TATSD Chapter 114

This was supposed to be a great day.

If it weren’t for the kidnapping incident, today would have been the sixteenth birthday of Liu Yimian.

But just yesterday, he had been rescued from the hands of Li Laowu and Zheng Fei. After a night of tension and not being able to relax, Ji Wei didn’t mention the birthday at all and focused entirely on comforting him. The next day, he went to the Liu family and put an end to their troubles once and for all.

Now that the messy issues were settled, he figured they probably wouldn’t dare cause any more trouble. The thought of celebrating the birthday finally crossed Ji Wei’s mind again.

Of course, he wasn’t going to give up so easily, especially since he had been preparing for this day for quite some time.

Ji Wei sent Liu Yimian back to the school dormitory.

After a restless night, Liu Yimian had dark circles under his eyes, clearly having had trouble sleeping. While it was still before noon and he wasn’t hungry after a small breakfast, Ji Wei insisted that Liu Yimian lie down and get some rest. Once he was sure that Liu Yimian had fallen asleep, Ji Wei quietly closed the door and left.

Before leaving, Ji Wei went to find Lin Tai and asked him to keep an eye on things while he was out. After everything that had happened, Lin Tai didn’t dare refuse and quickly urged Ji Wei to go, reassuring him that he would keep watch.

Feeling confident in Lin Tai’s reliability, Ji Wei left.

Since he had spent the morning dealing with the Liu family, nothing had been prepared for the afternoon, and there was now a lot to take care of. Fortunately, Ji Wei had already gone to Fuxing Restaurant earlier, using Sun Hong’s influence to get them to free up a kitchen space so he could cook the birthday meal for Liu Yimian himself.

Ji Wei was quite skilled in the kitchen. While he wasn’t a professional chef, his attention to detail and patience, especially when it came to desserts, made him excel at cooking, far beyond most others.

Moreover, some of the dishes Ji Wei was making didn’t even exist in this world. He had spent nearly two hours in the kitchen, even using the oven to roast a duck, which he then had the assistant chef help him shred. He also prepared white pancakes, sauces, finely sliced scallions, garlic, cucumber, and radish.

Fuxing Restaurant was one of the best in Yong’an Street and even in Daxi Town. While Ji Wei’s methods were somewhat unconventional, the head chefs didn’t think much of it.

But the Peking duck that Ji Wei had made caught the attention of the head chef, who then sought out the restaurant manager to discuss it.

When the manager heard, he immediately got interested and approached Ji Wei to talk business.

“You’re interested in buying the recipe for my Peking duck?” Ji Wei was a bit surprised at first, but then he understood, recalling that Fuxing Restaurant’s signature dish was the “Whole Duck Feast.” While the feast already included roast duck, it lacked the addition of pancakes, fillings, and sauces, which gave it a unique flavor. In his previous life, this dish had become a street food sensation.

It was no exaggeration to say that the manager was drawn in by Ji Wei’s dish.

“As you know, our Whole Duck Feast is quite famous, and if we could add your dish, it would make the feast even better. What do you think? I’m willing to pay a high price!” The manager, with his vast wealth, spoke smoothly.

While the manager could have tried to sneak into the kitchen to learn the recipe, he preferred to make a legitimate business deal instead.

Ji Wei wasn’t looking to get involved in the restaurant business, so he readily agreed. However, the price for the recipe would not be cheap.

“One lump sum: twenty taels of silver.”

The manager was startled but saw that Ji Wei wasn’t joking and said, “That price is too high.”

“The entire Whole Duck Feast costs five or six taels of silver. With banquets happening almost every day, the cost can be recovered in just a few days. How can this price be too high?” Ji Wei knew from experience that the feast was priced at a premium, which is why he set the price for the recipe accordingly.

In his previous life, Ji Wei had sold many of his creations, even introducing underpants to the town of Changliu, which became a popular trend.

Now, when shopkeepers saw him, they treated him like a god of wealth, often offering him free cloth, knowing the profit they’d eventually make off his ideas.

