Master Zhang and his apprentices worked for three days before completing the oven Yun Qingyi had designed.
During those three days, they ate every meal at the Yun residence.
To be honest, they were happier about the food than the wages.
After settling their payment, Yun Qingyi packed a lunch box for each craftsman and asked them to take the food home to share with their families.
As they were leaving, Master Zhang’s youngest apprentice repeatedly thanked her.
“Lady Yun, if you ever open a restaurant in the future, please remember to hire us again!”
Meanwhile, Master Yu from the blacksmith shop delivered the custom iron grill plates exactly as requested.
Yun Qingyi had the oven walls dried thoroughly with firewood before finally beginning her next culinary project.
The flowers she had purchased three days earlier had already been slightly wilted when she bought them.
She instructed Shui Ling to care for them carefully, changing the water twice daily and adding a few pieces of sugar to help the flowers absorb moisture.
After three days, their colors remained remarkably vibrant.
Following Yun Qingyi’s instructions, Shui Ling picked the rose petals, chopped them finely, sprinkled them with salt, and let them marinate.
Once the excess moisture had been drained away, the petals were stirred into a fragrant rose paste.
A handful of sesame seeds and peanuts were chopped until their rich aroma emerged.
Mixed together with the rose paste, the filling became so fragrant that merely smelling it was intoxicating.
After preparing both the dough and the flaky pastry layers, Yun Qingyi wrapped the rose filling inside.
Each pastry was flattened into a small round cake and neatly arranged on the baking tray.
A layer of egg wash was brushed across the surface.
Then the tray was pushed into the oven.
As the pastries baked for half an hour, everyone gathered around the oven suffered a special kind of torture.
The smell was incredible.
Even before tasting them, they already knew they would be delicious.
“This smells amazing.”
“I haven’t eaten one yet, but if Third Miss made it, it can’t possibly be bad.”
“Who would’ve thought wilted flowers could be used like this?”
“I hope Third Miss rewards us with one. We could all split a pastry and I’d still be satisfied.”
“In the future, we won’t have to queue outside Qinxin Pavilion for pastries. Ours are just as good!”
Yun Qingyi didn’t notice any of these thoughts.
This was her first time using an ancient-style oven.
The temperature, timing, and heat control all needed testing.
She didn’t dare relax for even a moment.
Throughout the baking process, she pulled the tray out three separate times with iron tongs to inspect the pastries.
Only after confirming they had baked perfectly did she call everyone over.
“Fresh out of the oven. Be careful, they’re hot.”
No one cared.
Compared to the heat, they cared far more about being the first to taste them.
The crust was crisp without being crumbly.
The moment they bit through the surface, a rich floral fragrance burst forth.
The pastry layers were delicate and distinct.
The flower filling was intensely aromatic.
The tenderness of the petals contrasted beautifully with the flaky crust, creating a wonderfully complex texture.
Because the pastries were still warm, the floral aroma seemed even richer.
After everyone received one pastry, Yun Qingyi clapped her hands.
“One each is enough for now. There are more flavors coming later.”
And she wasn’t kidding.
The elderly flower seller had possessed far more than roses.
There was still plenty of work to do.
She summoned Xiao Yu, Shuang Cheng, and, remembering Shui Ling’s disbelief when she had first mentioned flower pastries, included Shui Ling as well.
Xiao Yu washed flowers, chopped petals, and prepared fillings.
Soon they had lily paste, jasmine paste, chrysanthemum paste, and taro-flower paste ready to go.
Shuang Cheng and Yun Zhong handled the dough and pastry layers.
Kneading dough required strength, so Yun Zhong naturally took charge of that task.
Shuang Cheng portioned the dough and pastry into small rounds.
Each pastry layer was paired with a dough layer, wrapped together, rolled out, folded, and shaped into beautifully layered crusts.
Shui Ling was responsible for wrapping the pastries.
Thanks to their experience from the first batch, the second round of baking went much more smoothly.
When all the flower pastries were finally finished, Yun Qingyi brought a fresh assortment together with Shui Ling to visit her mother.
At that moment, Madam Fang was enjoying tea.
Seeing her daughter arrive carrying pastries, she smiled.
“Has Xuanxuan made something delicious again?”
