TATSD Chapter 80

Liu Yimian was personally seen off by Ji Wei. The school building was also fully prepared, and he had done favors, asking people like Lin Tai and Lu Yushu to keep an eye on Liu Yimian. It could be said that he had taken care of every aspect.

Logically, he should have felt relieved.

Yet on the way back, something felt off. He felt an emptiness inside as if something was missing.

He didn’t realize it until he reached the shop on North Street when Zhao Hu pointed it out.

“Brother Ji, what’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve lost your soul!” Throughout the afternoon, Ji Wei dropped this and that, shouted to attend to customers, and several times almost forgot to collect payment. If the customers hadn’t been so honest, he probably would have lost a fair bit of silver.

Zhao Hu had been watching him. Once things calmed down, he sat down beside Ji Wei on the stone steps and couldn’t help but speak up.

“Really?” Ji Wei turned to look at Zhao Hu.

For someone who usually brimmed with energy, it was evident when he was feeling down.

Zhao Hu had worked with Ji Wei for quite some time and rarely saw him in such a dazed state. Given his straightforward nature, he felt compelled to speak up. Others, not being as close to Ji Wei, wouldn’t dare to tell him the truth. Only he could sit down and have a chat with Ji Wei.

“Just look at yourself; how many times did you undercharge this afternoon? When you went to check the dough, you even forgot to weigh the sugar! If Old Li hadn’t remembered, this batch of doughnuts would have had serious issues,” Zhao Hu said, staring at Ji Wei for a while before suddenly adding, “Didn’t you send Little Liu to the county school this morning? How did it go?”

“I’m just a rough person and have never been to such a… a scholarly place,” Zhao Hu said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, unable to find the right word to describe the county school.

“The county school is where you see students reading everywhere, with ink and the fragrance of books all around. It’s a very cultured place,” Ji Wei said, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face at the thought of Liu Yimian coming from there, who would become a refined scholar, easing his frown.

“Now that’s more like it!” Zhao Hu clapped suddenly.

“What?”

“It’s definitely because Little Liu is gone; you miss him!” Zhao Hu laughed, revealing a set of bright teeth, his eyes crinkling into slits. “Little Liu just left this morning, and by this afternoon, your soul is already following him! Brother Ji, who would have thought!”

After Zhao Hu said this, he stood up, patting his backside, and headed into the back courtyard to busy himself, leaving Ji Wei alone.

“Do I miss him?” Ji Wei murmured to himself.

“It can’t be. I just got back less than two hours ago; how could I possibly miss Yimian?”

“But…”

Ever since he arrived in this unfamiliar place, the first thing he saw each morning was Liu Yimian. They had relied on each other and had never been apart for more than a day. Yet now, he had sent Liu Yimian to a place far away, and they probably wouldn’t see each other often in the future.

Having grown accustomed to his presence, he suddenly felt unaccustomed to his absence.

Ji Wei sighed and slapped his cheeks to wake himself up. “He’s gone to school, and you should be doing well too. How can you be so dejected? This is truly useless!”

Ji Wei’s pastry shop was named “Delicious Flavor.”

In the beginning, it was unknown, even less famous than its owner, Ji Wei.

However, after making a name for itself with mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, its popularity surged. Soon, everyone on North Street recognized the name “Delicious Flavor.”

Now, just half a month later, customers from all four directions of the town were rushing to the shop, lining up for unique treats not found elsewhere.

With such a renowned name, Ji Wei spent an entire day making four eight-inch cakes, cutting them into eighths, and packaging them in exquisite boxes. He sent people to deliver them to the prominent families in Changliu Town, ensuring that they wouldn’t lack customers.

Upon hearing that the new pastries came from “Delicious Flavor,” the recipients were thrilled. They felt honored that, although they hadn’t placed an order, the shop sent new products to them for tasting. This made them feel like distinguished guests, increasing their fondness for “Delicious Flavor.”

Once they tasted the cream cakes, they were utterly amazed.

Whether it was a birthday or not, families would seize the occasion to send someone to order birthday cakes from Ji Wei’s shop.

However, these birthday cakes were initially designed to be high-end custom items, not something just anyone could afford on the street.

Ji Wei understood the principle that scarcity makes things valuable. He spread the word that birthday cake orders would be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, with later orders needing to queue and delayed accordingly. The prices for birthday cakes varied based on size, ingredients, and design, ranging from one tael to three taels of silver.

Thus, every time Ji Wei completed a cake, he needed to document it, creating a catalog with multiple copies. When someone placed an order, he would present them with options for selection.

This comprehensive, door-to-door service for ordering and delivering cakes was unprecedented in the small town of Changliu, greatly satisfying the desires of wealthy local gentlemen who didn’t know how to spend their money.

As a result, the introduction of birthday cakes quickly became a sensation in Changliu Town.

Every prominent household that hosted guests would showcase a birthday cake at their banquet to flaunt their status.

However, behind the booming business, problems began to arise one after another.

Among all these issues, the weaning of the ewes was the most troublesome for Ji Wei.

