“Mother, do you know how much the most expensive pastry at the Ruxiang Pastry Shop costs per jin or per box? And what about the cheapest ones?”
Knowing your opponent is the first step to victory.
“Jujube paste pastries and osmanthus cakes are the most expensive and most popular. A pack is one jin, and a boxed set contains 8 pieces, all priced at 500 wen. Mung bean cakes and red bean cakes are cheaper, at 100 wen per jin.”
Su Lele thought for a moment and said:
“What about pricing hawthorn crisps and egg cakes at 200 wen per jin, and milk bread at 300 wen per jin?”
After referencing Ruxiang Pastry Shop’s prices, Su Lele chose a middle-range pricing strategy.
“That works. Not too high, not too low. Since ours taste better than theirs, they will definitely sell well.”
Everyone agreed.
Tomorrow she would launch three new products. The variety was increasing, and it wouldn’t be long before they could open a workshop. The goal of a dedicated snack business was steadily moving forward.
Su Lele was delighted. She held hawthorn crisps in her left hand and milk bread in her right, humming as she walked back to her courtyard:
Wearing a bright red jacketA flower in her hairRouge and powder on her faceChicken in her left handDuck in her right handAnd a chubby baby on her backYi-ya yi-de-er-wei…
Her maid Qiu Yu tried to recall the tune but couldn’t recognize it at all.
Of course she couldn’t—this was a famous modern song “Returning to Mother’s Home”. Su Lele happily hummed it as she walked.
Ever since the pastries went on sale, they had become extremely popular and were always in short supply. Many customers who couldn’t buy them repeatedly suggested increasing production, but Su Lele stayed firm—she insisted on freshness and refused to scale up too quickly.
Butler Chen kept detailed accounts every day. On this sunny day, Su Lele sat in the courtyard pavilion and calculated the income and expenses from recent days.
In just a short time, the mansion had already earned over 800 taels in net profit—something unimaginable before.
Since they were earning money now, Su Lele decided to be generous:
Each family member would receive 10 taels, and each servant would receive 1 tael. The remaining funds would be used for operations and future workshop expansion.
She instructed Butler Chen to distribute the money, then took her share to her grandfather’s courtyard—planning to give him his first. He would probably be overjoyed.
But when she arrived at the courtyard, she saw her parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law already there. What a coincidence.
Just as she was about to step in, she overheard something shocking.
“Sigh… it’s my fault. After Lele recovered from her condition, I was so happy I forgot—her birthday is in one month. What should we do?” Madam Wang blamed herself.
“It’s not your fault. I also bear responsibility,” Su Qinghe said seriously. “These past few days, I’ve been asking around among colleagues to see if there are any unmarried young men suitable for her.”
Su Lele was confused.
Marriage?
Why were they suddenly talking about marriage?
She was only 17—even in this world, that wasn’t too old. And she had only just recovered. Why were they already rushing her to marry?
Then she heard her grandfather speak in a rare serious tone:
“Mm. We must hurry and find a suitable match before Lele’s birthday, otherwise…”
Su Lele looked at Qiu Yu. The maid also looked serious.
Alright. Something was definitely going on that she didn’t know.
She returned to her courtyard and sat at the stone table.
“Qiu Yu, is there something the family is hiding from me?”
Qiu Yu replied carefully:
“It’s not exactly being hidden from you, Miss. In the Great Yun Kingdom, there is an old law: when men reach 22 and women reach 18 and are still unmarried, the government will assign them a marriage match.”
Su Lele was stunned.
What kind of forced matchmaking system was this?!
No wonder her family was anxious—they were afraid the government would assign her some random, unsuitable husband. So they were trying to find someone appropriate before her birthday.
Meanwhile, in the Second Prince’s Residence, Yijing Pavilion.
Cold and taciturn as always, Cold Yichen had become even more distant after returning from the palace.
The emperor and empress of Great Yun had been childhood sweethearts and deeply in love. The emperor only had one empress, despite court opposition. They had four princes and one princess.
Because the nation was strong and stable, ministers eventually stopped urging the emperor to take concubines.
But the ancient marriage law still remained.
The Crown Prince, Cold Yiting, had already married the Prime Minister’s daughter and had twins aged four.
Now, Cold Yichen was only half a month away from turning 22.
He was summoned to the palace for discussion.
His mother had told him: if there was someone he liked, regardless of status, she could help persuade the emperor. But once he turned 22, everything would be arranged by the court.
“Yichen, I heard you’re going to marry the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, Yun Zhishu?” Cold Yunmo walked into the study, cracking melon seeds while gossiping.
Silence.
No response.
Fortunately, he still had two years before turning 22 and could enjoy freedom.
Even someone as strategic and composed as Cold Yichen now had something troubling him.
“Honestly, Yun Zhishu is quite suitable for you—well-educated, talented. I even heard she’s been waiting for you, still unmarried at almost 18. If you marry her, at least you’ll have a peaceful household.”
Cold Yunmo analyzed confidently, but Cold Yichen remained silent.
“You’re acting way too calm. Yun Zhishu is clearly the best choice. If you don’t choose her, you might just be assigned someone randomly—and it could still end up being her anyway.”