As soon as the stall was set up, a customer arrived carrying one of the bamboo containers from a few days earlier.
“Shopkeeper, fill me up with another tube of fish balls.”
One bamboo tube contained three fish balls, and the broth was included free of charge.
Returning customers received a twenty percent discount.
The total came to one hundred and twenty copper coins.
When the people in line heard that repeat customers received discounts, many immediately wanted to buy extra.
“Sorry, everyone,” Yun Fa announced.
“Our stall is small. Each customer is limited to two tubes.”
Among those waiting were ordinary townsfolk in simple cloth robes, willing to spend a little money just to sample something new.
Others came from wealthy households.
Those customers bought the maximum quantity allowed every single time.
Today’s menu included a new item:
Flower pastries.
Yesterday, Xiao Yu and Shuang Cheng had spent the day learning beside the oven.
Today they officially took over production.
Yun Fa and Yun Da continued handling sales.
Following Yun Qingyi’s pricing instructions, flower pastries were sold for one hundred copper coins per box.
Each household was limited to five boxes.
Although Yunmeng Marsh had several famous pastry shops, their fillings were all made from conventional ingredients.
No one had ever heard of making pastries from flowers.
Most customers found the idea intriguing.
But very few were willing to buy immediately.
Seeing the hesitation, Yun Qingyi came up with a solution.
She instructed Yun Fa and Yun Da to open a box for sampling.
The pastries were cut into small pieces and distributed free of charge.
The moment the first pastry was sliced open, a rich floral fragrance filled the air.
Yun Fa popped a piece into his mouth and called out loudly:
“Fresh flower pastries!”
“Try before you buy!”
“If they don’t taste good, you don’t pay!”
Before the sample box was even finished, the crowd surged forward.
“These really are delicious! Give me a box!”
“I’ll take three. My wife and daughters will love them.”
“Five boxes for me! My mother’s birthday is tomorrow. She’ll be delighted.”
The atmosphere immediately became lively.
Seeing business booming, Yun Qingyi left Yun Fa and Yun Da to handle customers while she returned to the courtyard to help Shui Ling process flowers.
One thousand jin of roses.
After removing the stems, there were still over one hundred jin of petals.
Far more than they could possibly use right away.
It was both a blessing and a headache.
As Shui Ling worked, she sighed.
“Miss, how are we ever going to use all these flowers?”
“Even if we work day and night, they’ll spoil before we finish.”
“What kind of fool sends this many flowers?”
Yun Qingyi couldn’t help agreeing.
The situation was certainly strange.
They would need a preservation method.
After some thought, she divided the flowers into several categories.
One portion would become pastry filling.
Another would be dried and stored.
The remainder would be used for brewing rose wine.
She requested a secluded storage room from Steward Shui.
The petals were spread out across the floor.
Several stoves were arranged throughout the room.
Large pots of water were brought to a boil.
The steam gently heated the room, drying the petals at low temperatures.
Low-temperature drying preserved both the flowers’ natural color and fragrance.
When eventually used in food, the flavor would remain excellent.
As for the remaining petals, Yun Qingyi devoted most of them to wine production.
First, glutinous rice was washed and soaked.
After swelling completely, it was steamed and cooled to room temperature.
Sweet rice fermentation starter was crushed and mixed thoroughly into the rice.
Cool boiled water was added.
Then the mixture was left to ferment.
The rose petals were washed and finely chopped.
They were heated in water to approximately fifty degrees Celsius.
Sugar and lemon juice were added.
Drawing upon her experience from laboratory work, Yun Qingyi carefully adjusted the pH to approximately 5.5.
Afterward, dissolved yeast and rose pulp were added to the rice wine mixture.
The container was sealed and left to continue fermenting.
“There.”
She smiled with satisfaction.
“Nothing wasted.”
After completing the work, she and Shui Ling continued sorting flowers.
Suddenly, Shui Ling spotted something unusual.
“Miss.”
She held up a flower.
“This one looks different from the others.”
Yun Qingyi examined it carefully.
It wasn’t a rose.
It was a Chinese rose (yueji).
The two looked extremely similar.
However, while most varieties of Chinese rose weren’t truly poisonous, many contained alkaloids and were not recommended for consumption.
Fortunately, Shui Ling had noticed.
“Good eye.”
