Chapter 57: Daddy, He Is No Good-For-Nothing Kid

Qi Yue nodded, a trace of appreciation entering the depths of his eyes.

"That's right, I also heard my daughter mention that you rented a shop and plan to sell those little... cakes from before?"

Cheng Yuan responded, raising her eyes neither humbly nor arrogantly: "I shall send some new varieties to your esteemed manor when the time comes, and I hope you will honor us with your presence."

"Good, good, well, what was it called—durian crepe? Send plenty of that."

Qi Yue's originally stern face broke into a beaming smile as he licked his lips.

Fishing out a lump of silver from somewhere, he handed it to her with a laugh and said, "Just send that one directly here; my wife won't let me eat too many sweets."

Cheng Yuan felt a mixture of amusement and surprise; the father and daughter had vastly different tastes. She remembered the first time she gave one to Qi Yunyue, who had been so frightened she backed away several paces, "interrogating" her to see if she had fallen into some sort of pit.

"Very well."

After leaving the Qi manor, following the address given by Yunyue, Cheng Yuan visited the homes of several young ladies from the recent banquet one by one.

By the time she finished, the day was already late, and only the lingering glow of the twilight remained upon the ground.

From afar, she caught sight of the shop and the busy figures of Xie Changzhi and Uncle Wang standing at the entrance.

As she drew closer and saw the plaque hanging above, Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow.

She had almost forgotten about this matter.

"Yuan'er, you're back just in time. Come and do the calligraphy for this!"

Uncle Wang straightened his back and hurriedly beckoned to Cheng Yuan.

Xie Changzhi held a writing brush in his hand, and upon turning to see Cheng Yuan, a look of profound relief washed over him.

"With it growing dark so soon, Big Sister Yuan must quickly think of a name."

Cheng Yuan took the brush, her mind momentarily blank.

After pondering for a long time, she slowly penned four graceful characters: Step by Step to Prosperity (Bu Bu Gao Sheng).

"Step by Step to Prosperity? A wonderful auspice! Just what one would expect from Big Sister Yuan!"

Xie Changzhi was very enthusiastic in his praise. Uncle Wang had not spent many years studying and could not recognize a single one of the four characters, but seeing that both of them looked extremely satisfied, he began to clap as well.

With the matter of the plaque brought to a close, Cheng Yuan locked the door, and the few of them began to tally the items needed for tomorrow's grand opening. After confirming everything was correct, she nodded: "Let's have dinner first. We might have to stay up quite late tonight to make some new items to send out tomorrow. Uncle Wang, will you be able to hold up?"

Uncle Wang immediately thumped his chest to indicate that he was completely fine.

Dinner was once again noodles prepared by Uncle Wang.

Cheng Yuan finished her meal with a sense of satisfaction, contemplating whether she should give Uncle Wang a raise, considering he was also shouldering the duties of a chef.

However, this thought was quickly banished from her mind.

Once the shop was fully up and running and things grew busy, they would likely need to hire a dedicated chef anyway.

Cheng Yuan pulled out a small notebook and added Qi Yue and the word "durian" to the page dedicated to the Qi manor.

Xie Changzhi tilted his head, looking curious. "What kind of brush is this? It doesn't even need ink to write."

"This? It's considered a charcoal pencil, though it isn't as permanent as ink." Besides, it could be erased with rubber, though she was likely the only one in this era who knew that, so Cheng Yuan left it unsaid.

"Can you read?" Cheng Yuan checked the notebook and looked up at him.

Xie Changzhi slurped up the remaining noodles in a few bites and nodded obediently.

"After we open tomorrow, you are to deliver the cakes to these respective manors. The addresses, quantities, and varieties are all written here."

Xie Changzhi nodded repeatedly. "No problem, Big Sister Yuan. You can count on me."

Noticing Uncle Wang's somewhat anxious gaze, Cheng Yuan looked over at him unhurriedly and explained his assigned tasks clearly.

For now, aside from deliveries to a few regular patrons, Cheng Yuan planned to focus primarily on dine-in service.

