“Uncle Zhao, how are your chickens and ducks sold?”
The moment Zhao Wang heard that Yun Qingyi wanted to buy poultry, his face lit up.
They quickly negotiated a supply arrangement.
Chickens weighing over two jin would be sold for fifty copper coins each.
Ducks weighing over three jin would cost one hundred copper coins each.
Every day, Zhao Wang’s family would provide twenty chickens and twenty ducks.
Without hesitation, Yun Qingyi left ten taels of silver as a deposit.
What pleased Zhao Wang most wasn’t the amount of money.
It was hearing the words:
“Daily collection.”
Farmers relied on the weather for their livelihoods.
A stable daily income was worth more than almost anything else.
The entire family felt deeply grateful.
Since they had little else to offer in return, they packed large quantities of eggs for Yun Qingyi.
At first she tried to refuse.
But Second Girl stubbornly insisted.
“Big Sister is buying so many of our chickens and ducks.”
“A few eggs aren’t worth much.”
“If Sister likes chickens and ducks, surely you’ll like duck eggs too.”
“Please take some.”
When Yun Qingyi heard the girl describe duck eggs as worthless, she became curious.
After asking around, she finally understood.
The northern outskirts were full of ponds and waterways.
Nearly every household raised ducks.
Ducks themselves could still be sold for a decent price.
But duck eggs were considered inferior to chicken eggs in flavor.
Ducks also laid fewer eggs.
Aside from hatching ducklings, almost nobody bothered eating them.
The moment she understood the situation, another idea formed.
She returned all the chicken eggs.
Only the duck eggs remained in her basket.
“I’ll take these back and experiment with them.”
“If things work out, I may come back and buy more duck eggs next time.”
At this point, the villagers practically looked at Yun Qingyi as though she were a living Goddess of Wealth.
After seeing the money she had paid Wang Granny and Zhao Wang’s family, countless people became eager.
“Miss, be sure to visit my home next time!”
“We raise plenty of chickens and ducks too!”
Under the enthusiastic escort of half the village, Yun Qingyi finally climbed into her carriage and returned home carrying a basket of duck eggs.
After changing into more comfortable clothing, she headed straight for the kitchen.
The duck eggs demanded her attention immediately.
Duck eggs were admittedly less delicate in flavor than chicken eggs.
But they had their own advantages.
Yun Qingyi intended to experiment.
Half the basket would become salted duck eggs.
The other half would become preserved eggs.
She headed to the garden and began searching through the soil.
After locating a patch of yellow clay, she instructed Yun Fa and Yun Da to dig up twenty or thirty jin and carry it to the kitchen.
The two boys exchanged puzzled glances while working.
They were absolutely certain that Miss intended to create another new food.
But…
Could soil actually become something delicious?
Although they hadn’t worked under Yun Qingyi for very long, both boys were clever.
They knew better than to ask unnecessary questions.
Miss said dig.
So they dug.
Miss said carry.
So they carried.
As long as the task was completed properly, that was enough.
Rolling up her sleeves, Yun Qingyi fetched a copper basin.
She shoveled half a basin of yellow clay inside.
Then she added water and mixed everything into a thick mud.
Several spoonfuls of salt followed.
Watching her knead mud with her bare hands, Shui Ling finally wandered over.
“Miss, are you making clay figurines today?”
“Usually you have me prepare the clay.”
“Why are you doing it yourself this time?”
Immediately, Yun Qingyi’s playful side emerged.
“Today we’re playing a different game.”
“I’ll mix the mud.”
“You’ll roll the duck eggs.”
She pointed toward a pile of cleaned eggs.
“I’ve already wiped them clean.”
“Take an egg, roll it through the mud until it’s completely coated, then place it into the jar I had you prepare.”
Shui Ling almost laughed.
What kind of game was that?
But then she reconsidered.
Perhaps cooking itself was a game to her mistress.
“Miss, I want to play too!”
Yun Fa and Yun Da watched Shui Ling coating eggs with mud and immediately became interested.
“If you want to play, mix your own mud.”
“Don’t forget the salt.”
The boys instantly rushed off to fetch basins.
While kneading clay, they repeatedly sought Yun Qingyi’s approval.
The moment she nodded, both became delighted.
Soon three people sat side by side.
Playing with mud.
Once the process no longer required supervision, Yun Qingyi moved on to her second project.
Preserved eggs.
The dried broad-bean stalks left over from making her Yunmeng-style bean paste finally had a purpose.
“Shui Ling.”
“Where did we put those dried broad-bean stalks?”
“Have someone bring them over.”
“I need them.”
When she’d originally ordered them preserved, Shui Ling had assumed it was simply another one of her mistress’s whimsical ideas.
As far as she knew, dried bean stalks were only useful for firewood.
What happened next left her even more astonished.
After Shuang Cheng delivered the stalks, Yun Qingyi added pine needles.
Then she lit everything on fire.
The entire pile burned into ash.
See?
Firewood after all.
Shui Ling secretly thought.
Miss really does know how to entertain herself.
Today’s hobbies are apparently playing with mud and playing with fire.
After the ash cooled, Yun Qingyi poured it into a copper basin.
The next steps looked strangely familiar.
Salt.
Water.
Mud.
