After returning to the estate, the brother and sister worried for two days. When no unfavorable news subsequently emerged from Prince Yu’s Estate, they both assumed Yintang had fully recovered and stopped paying attention.
Shoushan was preparing for the replacement selection examinations, practicing archery and horsemanship at the shooting range every day. Wuyunzhu, on the other hand, was roped in by Lady Jioro to help prepare this year’s holiday gifts. After slogging through two grueling days of work, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration, realizing she could use this opportunity to advertise.
Wuyunzhu’s venture was the pastry business.
People in the capital ate two meals a day, with the gap in between filled by pastries and dim sum. They also loved buying pastries when making social visits during holidays, as they were affordable yet respectable. Clearly, this business had tremendous financial prospects.
However, the pastry shops that were currently doing well were all time-honored brands with their own secret techniques, boasting top-tier reputations and flavors.
For Wuyunzhu to carve out a share of the market from them would be extremely difficult. She could only forge a unique path, which naturally brought Western-style pastries from modern society to mind.
After the idea sprouted, she continuously tested and refined the recipes with the estate’s chefs, finally succeeding in creating several types of desserts. Everyone in the household who tasted them offered endless praise, giving Wuyunzhu immense confidence.
Yet, once the goods were made, how should she open up sales channels?
There were no television broadcasts here; relying solely on word of mouth made it hard to build a reputation. Wuyunzhu pondered for a long time without a clue, until the opportunity to send New Year gifts presented itself, giving her a method: giving away free samples.
The Dongge family’s marital ties spanned across all Eight Banners, and sending a wave of festive gifts would leave a lasting impression within banner circles. When she went out for social visits during the New Year, she could drop a few hints here and there, which ought to serve as a fine promotional tool.
She immediately had a batch of Western-style pastries made and ordered dozens of exquisite gift boxes. Initially, she wanted to place an opening promotional flyer inside the boxes, but feeling that was too deliberate, she opted instead to use a stamp to leave a distinct mark on the boxes.
Once the desserts were finished, they were packed into the gift boxes and dispatched alongside other items to the Dongge family’s in-laws and relatives.
Once the New Year gifts were delivered, it was time to replace the household’s couplets, door gods, and lanterns. Once changed, everything took on a brand-new appearance that filled anyone who looked at it with joy and festivity.
In the blink of an eye, New Year’s Eve arrived, and Qiyese’s sons who had split off into separate households all returned to the Commander’s Estate.
The eldest, second, and third sons had been married for many years and already had several children of their own. The children were young, right at the age where they were greedy for treats and loved to make a fuss. As soon as they entered the estate, they began clamoring to eat “pastries.”
Lady Jioro had people bring out some pastries, only to watch the children shake their heads one after another. “We don’t want these; these aren’t good.” Lady Jioro looked at her daughters-in-law with a puzzled expression.
The eldest daughter-in-law wore a helpless smile. “The pastries Mother sent over a few days ago caught these little rascals’ hearts. They seem to be called ‘Yun’s Desserts.’ I had someone sent out to look for them, but unfortunately couldn’t find that shop.”
The second daughter-in-law chimed in agreement. “Ain’t that the truth! That boy of mine was craving them terribly, not only eating up his own share but also coaxing away his younger brother’s and sister’s, causing the two little ones to cry for the greater part of the night no matter how we tried to comfort them.”
The third daughter-in-law said, “Same in my house.” In her household, it wasn’t just the children who loved them; the adults did too.
The fourth daughter-in-law revealed a hint of shyness. “They really are delicious. Mother, please tell us quickly, where is Yun’s located? So I can dispatch people to buy some and let us all eat our fill.”
Lady Jioro remained utterly clueless—what Yun’s Desserts? She had zero recollection of it.
“Ask your younger sister; she must have put them in.”
Listening to her sisters-in-law, the smile on Wuyunzhu’s face never wavered. With her sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews liking them this much, it looked like her dessert shop’s business wouldn’t be bad after all once it opened.
“Those pastries are called egg tarts and cream puffs. I saw the recipes in a missionary’s book and slowly figured out how to make these Western-style treats. I plan to make more after the New Year and sell them in the shop as an extra source of income. The shop’s name will be Yun’s Desserts.”
“No wonder, I thought they tasted novel—they turned out to be recipes from the Western oceans.”
“Where is the shop located? Which day does it open?” The fourth sister-in-law was the biggest foodie and asked with the greatest urgency.
Wuyunzhu said with a smiling expression, “The date has already been chosen: the eighth day of the first lunar month, on Fuchengmen Street. My dear sisters-in-law must help me spread the word far and wide~”
“Oh, you clever little sprite, you’re actually plotting to use us as your shop assistants to drum up business for you. Sure enough, those things weren’t eaten for free~”
Wuyunzhu shook her eldest sister-in-law’s arm. “Good sister-in-law, help me out~ Once the shop makes money, I’ll buy you the finest rouge from Jiangnan.”
“And what about us?”
“All of you, all of you.”
Satisfied, the sisters-in-law readily agreed to take on the task.
“On opening day, I’ll summon my maiden-family sisters to come help build momentum for Sister!”
