After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Afu looked at those things but didn't move.

She knew these things were worth a fortune, especially the token, which money couldn't buy.

"Since you truly want to do it, then do it well." Xie Xun looked at her. "Starting tomorrow, you are permitted to leave the manor. However..."

He paused, looked up at her, and his dark eyes held an unreadable emotion.

"I have one condition."

Afu's heart leaped into her throat.

Every day, he would personally make me a cup of plum sorbet and bring it to my study.

Afu was stunned. She thought he would make some unreasonable demands, but unexpectedly, it was just this.

She looked at him, trying to glean something from his expressionless face.

But there was nothing there.

He just wanted a dessert, just like the storybooks he would occasionally bring back—it was just a habit, or a whim.

"Young Master," Afu thought for a moment and then spoke up, "It is now early autumn and the weather is getting cooler. Green plums and snow cheese are cold in nature, and eating too much of them may not be good for your health."

She was simply offering professional advice from the perspective of a cook.

Xie Xun was taken aback upon hearing this.

He looked at Afu; in the lamplight, her eyes were downcast, the contours of her profile soft. Was she still as concerned about him as ever?

This realization, like a pebble thrown into a frozen lake, created subtle ripples in his heart. The unpleasant feeling that had arisen before suddenly dissipated.

Xie Xun's lips curled upwards in an uncontrollable, very slight arc, so quickly that it was almost imperceptible.

"Okay," he heard his own voice say.

Afu was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to.

"Then tomorrow, I'll make a new nourishing dessert for the young master called 'Brown Sugar Avocado,' which is good for the lungs and relieves coughs, and is perfect for autumn." She continued, following his lead.

"Mm." Xie Xun responded, standing up. "If there are any difficulties with the shop, just go to Changsong."

After saying that, he turned and left, his back view showing that he seemed a little lighter than when he came.

Afu stood there, looking at the land deed and token on the table, then at the direction Xie Xun had left in, and remained silent for a long time.

She gained the freedom she wanted, but at the cost of a daily dessert.

This deal was so good that it made her somewhat uneasy.

With Xie Xun's approval, Afu could now freely enter and leave the Marquis's residence. Early the next morning, she followed Xie Yun's carriage to the newly acquired shop on Zhuque Street.

The shop has two floors and a prime location, but it looks somewhat dilapidated due to the previous owner's poor management. The craftsmen have already repainted the walls, and the snow-white paint is dazzling in the sunlight. The doors and windows are open, letting the smells of paint dissipate.

"I've already had the second floor cleaned up and am preparing it to be used as a kitchen. It's spacious, well-lit, and the pastries made there will be clean," Xie Yun said enthusiastically, outlining her plans. "We'll just put a counter on the first floor so customers can buy and take their orders to go—it'll be convenient and quick."

This is the layout of most pastry shops in Beijing—reasonable, yet commonplace.

Afu walked around the shop and shook her head: "Miss, there's no rush."

Standing by the second-floor window, watching the bustling crowd below, a different scene already formed in her mind. "I have an idea."

Afu turned around, her eyes clear: "Let's switch. The first floor will be the kitchen, and the second floor will be for entertaining guests."

"Huh?" Xie Yun was stunned. "The kitchen is full of oil fumes. If it's on the first floor, won't it be smoky as soon as you walk in? And it's such a hassle for guests to climb up to the second floor to buy snacks."

"The kitchen can be renovated," Afu explained calmly. "We can divide the first floor in two, with one half being an open work area so that guests can see firsthand how we use clean ingredients to make exquisite desserts. That in itself is the best form of advertising."

The other half involves setting up an elegant reception desk for taking orders and takeout, with a few comfortable benches nearby, providing a resting place for the servants who have been out and about, waiting for their masters' instructions. A cup of hot tea and a cheap but comforting pastry will earn us the best reputation.

She paused, then looked up at the spacious second floor: "As for this place, leave it to me. I can turn it into a place where all the noble ladies of the capital linger."

The scene she described was so novel and so alluring that Xie Yun was almost immediately convinced. She looked at Afu, her eyes shining with trust: "Okay! I'll do whatever you say!"

Just then, a maid came to report that someone from the Wei family had come to urge them, as there were still many things to be decided by the young lady herself regarding the new residence. Xie Yun and Wei Changsheng had not found a suitable residence since returning to the capital, but they had only recently found a satisfactory house and were currently settling in to prepare for their housewarming banquet.

"Oh dear, look at my memory." Xie Yun slapped her forehead. "Afu, I'm afraid I'll be spending the next few days at the new house. Here's what I'll do: I'll leave Granny Hua with you. She's my most capable person. Just tell her what to do at the shop."

"Okay." Afu nodded without refusing.

For the next few days, Afu practically lived in the shop.

The first thing she did was to completely overturn the artisans' understanding of "tables and chairs".

"Chairs don't have to be square." She drew a design on paper for the master craftsman sent by the Marquis's mansion. "The one by the window should be made like this: wide and soft, like a small couch that one can sink into."

The master craftsman looked at the blueprints and was stumped: "Young lady, this...this chair has no legs, it won't be comfortable to sit on. And the kind of elasticity you want, you can't make wood like that."

"We can use bamboo weaving." Afu was prepared. "We can weave a base from tough bamboo strips, then fill it with high-quality cotton and scraps of cloth to make thick cushions and backrests."

To select the most suitable fabric, she even asked Xie Yun to find several bolts of fabric in elegant colors, soft yet durable, from the Marquis's fabric storeroom. Ning Su, Xie Yun's maid, who was excellent at needlework, was also brought in by A-Fu to study how to sew the fabric into the most comfortable cushion.

After numerous experiments, the first chair, which later generations would call a "sofa," was finally born to the astonishment of the craftsmen. It had no carvings or intricate patterns, only smooth lines and a gentle touch; when a person sat on it, all the fatigue of the body seemed to be supported.

In addition to this "sofa", Afu also designed several low tables, paired with cushions and tatami mats, and separated by bamboo curtains and beaded curtains to form semi-private spaces.

For the entire second floor, she chose colors with very low saturation: light gray, off-white, pea green, and lotus root pink, all interwoven to create an incredibly gentle ambiance. Combined with the greenery she personally selected from the flower market and the uniquely shaped terracotta ornaments, it was a stark contrast to the overly luxurious, gold-and-wood style of other shops in Beijing.

She even had Ning Su, along with several skillful maids, make many palm-sized rag dolls based on her drawings. There were round, chubby kittens, adorable lions, and little girls dressed in colorful dresses.

"Why do you do this?" Granny Hua asked, puzzled. "It's time-consuming and laborious, and you can't eat or drink it."