Chapter 39: Snow Daifuku and Salted Egg Yolk Pastries

Wang Er finally rushed to the scene at this moment. Seeing the precious ring that he regarded as his very life soon to be snatched away by Wang Xiaoliu, his eyes split with rage, and he strode over, kicking Wang Xiaoliu hard. The strength of an adult man was simply not something a child could withstand.

Wang Xiaoliu, who had been feeling quite smug, was knocked violently to the ground. Once he recovered his wits, he burst into tears and ran back home to complain and seek support.

"Serves him right, you heartless, unfilial, unbrotherly dog!"

"Now that the Wang family knows, the place is going to be turned upside down again!"

"How strange, the first thing he thought of wasn't his daughter, but the ring."

Sure enough, combining old grudges with new grievances, members of the Wang family and Wang Er's family looked at each other with intense hatred every time they met. Their relationship was as fiery as boiling water, and they frequently crossed paths and clashed in the fields.

Such grand spectacles provided the villagers with plenty of lively entertainment and jokes, and they couldn't help but cry out in sheer satisfaction.

Most of the quarrels were won by Wang Er's family because they had earned money, making their confidence grow stronger by the day. Naturally, this made the Wang family even more furious.

"That phrasing is brilliant; 'furious in impotence' is just too fitting, hahahaha."

"When the Wang family drove the second branch out of their home back then, did they ever imagine today? At that time, they kicked a man while he was down, not realizing that the wheel of fortune turns. It just shows that one should always leave a little leeway in human dealings."

"Ah, these few quarrels are truly wonderful; I wish I could be right there at the scene like those villagers!"

"Why don't you just move to the village then? They hurl curses at each other every few days; as long as you run fast enough, you'll catch the front-row action," someone teased.

Er'ya did not get involved in the disputes of the adults. The habits formed since childhood prevented her from harboring too much hatred in her heart, because doing so would only make things harder for her to bear.

Because the village chief's family had built a new house and hosted a banquet to treat guests, virtually the entire village attended, and Wang Er's family was among them. Er'ya was separated from her parents; she sat at the children's table with a little girl from next door.

There was a dessert served during the banquet called *Touhua Ci* (flowery pastries), and everyone thought it was delicious.

Hearing that the recipe was learned by the village chief's wife from some prestigious aristocratic clan, it immediately drew praises from all around, with people lauding the *Touhua Ci* as something incomparable on earth or in heaven.

Only Er'ya held a different opinion. Having learned many things from her master, her palate had long since been refined. Though she was not picky and would eat ordinary food without complaint, very few things could truly strike her as exceptionally delicious.

The red bean paste inside this *Touhua Ci* had too much sugar and lard added to it, making it both sweet and greasy, with a stiff texture and lacking any depth of flavor. The first bite seemed passable, but the second bite was impossible to swallow.

"I have to disagree with this. How could *Touhua Ci* possibly taste bad? Lingsha jelly has lots of lard and sugar added to it, and those are all wonderful things! Even Her Majesty the Empress Dowager loves eating them."

"Well, after all, Er'ya's master is an immortal, so naturally her standards are higher."

"Even immortals shouldn't talk nonsense. I also think *Touhua Ci* tastes fantastic, it's just too expensive, and my heart aches when I have to buy it."

Since even they reacted this way, one could easily imagine how the characters in the book would respond.

Er'ya lacked the hypocritical tact of adults and simply spoke her mind directly.

Her independent and unconventional opinion immediately provoked angry glares from the little companions at her table.

Someone even swept a disdainful glance at her and sneered, "A wild boar cannot appreciate fine bran!"

Even the village chief's young daughter, who was usually gentle, turned cold-eyed and was no longer as friendly to her as before.

"It's over, it's over. Look, she's provoked public anger. The little friends she worked so hard to make are probably gone now."

"As if you need to worry! Er'ya has an immortal master, she can certainly handle it. I'm just waiting to see them regret this."

Er'ya was pure and simple-minded, so she wasn't angry. She knew her companions only spoke that way because they had never tasted anything better.