After all, this wasn't modern times where plastic takeout containers made everything extremely convenient.

They still lacked manpower for deliveries, and cakes required the utmost care during transport to prevent damage—if they arrived ruined, it would be a losing venture!

Yet, thinking of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, a new idea began to take root in Cheng Yuan's mind.

"Knock, knock."

The shop door was tapped, and a clear, gentle voice came from outside: "Pardon me, is this the shop of Miss Cheng Yuan?"

Uncle Wang paused for a moment before springing to his feet.

Then, with an expression brimming with excitement and a smile, he quickly looked toward Cheng Yuan: "Yuan'er, this is Jiabin. Would it be all right if I let him in to sit for a while?"

Surprised that he had arrived so quickly, Cheng Yuan nodded. "Of course. I ran into Big Brother Jiabin earlier today and told him you were working here. Since he had matters to attend to during the day, he must have some leisure time now and couldn't resist coming to see you."

Beaming with joy, Uncle Wang went to open the door. Xie Changzhi bit his lip almost instantly, looking like a ruffled little cat on the verge of bristling.

"If you don't wish to see him, you can go to the kitchen; I'll be over in a moment," Cheng Yuan said considerately.

She figured that given his solitary nature since childhood, he might not be fond of socializing, much like how she disliked meeting relatives during the New Year.

Xie Changzhi shook his head. "When a guest arrives, there is no reason for the host to be absent. If I leave Big Sister Yuan here alone, Big Brother Jiabin might take me for a lazy idler."

"Father, this is the tea I brought for you—your absolute favorite kind."

"You boy, coming is enough, why bring tea? Save it properly and don't be stingy with your fellow scholars."

Clasping the paper parcel, Uncle Wang felt his eyes grow warm, his face wreathed in pure happiness.

Wang Jiabin looked toward the two figures walking over and smiled. "Yuan'er, this is just a small token of my regard. I should have come for your opening tomorrow, but there is an important examination, so I can only come now to disturb you."

A brown wooden box was handed over, its contents obscured from view.

Cheng Yuan politely expressed her thanks. "Not at all, I accept your kind intentions. Big Brother Jiabin, you are welcome to come sit at the shop whenever you have free time. Since your respected father is helping out here, anything you purchase will always be at a twenty-five percent discount!"

Wang Jiabin blinked, not entirely sure what a twenty-five percent discount meant, though he gathered it meant a reduction in price. He smiled and nodded.

His gaze swept past Xie Changzhi, whose eyes barely concealed a trace of hostility, causing Wang Jiabin to pause for a fraction of a second.

"I won't outstay my welcome then. Until we meet again."

The young man turned away from the warm-toned interior, his eyes meeting the cold, solitary moon just climbing into the treetops.

"After breaking off your engagement with Lu Bai, what are your plans? If you are willing..."

"First, I shall focus on earning an honest living and establishing a secure foundation. Besides, Big Brother Jiabin, I already have a husband-to-be. His name is Xie Changzhi, and he has a frank and lovely disposition."

...

The moon hung curved in the sky, her thoughts drifting with whichever breeze blew through the night.

The back kitchen of the shop was quite spacious, nearly as large as the front hall, complete with an attached storage room piled high with ingredients.

The two of them were responsible for whipping cream and batter until they felt ready to despair, while Cheng Yuan chopped fruit until her hands went numb.

Uncle Wang took a brief moment of leisure to rest, rubbing his wrists and sighing about how difficult it was to earn a living, before hurriedly resuming his work, fearful of being perceived as lazy.

Once the fruit was chopped, Cheng Yuan set about starting the fire.

Though the three of them were exhausted, their hearts were entirely filled with anticipation for the future.

"I will not! Father! He is no scoundrel; he promised that once he passes the imperial examinations, he will marry me and treat me well for the rest of my days."

"You have truly lost your mind! You will reflect on this within the courtyard for the next few days and put aside any thoughts of seeing him! In a couple of days, I will have your mother bring you portraits of suitable young men. Yunyue, you are my only and most beloved daughter, and your father would never harm you."