Lin Shu had wanted to get an objective opinion from some random passengers about how her hastily made, imperfect batch of flower cakes tasted.
But she waited for a long time without receiving a single comment.
It was not until one of the older women finished hers first.
“Little Comrade, you’ve got quite a talent! You could work as a pastry chef in a pastry shop! I’ve lived for more than sixty years, and this is the first time I’ve ever eaten something this delicious!”
“That’s right, Little Comrade. If you were selling these at a grocery store, I’d definitely buy them.”
Everyone who had eaten one nodded in agreement, sincerely giving her a thumbs-up and praising both her skill and the sweet, fragrant flavor of the cakes.
Although she had lost a box of pastries, Lin Shu had obtained an important experimental result.
Regardless of how the pastries were made, as long as she did not make any major mistakes, the spiritual spring’s enhancement would ensure that the finished product tasted top-notch.
If that was really the case, then the “secret recipe” in her hands had enormous commercial potential and could be applied on a large scale.
When she arrived at the daily chemical factory, she spotted Cui Shu from a distance.
For some reason, he seemed extremely anxious. The moment he saw her, he immediately ran over.
“Quick, quick! Hurry up! We’re running out of time!”
Confused, Lin Shu was pushed by Cui Shu into an office.
The first person she saw was a capable-looking middle-aged woman with short hair. Then she noticed the two female comrades she had seen yesterday afternoon at the entrance of the government compound.
“Oh! You’re here!”
The woman who had wanted to buy her flower cakes yesterday came forward and pulled her down into a seat.
“Oh! You made more? Let my aunt have a look.”
Without asking Lin Shu’s permission, the woman whom Cui Shu called Senior Sister Xiao Ju took a box of pastries from her hands and quickly opened it.
Meng Xiaoju had happened to mention the flower cakes during a conversation, so she had brought her aunt to the factory to take a look.
The faint fragrance was like a gentle perfume. Before anyone even noticed, the entire office had been filled with the delicate scent of roses.
“This… was made by you?”
Even though she had worked at a food factory for more than thirty years and had met countless pastry masters, with the factory’s food formulas being as numerous as grains of sand, she was still deeply shaken at this moment.
Yuncheng Food Factory did not merely supply the local people of Yuncheng. Its products also reached several surrounding provinces.
Even if you randomly asked a child on the street, they would know about Yuncheng Red Sun Food Factory.
Yet when faced with these flower cakes that looked rather rough and unrefined, she still approached the young woman before her with humility.
“Yes. If you don’t mind, you can have a taste.”
Lin Shu was not stupid.
Cui Shu knew she wanted to make money, and he had hurriedly brought her here. There was a very high chance that this woman could offer her an opportunity.
She turned to look at Cui Shu, and he gave her a subtle nod.
Lin Shu knew things were looking promising.
Even just from the woman’s appearance, it was obvious that she was no ordinary person.
The woman carefully took a bite.
She chewed slowly and swallowed.
For a long time, she said nothing.
Perhaps she was savoring the flavor carefully and simply had not given her opinion yet, but Lin Shu’s heart was pounding.
It was not just her. Cui Shu, Meng Xiaoju, and Xiang Jing were all anxiously waiting for the food factory’s director to give her verdict.
“Very delicious. How did you manage to make this?”
Meng Xiaoju finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this matter had nothing directly to do with her, she knew just how picky her aunt was.
“That’s wonderful! Lin Shu, do you have a job? My aunt wants to hire you as a pastry chef at the food factory!”
Lin Shu immediately waved her hands.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. This is simply a skill my mother taught me.”
She stood up, picked up the box of pastries, and left.
She did not even give them a chance to react.
Cui Shu quickly apologized and chased after her.
“What are you doing? I already explained everything beforehand. The factory director can make special arrangements for you. Your family background won’t be a problem.”
Lin Shu sighed.
“You really… We’ve lost our old understanding of each other. I’m not suited for this kind of work.”
It was not that she looked down on the job.