Although it wasn’t a complete weaning all at once, it had already shown such a trend.

The daily supply of sheep’s milk was steadily decreasing and could no longer meet the demands of the shop. Unfortunately, one of the basic ingredients for the pastries Ji Wei made was milk. Without it, both cookies and cakes would be hard to create.

Ji Wei was not oblivious to this situation.

Physiological weaning was beyond human control, so it was futile for Zhao Qiang to try to cut costs. Ji Wei had to think of other ways and discuss with the shopkeepers of the various grocery stores to find a milk source together.

Unfortunately, while it was easy to find milk, finding a large and stable supply was far more difficult.

In all of Changliu Town, there was no one else like Zhao Qiang, who could raise over a hundred lambs in one go on a small hillside.

Zhao Qiang monopolized the entire lamb meat business. Others merely nibbled at the leftovers, earning very little and hardly making a living.

Moreover, lamb meat was more expensive than pork, and even fewer people could afford it. Most of the lamb meat raised by Zhao Qiang was sold to other towns or even sent to Qingcheng. If even Zhao Qiang could not supply Ji Wei, it would be even more difficult for anyone else.

With Zhao Qiang’s ewes weaning, Ji Wei’s shop was facing the prospect of closing down. He was anxious, unable to sleep at night, and busy during the day. For several consecutive days, he ran around looking for help and slept in the back of the shop without returning home to the old house on West Alley.

However, despite all this, he still hadn’t found a suitable family to source milk from.

“Zhao Hu, send someone to deliver this cake,” Ji Wei said, finally taking a moment to sit down after finishing today’s cake orders.

The weather was hot, and the temperature of the bakery was extremely high. After spending more than half an hour making cakes, his hair was already sticking to his forehead, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

A Qiu was weaving through the crowd of men, carrying a water jug and tea bowls.

After a round, she finally stopped to rest and immediately spotted Ji Wei sitting on the ground in front of the shop. She hurried over and poured a bowl of water for him, saying, “Brother Ji, have some water.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t you want to take a break? It’s so hot; it wouldn’t be good if you got heatstroke.”

“I’m tough; I won’t faint so easily.” Ji Wei drank the water and handed the enamel bowl back to A Qiu.

“Yimian isn’t at home, and you haven’t been back to West Alley for a while,” A Qiu said, squatting beside Ji Wei and counting on her fingers. “You’ve been here in this back room for five days now. It’s simple here; staying a few days is fine, but it’s not suitable for a long stay. Brother Ji, you should go home and rest. If you get sick from overworking, no one will be there to take care of you.”

“I’m a big man with strong limbs. I don’t need anyone to take care of me! Besides, if you can stay here, why can’t I?” Ji Wei said, standing up and patting the small stool he had been sitting on to let A Qiu take a seat.

“You look pale and have sweated a lot. You should rest more than I do. Sit down,” A Qiu insisted.

Feeling weak herself, A Qiu finally sat on the stool without pushing back, a bit embarrassed. “When I first came here, I had nowhere to go. If it weren’t for you taking me in, I would have had to sleep on the street. I have no right to complain.”

This brought to mind the dispute between A Qiu and Mao Lintie when she first came to help at the North Street shop.

The Mao family was on the other end of East Street; while not far, it was certainly not close either.

Disregarding Mao Lintie’s objections, A Qiu resolutely ran away from home to work on North Street, clashing with Mao Lintie. She took her wages and didn’t go home, choosing instead to live in the back room of the shop.

A few days later, with no one at home, Mao Lintie couldn’t hold on any longer and came to plead with A Qiu to return. He didn’t dare to shout or scold her, lowering his voice significantly even when speaking. He would often bring her fish and shrimp or buy pork to curry favor with her.

Since then, A Qiu’s life at home has improved quite a bit.

“It’s a small matter if it helps you two get along better as a couple,” Ji Wei said, looking A Qiu up and down with a smile. “Speaking of which, it seems you’ve gained a bit of weight these days. It looks like your meals are good.”

A Qiu looked down at her abdomen, feeling a bit troubled. “I don’t know why, but with the hot weather lately, I’ve had no appetite, yet I’ve still gained quite a bit of weight.”

“Gaining some weight is good; being too thin makes you prone to illness.”

“Please don’t laugh at me. If I gain too much weight, my husband will find me unattractive.”

“After the last time, would Mao dare to criticize you?” Ji Wei winked at A Qiu, teasing her. “It’s not good to value thinness over health; a strong body is what’s best. You see, Yimian was so frail before, and I made sure to help him gain some weight. I wonder if he’s lost any during this time…”

As soon as he said this, Ji Wei fell silent.

It would have been better not to mention it, but just thinking about the young man who had been away from home for so long and whom he had not seen brought forth emotions that had been suppressed for days, flooding over him and weighing heavily on his heart.

He sighed unconsciously, feeling a bit melancholic. “It’s been nearly a month since he left.”

A Qiu, sitting beside him, was taken aback. She looked up at the sky, silently counting in her heart before finally confirming, “But Yimian just left for the county school less than ten days ago. You must be mistaken.”