Su Mingxuan practically floated home.
The small silver leaf he held was wrapped in three layers of handkerchief, clutched tightly in his palm as if it were the hottest sun in the world.
“Sis, pinch me! I’m not dreaming, right?” He stood at the door, his small face flushed crimson from excitement.
Su Qingyan smiled, lightly flicking his forehead with her finger.
“Ow!” Su Mingxuan pressed his hand to his forehead, yet his smile grew even sillier. “It’s real! We really earned silver!”
Pushing open the door, Wang Shi and Su Xiucai were anxiously waiting inside. Seeing the siblings return, Wang Shi hurried forward.
“How… how did it go? Did… did the twenty-wen cakes sell?” she asked cautiously, afraid of bad news.
Su Mingxuan presented the treasure like a prize, opening his palm to reveal the silver leaf, which shimmered softly in the sunset.
“Mother! Father! Look!”
The room fell silent, broken only by heavy breathing.
Su Xiucai struggled to prop himself up, staring fixedly at the silver leaf. Something surged violently in his cloudy eyes. Wang Shi covered her mouth, tears falling without warning, each droplet striking the rough skin of her hand.
One or two pieces of silver!
That was 1,000 wen in copper coins!
It was the sum Su Xiucai had painstakingly saved in the past, working year after year, eating little and writing books for others—an unimaginable fortune for their family.
“Sis, we’re rich!” Su Mingyue and Su Mingyao also crowded around, poking at the silver leaf, their faces full of curiosity and joy.
“We’re not rich,” Su Qingyan said, taking the silver leaf from her brother and placing it carefully beside their father’s pillow. Her voice was calm, but carried a wisdom beyond her years.
“This is the key to opening our path.”
Seeing their confused expressions, she explained softly: “The person who bought the Red Date Egg Cake today is the Third Young Master of the Xie Mansion. What he gave us was not money, but face. From tomorrow, the name ‘Su Ji’ will carry a different weight.”
Su Xiucai, being a scholar, immediately grasped the meaning behind his daughter’s words. His lips trembled with emotion as he pointed at the silver leaf, finally uttering, “Good… good… our daughter has great talent!”
That night, the Su household remained in high spirits.
Su Qingyan refused Su Mingxuan’s suggestion to make a hundred cakes the next day, still using only ten eggs and a small handful of red dates.
“Sis, why? Today even Third Young Master Xie bought one—tomorrow there will be even more buyers! If we make more, we can earn more money!” Su Mingxuan fretted, pacing in circles.
“Mingxuan,” Su Qingyan said, whisking egg whites with lightning speed without lifting her head, “can anyone study at the Grand Academy?”
“Of course not. Only those who pass the exams can enter.”
“And the top seat at Fan Tower, can anyone just pay to see it?”
“Not at all. I’ve heard people with status have to reserve it half a month in advance!”
Su Qingyan paused, looking at her brother’s half-understanding face. Slowly, she said, “Things become valuable precisely because they are rare. If everyone could buy Third Young Master Xie’s cake on the street, it wouldn’t be worth much. Our Red Date Egg Cakes—starting tomorrow—will still only be ten portions per day, and the price will rise.”
“Rise again?” Su Mingxuan gasped.
“Yes,” Su Qingyan said, a small curve appearing on her lips, “thirty wen per portion.”
The next day, before dawn, Su Qingyan calmly placed the last cake into a small bamboo basket, adjusted her clothing, and, along with Su Mingxuan, carried the pastries out.
“Sis! Sis! Oh no! There are so many people!”
At the corner of Shui Gui Street, it was no longer simply crowded—people were packed shoulder to shoulder, blocking the street entirely.
A sea of servants and stewards had come from various households, craning their necks, eyes fixed on the entrance of Maichaoxiang Lane. Their attire clearly marked them as coming from wealthy or noble families.
“The young lady of Su Ji is out!” someone shouted.
