Even the monks choke on them, and their chanting ends up spewing all over the place.
These baked buns are great; even if they’re cold, they don’t get hard and still taste fragrant.
The baker must be quite clever… Oh, here comes Ninth Brother, you should try them too.”
Xie Qi took a look, recognizing them as the same buns from the morning.
They didn’t seem any different, but the soft, sweet taste from earlier still lingered in his memory.
He couldn’t help but take a bite.
The plain baked buns were just as good as those with meat oil and eggs, although they lacked some egg fragrance, they were lighter and more refreshing.
He nodded slightly and glanced at his sister, who hadn’t eaten much lately, and smiled.
“If these buns can open Shiyi’s appetite, then Mother knows they’re good.”
Xie Shiyi blushed.
She too wanted to eat, but recently, she had been teased by other noble girls when she went boating at Jinming Pond, being made fun of for her figure, and she didn’t want to eat more to avoid looking fat.
She’d come home and restricted her diet, stubbornly refusing to eat.
But the hunger gnawed at her every night, and especially today, these baked buns smelled so delicious, and her mother said they were all vegetarian…
Xie Shiyi couldn’t resist anymore.
She justified herself, saying, “It’s vegetarian, so it won’t make me gain weight. It’s fine to eat a little… it’s fine…”
“You all don’t make it easy for me,” Xie Shi said with a wry smile, shaking her head.
The Xie family didn’t have separate branches, so all the children were treated equally.
She had only three children.
The eldest, Xie Chi, who was irresponsible and out drinking all day.
The second, Xie Qi, who had been reliable but had lost some of his appetite after calling off an engagement.
And the youngest, Xie Shiyi, who had always been her closest child, but lately, had become stubborn and refused to eat meat or food at all.
“Then let’s settle on 450 baked buns with that lady selling cakes, Shen.”
Xie Shi said decisively, and ordered her wet nurse to bring silver for payment.
“It’s not easy for a single woman to make a living with her skills. Let’s not withhold her payment, and make sure to settle everything properly with a receipt. Give her the full amount. Don’t let her wait outside in vain and lose face.”
“Understood, madam,” the servants immediately acted upon her orders.
Afterward, Xie Shi sent the three children, along with the buns, out of the room.
“Don’t stand around here. I still need to balance the accounts with the household managers. Go and play somewhere else. Seeing all three of you here, none of you look pleasing to the eye. Go on, go.”
Xie Qi, who was innocent, picked up his plate and followed his brother and sister outside, thinking, haven’t I just arrived?
I barely sat down, and now I’m being driven away?
Xie Chi didn’t mind being scolded.
He was used to it; his mother always scolded him a little each day, and if she didn’t, he probably couldn’t sleep at night.
So, as soon as they were outside, he lazily threw an arm over his younger brother’s shoulders and said, “Ninth Brother, do you want me to take you to the newly opened entertainment area in the Pearl Curtain Alley?”
Before he could finish, Xie Shi’s furious voice rang out from inside: “Xie Chi, how dare you!”
Xie Chi immediately ran off, not daring to say more.
Xie Shiyi and Xie Qi exchanged glances, and after a while, Xie Qi asked, “How about… we go play chess in your courtyard?”
“Alright, but last time you lost to me over a scholar’s inkstone. What should we wager this time?”
“How about the baked buns that Mother gave me?”
Xie Shiyi hadn’t had enough to eat, especially since the buns were so delicious she couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Her eyes lit up with hunger as she swallowed.
“Deal!”
The siblings walked through the corridor, and Yan Shu, trailing behind, felt disheartened.
He thought to himself : “The baked buns have become a wager. That means I won’t get any at all!”
The next moment, Xie Qi turned around and tossed a piece of bun into his mouth.
“Eat. When have I ever kept you from food?”
Yan Shu quickly covered his mouth, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at him.
Xie Qi had already turned back around, so he happily skipped to catch up.
Meanwhile, Shen Miao was having a pleasant conversation with the two gatekeepers, and by now, she had learned almost everything about the Xie family.
Finally, the messenger gatekeeper came out again, looking quite pleased.
He congratulated Shen Miao, “Madam Shen, good news! Everything went well. Our madam tried your baked buns and thought they were excellent.
She has entrusted you with all the vegetarian snacks needed for the ceremony in the next three days. She’s also paid you in advance, and any extra is for your tea!”
He handed her four newly minted copper coins, which were noticeably shinier and of better quality than old coins.
And while they had agreed on a price of 3,600 wen, the madam had given her 4,000 wen, an extra 400 wen meant for “tea money.”
Shen Miao barely contained her excitement.
After steadying herself, she sincerely complimented, “Thank you so much to your madam. She’s so efficient and quick. Truly a remarkable matriarch who oversees the household!
Oh, by the way, may I use the kitchen in the back courtyard? I can prepare everything at home and bring it over to bake. This way, everything will be fresh and hot.”
“The madam said that the kitchen in the outer courtyard is at your disposal. When you come, just use the gate here, and the doorman will lead you in. When you’re done, you can leave from the same gate.”
“That’s perfect,” Shen Miao said.
Then, she pointed to Xiang Jie and asked, “My parents passed away early, and I’m the only one left to care for my younger siblings. They are still small. Would it be possible to bring them along?”
