Early the next morning, as Li Ying arrived in the town, she saw Bao Guiyou, the shopkeeper of Yufengxiang, lingering in front of the restaurant.
"Boss Bao, do you need something?" she greeted casually.
Bao Guiyou looked around warily, then bowed and scraped, saying, "Boss Li, could we have a private word?"
One of the customs of the Qixi Festival is that girls make delicate snacks by themselves, such as dumplings and wontons, to pray to the Weaver Girl for dexterity.
At this moment, Bao Guiyou's visit clearly had a purpose.
She remained calm, waiting for Bao Guiyou to speak.
Sure enough, with a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face, Bao Guiyou stammered, "The business of the pastry shop has been sluggish these days. Boss Li, you're so resourceful. Could you give me some advice?"
Seeing Li Ying pondering in silence, he quickly added, "Boss Li, ever since I got your recipe for the seafood buns, I've admired you whole - heartedly and followed your lead. I've never had the slightest bit of disloyalty!"
"You may not know that yesterday, Lady Lianji sent a servant to me with a lot of money. I knew she intended to compete with your pastry shop, so I refused without hesitation!"
Eager to prove his "loyalty", although he was a bit vulgar, he was also straightforward. Li Ying didn't dislike him much.
Bao Guiyou was bent on getting her advice, so he held nothing back and told her everything he knew.
Li Ying asked in detail about the hints dropped by Lianji. As a reward, she had to teach him some new seasonal snacks.
The recipe wasn't difficult. Just add a little red yeast rice powder when kneading the dough.
The bright red was passionate, and the light pink was cute. Roll the dough into dumpling wrappers, stack four of them together, spread a layer of well - beaten, juicy minced meat on them, then fold the wrappers and roll them into a rose shape. Put them in a pan and fry them over low heat.
After the rose - shaped dumplings were slightly set, pour in a bowl of thick soup made with cornstarch water, cover the pan. When the crackling sound in the pan stopped, the cornstarch would form a crispy lace edge. Paired with the bright red rose - shaped dumplings, they looked very delicate and attractive.
For the other half of the colored dough, add sugar and milk. After fermentation, shape it into a rose and steam it into a soft bun. Wrap it in oil paper and decorate it with some green leaves. This pastry bouquet was equally lovable.
"Boss Bao, you might as well go with the trend and launch a 'Qixi Limited' rose - shaped dumpling dexterity competition. Select a few girls who make the most delicate dumplings and reward them with discount vouchers for the pastry shop. This way, you can not only join in the fun of the Qixi dexterity - seeking festival but also boost future consumption. What do you think?"
Bao Guiyou had never thought that with a little modification, simple and even somewhat vulgar steamed buns could be turned into such delicate snacks. He admired Li Ying even more and nodded hurriedly in agreement.
Li Ying carefully explained the meanings of the roses to him. Three roses represent "I love you", four represent "oaths and promises", and five represent "regret - free love". Bao Guiyou quickly took notes and rushed off to prepare the advertising signs.
Sure enough, with the publicity from Yufengxiang, within half a day, everyone in the town knew that the rose was the flower of devotion and was most suitable to be given to one's beloved.
Li Ying also arranged for A Man and several other dance girls selected from the Dance Competition to rehearse a scene of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl's reunion on Qixi, which was performed repeatedly in the theater. All the guests who came to watch the play could receive a "Love Note Cake" produced by Li's Pastry Shop.
The "Love Note Cake" was quite easy to make. Just spread the pancake batter mixed with sugar and oil into a round thin cake.
Before the cake cooled down, insert a note into it. Fold it loosely into a dumpling shape and lean it against the edge of a teacup. After it cooled down, it was crispy and delicious.
Although the taste of the "Love Note Cake" was simple, the note on it was full of mystery. It was written with affectionate phrases such as "There is a noble gentleman, like jade being carved" and "A gentle and graceful lady is a gentleman's good match", which could be called a "confession artifact".
The young girls and boys who came to watch the play were blushing at Li Ying's advertising slogan "Love should be open and above - board", but they couldn't help but feel excited.
In the evening, the Dexterity Tower was brightly lit. Boys and girls walked hand in hand to enjoy the moon and guess riddles, filled with affection.
Even Su Buchi, who usually didn't like to join in the fun, brought Mr. Yan to the town to watch the lantern festival.
Li Ying greeted the guests gracefully, busy but orderly.
From afar, Yan Lianzhi saw the sign beside the lantern riddles, which clearly stated that the winner of the riddle - guessing contest could enjoy a free meal at any shop under Li's name. He immediately got excited and nudged Su Buchi beside him.
"Apprentice, go and win the first prize for me!"
Su Buchi found it funny. His master wasn't a penniless scholar. Why did he have to be so stingy?
Although he was helpless, he didn't want to dampen his master's enthusiasm. He had no choice but to take a lotus lantern from Li Ying with a bitter smile.
"The swan flies away, the bird never returns. The character 'liang' without the head is paired with two people. After suffering all the hardships, a friend comes instead. Occasionally, one person is left alone."
He read the note hanging from the lantern in a low voice. There were already many on - looking villagers beside him, urging him eagerly, "Mr. Su, guess quickly!"
Looking at the riddle, Li Ying suddenly felt a strange cold wind blowing from behind, making the back of her neck shiver.
Although the riddle was far - fetched, the answer was very straightforward. It was clearly "I love you".
To help Su Buchi share the workload of making lantern riddles, she had been self - righteous and found a few scholars having a late - night snack in the hot - pot restaurant to come up with questions.
She had intended to use the ambiguous lantern riddles to push the atmosphere of the Qixi Valentine's Day to its peak, but she never expected to put herself in an embarrassing situation.
Lu Xunguang, standing behind her, didn't say much, but frowned.
Li Ying felt as if she had needles on her back. Just as she was in a dilemma, she saw Su Buchi looking embarrassed and saying softly, "Which gentleman came up with this riddle? I'm not well - learned. I can't guess it for the moment."
Li Ying heaved a sigh of relief and quickly threw the lantern that was the root of the problem aside, smiling, "Mr. Yan and Uncle Su are my elders. Their coming to the restaurant to support me is already a great honor for me. How could I take their money?"
She laughed it off and finally saw off Su Buchi and Yan Lianzhi. She handed over the task of attracting guests to Mrs. Li and the others, then rushed to find Lu Xunguang.
As the sky gradually darkened, there were already many young lovers on the beach, making an appointment to release lotus lanterns and make wishes.
Lu Xunguang was sitting on a rock far away from the crowd, as if he was about to merge with the night.
Looking at his back, Li Ying could detect a hint of indescribable loneliness.
She steadied herself, walked forward carefully, and sat down beside him.
"Lu Xunguang?" she softened her voice and called him gently.
Lu Xunguang turned his head. His dark pupils were filled with boundless affection.
Li Ying felt a pang of heartache for no reason.
Since the day they met, this man had been taciturn, but always calm and composed, like a mysterious wild beast.
But now, because of her, he had become so insecure, restrained, and cautious, losing his former ease.
Li Ying took a deep breath and looked into his eyes directly.
Perhaps tonight was a good opportunity to bare her heart.