“This one isn’t edible.”
Immediately, Shui Ling became alarmed.
“Could someone be trying to poison us?”
Yun Qingyi shook her head.
“If someone intended poison, slipping in a single flower would be a rather poor attempt.”
“More likely the supplier couldn’t tell the difference and mixed it in by accident.”
Her explanation finally reassured Shui Ling.
Still annoyed, Shui Ling tossed the flower onto the pile of discarded stems.
Then she grumbled:
“What kind of fool sends this many flowers and still manages to mix in one that can’t be eaten?”
By the time they finished processing the flowers, the stall outside was also closing.
Once again, everything had sold out before the morning market ended.
Yun Qingyi instructed Yun Fa and Yun Da to clean up.
After everything was packed away and the area thoroughly swept, they prepared to close for the day.
Then something unexpected happened.
A guard from the neighboring residence arrived with a message.
His master wished to meet Lady Yun.
That was certainly new.
Yun Qingyi knew the residence across the alley belonged to an influential family.
But she had no idea who actually lived there.
Even Shui Ling couldn’t answer.
“Miss, that courtyard was empty for years.”
“Lights only appeared recently.”
“I occasionally see servants entering and leaving.”
“Our families have never interacted.”
The visitor introduced himself as Mo Wen and explained his purpose.
“My master says that being neighbors is a matter of fate.”
“Since our families live side by side, we should maintain harmonious relations.”
He gestured toward the alley.
“The alley belongs jointly to both residences.”
“For many days now, Lady Yun has operated a stall there.”
“The increased traffic has made passage somewhat inconvenient.”
“My master hopes we can discuss a reasonable solution.”
So that was it.
The neighbors had come to complain—politely—about her occupying shared space.
Yun Qingyi wasn’t sure whether ancient people had a term equivalent to “illegal street vending.”
Nor had she ever actually seen anyone entering or leaving from the neighboring rear gate.
Part of her felt the complaint was somewhat petty.
Yet as someone from modern times, she understood property rights and easement rights.
Technically speaking, they had a valid point.
After a moment’s consideration, she reached a conclusion.
If the neighbors genuinely wished to pursue the matter, they should have approached her father.
Or at the very least, Steward Shui.
Instead, they had specifically come to her.
That suggested the occupied alley wasn’t the real issue.
It was merely an excuse.
Which meant she needed to determine the true purpose before deciding how to proceed.
However, she had no intention of walking directly into the neighboring residence.
What if she was mistaken?
What if the visitor’s intentions weren’t friendly?
Her mother had taught her something important from childhood:
A young woman should never casually enter enclosed private spaces.
Without the presence of witnesses, human nature could easily reveal its darker side.
So Yun Qingyi smiled politely.
“I understand your master’s concerns.”
“This matter was indeed my oversight.”
“I apologize.”
“However, as an unmarried woman, it would be inappropriate for me to visit another household uninvited.”
She considered briefly.
“Please inform your master that I will meet him today at the Jiangxin Pavilion in front of the district.”
“At the Hour of Shen.”
Mo Wen immediately bowed.
“Thank you, Lady Yun.”
“I shall relay your message.”
Then he departed.
Only after leaving the Yun residence did Mo Wen realize his back was soaked with sweat.
He genuinely couldn’t understand what his General was trying to accomplish.
Yesterday, they had secretly delivered flowers to Lady Yun under cover of darkness.
Today, he had been sent alone to provoke a confrontation.
The excuse about the alley was absurd.
Everyone in Yunmeng Marsh knew that countless vendors operated from rear streets and alleys.
More importantly…
Everyone also knew how much the Yun family adored Yun Qingyi.
Mo Wen had genuinely feared being beaten and thrown out.
He had followed the Marquis onto battlefields.
He had survived real warfare.
He had never been afraid there.
Yet somehow, being chased out of the Yun residence by an angry family of doting relatives felt far more terrifying.
If that happened, he would never be able to show his face in Yunmeng Marsh again.
Fortunately, Lady Yun was exactly as kind-hearted as people said.
Not only had she refrained from making things difficult for him…
Mo Wen even found himself secretly hoping for something.
He hoped Lady Yun would thoroughly teach his General a lesson.
Because at this point, even he couldn’t figure out what the Marquis was doing anymore.