Chapter 31: Cookies. (1/2)

That Xie family slave spoke only two sentences in front of the Shen family’s door, and was invited inside by Miss Shen, then the courtyard door was slammed shut with a “BANG,” scaring the people peeking outside.

Previously, Shen Miao explained many times that she was favored by Xie Family’s eldest madam, which is why she got to bake the sweet bean buns in Xie family, and had nothing to do with the so-called Zheng Nezhi.

But no one believed her.

The Xie family is such a prominent family, with servants and maids, the nobles tasting all kinds of delicious delicacies, eating precious food daily, how could they be interested in the coarse food of the bridge market?

And it was said they had been sending people to pick her up for three consecutive days, even in wind and rain.

Now hearing Zheng Nezhi’s words, the nobles of the Xie family seemed to really enjoy Miss Shen’s cooking, even coming repeatedly to her door.

It turned out that what Miss Shen said was true!

Was Miss Shen’s cooking really that good?

Although they were all neighbors, living nearby, no one had ever actually gone to Shen Miao’s small stall in the bridge market to support her.

After all, the sweet bean buns and pancakes made by Miss Shen weren’t cheap, they heard one could cost eight coins!

That was eight coins, which could almost buy a bushel of coarse flour!

When the Shen family’s soup dumpling shop was still open, they did visit once or twice—

First, because Miss Shen’s father was already quite skilled, and second, because Shen father’s soup dumplings were filling and affordable, but… they weren’t good enough to make the nobles linger around!

Later, they heard that the slave mentioned the name of Xie family’s Ninth Young Master, and their hearts were even more suspicious:

Could he be Xie family’s noble young master?

Apart from being slightly good-looking and able to cook, Miss Shen had a tarnished reputation.

What qualifications did she have?

She must be just saying polite things as the manager named Zheng!

Several of the neighbors with daughters couldn’t help but feel a bit sour.

Some curious neighbors, seeing the door was closed, still refused to go inside, bringing    bowls of rice from their homes, sitting by the door eating and watching, although they couldn’t hear anything, they still wanted to see when Miss Shen would leave.

Shen Miao didn’t care about those gazes.

She was naturally sensitive and could easily understand what others didn’t say and see through their emotions.

Since opening a business, she had seen all sorts of people in the restaurant, human nature was like this.

Now, living in the same alley, most of the people around were also running businesses.

Since her family had fallen, they really pitied them; but seeing her earn some money in such a short time and getting a big client, they felt a bit displeased.

They couldn’t see the hard work Shen Miao put into kneading dough and making pancakes, nor the heavy burden of supporting the family on her own.

They only thought it was because she looked good that the Xie family and the customers from the bridge market came repeatedly, and all her sweat and effort seemed to be overshadowed by prejudice and jealousy.

There’s a saying: “I sincerely hope you live well, but not better than me.”

Moreover, she wasn’t even close to them to begin with.

Keep a calm heart.

After all, what others see of you is not even a fraction of who you truly are.

Shen Miao was surrounded by love from her family in her past life and never doubted that if someone didn’t like her, it was that person’s problem.

She also believed that fate brought people together, and when it was time to part, there was no need to force it.

Of course, these were small things, the most important thing was… Shen Miao smiled and pushed the tea that Ji Ge’er brought to Zheng Nezhi, also offering him some cookies:

“Zheng Nezhi, try this, these are the new cookies I baked, made with lard, added with white sugar and eggs.”

Zheng Nezhi thanked her warmly, picked up a piece of golden small cookie, and looked around.

The courtyard was very clean, with a kiln in the corner still smoking.

At the other end, there was a chicken coop made of broken tiles and bricks, with three little chicks running around looking for insects.

This little yard was not bad, though a bit empty, it was at least tidy.

But aside from that, the south corridor and three rooms were burned to only the framework, and another half-new stove room hadn’t collapsed yet.

Looking further ahead, there was a door burned down, probably leading to the shop in front.

Looking around, aside from the courtyard wall, all the remaining walls in the small house were stained with smoke marks.

Earlier, seeing the freshly painted outer courtyard walls and flower pots in front of the door, no one would have expected the inside to look like this.

The emptiness and decay of the Shen family surprised him, but he quickly regained composure.

He intended to mask his sympathy with a bite of the cookie, but when he took a bite, he was so amazed by the crispness and deliciousness that he almost bit his tongue.

“This… this little biscuit is really delicious! What did Miss Shen say it was called? This is… crickets’ biscuit? Why is it called crickets’ biscuit?” Zheng Nezhi asked, confused yet nodding repeatedly,”

“Really crispy and delicious, Miss Shen, how did you make it?”