After receiving an affirmative answer, Madam Fang happily picked up a pastry.
To her surprise, it was still warm.
“So you’ve brought them over immediately after making them. You’ve truly put your heart into this.”
Madam Fang was already forty years old, yet she maintained both her figure and youthful appearance remarkably well.
She had always considered pastries overly sweet and greasy.
Many of her close friends often said that if a woman wished to preserve her beauty, she should stay away from such foods.
Ordinarily, she would only eat a tiny piece of pastry when drinking bitter tea.
Today, however, her daughter had made them personally.
Naturally, she had to try one.
She intended to take only the smallest bite.
The moment she broke through the crust, she regretted her restraint.
This wasn’t anything like the pastries she was accustomed to.
There was no overwhelming sweetness.
No greasy heaviness.
Instead, there was a refreshing, elegant floral fragrance.
“Mother, these are called flower cakes.”
“The one you’re eating contains rose filling, so it’s a rose flower cake.”
“There are also lily flower cakes, jasmine flower cakes, and chrysanthemum flower cakes. They all taste different.”
“If Mother likes them, you can cut each one open and sample a little.”
As she spoke, Yun Qingyi used a ceramic knife to cut the pastries into small pieces.
Instantly, the serving tray became filled with layers of floral fragrance.
Madam Fang sampled every variety.
Then she sampled them again.
Before she knew it, she had eaten several pieces of each flavor.
She had even finished an extra cup of tea.
Thinking of her husband, who loved tea but had never tasted such elegant and refreshing pastries, Madam Fang suddenly turned to her daughter.
“Xuanxuan, can these flower cakes be packed into two gift boxes?”
“We should send some to your grandfather and grandmother.”
Yun Qingyi readily agreed.
She instructed Shui Ling to pack several of each flavor.
After changing into suitable outdoor clothing, she accompanied her mother to the Fang residence.
The Yun and Fang households were located quite close to one another.
Only two streets separated them.
Years earlier, after Yun Jingxing passed the imperial examinations and earned the rank of jinshi, the then-Minister of Personnel, Fang Yuyan, had personally selected him as a son-in-law.
His method of choosing a son-in-law had been quite different from most families.
Ordinarily, families seeking talented husbands would wait until the examination results were released before making their move.
After all, becoming a jinshi guaranteed both talent and future prospects.
But Fang Yuyan had begun much earlier.
Even before the examinations started, he had already identified several promising candidates.
He sent people to investigate their hometowns, family traditions, and reputations, eliminating many in the process.
Later, through various scholar gatherings and banquets, he evaluated their appearance, temperament, and conversation skills, narrowing the list further.
Long before the examination results were announced, Fang Yuyan had already been paying close attention to Yun Jingxing.
The final ranking merely served as one last test.
Fang Yuyan had two sons but only one daughter.
He treasured her dearly.
To ensure her future happiness, he not only scrutinized his prospective son-in-law’s talent and character but also refused to let his daughter marry far from home.
Although the marriage agreement had been arranged early, he waited until Yun Jingxing completed his three-year provincial appointment and returned to the capital before allowing the wedding to proceed.
Because the two families lived so close together, Madam Fang frequently returned to her parents’ home.
Not just during holidays.
Whenever she felt like it.
Sometimes simply to sit and chat with her parents.
Fang Taifu often told her:
“You will always be a daughter of the Fang family. Come home whenever you wish.”
Even after years of marriage, Madam Fang still carried a youthful air.
Only after giving birth to Yun Qingyi did her parents finally feel she looked like a mother.
The mother and daughter arrived at the Fang residence in soft sedan chairs.
Their chairs had barely stopped outside the main hall when Madam Fang’s mother, Old Madam Fang, emerged with the support of a maid.
“Is Xuanxuan fully recovered?”
“Come, let Grandmother look at you.”
“My poor child. You’ve suffered so much.”
Her eyes overflowed with affection for both daughter and granddaughter.
Yun Qingyi stepped forward with a smile.
“Thanks to Grandmother’s blessings, Xuanxuan is completely well now.”
“Today I made some pastries. Mother thought they tasted quite good, so we brought them specially for Grandfather and Grandmother to try.”