Therefore, the next day, she enthusiastically made *Xue Mei Niang* (Snow Maidens) and egg yolk pastries, bringing them to the schoolroom for her companions to taste.

Among all the pastries her master had taught her, these two were the ones she thought tasted the best.

The Snow Maidens among them were somewhat similar to *Touhua Ci*. However, instead of Lingsha jelly, they were wrapped with a substance called cream.

Her master said that the embryonic technique for making cream was recorded in ancient texts, called the *Pengsu* method, but the "su" produced by the *Pengsu* method had a texture that was relatively moist and heavy.

It was inferior to the improved cream, which possessed a light, fluffy, and smooth texture, just like eating clouds.

This description won Er'ya's affection, because when she was little, she often imagined floating as freely as the clouds in the sky.

"I find that a bit hard to believe. I've eaten 'su' before, and how could it possibly be as soft as a cloud?"

"Did you even finish reading the book? They're talking about cream, the improved version."

"I don't believe it, unless you make it for me to eat."

"Look at how capable you are, trying to get something for nothing without paying a price. No way!"

"This preparation looks even more complicated than Lingsha jelly. Can anyone really make it?"

"Er'ya is such a kind and good child. Even when people cursed at her, she didn't get angry, and she still thought of making delicious food to share with them."

"My heart aches so much, imagining being as free as a cloud, wuwu—" Those with low tear thresholds had already started crying.

Er'ya brought the pastries to the schoolroom to share with her companions. A few of them felt somewhat embarrassed because of their cold expressions the day before, and they shyly picked up the pastries.

The moment the food entered their mouths, several pairs of eyes instantly lit up, and they said in unison, "This is so delicious!"

"Hahahahaha, I guessed right! Look at that, the tables have turned now."

"Fake, it's all fake, unless you give me a bite!"

Because of these two kinds of pastries, Er'ya quickly reversed her companions' impressions of her. Everyone expressed agreement with her previous remarks, and after tasting these two pastries, they too felt that *Touhua Ci* wasn't all that delicious anymore.

Some even started arguing over whether the Snow Maidens or the egg yolk pastries tasted better.

"Which of the two do you think tastes better?"

"Hmm, judging by the descriptions in the book, the egg yolk pastries are even more complicated to make and use more ingredients. I'm guessing it's the egg yolk pastries."

"Come to think of it, both of these have some similarities with *Touhua Ci*."

Only the village chief's young daughter came to Er'ya again, with a trace of bashful embarrassment, and said, "Er'ya, could you give me one more of each? I want to take them back for my mother to taste."

Her family was the wealthiest within this circle, and usually, others had to beg her. This was the first time she had ever lowered her pride to implore someone else. Furthermore, because she had given Er'ya the cold shoulder yesterday, she was terrified that Er'ya would refuse and cause her to lose face even more.

Fortunately, Er'ya was magnanimous and happily agreed.

Then, the very next day, their home was visited by the village chief's wife, who stated she wanted to invite Er'ya over as a guest.

"Say yes quickly, Er'ya! This is a golden opportunity to elevate your social standing! Aristocratic families aren't so easy to approach."

"There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in this village, and they actually have some kinship ties with aristocratic families."

"Even emperors have a few poor relatives, so it's not strange."

It turned out that the village chief wife's elder sister had been taken into the Han family as a concubine. Although she was a concubine, it was an aristocratic family nonetheless, and she was a valued concubine from a respectable background. Moreover, because of her thoroughness in handling matters, she had won some favor from the mistress of the house. The village chief's wife frequently took pride in this.

Hearing from her sister that the mistress was recently troubled by the matter of pastries for banquets, and having tasted the pastries made by Er'ya, the village chief's wife had formed her own plans.

With this, the current volume concluded.

"I loathe this! Why does it always cut off in a place like this? How am I supposed to sleep tonight?!" someone hammered the desk and exclaimed.

"What will happen next? Will Er'ya rely on pastries to marry into a high-ranking family from now on?"

"Are you daydreaming? If aristocratic families were that easy to marry into, their thresholds would have been trampled flat long ago, and everyone would want to get in."

