“Veil-thin crust, exquisite filling!”
Once the wooden board was set up in front of the steamer, she stood back to take another look. This time, her eyes finally curved into a satisfied smile.
The next day, as the first light of dawn broke.
The entrance to the Manor of the Marquis of Ningwu was already swarming with people. Famous chefs from all over were lined up from the alley entrance, winding through three turns. Even the vendors across the street had opened early to watch the spectacle.
Some carried bamboo baskets, some bore food trays on their shoulders, and others held secret ancestral spices in their bosoms. Even the head chefs from several old-established restaurants in the capital were among them, making for a truly magnificent scene.
Inside the manor’s courtyard, the wind whistled from the thrusts of a spear.
Qi Xun, dressed in a black, narrow-sleeved training suit, stood tall and elegant. The spear moved with the man, his technique as fluid and powerful as a swimming dragon, showing no sign of his severe injuries.
The close guard, Yun Feng, walked quickly into the courtyard, standing at a distance with his hands clasped in salute. “My Lord, it is only the hour of the Dragon, yet the chefs outside the manor have already crowded the streets. If we wait any longer, I fear the line will reach the marketplace and disturb the peace.”
Qi Xun stopped his movements in an instant, flicking his wrist as the tip of the spear tapped steadily against the ground. A sharp gust of wind slightly lifted a lock of hair at his temple. Regulating his breathing, he said in a cool, clear voice, “For today’s selection, the challenge is ‘Live Goat Three Ways.’ Those whose dishes are fresh and delicious without any gamey smell shall be selected.”
Hearing this, Yun Feng grinned. “Yesterday it was ‘Live Pig Three Ways,’ and today it’s ‘Live Goat.’ These two are the most pungent; even the imperial chefs occasionally fail. Since your Lordship is unwilling to bring a chef into the manor, why not just inform the Emperor? His Majesty would surely grant such a small request.”
“Do you really think this is only about choosing a cook?” Qi Xun casually placed the long spear back onto the weapon rack, giving Yun Feng a lukewarm glance.
The latter suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He racked his brain and thought rapidly. “N-Naturally not… Your Lordship suspects that people with ulterior motives will use this selection to plant spies into the manor!”
Qi Xun walked slowly toward the veranda, picked up a teacup, and lightly flicked the lid before taking a calm sip. “You’re not entirely stupid.”
Yun Feng rubbed the back of his head with a smile. “After following your Lordship for these many years, I have made quite some progress.”
“Since you’ve made progress, why are you still standing here?” Qi Xun squinted at him with a half-smile. “The chefs outside are practically piled into a mountain. Why haven’t the trials begun? You shall be the judge yourself.”
Yun Feng pointed at himself, face full of disbelief. “Me…?”
As it turned out, having been assigned by his master to be the head judge for the “Live Goat Three Ways” challenge, Yun Feng had not breathed a single breath of fresh air since early morning.
That mutton was truly, earth-shatteringly gamey. To make matters worse, the Marquis had fastidiously specified the use of the brain, eyes, and hooves for the cooking. Even the chefs who dealt with livestock every day were knitting their brows and pinching their noses, wishing they could crush their own nasal bones—let alone him, who usually kept his distance from mutton but was forced to taste it as the judge.
But as the judge, no matter how difficult it was, he had to brace himself and taste every version of the dish.
Was this testing the chefs? This was clearly a plot against his life!
After several rounds of tasting, Yun Feng felt his life had lost all meaning. He was covered in the smell of mutton, and he even wanted to trade his tongue for a new one. Fortunately, a junior guard took pity on his pale face and nauseated state, taking over his shift for an hour. Only then did he get a chance to escape.
The moment he stepped out of the manor, Yun Feng felt the air was clear and the wind was fragrant.
He couldn’t help but take a deep breath, feeling deeply moved. It turned out the air in the world was so fresh; why had he never cherished it before?
Lamenting his hard life as a worker, Yun Feng shook his head and wandered aimlessly until, without realizing it, he found himself near Xingguo Temple.
Suddenly, a wisp of food fragrance drifted into his nose—warm and rich, carrying a hint of soft sweetness that teased his taste buds.
So fragrant!
He perked up and instinctively followed the scent.
At the stall by the bridge, he saw a bustling crowd, a scene of great liveliness.
“Have you tried those Cloud Flaky Buns sold by that little lady Xue?”
“Don’t even mention it! If I had known those buns were this good, I would have bought a whole steamer the first time. Now the line is so long, I’m afraid I might not even get a bite even after waiting another half hour…”
Two sturdy men brushed past Yun Feng, their faces showing an awkward regret that didn’t match their burly appearance. One of them praised the “Cloud Flaky Buns” made by the little lady Xue incessantly, and even the lingering scent of the bun in his mouth wafted out, making Yun Feng’s mouth water involuntarily.