Duck eggs.
Jars.
Seal everything shut.
The only difference was the type of mud.
Shui Ling stared.
Apparently there were multiple ways to play with mud.
“Miss, when can we eat these?”
“The ones you three made can be opened in about half a month.”
She pointed at the preserved eggs.
“These need at least twenty days.”
Working together, the four of them eventually filled six entire jars.
By the end, their hands, faces, and clothes were covered in mud.
But everyone felt immensely accomplished.
Yun Fa and Yun Da carried the jars into a cool storage room according to Yun Qingyi’s instructions.
With the duck eggs finished, Yun Qingyi turned her attention to the flowers she had purchased that day.
She personally guided Shui Ling through another batch of flower pastries.
This time, however, the lesson came with a warning.
“Listen carefully.”
“Think carefully.”
“Tomorrow you’ll be selling these to customers.”
Once Shui Ling finished arranging the pastries on the baking tray and placed them into the oven, Yun Qingyi sent a servant to the Fifth Prince’s residence.
The message was simple.
The flower pastries were ready.
The Fifth Prince moved faster than anyone expected.
The moment he heard the words flower pastries, he practically flew out the door.
To obtain them as quickly as possible, he skipped the Yun family’s front entrance entirely.
Instead, he parked his carriage beside the alley leading to the rear gate.
Then he jogged.
A prince.
Jogging.
Through an alley.
Completely undignified.
But the rich floral aroma drifting through the air convinced him it was the correct decision.
By the time he entered the Yun residence, the first batch had just emerged from the oven.
Yun Qingyi greeted him politely.
“Your Highness paid a substantial deposit.”
“This humble subject did not dare neglect the matter.”
“Today I finally obtained suitable ingredients.”
“The first batch is ready for Your Highness’s evaluation.”
The Fifth Prince picked up a pastry and took a bite.
Immediately, he felt the entire trip had been worthwhile.
Freshly baked, the pastries tasted even better than the ones he had stolen from his cousin’s box.
He nodded repeatedly.
“Previously, I made a wager and promised someone an entire cartload of pastries.”
“Only afterward did I discover they were made by Lady Yun.”
“Thanks to your assistance, I may finally recover some dignity.”
He glanced at the pastries longingly.
“These are best eaten warm.”
“Please package them for me.”
“I’ll take them directly to the palace for Father and Mother to taste.”
“As for the pastries I still owe someone…”
A grin appeared.
“As long as Lady Yun continues making them, there will be plenty of opportunities.”
Hearing this, Yun Qingyi dared not be careless.
She selected the most exquisite food boxes available in the residence.
Five in total.
All carefully packed and handed over.
What Yun Qingyi didn’t know was that throughout her entire trip to the northern outskirts, Mo Yuxuan had quietly followed her.
When he realized she was searching desperately for more flowers, he didn’t understand why.
But he remembered.
And he cared enough to investigate.
Farther beyond the northern outskirts lay a flower farm.
The varieties grown there were identical to those sold by Granny Wang.
Since Yun Qingyi wanted flowers, he decided to do her a favor.
A very excessive favor.
He ordered:
One thousand jin of fresh roses.
Freshly picked.
Delivered directly to his residence.
The rear gate of his estate happened to face the rear gate of the Yun residence.
While the Fifth Prince visited Yun Qingyi, Mo Yuxuan was busy inspecting the flowers.
The floral fragrance that had lured the prince through the alley?
Most of it had actually come from the Marquis’s side of the street.
After confirming every rose matched Granny Wang’s variety, Mo Yuxuan plucked a single ornamental rose from his own garden and quietly mixed it among them.
Then he returned to his pavilion.
From there, he happened to see his cousin emerge from the Yun residence carrying five food boxes.
Five.
Entire.
Food boxes.
Mo Yuxuan narrowed his eyes.
He had never expected one of his casual teasing remarks to send the Fifth Prince directly into Yun Qingyi’s home.
Nor had he expected the prince to leave carrying enough pastries to feed an army.
For some reason, the sight irritated him.
Only briefly.
Because a new idea quickly occurred to him.
Late that night, under cover of darkness, he summoned his attendants.
“Move the flowers.”
Soon, Mo Wen and Mo Yu found themselves transporting enormous quantities of roses into the alley outside the Yun residence.
As they worked, Mo Yu finally couldn’t contain himself.
“Mo Wen.”
“What exactly is the General thinking?”
“Since returning to the capital, countless noble ladies have admired him.”
“He never gives any of them a second glance.”
“Yet now he’s sending flowers to the Yun residence.”
He lowered his voice.
“And if he’s really sending flowers…”
“Why are we doing it in the middle of the night like thieves?”
“Also—”
“No one sends a thousand jin of flowers!”
“What’s the reason?”
Truthfully, Mo Wen had the exact same question.
Even if the General genuinely admired Lady Yun…
A thousand jin of roses felt somewhat excessive.
Still.
They knew their master’s temperament.
When he didn’t wish to explain something, asking questions was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
So Mo Wen simply glared at his younger brother.
“You truly waste your name.”
“Why do you talk so much?”
“Haven’t you been beaten enough already?”
“The General told us to work.”
“So work.”
“What nonsense are you babbling about?”