"Well, Er'ya's pastries aren't something just anyone can make, either."

"Speaking of which, a few days ago I heard a scholar at Tianxiang Tower muttering something about Snow Maidens. I thought it was strange at the time, but now that I think about it, could it be what's written in this book?"

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Quick, let's go to Tianxiang Tower!"

"Don't rush, don't rush. They haven't made them yet; we probably have to wait a few days."

...

Xu Chengyue told Lu Hongzhuo her requests one by one, and then asked, "Is this feasible?"

"Of course it is! If I can't manage it, there's still my father; his connections are much broader than mine," Lu Hongzhuo said without a moment's hesitation.

Their Shanhai Bookstore had benefited immensely thanks to Lady Xu, and this was the very first time she was asking him for a favor; how could he possibly shirk it?

"Lady Xu, since we have nothing pressing today, and Tianxiang Tower happens to be selling Snow Maidens and egg yolk pastries, why don't we all go over to taste them together? I've been waiting for many days," Lu Hongzhuo said with eager anticipation.

"Yes, let's go!" Xue Zhenrui was the first to jump up and second the motion. "My father is right over there, so we can use the back door and cut the line."

For the sake of tasting a fresh delicacy, Xue Zhenrui threw all her decorum to the wind.

"Let's not go that far; we are all civilized people, after all, and it's better to maintain a bit of politeness."

Upon arriving at the scene, however, Xu Chengyue instantly forgot all about decorum and politeness—they couldn't even squeeze their way near Tianxiang Tower.

The entrance of Tianxiang Tower was a surging mass of heads; people coming and going were all blocked together, and looking out from the carriage, all one could see was a sea of human crowns.

Xu Chengyue hadn't expected such a grand spectacle and twitched the corner of her mouth. "Can we actually get anything to eat here?"

"Why don't we use the back door then?" Xue Zhenrui said, eager to try.

As soon as these words were spoken, someone shouted aloud, "Look over there, someone just went in through the back door! We're all standing in line, how can we let him get away with it? Catch him!"

The group huddled together were left speechless and choked with silence, quietly abandoning the idea.

"Since we're already here, why don't we go next door and have a meal?" Lu Hongzhuo suggested.

They couldn't let everyone make the trip for nothing.

Thus, the group went to the eatery next door. Although it was also packed to capacity, many people had been drawn away by the neighboring establishment, leaving at least two private dining rooms vacant—one for the men and one for the women.

The eatery was directly adjacent to Tianxiang Tower and had learned many of their recipes; all the various stir-fried dishes recently introduced by Tianxiang Tower were available here, so everyone ordered them.

Xu Chengyue tasted them one by one; the flavors were more or less the same.

Although she hadn't signed a contract with this eatery, stir-fries were not her personal invention; she had merely borrowed from the ancients and brought recipes from future generations into the current dynasty, so she couldn't very well grab the eatery by the collar and accuse them of copyright infringement.

Besides, the reason she had originally signed a contract with Tianxiang Tower was, firstly, that the proprietor was a man of principles, and secondly, that Tianxiang Tower needed to borrow her reputation.

Come to think of it, before writing this book, Xu Chengyue had guessed that themes of gourmet food and domestic trivialities would be well-received in the Tang Dynasty, but she hadn't expected them to become popular to such an extent.

The Huaxia nation had always possessed a tradition of pursuing fine cuisine, and many literati and scholars in ancient times had composed poems for famous dishes, sometimes even naming them after celebrities, such as Dongpo pork.

In the Tang Dynasty, demonstrating one's knife skills in slicing raw fish to friends was also a popular fashion.

Moreover, the setting of the novel in a rural village gave everyone a stronger sense of immersion.

Because it was an agrarian society, the agricultural population undoubtedly accounted for the majority, and a large portion of the non-agricultural population was also related to them by blood or marriage. Such national conditions made down-to-earth themes much easier to propagate.

If the first novel satisfied their yearning and curiosity for the lives of aristocratic nobles, then this second novel satisfied their urge for voyeurism.

The innate nature of gossiping and watching the fun was engraved deep in their bones.