After seeing the Fifth Prince off, Yun Qingyi thought about the gold ingot he had given her and felt that something about the transaction was not quite right.
Even for a custom order, he had paid far too much.
The Fifth Prince had approached her under the pretense of doing business, asking her to make flower pastries for him. She couldn’t exactly treat him like an ordinary customer and return the excess payment—that would embarrass him.
For nobles like the Fifth Prince, spending money was trivial. Saving face was what truly mattered.
Since she couldn’t give him change, she would have to find another way to make the order worth the price.
Remembering that he had said he needed the pastries because of a wager—one he had lost and now owed someone “a cartload of pastries”—Yun Qingyi decided to focus on the cart itself.
Returning to her loft, she spread out sheets of paper and began sketching.
This time, she intended to design a vehicle.
Her initial idea was to create a miniature cart, roughly one foot square, with flower pastries arranged in the cargo bed.
That way, the Fifth Prince’s promise of “a cartload of pastries” would be fulfilled in a charming and literal manner.
As for the ideal vehicle to carry pastries?
Nothing suited the task better than a three-wheeled cargo tricycle.
When she was young, Yun Qingyi had lived with her grandfather on a small island.
The mountain roads there were difficult to traverse, and all their daily necessities had to be transported from a town twenty kilometers away. Her grandfather would drive a three-wheeled cargo tricycle up and down the winding mountain roads to buy supplies.
Later, when the family’s circumstances improved and they built a three-story house, every brick, tile, and bag of cement was shipped to the dock and then hauled home on that same tricycle.
Every trip, her grandfather brought her along.
When she was little, he carried her in his arms.
As she grew older, she sat in the cargo bed.
Few people knew these humble vehicles better than she did.
Drawing one from memory would be easy.
However, as an engineering graduate, she also knew that a sketch alone would never be enough for even the most skilled craftsman.
Remembering the clay she had played with earlier that day, she mixed another lump and hand-shaped a model.
Using a bamboo skewer, she carefully carved in the finer details.
After all, sophisticated models could be made from the simplest materials.
Once the miniature was finished, she placed it in a box and returned to her sketch, adding color and finishing touches.
With both a detailed drawing and a physical model, any craftsman should be able to recreate it in ceramic.
She summoned Steward Shui and asked him to find Master Yin, the finest ceramic artisan in Yunmengze, and commission him to make the piece according to her design.
After examining both the sketch and the model, Master Yin pondered for a while.
The materials were readily available, and the clay preparation would be straightforward.
However, since this was an entirely new type of decorative piece and Miss Yun had exacting standards for detail, shaping it would be more complicated.
He estimated it would take three days to complete the clay body.
Once finished, Miss Yun would need to inspect it.
If everything went smoothly, it would require another day to dry.
Applying the underglaze colors would take one day.
Firing the piece and adding the overglaze decoration would require another day.
The entire process would take roughly seven days.
Master Yin explained every step carefully, and Yun Qingyi listened attentively.
When it came time to discuss payment, he quoted ten taels of silver.
She immediately added two more.
“Please take extra care with it.”
By the time everything had been arranged, it was nearly dinner time.
After accomplishing so much in a single day, she felt she deserved a good meal.
But she was too tired to cook elaborate dishes herself.
Instead, she asked Aunt Shui to knead some dough while she prepared hand-pulled noodles for the family.
“Hand-pulled noodles come in many different widths,” she explained.
“I prefer this style—erxi, or ‘second-thin.’ The texture changes depending on the thickness.”
Then she demonstrated how to make an even finer version.
After watching her once, Yun Xing and Yun Wang quickly learned the technique and finished pulling the remaining noodles.
For a good bowl of noodles, the broth was everything.
Today, Yun Qingyi craved tomato beef noodles.
She diced fresh tomatoes and simmered them in a pot until they formed a rich, flavorful sauce.
Then she cut cooked beef shank into chunks and prepared potatoes, carrots, and onions.
Heating oil in a wok, she sautéed the onions until fragrant, added the carrots and Sichuan peppercorns, and cooked them until half-tender before pouring in the tomato sauce.
Once the oil turned a vibrant red, she added the potatoes and seasoned the mixture with salt and vinegar.
Finally, she added the beef chunks and heated everything through.