“I’ll have a few sisters-in-law from my maiden family come over…”
“And my bosom friends…”
Watching the harmonious scene of sisters and sisters-in-law loving and respecting one another in the parlor, Lady Jioro felt all the more convinced that splitting the household to live independently was truly a correct decision. In her heart, she hoped Wuyunzhu would also marry into such a family in the future, where the couple lived their own little life in their own estate and had fewer inner-courtyard conflicts.
However, living separately had the tranquility of separation, while living together also had the “bustle” of a shared roof—something Lady Jioro would only realize later.
After eating an early lunch, the family went outside the city to the ancestral cemetery to “invite the spirits.”
Inviting the spirits meant burning some joss paper for the ancestors, kowtowing, and setting off a few strings of firecrackers, after which the ancestors’ souls and deities could be escorted back to the estate. There were just two taboos to keep in mind: first, one must not look back along the way, and second, one must not converse with anyone. Consequently, everyone in the return procession kept a solemn, stern expression on their faces.
After inviting the ancestors and deities back into the estate, the first batch of dumplings was offered as a sacrifice. Once half the incense in the censer had burned away, the family finally began their evening meal. Everyone had a plate of dumplings and a cup of wine in front of them, living by the adage: “Dumplings washed down with liquor, every drop brings more riches and more.”
When the evening meal concluded, dusk was just falling, and the adults led the children to the alley entrance to “step on the evil spirits.”
Stepping on the spirits meant crushing dried sesame stalks underfoot. The dried stalks made a crisp sound when stepped on, and crushing them to smithereens brought the auspicious omen of “peace and safety year after year.” Going to the alley entrance to step on them meant blocking evil spirits outside and crushing them into pieces so they couldn’t enter the estate.
Shortly afterward, the sound of crackling firecrackers and blooming fireworks rang out from the outside. Wherever the eye could reach, there were blooming trees of silver flowers and dazzling lights everywhere, bustling with extraordinary liveliness.
By around the Youshi hour (5:00 PM to 7:00 PM), the commotion outside gradually quieted down, and the family turned back indoors to stay up to welcome the New Year (Shousui).
Since dinner had been eaten early, everyone felt a bit hungry at this point. Just as they were about to have someone bring over some dim sum, they saw Wuyunzhu enter the room carrying a handsome round tray.
“What is this thing? It looks rather pretty.”
The adults appraised the item before them. Seeing the flowers and fruits adorning the top, they assumed it was some rare jade-carved ornament.
The little toddlers sniffed the air, their bright eyes shining as they asked, “So fragrant, so fragrant! It’s something good to eat, right?”
Wuyunzhu tapped the tip of a little toddler’s nose. “You lot have the sharpest noses.”
“This is called a cake, also a recipe learned from a missionary’s notebook. It was just finished today, so everyone come and taste it together.”
With that, she sliced it piece by piece with a knife and distributed it to everyone.
“Another recipe from the Westerners? These Westerners certainly know how to eat.”
“The appearance is truly exquisite; I almost can’t bear to eat it.”
“Sister, what is this made of to be so crystal-white…”
While the adults were still appreciating the appearance, the children had already taken a few bites, gasping in wonder as they chewed.
“Ah, ah, ah, so delicious!”
“Too delicious, the best thing in the whole world.”
“I’ve never eaten anything so yummy; I want to eat it every day~”
The adults felt somewhat skeptical: could it really be that good? Immediately, they scooped a spoonful into their mouths, and their eyes lit up.
Delicious! Delicious! The little toddlers’ reactions were not exaggerated in the slightest.
They had never eaten anything like this before—it melted in the mouth, light, fluffy, dense, sweet, and delicate, just like a cloud drenched in honey. No, even better than that.
“Auntie, I want more…”
“Sister, cut another piece for Big Brother…”
“Good daughter, give your father another slice…”
Wuyunzhu’s heart leaped with joy; the cake truly lived up to its name as her finale piece. Regardless of gender or age, there was no one who didn’t love it.
Ah, she was one step closer to rolling wealth!
When the New Year bell rang out, everyone finally retired to their respective rooms to rest.
Qiyese went back to his room to sleep for an hour before getting up, dressing neatly, and riding his horse into the palace to pay his New Year respects.
In such cold weather and without enough sleep, Qiyese was extremely reluctant to get out of bed, but etiquette demanded it, and his official position required it; he simply had to attend. After all, if one’s official rank wasn’t high enough, one wasn’t even qualified to enter the palace for New Year greetings. This truly was… both sweet and agonizing.
When entering the palace, he had been full of reluctance, but upon leaving the palace, he was radiant with joy.
Good heavens, he had actually been bestowed a character of blessings (“Fu”) written by the Emperor himself—the first time in over forty years.
The Emperor had written a total of sixteen “Fu” characters this year, and even the imperial princes, vassal kings, and several uncles of the emperor weren’t enough to go around sharing them. Yet one had actually been allotted to him, making him the absolute first among the twenty-four Manchu, Mongol, and Han commanders.
Why had the Emperor suddenly shown such favoring regard toward him? Could it be that he was going to be heavily employed this year?
All the way back, Qiyese indulged in wild daydreams, growing more and more delighted, and arrived home beaming with radiance.
Upon entering the estate, he exercised a modicum of restraint. He couldn’t be too arrogant, lest the Emperor found out and deemed him unable to keep his composure or deemed him unreliable.
Once the family was fully gathered, they ate breakfast together and then set out in a body to pay New Year greetings all around.