Qin Jiu forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “Alright…” then bolted away in a flash.
Good heavens, he really wasn’t a match. That smile was like a demon, sending shivers down his spine. Qin Jiu gave up on competing with Chen Xuanmo and abandoned any plans to be a romantic rival.
Ye Qiuling looked at Chen Xuanmo in confusion. “Why did he run off?”
Chen Xuanmo returned his gentle, warm smile and said softly, “Maybe your cake was just too delicious. He was in a hurry to get home and taste it.”
Ye Qiuling blushed, embarrassed. “You’re too good at complimenting, keep praising me, hahaha.”
Chen Xuanmo, doting on his wife, looked into her eyes. “I think what you make is the most delicious.”
Ye Qiuling’s heart skipped a beat under his sincere gaze, and she instinctively looked away, trying to calm herself. Maybe it was just because she was so happy today, she told herself.
At home, Ye Qiuling had prepared three large cakes and one slightly smaller cake.
She cut the smaller cake into twelve pieces, so each person could have two. Ye Feng couldn’t wait and stuffed a piece into his mouth. The creamy topping—his sister called it cream—was slightly rich, paired with the tart blueberries and the soft sponge cake, sweet but not cloying.
He sipped some lemon tea Ye Qiuling had chilled in the system space’s fridge. The bitterness of the tea combined with the lemon’s sourness turned into a pleasantly sweet taste in his mouth.
“Mm, delicious,” Ye Feng said.
Shen Wanru took a piece of the strawberry cake, placing it in her mouth. The sweet-tart strawberry balanced the creamy topping and the soft sponge cake perfectly, unexpectedly delicious. She sipped a cup of lemonade, the sourness tempered by a hint of sweetness.
Without holding back, she praised her daughter, “Delicious.”
Chen Xuanmo, Ye Dazhi, and Chen Wu nodded in agreement.
The market was loud with the calls of sellers and the endless haggling. In front, a crowd had gathered, and Ye Qiuling’s heart fluttered like waves on water, anxiously waiting to see which customer would buy her cake.
Perhaps hearing her unspoken call, Zhou Wang finally squeezed through the crowd. Seeing Ye Qiuling, he praised her, “Young lady, what you make is really delicious. My wife and family all love it. I’ve bought your things before, and every single item was perfect.”
Ye Qiuling’s heart settled. She recognized him as her first customer and humbly replied, “Not at all, it’s thanks to your support, uncle.”
Zhou Wang liked this kind of straightforward, generous character. He saw a beautiful dessert adorned with fruits and a bunch of bottles filled with tea, though he couldn’t tell exactly what yellow things were inside.
He pointed and asked, “Miss, what are you selling here?”
Ye Qiuling introduced, “This is called a cake, and next to it is lemon tea.”
Cakes… Zhou Wang chewed over the words, figuring they were some sort of dessert. After all, his wife loved sweets too.
He waved his hand decisively. “Pack this cake for me, and another four or five cups of lemonade.”
Seeing Zhou Wang’s generosity, Ye Qiuling felt today was indeed her lucky day.
Chen Xuanmo packed the order beside her, smiling at the sparkle in her eyes, thinking, Such a little money-lover.
He handed the package to Zhou Wang, who examined the handsome young man before him and silently noted how striking he looked. After taking the goods, Zhou Wang stepped back, glancing subtly at Ye Qiuling with a smile. So that’s it—this little girl and the young master were a pair. He carried the cake and lemonade away.
The townspeople saw only one cake left on the table, along with about twenty bottles of lemonade.
A little girl couldn’t resist and stepped forward. “Sister, may I have just one piece? I don’t have much money.”
Ye Qiuling looked at the cute girl. “Of course, you can have any size you like.”
The girl gestured with her hands to indicate the size she wanted. Ye Qiuling cut a small piece accordingly, took a coin from her, and because it was so small, gave her a cup of lemonade as well.
The girl waved her hands anxiously. “Sister, I can’t accept it, I don’t have any more coins.”
Ye Qiuling smiled. “The piece is so small, it would be unfair otherwise. Consider the lemonade as making up for half the cake.”
The girl sweetly said, “Thank you, sister,” and skipped away with her cake and lemonade.
The onlookers, seeing the girl buy a tiny slice, wanted to imitate her. Ye Qiuling preemptively cut a piece slightly larger than the girl’s, announcing, “One coin per piece.”