“It’s a cookie biscuit, look at the flower pattern on top, doesn’t it look like a winding path? Or like a winding mountain road?”

Shen Miao smiled, her mind working furiously to find a Chinese explanation for this Western treat’s name, quickly changing the subject to discuss business:

“It’s easy to make, and there are several methods! The flavor changes greatly. This kind of snack is very rare, since Zheng Nezhi is here to buy the snack recipe, how about buying this cookie recipe too?”

The cookies’ buttery flavor comes from lard, which is made from meat.

However, milk was too expensive, so Shen Miao used lard instead, mixing it with sugar until it dissolved, adding eggs to emulsify, and then adding sifted flour.

She then shaped them into flowers and baked them.

The method was simple, but the hardest part was mixing by hand without an egg beater, and Shen Miao’s arms ached.

Originally, the cookies were meant as a treat for Ji Ge’er, but now they were all being offered to this “God of Wealth” in front of her.

Xie family wasn’t as poor as she was, and they could afford milk.

If they bought the recipe, they could make butter first, then add milk, which would improve the flavor even more, making it more crumbly and fragrant.

Of course, the cookies could be further upgraded with raisins, nuts, matcha, and other ingredients, and various molds would offer more flavors and shapes.

These cookies were small and portable, and if packaged in an exquisite and expensive lacquered box, they would look good, taste good, and be seen as valuable—a perfect high-class gift among the nobility.

Shen Miao smiled and passionately explained, selling it hard.

If she sold the cookies and egg yolk pastries at the bridge market, she could make money, but not a lot.

These items used too many eggs, oil, and sugar, and only fine sifted flour could create a good texture, making the cost too high for her.

Even if she sold them, the prices would have to be high, but selling expensive pastries at a small stall wasn’t suitable.

Even if her shop opened in the future, these items wouldn’t be good money-makers.

Today was a special case.

She didn’t plan to sell them but only made a small amount for her family, so she didn’t care about the cost.

But selling the recipes was different.

Zheng Nezhi’s eyes lit up.

Miss Shen had so many fresh ideas, solid skills, and was so practical that she wouldn’t be poor for long!

“Miss Shen, how much for these two recipes?” Zheng Nezhi asked seriously.

The sympathy he had earlier disappeared at that moment.

Shen Miao had not thought about selling recipes before, so she didn’t know the market price.

But with the opportunity in front of her, she couldn’t turn it down.

If she hesitated, they might not want it later, and she’d lose the chance.

Would Xie family’s chef really not be able to make egg yolk pastries?

No, it wasn’t a difficult recipe.

If they bought it and the chef tried it a few times, they could easily replicate it.

Xie family must have something urgent and needed these new, delicious snacks, so they bought them for convenience.

After a pause, Shen Miao sincerely said:

“Zheng Nezhi, since you are my benefactor, if it weren’t for your chance to visit, to buy my baked buns, I wouldn’t have such an opportunity.”

“ To repay your kindness, I wouldn’t dare to make things difficult for you. How about forty coins for one recipe? There are actually two methods for the egg yolk pastries, and I won’t charge extra for them.”

“One is the version made in Xie family, which only uses red beans and salted egg yolks; the other is more sophisticated, with meat floss, yam paste, salted egg yolks, and red beans—more delicious!”

“How to make meat floss and yam paste, I’ll teach you in detail. So, the forty coins actually include four recipes!”

“The cookies are even more varied, and I’ll teach all the methods. You can rest assured that Xie family buying my recipe will definitely be worth it.”

She wasn’t greedy, not asking for an exorbitant price, treating it as a one-time sale.

First, Xie family and Ninth Young Master had helped her a lot, especially when Ji Ge’er was preparing for the national exam, it was like timely rain, and she should repay them.

Also, she wanted to establish a good relationship with Xie family… in modern terms, she wanted to build a long-term and stable partnership with this high-quality client.

Zheng Nezhi thought for a moment after hearing the price.

Forty coins for one recipe, eighty for both—it wasn’t a small amount, but it wasn’t too much for Xie family either.

He squinted, and since Shen Miao had chosen to be so transparent, it showed her sincerity.

“Miss Shen, could you send these cookies to Xie family? Let the eldest madam decide,”

Zheng Nezhi smiled. “The eldest madam only asked me to inquire about the egg yolk pastry recipes. I wouldn’t dare to make a decision about the rest.”

“Naturally, naturally,” Shen Miao said, smiling, as she wrapped up the cookies.

Aside from the recipes, Zheng Nezhi also ordered fifty egg yolk pastries, so Shen Miao thought for a moment and said they would be ten coins each.

They agreed on a time for delivery, and then Shen Miao cheerfully saw him off to the alley entrance.

After watching him leave, she turned back.