The next morning, Gan Yuwan took Yun Qiaoqiao and Yun Shengsheng to the county town.

First, buy the ointment. One bottle costs 100 coins. Gan Yuwan was heartbroken and gasped for breath, but she still gritted her teeth and bought it.

Yun Shengsheng glanced at it and knew it was bought for her. Feeling guilty, she opened her little mouth and said, "Mother...Mother..."

Gan Yuwan almost burst into tears on the spot; her little girl could finally call her "Mother"!

Although she could only say those two words after calling for a long time, Gan Yuwan was already overjoyed.

Yun Qiaoqiao looked at Yun Shengsheng excitedly, "Xiao Wu, quickly call her 'sister'!"

Yun Shengsheng tried and successfully called out "sister," and Yun Qiaoqiao was also extremely excited.

The three of them went to the pastry shop happily.

It's called a shop, but it's really just a tiny cubicle, selling only three or four kinds of pastries. It looks deserted and hardly anyone buys anything.

A plump auntie looked at the three of them with a detached expression.

What are you buying?

Yun Qiaoqiao looked at the flower-shaped pastries, her mouth watering.

Yun Shengsheng frowned as she looked at it.

[This is the quality? This is the color? It doesn't look very appetizing.]

I could make this easily. It's just that it's too small now, otherwise I could make dozens of different kinds of pastries.

[Back in the day, I worked part-time at a dessert shop for over a year, and I knew the recipes by heart. Even now, without all the ingredients, I can still make more than ten different kinds. If I'm not dead in a few days, I'll be five years old by then, and I'll be able to take over all the pastry businesses on this street.]

Gan Yuwan paused, her heart sinking.

She and her husband kept the child with them every day to prevent their little girl from being harmed.

Counting the days, six days have already passed, and there are only four days left. She must be extra careful.

But what my little girl said is also right, making desserts is a great idea!

Cooking involves a lot of smoke and fire, and when I cook for other people, I only earn 200 coins per meal.

If you open a small restaurant, you have to wait for customers to order. But making desserts is so much easier. You can just make them, put them out there to sell, and eat any leftovers yourself.

There was an aunt in her hometown village who worked in a pastry shop. She said that the boss lived a very comfortable life and earned a lot of money.

The more Gan Yuwan thought about it, the more reliable it seemed. She gritted her teeth and bought some of each of the three or four kinds of pastries from the counter, spending another two hundred coins. Although it stung, she was already calculating in her mind: if she could learn how to make them, wouldn't she earn back those two hundred coins in no time?

On the way back, the three of them tried all four kinds of pastries.

Gan Yuwan also mentioned her desire to start a pastry business.

Yun Qiaoqiao's eyes lit up like lanterns: "Mom! If you could make desserts, we'd have an endless supply!"

Yun Shengsheng nodded vigorously. 【Yes, yes, yes! I'll help Mom develop new ideas, I guarantee the business will be a huge success!】

The three hit it off immediately.

Gan Yuwan simply bought the ingredients for making pastries in town, spending another three hundred coins. She felt the pinch, but she was determined to do what she set her mind to.

Yun Huaikang, Yun Pianpian, and Yun Shuangshuang returned from taking a bath in the back mountain with Zhen Linqing, and also tended to some flowers and plants. As soon as they entered the door, they saw the mother and her two children busy around the stove, with a plate of mung bean cakes on the table.

This was the result of Gan Yuwan's research, and she even overheard her youngest daughter's thoughts, constantly adjusting and refining it.

The taste is exceptionally good, much better than the pastries they just bought.

"Try it, try it, you all have to try it!" Gan Yuwan's eyes sparkled.

"Dad...eat...Dad..." Yun Shengsheng said.

Yun Huaikang excitedly picked up his little daughter, "Our fifth daughter can talk now!"

Yun Pianpian and Yun Shuangshuang also came over, excitedly.

"Call me Second Sister!"

"Call me Third Sister!"

Yun Shengsheng smiled and said, "Sister...Sister..."

