Lian Ji smiled gently. Sitting across from him at the stone table, she skillfully evaded the crucial issue and inquired with concern, "I've just been strolling around the night market. My lord, why are you in such high spirits today?"
Her words were evasive. The master of the house looked somewhat fatigued but didn't press for details. Instead, he slowly picked up a pastry and said, "Lian Ji, have a taste and see how it is."
Lian Ji eyed the "pastry" warily. It looked rather odd, without any mold imprints, and there were even some charred spots on it. Although it emitted a sweet fragrance, she couldn't help but show hesitation.
"My lord, what is this?"
The master took another sip of tea and replied indifferently, "It's a new fad in town. Just give it a try."
Lian Ji forced a smile. She was really unsure whether this charred pastry was a warning from the master because he had noticed something.
After a brief hesitation, she simply popped the pastry into her mouth and chewed carefully.
It was soft and sweet on the palate, with the aroma of cheese lingering between her lips and teeth, but it was far richer than cheese.
She had thought the charred crust would be extremely bitter and inedible, but unexpectedly, it had a unique sweetness that wasn't cloying.
"How is the taste? How does it compare to the snacks in your pastry shop?"
The master put down his teacup and fixed his hawk - like eyes on her.
The words "it's very delicious" got stuck in Lian Ji's throat and she couldn't say them.
"What do you mean, my lord?"
The master said casually, "Boss Li sent this today. I heard it's called sweet potato cheese cake. It's a new item for sale. I thought you always liked sweets, so I kept it for you."
Lian Ji's heart tightened, but she still smiled softly and said, "I'm really delighted that my lord misses me so much."
"Madam Li is very skillful and always comes up with ingenious ideas. She is really admirable. However, our pastry shop has been a well - known brand for decades. If the two shops really go head - to - head, forgive me for being blunt, but it's still uncertain who will win."
She couldn't figure out the master's intention. Was he planning to hand over the pastry shop to Li Ying? Or did he just know that her whereabouts were strange today and was deliberately testing her?
Lian Ji pretended to be oblivious. Her words were neither overbearing nor humble, just the calm demeanor that the master always liked.
Sure enough, the master's expression gradually softened, and then he smiled and said, "You're right."
"It's getting late. Go back and rest."
He got up and walked away on his own. Looking at his back, Lian Ji felt an inexplicable sense of panic.
It seemed that since Li Ying appeared, her husband had been acting differently.
But she just couldn't put her finger on what was different, and she couldn't act rashly. She could only calculate carefully in her heart.
While Lian Ji was on tenterhooks and couldn't sleep at night, Li Ying was far from idle.
Since Lian Ji and the master's entourage came to this town, Lu Xunguang had rarely shown up, which was quite strange.
At first, she thought he just didn't like the hustle and bustle. Now that she knew he was avoiding Lian Ji because this woman was the one who had almost killed him, she naturally couldn't sit back and do nothing.
It didn't take her much effort to find out from Shi Hu that there was another pastry shop under the master's name in this town, and it happened to be managed by Lian Ji.
Li Ying knew that she was just an outsider in this town, with no one to rely on. Unless someone like Tianxianglou deliberately provoked her, she didn't want to cause trouble in the business.
But Lu Xunguang had repeatedly helped her and even saved her life at the risk of his own. If she didn't teach Lian Ji a lesson, she would feel really ashamed.
The goat milk at home was readily available. After boiling it and letting it cool slightly, all she needed to do was add some rice wine, and the whey would separate from the flocculent cheese.
She drained the water from the cheese, kneaded it well, rolled it into a large, smooth white sheet, spread a layer of homemade fried red bean paste on it, then slowly rolled it up and cut it into small pieces with a thin thread.
This red bean milk roll had a rich taste and was suitable for all ages.
She mixed the remaining cheese with sugar and egg liquid, beat it evenly, then sifted in an appropriate amount of fine flour. After making a smooth and uniform batter, she mixed in the steamed sweet potato puree and baked it until the surface turned caramel - colored. Thus, the "sweet potato Basque cake" was made.
Li Ying was too lazy to explain what "Basque" meant, so she simply named it "cheese cake". After cutting it into pieces, the goose - yellow cake was dotted with golden sweet potato puree fillings. It melted in the mouth, and the rich cheese aroma was intoxicating.
These two kinds of pastries were convenient and quick to make, and they were new things that the common people had never tasted before. After the fisher girls tried them, they all praised them. Once they were launched, they were sure to outshine Lian Ji.
Coincidentally, when she was walking on the street with Mianmian in her arms, she happened to come across a cake shop that had been squeezed out of business by Lian Ji.
Now that she had plenty of money in her purse, the old shopkeeper was eager to sell the shop, and Li Ying was eager to open her business. The two sides hit it off, and within less than two hours, they had signed all the documents.
Lian Ji couldn't sleep all night. She was still secretly speculating about the master's intention of deliberately letting her taste this strange "cheese cake". She didn't feel sleepy until dawn.
She slept groggily until noon. Just as she had finished washing up, she heard that Li Ying had opened a shop at amazing speed. She was so angry that her face turned pale!
So, this little girl had deliberately come to issue a challenge yesterday!
Lian Ji felt as if the cake she had eaten before going to bed had turned into cold, hard dog poop in her stomach. She was so frustrated that she couldn't swallow or vomit it out, and she felt extremely uncomfortable all over!
"Comb my hair for me. I'd like to see what else she can do!"
The street was crowded with people. The sweet aroma of baked cheese and sugar was intoxicating. Every diner's face was beaming with happiness.
Li Ying was dressed in a clean white dress, with spotless gloves and a hat. She was greeting customers busily, and the shop was very lively.
Lian Ji squeezed through the crowd with an ashen face. Standing in front of Li Ying, she forced a smile and squeezed out a few words through her teeth.
"Madam Li, deliberately opening a cake shop opposite my pastry shop. Do you think you can steal my business with such underhanded means?"
"The common people have sharp eyes and won't be deceived by your petty tricks!"
The common people were eating cheese cakes while curiously watching the confrontation between the two women.
Wasn't Madam Li cooperating with the master? What was going on? Had they started to feud after just a few days?
Li Ying was unhurried. She changed her clothes and then walked out of the shop. She looked at Lian Ji with a smile.
"What do you mean by that, Madam Lian Ji? I've just bought a cake shop on the verge of bankruptcy and sell some self - created small cakes. I'm not stealing your business of flaky pastries. In the food business, there has always been a diversity of styles. Madam, you seem so angry. Do you think the common people in this town can only patronize your shop?"
She looked around and frowned. "Madam, be careful with your words. It seems to me that what you just said implies that all the customers who come to taste the cheese cake are stupid and muddle - headed people?"
As soon as she said this, many common people realized what she meant, and their expressions towards Lian Ji became a bit unpleasant.
Lian Ji secretly thought something was wrong. She roared angrily, "Li Ying, don't slander me!"
She raised a delicate hand and pretended to slap Li Ying in the face!