A rich, sweet aroma with subtle hints of green tea wafted through the air, distracting those who had been fully immersed in savoring their tea. They glanced around searching for the source, only to find a young woman standing in the shop, plain as a lotus or white plum blossom. Her wooden hairpin, simple cotton dress, and bamboo basket were entirely unadorned, yet somehow irresistibly captivating.
Wen Ranran discreetly surveyed her surroundings. The tables and chairs were uniformly crafted from yellow rosewood, while the walls were adorned with several calligraphy scrolls and paintings. From the corner of a sandalwood landscape screen hung a jade wind chime, its gentle tinkling filling the room whenever a breeze passed through—a truly delightful sound.
The shop assistant was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen. Though he initially intended to approach this ethereally beautiful young woman, her modest attire suggested she wasn’t one of the wealthy leisure-seekers who typically came to enjoy tea. Hesitant and uncertain, he held back.
Wen Ranran observed how other vendors promoted their goods: they would open their baskets and stroll past the customers, only engaging when someone showed interest. However, none dared approach the table where a gentle-mannered young woman sat in the innermost section—all the vendors kept a respectful distance.
After watching for a while, she mimicked the others, opening her bamboo basket and slowly circulating through the teahouse while carefully avoiding that particular young woman.
She hadn’t gone far when an impatient voice suddenly sounded behind her:
“Don’t you know the rules? Don’t disturb my lady while she’s drinking tea. Go on, get out of here!”
Wen Ranran glanced back and saw a vendor bowing apologetically to the gentle-mannered young woman, his face flushed with embarrassment as he hurried away. He didn’t even dare turn back to retrieve a few fruits that had fallen from his basket. Those nearby clicked their tongues and murmured:
“That newcomer doesn’t know how things work. Who does he think Miss Cheng is, that he’d dare approach her?”
“Exactly! Is there anything Cheng’s Restaurant doesn’t have? They employ seventeen or eighteen chefs—I heard their ancestors were even imperial cooks. Her tastes are far too refined for our humble goods to appeal to her.”
“We wouldn’t be able to make a sale to Miss Cheng even if we lived another lifetime.”
Her family owns a restaurant?!
Wen Ranran’s spirits lifted at this revelation. Restaurant owners must be wealthy! But she couldn’t just march over directly—the previous vendor’s failure served as a cautionary example.
After a moment’s contemplation, she approached the tables of female customers adjacent to Miss Cheng’s, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
The fresh, mellow fragrance of matcha drifted slowly through the hall, its sweet, creamy aroma even threatening to overpower the teahouse’s original tea scent.
Cheng Ye was savoring the slightly bitter tea when she suddenly caught whiffs of a sweet fragrance. Instinctively, she looked up and traced the scent to Wen Ranran—it seemed to be emanating from the basket in her hands.
The aroma was both sweet and fragrant, with unique notes of mellow green tea—a combination she had never encountered before.
Finding it novel, Cheng Ye signaled to her attendant maid with a glance.
The maid looked at Cheng Ye in surprise: normally, the young mistress would never deign to notice street food—had the sun risen from the west today?
After a brief moment of astonishment, she collected herself and called out to Wen Ranran, “My lady requests your presence!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the serene and quiet teahouse buzzed with excitement. Vendors, customers, even the teahouse staff were all astounded:
“What? Did I hear correctly? Miss Cheng actually summoned that food vendor!”
“This is absolutely unprecedented!”
“Who would have thought! In the past, those who were foolish enough to approach her would always get scolded until their ears burned, but today she actually called someone over herself.”
“Miss Cheng is extremely particular. I don’t think this business will succeed.”
“I think so too.”
…
Wen Ranran had been carefully observing Miss Cheng’s expression all along. Seeing her full of curiosity while staring at the bamboo basket in her hand, she knew she was already halfway to success.
She walked over with a smile, slightly tilting the basket so Miss Cheng could see clearly: “Would you like to try a piece, miss?”
Cheng Ye looked up and saw neatly arranged green pastries in the basket, as emerald green as jade, elegant and beautiful. They looked soft and fluffy – something novel she had never seen before.
She was quite taken with the lush green color and asked with a smile: “What’s this pastry called? I’ve never seen it before.”
“It’s called Sunset in the Green Mountains.” Wen Ranran spoke softly. To attract the attention of the cultured scholars and elegant guests in the teahouse, she had deliberately racked her brains to give this Matcha Red Bean Cake a more refined name.
Sunset in the Green Mountains…
Cheng Ye examined it carefully. The green pastry resembled lush mountain peaks, with scattered red beans in between that truly looked like the sun setting between two valleys!
The pastry was beautiful, and its name was exceptionally elegant.
Wen Ranran quietly observed the young lady’s expression. As expected, she became even more interested upon hearing the name and, without even asking the price, said quite readily: “Then give me one piece.”
To make a sale so quickly – Wen Ranran happily presented the cake. The maid attending the young lady immediately took out a piece of broken silver and handed it to her: “Keep the change. The extra is a reward from my lady.”
Wow! So generous!
Wen Ranran took the silver, her grateful eyes curving into smiles as she couldn’t stop grinning: “Thank you, miss.”
The onlookers around were astonished: It sold just like that?!
Several customers, curious about what exquisite food could catch Miss Cheng’s fancy, called Wen Ranran over one after another.
Wen Ranran suddenly became extremely busy, selling five or six pieces of the forty-wen cakes in no time. It was so easy that no one even said it was expensive!
If only she had known, she should have sold them for fifty wen each!
Cheng Ye was completely focused on studying the pastry before her. She picked up the silver spoon beside her and took a small bite, her eyes suddenly lighting up.