I can only utter one word at a time right now!

Even so, the whole family was overjoyed.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and try the pastries!" Gan Yuwan urged.

Yun Pianpian thought these were snacks she had bought. She happily took a bite, exclaiming, "Wow, so delicious!"

Yun Huaikang also took a bite and nodded.

"The taste is really great."

Zhen Linqing originally did not want to eat it.

It wasn't that he was picky; it was just that he had eaten all sorts of good food in the capital. He had tried no fewer than a hundred kinds of pastries from the imperial kitchen.

But he couldn't resist Gan Yuwan's expectant gaze.

Zhen Linqing picked up a piece of mung bean cake and took a small bite.

Then he raised an eyebrow.

Huh?

He took another bite.

This mung bean cake... has a smooth and creamy texture that melts in your mouth, and the sweetness is just right. Unlike the overly sweet pastries in Beijing, it's refreshing and light.

It's not much different from what the chef in his household makes.

"Young master, what do you think?" Gan Yuwan asked nervously.

Zhen Linqing nodded: "Yes, it's delicious. I didn't expect to find such culinary skills in the county town."

Yun Qiaoqiao brought out another plate of pastries from the kitchen, smiling broadly: "What did you buy in the county town? My mother made these herself! Try this one too, red date cake!"

Yun Shengsheng sat on a small stool, her face beaming.

My mother is incredibly talented at cooking; she managed to figure out how to make such delicious desserts all by herself. It's amazing!

The three of them looked at Gan Yuwan.

Gan Yuwan gave Yun Huaikang a wink, and Yun Huaikang immediately understood—it was all thanks to his little girl again.

The red date cake was soft, sweet, and fragrant with a rich date aroma. Zhen Linqing ate two pieces, which was unprecedented for her.

Afterwards, Gan Yuwan brought out sponge cake and yam cake, each one more delicious than the last, and the whole family praised them repeatedly.

After tasting it, Gan Yuwan revealed her plan.

"I think it's a good idea!" All four daughters raised their hands.

"I think it's a good idea too!" Yun Huaikang nodded.

Zhen Linqing gave a thumbs up: "May your business prosper."

Gan Yuwan immediately felt confident and waved her hand – Let's get started!

That afternoon, the whole family, including Zhen Linqing who was not officially part of the household, squeezed into the yard and busied themselves.

Some were kneading dough, some were mixing fillings, and some were tending the fire. Zhen Linqing, a prince, was doing this for the first time and found it incredibly novel. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Although he had difficulty walking, he was very efficient with his hands.

But Yun Pianpian still found fault with him in various ways.

"Hey, can't you move over a bit? You're crowding me!"

"Hey, you put too much water in!"

"Oh, I see!" Zhen Linqing felt inexplicably aggrieved.

As a dignified young master, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Yet, for some reason, he found this kind of life quite interesting and fulfilling. Not having to scheme and fight with those illegitimate sons and daughters in the palace was actually quite nice.

They worked until late 9 PM, and the kitchen was piled high with finished pastries. The mung bean cakes were neatly arranged, the jujube cakes were cut into evenly sized squares, the sponge cakes were golden, and the yam cakes were white and tender. The family beamed with joy at their accomplishment.

Yun Qiaoqiao couldn't help but say, "Mom, what we made looks much better than the pastries from that shop today!"

Yun Shengsheng nodded in agreement.

Before dawn the next day, the family loaded the pastries onto the oxcart.

Yun Shengsheng was still asleep, so Yun Qiaoqiao wrapped her in a small blanket and held her in her arms, sitting behind the oxcart.

Despite his leg problems, Zhen Linqing insisted on going along. Unable to dissuade him, he was put on the oxcart to watch over the goods.

It took about 15 minutes to reach the town market. We found a good spot, set up our stall, and started displaying our pastries.

Passersby found it strange; there were many vendors selling vegetables, mountain products, and cloth at the market, but this was the first time they had ever seen someone selling snacks.

Soon a crowd gathered to watch...

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