Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 124: Pricing and Taste of Small Reunion Cakes

He pulled Qiqi over and coaxed her softly, "Qiqi, be good. Aunt and uncle still have things to do at home. When we are free, I will take you to Aunt's house to play, okay?"

Qiqi must have been bored at home these days. Finally, a child of similar age came and could chat and laugh with him, but the child wanted to leave after playing with him for a while. He pouted unhappily.

Shen Yu squatted down, took Qiqi's hand and said, "Qiqi, be good. Auntie has something to do at home, so we have to go back first. Tomorrow, auntie and uncle will come over. Then, let uncle play with you again."

After thinking for a while, she promised: "Auntie can make a lot of fun and delicious cakes. When she comes tomorrow, I will bring some for you, okay?"

Qiqi blinked her big eyes and asked seriously, "Really? Will my aunt and uncle come tomorrow?"

Shen Yu nodded, Qiqi stretched out her chubby little hand and said, "Auntie, make a pinky promise with me."

Shen Yu burst out laughing. He hadn't done this for many years.

She stretched out her fingers and hooked them around Qiqi's chubby little hand. Qiqi said in a crisp voice, "Let's make a pinky promise. Don't change for a hundred years. Whoever changes will be a puppy."

After reading it, he solemnly took Shen Yu's thumb and pressed it on his own thumb and said, "It will only count if you put your seal on it."

He watched helplessly and said with a smile: "Don't blame me, Fourth Sister. It's all because of me that Qiqi got spoiled."

Shen Yu accompanied Qiqi to complete the whole set of movements, and only then did Qiqi let her go with satisfaction.

Shen Yu stood up with a smile and said to He: "Qiqi is bored at home. I hope my brother-in-law can catch that man soon so that my sister and her family can spend the holiday in peace."

He also said: "That's right, don't mention Qiqi, I'm bored too much, it's a pity that my sister has a lot of things to do at home and can't come over often."

Then he ordered the middle-aged maid standing aside: "Xu Ma, go to the street and call a carriage. The fourth young lady is leaving."

Shen Yu wanted to stop her, but He said, "Don't worry, sister. Just follow my instructions."

He then instructed Lanxiang, "Go and fetch the food box that the fourth young lady brought over. Put a box of peach strips in it, and put two of the pomegranates that we bought yesterday in it."

Lanxiang was very quick and quickly packed the food and came over with the food box. At this time, Aunt Xu came over and said, "Second Young Madam, the carriage is ready."

He accompanied Shen Yu to the door, and only after watching her and Yu Cheng get on the carriage did she close the door and go in.

Sitting in the carriage, Shen Yu relaxed completely. Yu Cheng said, "Third sister is really nice. She gave me food and pomegranates. Qiqi is also very nice."

Shen Yu smiled and nodded, "We'll come over tomorrow. Do you like Qiqi? You can play with him for a while."

Yu Cheng's eyes lit up: "Really? Even though Qiqi is young, he knows a lot. He said he can write a lot of words and recite poems."

At the end of his speech, Yu Cheng's voice became quieter and he seemed a little frustrated.

Qiqi is only six years old, and Yucheng is already nine years old, but he is inferior to Qiqi in everything, so of course he feels sad.

Shen Yu comforted him, "Let's make the reunion cakes well. I originally only thought that I could get some orders around the market, but I didn't expect that I could sell some to my third sister. If you do well, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will find a school for you to study."

Yu Cheng's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he swept away his previous frustration and asked, "Sister, is what you said true? Can I go to school after the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Shen Yu nodded affirmatively: "When the family had no money, you had no choice but to go to school. Although we don't make much money now, if you make small reunion cakes well, your tuition for school this year will definitely be enough. Then we will find a good teacher. If you study hard, you will become like Qiqi, knowing many words and reciting many poems."

The brother and sister chatted about school all the way and soon arrived at the entrance of Willow Lane.

Shen Yu got off the carriage and wanted to pay the fare, but the driver said, "The lady who hired the carriage just now has already paid." With that, he turned the carriage around and drove away.

When the brother and sister returned home, the steamed buns for lunch had been prepared and placed on the cart, and Li and his men were preparing to deliver the meal.

Shen Yu was worried and wanted to go with them. Li said, "Yutao knows all the account books. What's there to worry about? You and Yucheng didn't have a good breakfast, so I specially left some porridge and buns for you. You two should take a rest quickly. We can go and take care of it."

After saying that, he waved his hand, confidently took Jiang, Dun Dun, and Yutao out in the cart.

Although Shen Yu and Yu Cheng traveled back and forth by car, they each only had a piece of leftover Hu pancake for breakfast and their stomachs were already growling with hunger.

Seeing that Li and his companions had left, they put away the food box and washed their hands. The brother and sister each had a bowl of mung bean porridge and a big meat bun, and they began to eat happily.

After dinner, Shen Yu took out a piece of paper and while waiting for Li and the others to return with the meal, he started to mark and plan what everyone would do in the afternoon.

She planned to go to Qiaozuoju to give Master Song a box of small reunion cakes.

One reason was to thank Master Song for making the exquisitely crafted pastry molds, so that he could see what the pastries made with these molds would look like.

The second purpose was to go to Qiaozuoju to buy another batch of cake boxes.

Shen Yu planned to ask Yucheng and Jiang to go to Chengdong Street together to order various noodles and fillings.

By the way, they went to Mrs. Ge's shop to buy salted duck eggs, and found Zhang San, followed him to his house to buy fresh milk, and then asked Zhang San to drive the cart to bring them back with the salted duck eggs and fresh milk they bought.

Li took a box of small reunion cakes to Mrs. Liu's house and asked Mrs. Liu and other ladies who often gathered together to count rice to taste the cakes and ask the ladies around them if any of them wanted to order small reunion cakes.

Yutao and Dundun stayed at home because someone had to be at home to receive the food when it was delivered.

Secondly, you can slowly prepare the fillings and dough needed for steamed buns tomorrow. If you can’t finish them, wait for Shen Yu and the others to come back and continue.

After Shen Yu listed all these, he began to plan the price of the small reunion cakes.

Although the people who run businesses and shops in the market have better family conditions, there are still more ordinary families living around.

The price of the one sent to He's is a bit high, and I'm afraid there won't be too many of this kind ordered at the market.

Shen Yu listed three price ranges of small reunion cakes based on the different fillings.

First class, 680 wen per box, with fillings of golden sand custard filling, lotus seed paste and egg yolk filling, red bean paste and egg yolk filling, sesame and pine nut filling

The second class, 580 wen per box, with fillings of red bean paste and egg yolk, lotus seed paste and pine nut, rose date paste, red date and walnut.

The third grade, 480 wen per box, has lotus seed paste, pine nut filling, candied date filling, candied bean filling, crystal fruit filling

There are nine in each box, and each box must contain one small reunion cake with the above fillings, and then five traditional flavors of the county that symbolize sweet reunion: osmanthus honey bean filling, mung bean paste filling, sesame and pepper salt filling, five-nut filling, and vegetable oil and fruit filling. There are nine small reunion cakes in nine different shapes and flavors in a box.