The gatekeeper looked down at Xiang Jie, who had been quietly eating candy.
After a moment’s thought, he agreed, but gave some instructions. “No problem. The kitchen is specifically for outside guests. You may bring them along.
Just make sure they stay clear of other areas and not disturb our family or the young masters. You don’t know—several of our young masters live in the outer courtyard, and they can be quite mischievous.”
“I understand,” Shen Miao assured him.
After confirming everything, she happily bid farewell, taking Xiang Jie with her.
Despite the Xie family’s aristocratic pride, their manners were good.
The servants weren’t arrogant or accepting bribes, and it made Shen Miao feel more comfortable about the arrangements.
She felt the heavy pouch of coins in her bag and tightened her grip, making sure no one would steal it.
She and Xiang Jie hurried back home, relieved that they hadn’t been noticed.
Along the way, she saw a street vendor selling sugar candy and had the vendor make a giant candy horse, bigger than Xiang Jie’s head.
Just as they reached the alley entrance, they spotted Ji Ge, carrying a small basket, heading inside.
Shen Miao eagerly shared her good news with him, letting him feel the weight of the coin pouch in her bag.
“The timing for the Xie family’s donation doesn’t conflict with the morning market. After selling the first batch in the morning, I’ll be able to make it in time for the ceremony,” she said.
When Zheng Neizhi had first come to ask about the buns, Shen Miao had suggested baking red bean paste buns for the Xie family’s event to save both on charcoal and time.
She didn’t want to miss out on the early market, especially with such a large order.
“Tired? If there’s money to be made, there’s no such thing as being tired!”
Ji Ge was happy but worried that his sister would work too hard, rushing to the market in the morning and then working at the Xie family in the afternoon.
He insisted, “I won’t go to transcribe books these days. I’ll stay and help you, and I’ll go with you to the Xie family.”
“It’s alright, you keep studying. This little task won’t be too hard for me,” Shen Miao said.
“Aunt Li said that the Imperial College is holding an entrance exam next month. She’s hoping you’ll become a student. Then, we won’t have to worry about finding a tutor—who’s better than a professor from the Imperial College?”
Ji Ge firmly replied, “Sister, don’t worry. I’ve already transcribed most of it. I’ll finish it in the next three days. I’m going with you to the Xie family. The teacher said that a gentleman should not be swayed by difficulties. Even if I help with the fire or grind the beans, I can still study.”
Shen Miao gazed at her younger brother, his youthful face still showing traces of immaturity, but his eyes were determined.
She smiled proudly and rubbed his head. “Ji Ge, you’re right. I’m proud of you. You will surely grow into a true gentleman, staying on the right path no matter the challenges.”
Ji Ge nodded seriously.
He would study hard, and one day, he would make sure that his sister and Xiang Jie would live a better life.
Xiang Jie, sitting on the threshold, was happily licking the candy horse Shen Miao had bought her, with sugar all over her face.
She looked up at her brother and sister, and couldn’t help but ask, “What about me? If both of you are going, where do I go?”
Both Shen Miao and Ji Ge turned and laughed at the same time.
“Where else could Xiang Jie go? The three of us will be together!”
The next day, with the first light of dawn, Shen Miao woke up as usual and made sixty red bean paste buns and fifty hand-held flatbreads to sell at the morning market.
In the past two days, she had realized that making fifty or sixty wasn’t enough.
By the time the market was close to finishing, she had already sold them all.
However, Shen Miao didn’t plan to make any more.
There were a few reasons for this.
First, the amount she was making was just right for her; any more and she wouldn’t have enough time.
Second, the hand-held flatbreads had been set up for two days, and if she kept selling them for too long, the novelty would wear off.
Customers who came out of curiosity would stop coming, leaving only those who genuinely liked the taste, but they wouldn’t come as frequently.
Third, even though it had only been two or three days, other food stalls had started selling similar items.
However, they didn’t know how to prepare the sauce like Shen Miao, and their skills weren’t as refined as hers, so for now, it wasn’t too much of a concern.
Therefore, Shen Miao decided to continue selling these items, as it wasn’t too exhausting and would prevent unsold goods from piling up.
For a small-scale business like hers, the most worrying thing was having too much stock that would need to be sold at a loss.
That’s why she decided to only make what she could manage, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Today, according to their agreement, Ji Ge didn’t go to the Lanxin Book Bureau and instead joined her to sell food at the market.
With Ji Ge there, Shen Miao felt much more relaxed.
She only needed to focus on making the flatbreads.
Ji Ge could keep an eye on his sister while also helping with the sales of the red bean buns.
He was very quick with collecting money and making change, and hardly ever made a mistake.
When there were no customers, he would sit on the bench and review the pages of books he had copied the day before.
As expected, today the red bean paste buns sold much faster than the hand-held flatbreads.
By the time the morning market ended, all the flatbreads were sold out.
Shen Miao was packing up her things, preparing to close the stall and head back to bake the 150 red bean buns for the Xie family that day, when suddenly, a man dressed in neat, bright clothes and with a donkey appeared in front of her.
He immediately spoke up, “Madam Shen, would you be willing to come work at our Wei family’s pastry shop as a pastry chef?”
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