This Sunset in the Green Mountains had a soft, moist texture somewhat similar to steamed cake, but the flavor was completely different. The taste of milk mixed with egg fragrance was sweet but not cloying, while the faint tea aroma brought a fresh and mellow flavor. The red beans sandwiched in the middle were fine and smooth, creating a unique taste.
She had never tasted such a wonderful pastry before!
Cheng Ye took several more bites in succession, then turned to her maid and said urgently: “Quick, call that young lady back. I want two more pieces!”
The maid widened her eyes in surprise and instinctively raised her hand to call out: “Pastry-selling young lady!”
Wen Ranran was just putting money into her purse when she heard someone calling what sounded like her. She quickly turned around and saw it was Miss Cheng’s maid.
She hurried over, afraid that slowing down even one step might cost her a business deal.
“My lady wants two more pieces.”
Two pieces! That’s eighty wen!
Wen Ranran deftly took out two cakes and placed them on the table. The maid gave her another piece of broken silver as usual, with no less than the required amount.
She happily accepted the silver, her steps full of joy.
The tea guests were even more amazed, feeling that the pastry-selling young lady was walking too slowly. Unable to restrain themselves any longer, they personally stood up to find her and buy pastries.
For a moment, the refined scholars who had been sipping tea, admiring the moon, and reciting poetry began queuing up one after another.
The vendors in the teahouse stared in astonishment, their eyes reddening with envy and bitterness.
“Who is she? On her very first day, she’s caught the attention of Miss Cheng!”
“What could her background be? She’s just a delicate young lady—what real skill could she have? She’s merely gotten lucky.”
“If she comes here every day, we might as well stop doing business and wait to drink the northwest wind!”
They exchanged words one after another, their gazes toward Wen Ranran growing increasingly hostile.
Wen Ranran’s hands grew tired from collecting money, and she couldn’t suppress the smile on her face. The Matcha Red Bean Cake she made was about eight inches in size, cut into eight pieces and sold for forty coins each. Eight pieces amounted to three hundred and twenty coins, and two eight-inch cakes totaled six hundred and forty coins. Combined with the earnings from her stall at the Night Market, she could earn over one tael in a single evening, not even counting tips!
The Matcha Red Bean Cake had made quite an impact on these refined scholars. After tasting it, they began reciting poetry, calling and responding to one another in a lively chorus.
Wen Ranran beamed with joy at the scene—the reputation of “Sunset in the Green Mountains” had officially taken off.
The commotion on the first floor caught the attention of the private rooms on the second floor. A curious onlooker leaned over the railing to glance downstairs and asked, “What’s going on down there?”
“I heard a young lady selling pastries has arrived downstairs. Even Miss Cheng bought some of her treats. She tasted one piece and found it so delightful that she bought two more.”
“This is quite the novelty! Ah Xu, shall we invite her up to join the excitement?”
Fu Qingxu, seated calmly by the tea table, frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Seeing his silence, his friend summoned a servant to go downstairs and invite her up.
“Wait.” Fu Qingxu slowly set down his white jade teacup, the tea inside undisturbed. “Just have the servant buy some and bring it up. It would be improper for her to come up, as our room is filled with men.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the servant beside him promptly went downstairs to carry out the task.
“That’s true,” his friend nodded, though he couldn’t resist casting a few more longing glances downstairs, his expression tinged with regret. “I heard she’s an exceptionally beautiful young lady…”
Meanwhile, Wen Ranran was lost in daydreams of future wealth—living in a grand mansion, traveling to scenic spots, and indulging in fine food. Just then, a servant descended from upstairs and approached her respectfully, asking, “Do you have any pastries left?”
The crowd fell silent upon seeing someone from the upper floor. The second floor of A Cup of Spring was reserved for esteemed guests—this young lady had even attracted their attention!
Wen Ranran glanced into her basket and nodded. “There are two pieces left.”
The servant immediately took out two pieces of broken silver and said politely, “Please wrap them up for me, miss. My master mentioned that it would be inconvenient for you to come upstairs since the room is filled with male guests. I’ll take them up on your behalf.”
Wen Ranran instinctively glanced upstairs. Though she couldn’t see anything, she couldn’t help but feel that this gentleman was a kind and considerate soul!
She handed the last two pieces of cake to the servant. “Thank you for your trouble.”
Her bamboo basket now felt light as air. As Wen Ranran stepped out of the teahouse, she felt the stars in the sky shone brighter than when she had arrived.
Behind her, the vendors stared intently at her retreating figure, exchanging meaningful glances before quietly following her.
Upstairs in A Cup of Spring, Fu Qingxu, seated elegantly in the private room, studied the vibrant green pastry on the table with curiosity. “Does it have a name?”
“I believe it’s called Sunset in the Green Mountains.”
Fu Qingxu examined it closely and couldn’t help but marvel: What ingenious craftsmanship.
With red beans representing the setting sun and pastries forming green mountains, these ordinary-looking snacks instantly gained an artistic charm.
He found himself somewhat reluctant to eat them.
＊
Wen Ranran walked under the moonlight and starlight to find Third Uncle and his wife. At this hour, they probably hadn’t finished selling yet, so she could still go and help.
Carrying her completely empty basket, she was suddenly surrounded by several people with unfriendly expressions: “Young lady, your business is quite good!”
Wen Ranran glanced at the people blocking her path and raised an eyebrow. Her memory had always been excellent, and she immediately recognized them as the same vendors who had been promoting snacks alongside her at A Cup of Spring earlier.
They were competitors.
The short man standing at the far left stared at her empty basket, his heart sour with envy. “Young lady, since this is your first time at A Cup of Spring, you probably don’t understand the rules. We brothers came specifically to explain them to you.”