With a roar, the crowd surged toward Su Qingyan and her brother.
“Young lady! Do you still have Red Date Egg Cakes? Our master Zhao specifically wants to try them!”
“Give me five! My lady says the price is negotiable!”
“Thirty wen, right? I’ll pay forty! Sell to me first! I’ve been waiting all night!”
After hearing that Third Young Master Xie personally tasted the cake yesterday, masters of other households could hardly remain idle. This wasn’t just about eating a dessert—it was a status symbol, a capital to show off at home banquets!
Su Mingxuan had never seen such a scene, his face pale as he tightly clutched the bamboo basket.
“Everyone, everyone, please calm down!”
Su Qingyan’s clear voice rang out. She set up the stall properly, placing a newly written sign with the price: “30 wen.”
The handwriting remained elegant, but the number stunned onlookers.
The crowd quieted for a moment, then erupted into an even louder clamor. The higher price did not deter them—it heightened their desire to buy.
“See! If the price is this high, it must be good!”
“Young lady, I… I’ll pay fifty wen per portion! I want all ten!” A middle-aged man wearing a silk shirt, clearly a steward of some household, panted as he pulled out a string of copper coins and slammed them onto the stall.
“Why should you get all of them? It should be first come, first served!” another servant objected.
“Exactly! We came before dawn!”
As arguments were about to break out, Su Qingyan spoke slowly and steadily:
“Everyone, I’m truly sorry. Su Ji’s Red Date Egg Cakes are limited to ten per day. To allow more distinguished guests to taste them, each person may buy only one portion. Today’s ten portions will go to the first ten in line.” She bowed slightly, her tone polite but firm.
The crowd gasped.
Even with money, she wouldn’t sell more? And she limited purchases?
Yet this only made the cakes seem more valuable in everyone’s eyes.
The first ten were ecstatic, eagerly handing over their money as if they were receiving a gift rather than spending thirty wen.
Those behind pounded their chests in frustration, regretting their delay.
In less than the time it takes to steep tea, all ten Red Date Egg Cakes were sold. Su Qingyan put away the money pouch and smiled apologetically at the lingering crowd:
“Everyone, we’re sold out today. Please come early tomorrow. Qingyan must return to prepare medicine for my father. I’ll take my leave.”
She then pulled the still-dazed Su Mingxuan along, swiftly packing up and leaving under the crowd’s complex mix of envy and admiration.
Back home, closing the door, Su Mingxuan finally exhaled deeply. He dumped the heavy money pouch onto the table.
“Clatter—clatter—clatter—”
Three hundred wen in copper coins spilled out, even more spectacular than the two hundred wen from yesterday.
“Sis… we only sold ten cakes and earned three hundred wen…” Su Mingxuan’s mind could barely comprehend it.
Su Qingyan smiled quietly, but her mind was already calculating. The Red Date Egg Cake’s cost was extremely high; profits were rich, but this couldn’t last long. Scarcity marketing could maintain hype, but to truly grow, they needed steady, large orders.
At that moment, there was a soft knock at the door: “Knock, knock, knock.”
Who could it be at this hour?
Su Qingyan asked Su Mingxuan to stay inside, then cautiously approached the door, peering through the crack: “Who is it?”
A calm, respectful voice replied: “May I ask, is this the young lady of Su Ji?”
Through the crack, Su Qingyan saw an elderly man in a simple blue servant robe, a headscarf marking him as a steward. Though dressed as a servant, his posture was straight, his face clean, eyes steady—clearly not an ordinary man.
Most importantly, behind him stood a quietly waiting carriage.
Su Qingyan recognized the nanmu carriage instantly.
Her heart stirred as she opened the gate.
“Sir?”
The old man bowed deeply. “Young lady, greetings. I am the steward of the Xie Mansion, surname Fu. I apologize for the intrusion. I am sent by our Third Young Master, wishing to discuss a business matter with you.”