A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

Lin Wei's initial spark of inspiration was quickly dampened by practical problems, and a look of distress appeared on her face: "Doesn't this mean we've come full circle? This path of painting isn't working either."

The two fell silent for a moment, each lost in thought.

The words "painting flowers," "laborious," and "uniform patterns" kept swirling in Chen Wanxing's mind. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind like lightning: not to draw by hand, but to print it on.

Like stamping.

"Wait a minute," she said, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Lin Wei. "Wei'er, you were just talking about painting, which reminded me of something else."

If we want to leave the same mark on many documents, or a family crest, the easiest way is simply to carve a seal, dip it in ink, and stamp it.

Lin Wei was a little confused when Chen Wanxing suddenly mentioned seals. "Yes!" Chen Wanxing thought about it more and more and felt that it was feasible, and his tone became more cheerful.

"We don't aim for exquisite and lifelike drawings, but rather for unique, clear, and consistent designs. If the design is difficult to carve, we will carve words instead."

Before the surface is completely dry, gently press this stamp on and the pattern will be left.

This is much faster and neater than hand-painting. We can even print our shop's signboard directly, which will help us build our reputation faster and make people remember our shop's name every time they eat our pastries.

Lin Wei was so surprised by this novel idea that she opened her mouth slightly, then clapped her hands and laughed, "Oh my! This method is brilliant! How come I didn't think of it? Isn't that right? The stamp is applied instantly, quickly and efficiently, and the pattern is exactly the same."

She rolled her eyes excitedly, "Then we can carve many different patterns on the seals, and we can also add auspicious words or something to make small seals."

Words like "high school," "auspicious," and "peaceful" will definitely have many fans.

Lin Wei became more and more excited as she spoke, and her ideas multiplied. She couldn't help but shake Chen Wanxing's arm, wanting to get her approval: "Sister, if someone is celebrating a birthday or having a happy occasion, wouldn't it be appropriate to use these auspicious seals?"

"If we carve some seals with auspicious meanings like 'longevity,' 'happiness,' and 'a long and happy marriage,' we might be able to sell even more."

These words were like a pebble thrown into Chen Wanxing's heart lake, creating a unique ripple.

Celebrating a birthday, a joyous occasion, or a special occasion?

A sudden thought struck her: "That's right! How could I forget? The most classic style in modern pastry shops is definitely the birthday cake!"

Although she can't replicate the birthday cake, she can market the concept. Children celebrate their birthdays every year, which is much more common than the birthday celebrations of the elderly.

"Wei'er, what you said has reminded me." A thoughtful look appeared in Chen Wanxing's eyes. "These auspicious words are not only used for weddings and funerals."

Think about it, ordinary families, especially those who love their children, don't they celebrate their children's birthdays every year? Although it's not as grand as a major birthday celebration, it's still a token of their affection; they always want to give their children something good, something special.

She leaned forward slightly: "Could we make a special birthday cake? It doesn't have to be too big, just small and delicate, and the design should be more exquisite than usual."

Then, auspicious phrases such as "Chang Le" (long happiness), "An Kang" (peace and health), or the child's zodiac sign and age are stamped on it.

For wealthy families, they might even be able to place orders in advance for more elaborate designs. Wouldn't that be another novel business opportunity not found elsewhere? The children are happy, and the parents feel proud.

Lin Wei's eyes lit up: "Birthday cakes? That's great. For a child's birthday, it's not good to make a big fuss unless it's a very big birthday. Just cooking a bowl of longevity noodles and steaming a red egg is enough. If we can make some special desserts that are both beautiful and delicious, they will definitely please everyone."

Even for adults celebrating their birthdays, buying these to try something new and for good luck is a joyful thing.

She could almost see the auspicious words written on the pastries, specially made for birthdays, and nodded repeatedly: "This idea should be noted down, we'll think about it carefully later."

"Exactly." Chen Wanxing nodded with a smile, but her thoughts did not stop there.

Lin Wei's suggestion to draw flowers earlier and her current association with stamping are like two keys that suddenly opened another almost forgotten door in the depths of her memory: the mooncake mold.

Yes, those mooncakes in her past life were also round, but they had all sorts of embossed patterns and words on them, right? As she pondered, a new and more advanced idea quickly took shape.

"Stamping is for adding patterns to the surface of pastries," Chen Wanxing said in a softer voice. "I was thinking, since we can stamp flat patterns onto the surface, is it possible to incorporate the patterns into the pastries before making them?"

Lin Wei listened intently, her face full of doubt: "Put it in? How do you do that?"

"Hmm...this is what I'm thinking," Chen Wanxing tried to find a way to make Lin Wei understand, "Our current pastries, whether they're round shortbreads or square cakes, are all just a smooth dough. What if we changed it?"

She gestured with her hands to illustrate: "For example, we order a batch of specially made wooden molds. The bottom of the molds is not flat, but rather carved with patterns, such as the outline of a lotus flower, or characters like '福' (fortune) or '禄' (prosperity)."

When making pastries, fill the kneaded dough into these molds, press it down and smooth it out, then invert it to unmold. The bottom of the pastry will then have the pattern carved from the mold. Then we proceed with the rest of the process.

Lin Wei was stunned. This idea went a step further than just stamping; it was like putting a fancy idea into desserts.

"Will this work? Will the pastry come out smoothly? Will the patterns burn?"

"So this requires experimentation, and it also requires skilled craftsmen to make the molds."

Chen Wanxing frankly said, "The depth of the carving, the selection of wood, and the demolding method all have their own intricacies. But once it's done, the pastry will be different from the inside out, and the patterns will be slightly raised like reliefs, giving it a more textured feel."

This is actually the principle behind the mooncake mold in her memory, but now it sounds like a completely new idea.

Lin Wei was overwhelmed by the continuous stream of ingenious ideas, feeling a sudden sense of enlightenment. She realized that desserts could be made like this! She nodded repeatedly, "I'll try it! I definitely have to try this; it sounds ingenious!"

Seeing that she accepted the bottom engraving pattern mold well, Chen Wanxing took the opportunity to bring up his original idea: "In addition to stamping patterns and printing reliefs on flat pastries, I have another idea."

Perhaps we can try to make the dessert itself no longer simply round or square.

"No longer a circle or a square?" Lin Wei's curiosity was piqued. "What shape is it then?"

"For example..." Chen Wanxing paused, momentarily speechless, suddenly unsure how to describe it in words.

"It's really hard to explain just by talking," Chen Wanxing readily agreed, abandoning verbal description and laughing.

"How about this, I'll try to draw a simple pattern in the next few days, or if we can find a skilled craftsman, we can carve a rough mold first, and you'll know what it's like at a glance."

Although Lin Wei couldn't imagine it, she had enough trust and expectation in Chen Wanxing, so she immediately nodded: "Okay, sister, if you draw it or make a picture, I will definitely understand."

I will keep the matter of the craftsmen in mind. When I get back, I will ask my father's steward to keep an eye out for the best carpenters and carvers in the county town, those who are most skilled and willing to take on new jobs. Once I find some good ones, I will bring them to show my sister.