Of course, she understood how important a competition was to an academy.

Even after Jian Xiu and the others had left, Mo Shanhua was still sighing in amazement.

It wasn’t until Jian Xiu hoisted the basket onto her back that Mo Shanhua realized he had overlooked something.

Hurriedly, he rushed into the main hall. When he saw that the oiled paper-wrapped cake was completely gone, his eyes turned red with anger.

“Mo Ziran…”

“Grandfather, I just couldn’t resist for a moment. There’s still a small piece left over there!” Mo Ziran said, looking aggrieved.

This was the first time in his life he had eaten something so delicious.

Once he started, he simply couldn’t stop.

Before he knew it, he had almost finished the whole thing.

Jian Xiu: “…” She really hadn’t expected Mo Shanhua to be such a foodie.

She glanced at the four remaining pieces of cake in her basket and thought about his relationship with Shopkeeper Wu. With a deep sigh, she held back her reluctance.

However, when she looked up, she saw Mo Shanhua gazing at her with an expectant expression.

Jian Xiu: “…”

“Young lady, would you be willing to part with some of the cakes in your basket…?”

He didn’t finish his sentence, feeling too embarrassed to continue.

After thinking for a moment, he realized his request seemed inappropriate, so he quickly added:

“Please don’t misunderstand, young lady. I’ll pay you for it, however much silver it takes.”

“I’m not planning to sell the cake. I want Shopkeeper Wu to try some as well,” Jian Xiu replied bluntly.

“For him? That’s easy. Just give me another piece, and I’ll handle the matter with him myself!”

Jian Xiu: “…” Giving you another piece means I’ll be left with only three.

Taking three cakes as a gift—was that really appropriate?

---

Even when she left, Jian Xiu still didn’t understand how she had somehow ended up with only two pieces of cake left in her basket.

After leaving the academy, Jian Xiu headed straight for Yuexiang Pavilion.

However, one thing she was quite satisfied with was Mo Shanhua’s reaction—he had loved the cake.

If someone like him enjoyed it, that meant this cake could appeal to the upper class as well.

As she pondered this, she and her daughters happened to pass by a pastry shop.

Looking up, she saw the name “Caifangzhai” written in large characters on the storefront.

Without hesitation, she led her children inside.

She had never bought pastries from Caifangzhai before, but she had certainly heard of it.

In all of Quanyong County, Caifangzhai was the dominant pastry shop.

“Dear customers, what kind of pastries are you looking for?”

As soon as they stepped inside, a shop assistant casually asked.

His tone was far from respectful, and his indifferent attitude was written all over his face.

However, Jian Xiu didn’t mind. She hadn’t come to buy anything today.

She just wanted to see what kinds of pastries this shop offered.

What did they look like? How were they presented?

In the post-apocalyptic world she came from, there were countless types of snacks, cakes, and bread she could make.

But she wasn’t sure if they could compare to the pastries here.

After all, she had seen on TV that the pastries served in the imperial palace were exquisitely made.

She was interested in studying them.

“Are all of Caifangzhai’s pastries here?” Jian Xiu asked, pointing at the two rows of pastries on display.

“Yes, ma’am. These are all of our pastries,” the assistant replied.

Hearing this, Zhang Feixuan(Lui Tou) tugged on Jian Xiu’s sleeve and whispered,

“Mother, we’re not even hungry. We’re still full from the cake we had this morning.”

Looking at the shop’s decor, it was obvious that these pastries weren’t meant for country folk like them.

Hearing her son’s considerate words, Jian Xiu suddenly felt that coming to this world and taking over this body wasn’t so bad.

At least she had family here—thoughtful and well-behaved children.

She had the love and affection she had longed for in her previous life…

These were things she never had before.

Now that she had them, it was only natural for her to protect them.

If this was a trade, then it was an equal exchange.

And in this transaction, she had gained so much.

Seeing that Jian Xiu was still examining the pastries, Zhang Feiyi couldn’t help but say,

“Mother, we should go home soon! There are still a lot of bamboo shoots left to peel, and Father can’t do it all by himself!”

Hearing this, Jian Xiu sighed and shook her head. “Alright, let’s go. But I still need to stop by Yuexiang Pavilion first!”

With that, they turned toward the door.

Just as they were about to leave, they overheard the shop assistants whispering:

“Look at them—dressed like paupers. How could they possibly afford our pastries? They probably just came in to feast their eyes on them.”

“Did you hear that woman? She even said she was going to Yuexiang Pavilion! Ha! If they can’t even afford pastries, how could they afford to eat there? I bet they’ll be chased away before they even get through the door!” another assistant sneered.

Jian Xiu turned around and asked in a calm voice,

“What did you just say?”

At that moment, her expression was completely neutral, as if she were simply inquiring about something unrelated to her.

The two assistants had only been speaking casually and hadn’t expected her to confront them.

When they met Jian Xiu’s cold gaze, they were momentarily at a loss for words.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Jian Xiu asked again.

“We were just talking casually. Why take it to heart, young lady?” the older assistant finally spoke up.

He worked here for a monthly wage of 300 copper coins, and lunch was included.

If he lost this job because he offended some country woman, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Jian Xiu circled around him, then looked him up and down as if she were inspecting him.

With a thoughtful expression, she said,

“I’m not taking it to heart. I just have a couple of things to say about you.”

Her eyes flickered with obvious disdain.

The assistant instinctively straightened his posture and asked,

“W-What do you want to say?”

“I heard what you said just now, and I’m quite curious. What’s wrong with being a country woman? Did I steal from your shop? Did I do anything to you? If not, then why do I deserve such words from you just for walking in here? Do you know what this is called?”

“W-What is it called?” the assistant stammered.