He craned his neck to look and saw a long queue under a sign that read “Xue’s Delicacy Stall.” The diners were standing shoulder to shoulder, each wishing they could leap to the front of the line.
Several layers of bamboo steamers were stacked on the cart, with thin wisps of steam rising like mist. In front of the baskets stood a cinnabar-red wooden board with two vertical lines of elegant small script: “Veil-thin crust, exquisite filling!”
Yun Feng squinted and rubbed his chin.
The writing makes one drool, but I wonder if it’s all style and no substance?
His eyes shifted and caught sight of the mounted drawing on the indigo cloth canopy. Three snow-white pastries looked plump and cute. With just a few strokes and a light touch of watercolor, the delicate flaky crust and the generous filling of the Cloud Flaky Buns seemed to leap straight into the customers’ mouths.
“Don’t worry, everyone! A new batch of Cloud Flaky Buns is coming right out!”
The young lady greeted them with a beaming smile as she reached out to lift the lid. As the steam drifted past, it revealed rows of plump, round, and full buns. They were huddled together, lying obediently on the bamboo slats. Just looking at them, one knew they were soft and delicious. Coupled with the unique wheat fragrance of freshly steamed dough and the inviting scent of the filling, it truly made one want to take a deep breath.
“Little lady Xue, give me five! Three salty and two sweet!”
The person at the very front was an old regular. He had visited many times back when she was selling mutton buns, and his purchasing power was quite significant. Now that a new product was out, she naturally had to let the regular customer taste some benefits so that business would last long.
“The salty ones are eight wen each, and the sweet ones are five wen. That’s thirty-four wen in total. Here you go, and be careful of the heat.” Xue Li gave the old customer a sweet smile. “You have always supported my stall, and I have no other way to repay you. These Cloud Flaky Buns with wine-stewed meat filling go best with a Perilla Drink to cut the richness, so I’ll give you a cup for free today as a small thank you.”
Xue Li’s words were incredibly thoughtful, and combined with her smile that made her eyes curve like crescents, it made the old customer’s ears turn hot. With a red face, he hurriedly waved his hand, saying, “I can’t, I can’t.”
The customers waiting behind couldn’t wait any longer and leaned forward to urge him. “The little lady is beautiful and kind-hearted. If you don’t accept it, won’t you be spurning her good intentions? If you really feel bad about it, just come back often to buy her food in the future!”
“Exactly!” Xue Li agreed.
Everyone laughed, and the old customer stopped refusing. He thanked her repeatedly and headed home with his hands full of Cloud Flaky Buns and the Perilla Drink.
Seeing this scene, it seemed these “Cloud Flaky Buns” did indeed have a marvelous flavor.
So, should he join the queue or not?
Yun Feng hesitated for a moment and saw a grandmother and grandson standing by the stall.
The grandmother had just handed over a bun, and the grandson took it impatiently, rolling it quickly between his palms. Although he feared the heat, he couldn’t wait to put it in his mouth.
Yun Feng stared at the bits of sauce and meat at the corner of the small child’s mouth and instinctively swallowed. Then, he suddenly remembered the sheep brain, eyes, and hooves he had eaten just a few hours ago…
His stomach churned uncontrollably, and then, without hesitation, he stepped forward.
Eat. I must eat!
For the sake of the Marquis’s safety, even his stomach had suffered an industrial injury. How could he not be a bit better to himself?
Thinking this, the sharp-eyed Yun Feng saw another burly man with shining eyes heading straight for Xue Li’s stall. In an instant, he broke into a sprint, took a swift step, and beat the man to the end of the line.
…A quarter of an hour passed.
Yun Feng’s legs were a bit numb from standing in the queue. He saw he was getting closer and closer to the stall, but the oil-soaked buns remaining in the steamers were getting fewer and fewer.
His heart began to tighten. He watched as it became the turn of the auntie in front of him. When he saw there were still eight large buns lying peacefully on the last bamboo tray, he was about to relax—until his gaze shifted and he saw a basket hanging from the auntie’s left arm.
The basket was neither too big nor too small; it would fit eight Cloud Flaky Buns perfectly.
This, this, this!
As if to confirm Yun Feng’s fears, the auntie with the basket spoke with a joyful and high-spirited tone, “Aha! I’ve really struck luck today! Good child, I’ll take all eight of these Cloud Flaky Buns!”
Yun Feng felt his vision go dark. His legs, already numb from queuing, were about to give way.
But before he could hit the ground, the burly man standing behind him swung his arm angrily, pushed him aside, and stepped up to the auntie. “You’re buying them all? Then what was the point of me queuing for so long?”