Lin Shu could do almost anything, but she absolutely could not stand this kind of highly repetitive assembly-line work.
Even if they paid her a lot of money, she would not do it.
“I acted too impulsively. Wait for me. I’ll go explain it to them.”
“Okay.”
Lin Shu was certain that the factory director would come looking for her again.
She had even deliberately left one box of pastries behind on her seat.
Cui Shu came out soon afterward.
He told Lin Shu that after learning she did not want to work at the factory, the food factory director had said nothing else, but she had asked for Lin Shu’s contact address.
“Do you think she still wants to persuade you to work at the factory as a pastry chef?”
“No. I already said I’m not going. Someone in charge of a factory of this scale should understand. She wouldn’t waste her time on this.”
“You mean she wants to buy your recipe?”
“Maybe. I actually hope she’ll buy the recipe from me. That way, I can make money without doing any work.”
Cui Shu immediately spotted the problem.
“If you sell the recipe to the food factory, you’ll only get quick money. They could investigate where the specialty came from and then find someone who knows how to make it. You might not even get to keep the money from selling the recipe.”
What Cui Shu said made sense.
But her flower cakes were not ordinary flower cakes, and she could not tell anyone the real reason behind them.
“Don’t worry. Let me ask you honestly compared with every pastry you’ve ever eaten, are mine the best?”
“Definitely. When did your cooking skills improve so much? You don’t look like someone who would stay cooped up in the kitchen studying recipes…”
She had to admit that having him as her childhood friend was not for nothing.
“Well… I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else.”
“Tell me!”
Seeing her acting so mysterious, Cui Shu assumed she had some huge secret.
“I was looking through one of my mother’s old diaries and discovered that our ancestors had a traditional family recipe for a special honey-based essence. You only need to add a tiny amount when cooking, and it can bring out the natural fragrance of food. It’s made entirely from plants, too. Right now, I’m the only person who knows the recipe. Hehe I’m going to make a fortune!”
She had never seemed particularly concerned about money before.
Cui Shu looked at Lin Shu and felt a little sorry for her.
There was nothing he could do. Given her family background, this was an obstacle they could never completely get around in these times.
“Here. Take this.”
Cui Shu took all the money he had from his wallet.
It was money he had just withdrawn from the credit union the previous day. He had originally planned to use it to buy birthday gifts for his grandparents’ eightieth birthdays.
“What are you doing? Are you taking pity on me?”
“No. I just don’t want to see you working so hard. I’d rather see you carefree like you used to be.”
Hearing this, Lin Shu felt touched.
With the threat of her family’s home being confiscated hanging over them, she had been so busy dealing with everything that she had completely lost the carefree life she used to have.
“Cui Shu, no wonder the two of us have always been such good friends.”
“Yeah. We’re good friends, so take it.”
“Cui Shu, what are you doing?!”
Chen Mulan’s sharp voice rang out, drawing both of their attention across the road.
The two of them had been walking along a small alley.
By sheer coincidence, they happened to run into Chen Mulan.
They had not seen each other for quite some time, so Lin Shu politely greeted her.
“Hello, Auntie.”
“Hmph! If you really care about my son, then stop seducing him! Don’t think I don’t know what kind of crooked ideas you have!”
Cui Shu’s face instantly turned red with anger.
He did not know how many times he had to explain the relationship between himself and Lin Shu, yet his mother always managed to misunderstand it.
“You’ve gone too far! Lin Shu, let’s go.”
Cui Shu pushed his mother aside and pulled Lin Shu away.
As they walked, he kept apologizing to Lin Shu. He had no idea how many hurtful things his mother had said to her when he was not around.
Lin Shu was already used to it.
It was not only Cui Shu’s mother. Many people around them looked down on her because of her family background.
“It’s okay. You go home. I can get back by myself.”
Perhaps today was simply a day when coincidences kept piling up.
Shen Huai and Meng Fan were standing at the entrance of the alley.
At that moment, they were staring intently at the hands of the two people.