Some of the crowd, seeing no advantage to be gained, left. The remaining people, mouths watering at the sight of the beautifully decorated fruit on the cake, couldn’t resist.
One man finally gave in, slapping three coins on the table. “Boss, three pieces.”
Ye Qiuling, energized by his boldness, cheerfully said, “Alright.”
She scooped three pieces, placed them in boxes, and handed them over to Chen Xuanmo’s prepared bags.
The man leaned down to sniff the lid. “Smells… hahaha.”
Ye Qiuling was amused by his goofy excitement. There was no way the scent could really be that strong.
Impatient, he removed the lid and bit into the cake. The soft sponge, the rich cream, and the sweet-tart fruits spread perfectly in his mouth, neither too sticky, sour, nor overly sweet.
He didn’t wait to finish eating before ordering four more portions to-go.
Ye Qiuling continued packaging, and he left satisfied.
From the expressions of others watching, it was obvious the cakes were delicious. By now, only a little cake remained. The crowd, worried they might miss out, rushed forward with coins. “I want two portions… I want four portions…”
Ye Qiuling laughed, “Alright, alright, everyone gets some.” Chen Wu stepped forward to manage the crowd.
Those with ill intentions, trying to touch Ye Qiuling, were quietly restrained by Chen Xuanmo. One hand pinned theirs, the other pressed on their throat to silence them. The man could only grimace in pain and slink away.
After selling all the lemonade and cakes, Ye Feng watched the students disembarking from the carriage with a hint of envy in his eyes.
He followed their eyes to the mansion until the students disappeared from view, then lowered his gaze.
Ye Qiuling turned to him, thinking it was time to arrange school for little Feng now that he had earned some money.
She crouched in front of Ye Feng. “Do you like going to school?”
Ye Feng’s eyes sparkled, his fists clenched with excitement. “Yes, I do.”
Ye Qiuling gradually said, “Then how about I send you to school?”
He hesitated, aware that schooling would cost a significant sum. Since his family had just improved their finances, he didn’t want her to overexert herself on his behalf.
Shaking his head, he said, “No need, sister. I don’t really like it that much anyway.”
Ye Qiuling gently tapped his nose. “You’re lying, not very obedient.”
Seeing her see through his lie, Ye Feng lowered his head in silence.
Ye Qiuling understood his concern and reassured him, “Leave the money to me. Besides, when we open our hotpot restaurant, we’ll have plenty, no need to worry.”
She patted his head gently. Though reassured, Ye Feng still hesitated. What if the hotpot shop fails? He wasn’t trying to undermine her, but he couldn’t ignore the “what-ifs.” Yet, she was so capable—surely it would succeed. At worst, he wouldn’t go to school, and his worries would ease.
He thought of the system ‘s oven and the possibility of roasting a chicken to eat.
Having stayed with Ye Qiuling for so long, Chen Xuanmo left satisfied.
“Thank you for today’s cake, Qiuling. I should be going,” he said.
Though he intended to leave, his steps were slow, as if waiting for her to call him back.
As expected, Ye Qiuling called out, “You’ve helped me so much today. If you don’t mind, stay for dinner. Let me reward you for your hard work.”
Chen Xuanmo glanced at Ye Dazhi and Shen Wanru. This might not be proper…
Ye Qiuling insisted, “You’ve helped me all these years, it’s only right.” Shen Wanru also urged, “Stay for a meal, Xuanmo.”
Ye Dazhi nodded in agreement.
Chen Xuanmo could only apologize politely, “Sorry to bother you again.”
In truth, he was elated—he could spend more time with his wife.
Ye Qiuling asked him, “Do you know which private school in town is the best? I plan to send little Feng there.”
Chen Xuanmo recommended, “Qizhi Hall is decent,” based on his own research.
Ye Qiuling didn’t blindly trust him; she felt she needed to inspect it herself to make a final decision.
Passing a chicken stall, she saw the small, skinny chickens, mostly bones with little meat. She asked the vendor, “Do you have larger chickens? These don’t seem meaty.”
The vendor, unbothered, saw a customer who knew quality. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sell bigger chickens—townsfolk’s wealthy buyers preferred small, lean chickens for soup.
He brought out a large chicken from the back. “Miss, how about this one?”
Ye Qiuling smiled. “Take two at this size. Just trim the chicken’s tail; no need for anything else.”
The vendor, appreciating her decisiveness, smiled broadly. “Alright, miss.”
With one swift motion, he trimmed the tails into a basin and handed the chickens to Ye Qiuling.