Because the day’s work had been truly exhausting, Madam Yu went to bed early with Qin Yi.

Qin Yue still wanted to weave some more knotted cords by the oil lamp, but Qin Rong advised her, “A-Yue, this lamp is dim—it’s really not good for your eyes. Don’t keep working.”

Qin Yue thought about it and agreed.

If she strained her eyes, even the best embroidery skills would be useless later on.

Qin Rong had something else on her mind.

Tomorrow, Madam Yu would be visiting her maternal family.

It wouldn’t be proper to go empty-handed.

There were still a few pumpkins at home, and she had enough ingredients in her homestay space.

Why not make some pumpkin flower cakes for Madam Yu to bring as a gift?

Besides, she planned to open a snack stall—selling these cakes might be a good start if they tasted good enough.

The moon hung high in the sky, and in a haze of drowsiness, Qin Rong drifted off to sleep.

..

The next morning, Qin Rong rose early as usual.

After the family finished breakfast, she took a small basket and went out. She first went to the blacksmith’s shop and spent 150 copper coins to order a new pot.

Then she went to the Cheng family’s carpenter shop and paid 250 coins to order a handcart. After that, she took a walk by the docks.

The docks were indeed crowded, bustling with people. Many were dressed in fine clothing—clearly merchants from other regions.

With a better sense of the local market, Qin Rong returned home.

The night before, Madam Yu had given Qin Rong 800 copper coins as working capital.

Qin Rong knew that in their current circumstances, it wasn’t easy for her mother to give that much—it showed how kind, loving, and capable Madam Yu was.

After setting down her basket, Qin Rong went to check on Qin Yue and Qin Yi.

The two of them were sitting in the main room, working on knotted cords.

Making sure they wouldn’t suddenly barge in, Qin Rong entered her homestay space.

There was red bean paste in the fridge, and a whole bag of glutinous rice flour and white sugar in the cellar.

She also had several pumpkins tucked in a corner.

Qin Rong gathered the materials and a mold for the flower cakes, and on a whim, also grabbed a few vintage-style scented candles from the space.

These candles had originally been intended for guest rooms.

Now they’d come in handy—the jars could also serve as molds in the future.

Qin Rong returned to the main room with the candles and handed one to Qin Yue with a smile. “A-Yue, I ran into a merchant from the Western Regions today. He was selling scented candles at a discount, so I bought a couple. Here, this one’s for you.”

Qin Yue was surprised and delighted, gazing fondly at the beautiful candle.

Then, looking a little uneasy, she asked cautiously, “Big sis, do we still have enough money? Should we really be spending like this?”

She liked the candle a lot, but thinking about their financial situation made her hesitate.

She even considered asking Qin Rong to return it.

Qin Rong patted her shoulder and said warmly, “It was just a lucky deal—the merchant was about to leave and wanted to get rid of the last few candles cheaply, so I bought them. Besides, we’re healthy and capable—we’ll earn it back soon enough.”

Qin Yue nodded seriously. “You’re right, Big Sis. I’ll work hard and earn money too.” Then she turned to cheerful little Qin Yi, who was still admiring her candle, and said, “A-Yi, let’s get back to work!”

“Okay!” the little girl quickly set down the candle and sat properly, picking up her knotting work again.

Before transmigrating into this book, Qin Rong had been an orphan and had never known such warmth.

Watching the two girls behave so sensibly and sweetly, her heart felt full to the brim.

..

Seeing her sisters so focused, Qin Rong didn’t disturb them.

She went straight to the kitchen to make pumpkin flower cakes.

She first tossed a few dried rosebuds into a pot and added cool water. The fire had already been lit earlier.

She quickly peeled and chopped two pumpkins, then added the chunks into the pot.

Once the pumpkins were soft, Qin Rong mashed them with a rolling pin, then mixed in glutinous rice flour and sugar. Using chopsticks to stir, she then kneaded the dough by hand.

Once the dough was ready, she used a wooden flower-shaped mold from her homestay space to shape the cakes.

Very quickly, rows of floral pumpkin cakes were formed.

Each batch yielded twenty cakes, and she steamed them in two separate rounds.

Soon, the sweet scent of pumpkin began wafting through the air.

Qin Rong took a deep sniff—it smelled amazing.

Maybe it was the low oil and fat of this era, but everything smelled extra tempting now.

..

Once the soft, golden-yellow pumpkin flower cakes were done, Qin Rong set aside a portion for her mother to bring to her grandparents, wrapping them neatly in oiled paper.

Then she carried the rest to the main room.

The two girls had already been lured by the sweet aroma from the kitchen.

The moment they saw Qin Rong walking in with a plate, they jumped up eagerly.

“Big sis, it smells so good!”

Qin Rong smiled and set the cakes on the table. “Here, come try the pumpkin flower cakes your big sis made.”

“These are so pretty!” Qin Yue had only ever seen such beautiful cakes in fancy shops.

Each one looked like a little flower—she couldn’t take her eyes off them.

Qin Yi picked one up carefully, then glanced up at Qin Rong and asked, “Big sis, they’re so pretty… are they really edible?”

Qin Rong smiled gently. “Of course! Good things are meant to be eaten.”

Hearing that, Qin Yi cautiously brought the cake to her lips and took a small bite of the petal.

It was fragrant with pumpkin and had a faint floral scent. Her eyes crinkled with joy—it was soft, sweet, and absolutely delicious!

Qin Rong took one herself as well, thinking as she chewed about how she could improve the recipe.

“Big sis, I believe your snack stall will definitely make money!” Qin Yue said seriously.

“Mm-hmm!” Qin Yi nodded enthusiastically, her mouth too full to speak.

“Mm!” Qin Rong nodded with equal seriousness.

..

Seeing it was about time, Qin Rong picked up the wrapped cakes and went to find Madam Yu. It was almost the end of her workday, and Madam Yu was distracted, wondering if she should buy some snacks from a shop to bring to her parents’ home.

Qin Rong waited near the gate for about fifteen minutes.

When she looked up, she saw Madam Yu walking out.

“Mother!” she called, waving.

“A-Rong? What are you doing here?” Madam Yu was surprised.

Qin Rong took out the pumpkin flower cakes from her basket and handed them over. “Mother, I made these for you to take to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”

Madam Yu was stunned.

She hadn’t expected her daughter to think of even this. “A-Rong, you’re really so thoughtful.”

“It’s nothing,” Qin Rong said. “I was also thinking—if they turn out well, I could sell them at my snack stall!”

Madam Yu opened the paper and was amazed to see cakes shaped like little flowers—just like the ones in fancy shops. “A-Rong, how did you make them look so pretty?”

“I saw a foreign merchant at the docks yesterday. He sold me the mold cheaply because he was rushing to board his ship.”

“I see. They’re even prettier than the ones in the shops. I’ll take these to your grandparents right away.”

“Mm!”