade cake, and I also want the baking process and swan pastry you mentioned.”

“That depends on how much money Mr. Xu can offer.”

“How much money do you want?”

“It’s not how much I want, but how much Mr. Xu can offer.”

Xu Shaoyan stared fixedly at Su Qingyu, feeling that the woman in front of him was well-versed in negotiation techniques. He couldn’t help but tap his fingers on the table again, and his mind began to ponder…

Su Qingying slowly picked up her tea to drink. She wasn’t in a hurry; the other party was more anxious than she was. If he truly wanted it.

Xu Shaoyan felt that the woman in front of him should have more than these things in her mind. After thinking about it, he said, “How about Madam Su invest in the Jixiang Shop, give suggestions on the cakes in the shop, teach the chefs to make new products, and receive dividends every quarter, half a year, or a year?”

Su Qingyu smiled and shook her head.

Dividends were too unsafe. She couldn’t see the account books, and she didn’t know whether they were true or false. The other party has the final say on how much profit is made. Once the other party closed down and changed the store name and the person in charge, who could she go to for justice?

When were ordinary people able to compete with the rich and powerful in terms of strength and connections?

It was more important to put the money in your pocket.

Both sides would have a good impression and meet each other in the future. When it came to money, if there was any unhappiness in the future dividends, it would not be worth it.

So she said to the other party: “No, I don’t have too many ideas. I just want to be a little rich and peaceful.”

Xu Shaoyan looked at her with some surprise and felt that this woman was not simple. After thinking about it, he said: “Then one hundred and fifty taels. Teach us the baking process.”

Su Qingyu shook her head: “Two hundred taels. And two classic baked snacks.”

Xu Shaoyan smiled and shook his head.

This woman from the countryside didn’t understand how much two hundred taels were. Even with a hundred mu of good farmland, in a good year, there would be less than two hundred taels left.

Seeing that he was half-smiling, Su Qingyu was not afraid and said, “Two hundred taels, I will teach you how to make swan pastry, and give you two small tools, a tool for separating egg white and egg yolk, and a tool for stirring eggs and dough.”

Seeing Xu Shaoyan looking over, she smiled and said, “With these two tools in your kitchen, the pastry chef can save a lot of time. Not only can the number of pastries increase, but also a lot of labor costs can be saved.”

This woman actually knew how to run a business. Xu Shaoyan tapped his fingers again, frowned, thought about it, and nodded: “Okay. But you promise to only pass it on to our Jixiang family.”

 Su Qingyu also nodded: “I promise.” 

Xu Shaoyan stared fixedly at her, feeling that this woman was somewhat inscrutable. Clearly a poor girl from the countryside, yet she gave the impression of having great depth. He guessed that she probably knew more than what was apparent. Forming a good relationship might bring unexpected surprises in the future.

After thinking it through, the two quickly made an agreement.

Seeing Su Qingyu’s neat handwriting, he couldn’t help but regard her more highly. This woman could read! Moreover, she could articulate the terms of the agreement quite clearly. She truly shouldn’t be underestimated.

Finally, Su Qingyu asked for some small silver bills. Xu Shaoyan had investigated her before and thought that she must want small silver bills to support her husband who was going to war, so he couldn’t help but look at her with a higher opinion.

The two agreed that the master chef from Pingchuan County would come tomorrow, and let Su Qingyu come to teach. Su Qingyu agreed and left from there.

She didn’t expect Xu Shaoyan to be so straightforward and give two hundred taels at once. It was far higher than her expectations, which made her a little surprised.

Originally, she had thought that if the other party couldn’t offer enough money, she was prepared to teach him the method of extracting food coloring. The pastries in his shop had a single color, likely using plant extracts, but the process was simple and probably involved extracting color directly from food, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

But she didn’t expect the other party to give two hundred taels so readily, which surprised her a little.

Su Qingyu put the silver bills in her pocket and walked to the street alone.

She walked and looked all the way, and ran to see any shops for rent. She had looked at several main streets, as well as side streets and more remote areas. She walked until her feet felt like they were filled with lead. Then she found a teahouse, ordered a pot of tea and a plate of snacks, and sat down to rest. 

She was thinking about how to distribute the two hundred taels of silver.

One hundred taels would be given to Lu Bocheng, and she wanted to find a shop to do some small business with the other hundred taels. She, Su Qingyu, had never been a person who depended on others to make a living. It was absolutely impossible for her to ask her parents or her parents-in-law for money.

She liked the twins very much. The two little guys were six years old and could not read or write. Xiao Qingyang was very smart. She planned to send him to school for a few years. If he had talent, he would pass the imperial examination in the future. Even if he was a scholar, he could avoid the fate of going to the battlefield.

If Su Qingsong didn’t come back, her parents would only have Xiao Qingyang. If Xiao Qingyang also went to the battlefield to fight for his life in the future… their eldest house could not just disappear and watch the prosperity of the step-grandmother’s lineage, right? Thinking that Xiao Qingyang might be beheaded in the future…

Su Qingyu shuddered. No!

Such a sensible and lovely child, he could not end up with such a fate. She must send him to school.

As for Lu Bocheng… well, she would go to the blacksmith shop later to see if there was anything to protect him.

Just as she was thinking, she heard someone calling her, “Hey, isn’t this Qingyu? Why are you sitting here drinking tea alone?”

(End of this chapter)