The auntie was, after all, an auntie, and not one to be trifled with. She thought to herself that she hadn’t cheated or stolen; why couldn’t she buy the buns she had worked hard to queue for? With a furrowed brow, she was just about to argue with the man when she heard a heavy thud.
“Oh dear, customer!”
Xue Li cried out in surprise. Seeing Yun Feng fall flat on the brick ground, she wanted to help him up, but the cart was in the way.
“I… I didn’t use that much strength, did I?” The burly man turned around at the sound. Seeing Yun Feng lying motionless, he hurriedly went to help him up.
The auntie also stopped her hostility and looked on with concern. “Could it be that the young man queued for too long and got dizzy from hunger?”
Hearing this, Xue Li understood instantly—wasn’t that exactly what modern people called “low blood sugar”?
She used to have the same problem, so she would always keep some candies in her pocket to quickly unwrap and eat before her vision turned into a black-and-white static screen.
However… Xue Li looked at Yun Feng on the ground.
This young man didn’t look weak; his clothing and appearance even suggested he was someone who practiced martial arts. How could he faint just from standing in a long line?
Yun Feng, who had a bump on his forehead from the fall, had no way of knowing that he, a dignified close guard of the Marquis of Ningwu, was being pitied for being “weak and frail.” If he knew what Xue Li was thinking, he would surely jump up and argue that his legs were just a bit numb and that he had coincidentally been pushed by the big man.
He was still a guard of the Marquis, after all!
“This is easy to fix,” Xue Li said as she stepped out from behind the cart to take charge. “Sir, could I trouble you to help this fainted customer to the stool? Auntie, do you think you could buy one less Cloud Flaky Bun and leave one for this gentleman to settle his stomach?”
The auntie naturally agreed. She left her copper coins and took seven buns for herself, not even bothering Xue Li to wrap them up before she hurried away with her basket.
The burly man hoisted Yun Feng up without giving him a chance to explain or resist, carrying him straight to a long bench and setting him down firmly. He apologized repeatedly, “I am a crude man, please don’t blame me, young master! Don’t blame me!”
Xue Li wrapped the last Cloud Flaky Bun in oil paper and said to the man, “This customer seems to be fine, you don’t need to worry. I will look after him.”
The burly man, who had been furious about not getting a bun after a long wait, felt too embarrassed to make a scene now. He laughed sheepishly twice. “I’ve disrupted your business, I’m truly ashamed. I will come back tomorrow to buy your food.”
Yun Feng had turned a misfortune into a blessing. He thought he wouldn’t get a single bun, but now he got to eat a steaming hot one. He was overjoyed.
“You fainted from hunger, so please eat quickly.” Xue Li sat down beside him and thoughtfully handed over the bun.
Yun Feng looked at her, appearing as if he wanted to say something, but his gaze fell on the flaky bun soaked with fragrant oil. In the end, he swallowed his explanation along with his saliva.
“In that case, I thank the little lady first.”
Yun Feng suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth and took the oil paper with both hands. Recalling how the small child had eaten ravenously earlier, his stomach was growling, yet he wanted to eat with some dignity.
After all, he was eating in front of a young lady with the grace of a celestial being.
He made a show of blowing on it to cool it down, and after the heat had dissipated slightly, he took a large bite.
The crust of the Cloud Flaky Bun was soft, flaky, and sweet. As it broke between his teeth, the rich aroma of the filling immediately filled his mouth. It was the salty kind; the sauce-meat had more lean than fat, and the flavor was perfectly balanced. There wasn’t even a hint of gameyness; instead, it was so fresh it made him want to swallow his own tongue!
Xue Li asked from the side, “How do you feel now? Is your dizziness better?”
But Yun Feng was so captivated by the flavor that he couldn’t stop eating. He didn’t know how to praise it properly, so he could only chew and exclaim indistinctly, “This bun… is truly delicious!”
Xue Li couldn’t help but laugh. This man really was starving.
Tasting such deliciousness, Yun Feng was so moved he almost shed tears. “Little lady, you don’t know, this Cloud Flaky Bun is the first good meal I’ve had today!”
Just one broken crust bun, and it makes him feel this way? She looked at the ravenous Yun Feng with a hint of pity in her eyes.
“What you are eating is my wine-stewed meat salty Cloud Flaky Bun. If you had come earlier today, perhaps you could have tasted the honey-bean osmanthus filling. The bean paste is fine and soft, mixed with honey-marinated osmanthus bits. It’s sweet but not cloying, with a faint, ghostly fragrance. That is truly delicious!”
Listening to this, Yun Feng felt only deep regret.
If he had known there was such a delicacy near Xingguo Temple, he would have switched shifts with the guards an hour earlier no matter what.
“Will little lady Xue be here tomorrow?”