Lin Shanyue was making egg tarts.
The pastry looked like tiny little bowls. According to the cookbook, it was made with eggs, milk, flour, butter, and cream.
Shanyue had always been fairly talented when it came to cooking. After carefully reading through the recipe once, she already had a good grasp of the process.
The first step was making the tart shells—the little “bowls.” Butter, still solid and carrying a faintly rich aroma, was worked into flour. The dough was repeatedly rolled and folded until the butter and flour were completely combined.
Among the kitchen tools Young Master Jing Yao had given her happened to be small tart molds. She pressed the dough into each mold, shaping them into neat little pastry cups, then began preparing the filling.
Milk, cream, and the yolks of three or four eggs were whisked together until they became a smooth, golden custard. Following the recipe, Lin Shanyue carefully poured the mixture into each pastry shell, filling them about eighty percent full before placing them into the oven to bake.
When this courtyard had first been built, a clay oven had also been constructed. Though it hadn’t been used in years, it still worked perfectly. Shanyue had cleaned it out long ago.
The small dome-shaped oven wasn’t much to look at, but anyone who had used it knew how wonderful it was for baking flatbread or roasting chicken.
Now, all of the little egg tarts sat inside.
As long as she controlled the fire well, they should be done in about fifteen minutes. Since it was her first time making egg tarts, she could only feel her way forward one step at a time.
Chunlan had no idea what her mistress was making, but it certainly looked impressive.
While the tarts were baking, Lin Shanyue returned to her room.
This time, she managed to contact Huo Yi through the mirror.
Hearing her voice, the hostility lingering in Huo Yi’s heart eased somewhat.
Lin Shanyue first told him about Liu Niang, then about what had happened with the Jiang family. Huo Yi listened quietly throughout before finally offering his opinion.
“If you handle it this way, the Jiangs probably won’t bother you anymore. Even if they do, it’ll just be that Jiang Wan’er stirring up trouble. Don’t worry about her.”
“Also, I’ll give you some medicine. Take it to that young lady. This ointment works wonders for swelling and pain. She’ll remember your kindness.”
Embarrassed that the Mirror Demon Young Master was giving her something yet again, Lin Shanyue hurriedly said,
“Young Master, I wasn’t asking you for anything…”
Huo Yi clicked his tongue.
“I want to give it to you. Got a problem with that?”
Her cheeks instantly turned pink.
Watching another item fly out from the mirror, she quietly murmured,
“…Thank you.”
“What would Young Master like for lunch?”
“Anything. Doesn’t matter.”
“I made Chinese sausage rice, and I’ve also made egg tarts. They’re just about to come out of the oven. Would you like to try some?”
Huo Yi looked surprised.
“You already managed to make egg tarts?”
Lin Shanyue nodded.
“Sure. Let me have a taste.”
A smile tugged at Huo Yi’s lips.
Freshly baked egg tarts were at their most delicious.
The pastry was golden, flaky, and crisp, while the custard filling had just set into a silky, pudding-like texture.
Unable to resist, Lin Shanyue took a bite while still standing beside the oven.
Her round almond eyes immediately widened.
She had never imagined…
…that an egg tart could taste this incredible.
“Chunlan, come try one!”
Unable to keep such delicious food to herself, she gave Chunlan two tarts, Little Bao two more, and sent four through the mirror to Huo Yi.
That left nine.
She couldn’t help eating another herself.
Finally, she packed the remaining eight into a food box, intending to deliver them to Huayue House later.
Chunlan reacted almost exactly the same.
“M-Mistress! What is this?! It’s so fragrant and sweet! No… the inside is soft and silky, but the outside is wonderfully crisp!”
Lin Shanyue decided to keep the original name.
“It’s called an egg tart.”
“Egg… tart? I’ve never heard of it before. Mistress knows so many amazing things!”
Little Bao clearly loved them as well.
His tiny hands cradled one as he eagerly took big bites. Lin Shanyue had cooled them first before giving them to him, so they were just the right temperature.
Creamy custard smeared all around his mouth.
Laughing, she wiped his face clean.
“You little glutton.”
“Tart! Tart!”
Having heard Lin Shanyue say the name earlier, Little Bao actually remembered it immediately.
Delighted, she exclaimed,
“That’s right! It’s called an egg tart. Egg… tart…”
“Tart!”
Little Bao could already pronounce simple syllables like that.
Both Lin Shanyue and Chunlan burst into laughter.
Huo Yi was also eating an egg tart.
Through the mirror, he could faintly hear the laughter drifting from the little courtyard.
…How long had it been since he’d eaten a dessert?
He had never cared much for sweets before.
But after losing his sense of taste…
Forget sweetness—even bitterness would have moved him to tears.
Without realizing it, Huo Yi finished three egg tarts in one go.
Just as he reached for the fourth, Huo Feng walked in.
Because of Huo Chen’s situation, Huo Yi had been staying at the family estate these past two days.
His second brother barging in unannounced immediately put him in a bad mood.
Huo Feng, however, froze when he saw his younger brother eating egg tarts.
“You can taste again?”
Huo Yi raised an eyebrow.
“No.”
“I’m just making the best of it.”
“Oh.”
Huo Feng strolled over.
“Then give it to me.”
The second young master of the Huo family was famous for having an enormous sweet tooth.
He reached for the last egg tart.
“It doesn’t even look that good. Which shop made these?”
Unfortunately for him, before his hand could reach it, Huo Yi stuffed the entire tart into his own mouth.
Huo Feng stared with wide eyes.
Huo Yi swallowed it in just a few bites before giving a cold snort.
“If the presentation’s so bad, then don’t eat it.”
Huo Feng rolled his eyes.
“Childish.”
Chunlan headed out.
She was specifically going to deliver the egg tarts and ointment to Liu Niang.
The medicine had originally come from Huo Yi, but Lin Shanyue had transferred it into an ordinary porcelain jar.
When Chunlan arrived at Huayue House, Liu Niang initially refused to see visitors.
Left with no choice, Chunlan called out loudly,
“Sister Liu! Our Mistress Shanyue made a new dessert this afternoon called egg tarts. They’re absolutely delicious! She specially asked me to bring some for you and said that eating them would help cheer you up.”
Liu Niang’s maid sighed and told Chunlan to wait.
A moment later, Liu Niang’s voice came from inside.
“Very well. Bring them in.”
Relieved, Chunlan quickly handed the food box to the maid.
Not long afterward, Liu Niang came out herself.
The swelling on her face was still obvious.
“This pastry is wonderful.”
“What did you say it’s called?”
“Egg tart,” Chunlan replied.
Liu Niang smiled.
“Tell her to make more tomorrow. Every one of my girls’ rooms will be entertaining distinguished guests.”
“Yes.”
“And what’s this?”
She looked at the porcelain bottle.
Chunlan answered carefully,
“My mistress said it’s a traditional medicinal ointment from a physician’s family in Yangzhou Prefecture. It’s especially effective for reducing swelling and relieving pain.”
Liu Niang paused.
Then she smiled warmly.
“That little girl… honestly…”
After a moment’s thought, she removed a hairpin from her own hair and handed it to Chunlan.
“If she doesn’t mind, let her accept this. It’s a small token of my gratitude.”
Chunlan accepted it respectfully.
“Yes, Sister Liu. My mistress will surely be delighted.”
Liu Niang closed the door before adding one final remark.
“Serve her well. Following someone like her is your good fortune.”
Chunlan smiled.
“Yes, Sister Liu.”