The broth was ready.
When the steaming soup was poured over the freshly cooked noodles, the aroma was irresistible.
As the servants carried the bowls to the dining table, the Yun family found themselves amazed once again.
Her parents were served the fine noodles.
After just one bite, they fell in love with the dish.
“Good daughter,” her father said with a smile, “when we heard we were having noodles tonight, we thought there wouldn’t be anything special to eat.”
“Who would have imagined that ordinary noodles could taste this delicious?”
In Yunmengze, rice was the staple food.
Wheat flour was primarily used for pastries and desserts.
People rarely ate noodles, and when they did, it was usually plain noodles in clear broth.
The family had always considered noodles bland and uninteresting.
Yun Qingyuan and Yun Qingyi, however, ate the erxi noodles.
The chewy texture of the hand-pulled noodles paired perfectly with the large chunks of beef and rich tomato broth.
The savory beef, tangy tomatoes, and sweet onions blended beautifully.
The flavors were so satisfying that Yun Qingyuan forgot to speak.
He slurped down the entire bowl and even drank every last drop of soup.
“Qingqing, is there any more?”
“It’s so delicious! I barely tasted it before it was gone.”
There was plenty of broth left, and of course there were more noodles.
Yun Wang quickly pulled another serving of erxi noodles for him.
Moments later, Yun Qingyuan finished that bowl just as enthusiastically.
After all, noodles were meant to be slurped.
It was part of the experience.
While the Yun family enjoyed dinner, the Fifth Prince was spending the evening with his mother in her palace.
Opening the food box, he touched the serving plate and silently praised Yun Qingyi once again.
He had no idea what method she had used, but the pastries were still warm.
“Mother, I recently acquired some freshly baked flower pastries.”
“Knowing that you enjoy sweets, I brought them over immediately.”
“They’re still warm—please try one.”
Consort Xian picked up a pastry.
“Oh? It’s still warm.”
“My son is so thoughtful.”
The moment she bit into it, the fragrance of roses filled her senses.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“This pastry is exquisite.”
“Don’t forget to send some to the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, and the Empress as well.”
“Rest assured, Mother. I’ve already done so.”
“This box is especially for you.”
Suddenly, Consort Xian remembered something.
“Your cousin loves sweet foods. Did you send any to him?”
At the mention of his cousin, the Fifth Prince relaxed noticeably.
“There’s no need.”
“The first time I tasted these pastries was at his place.”
“And they’re made by Miss Yun.”
“She’s started a food business at her family residence, selling all kinds of dishes.”
“The back gates of our families face each other. If my cousin wants to eat them, he’s far more conveniently situated than we are.”
Hearing this, Consort Xian said nothing more about her nephew and continued chatting casually with her son.
Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager had also received her box of pastries.
The Emperor and Empress happened to be visiting her chambers.
All three praised the flower pastries enthusiastically.
They also spoke highly of the Fifth Prince for his thoughtfulness.
“The pastries are sweet without being cloying,” the Empress Dowager said with satisfaction.
“I like them very much.”
“Our little Fifth has truly grown up. He now knows how to show filial devotion through good food.”
“They’re indeed excellent,” the Empress added.
“I usually dislike flaky pastries, but these are light and refreshing.”
“I could easily finish an entire plate.”
The Emperor laughed.
“Our Fifth certainly knows how to please people.”
“Since both Mother and the Empress enjoy them, have him send more.”
The following morning, the Yun household prepared to open their stall as usual.
Yun Fa and Yun Da went outside first to sweep the entrance.
The moment they opened the gate, they froze.
The entire doorway was piled high with roses.
The cool night air had preserved them well, and the flowers remained fresh and vibrant.
Neither of them had ever seen such a spectacle before.
Unsure what to do, they immediately reported it to Yun Qingyi.
Stepping outside and seeing that every single rose was edible, Yun Qingyi was overjoyed.
Just yesterday, she had worried about her flower supply.
Today, she had more flowers than she could hope for.
Although she had no idea who had sent them, such a large quantity would make it easy enough to identify the benefactor.
For now, however, she had more pressing concerns.
“Move all the flowers to the kitchen first.”
“Shuiling, clean them right away.”
“We can’t let this delay today’s business.”