Though the manager initially tried to haggle, he gradually relented when he saw the head chef giving him a signal. If the head chef, who had worked in the kitchen for years, thought highly of the dish, the manager couldn’t argue.

So, the manager agreed, and the payment was made, with the head chef also being instructed to learn from Ji Wei.

Earlier, Ji Wei had mentioned making fried dough sticks (youtiao) for Liu Yimian, and though he hadn’t had time to make them, he took advantage of the birthday to fry about ten. He gave a few to the kitchen staff to taste, and somehow, one of them ended up giving some to the manager. Before long, the manager returned to the kitchen, seeking Ji Wei again.

In the end, the two recipes were bought for thirty taels.

Although the sum wasn’t small, to Ji Wei, it was practically pocket change. He spent the afternoon in a good mood, humming a little tune as he patiently answered the head chef’s questions about other dishes.

When it was around 3 pm, the ingredients Ji Wei had ordered earlier arrived. These were for making cakes, including cake layers, cream, butter, and fruit, all sent from Changliu Town. He also made some pudding himself.

This birthday cake was for Liu Yimian, and Ji Wei had put a lot of effort into making it. The cake had five layers: one layer of cake, one layer of sliced peaches, another layer of cake, a layer of pudding, and a final cake layer on top.

Each layer was filled with buttercream, which was richer and smoother than regular whipped cream. The butter and cream combined to create a dense, creamy texture without being overly sweet.

While making the cake, Ji Wei was so focused that he didn’t notice the astonished looks of the people around him.

In less than half an hour, the ingredients had come together into a smooth, perfectly shaped cake.

The buttercream, tinged with a slight pink hue from the sugar syrup, was decorated with pieces of pink and yellow peaches on top, along with a swirl of white buttercream flowers. The cake exuded a delicate, youthful vibe.

Ji Wei was pleased with how it turned out. He looked up and was startled to see a crowd of people standing around, all pointing at the cake he had just finished.

“It smells sweet and milky. What is this?” one person asked.

“Ji Gongzi, can we taste it?” another inquired.

“What’s it called? I wonder where I can buy it?”

“Get back to work! Stop slacking off, or I’ll dock your wages!” The head chef, who appeared calm on the surface, scolded the assistants, but they still looked at the peach cake longingly.

“But what’s this? If the manager tries it, he might want to buy it too,” the head chef said jokingly, his craving obvious.

Ji Wei smiled. “I can’t sell this; it’s my signature dish.” Though everyone had watched him make it, no one knew the recipe except for him, so he wasn’t worried about anyone copying it.

Today, I borrowed someone’s kitchen and even had the kitchen helper assist with a lot of the preparations. Ji Wei was generous too, using the leftover ingredients to make a small peach cake as a thank-you gift for them.

The peach cake wasn’t even six inches, and at best, it was an irregular four-inch cake. Before it could even make it around the table, it was already completely devoured.

The more they ate, the more they craved it, and they all asked Ji Wei for the price. When they heard that a single cake cost a tael of silver, they all gasped in shock.

The chef sighed in regret. “No wonder you told the shopkeeper the recipe wasn’t expensive.” It wasn’t really expensive though—selling just twenty cakes would cover it.

Fuxing Restaurant earns just over ten taels of silver a day, so it’s considered a prosperous business.

The chef shook his head, feeling envious inside.

Ten main dishes, plus a birthday cake, were all ready, and the items were moved up to the third floor of Fuxing Restaurant. Although they hadn’t ordered a full duck banquet, they paid for it at the price of one, treating it as rent for borrowing the kitchen.

The high price made people think Ji Wei was a fool, but Ji Wei thought it was worth it.

When Ji Wei returned to the academy, Liu Yimian, who had slept through the afternoon, was already awake.

Not seeing Ji Wei, Liu Yimian went to find Lin Tai and, as expected, heard the message. Then he remembered it was his birthday that day, so he changed his clothes and waited for him in the classroom.

When Ji Wei saw Liu Yimian, he had changed into new clothes. It was a fabric they had bought together after Ji Wei made a small profit selling cookies. He remembered it was a bolt of sky blue and lotus color, which Liu Yimian later made into clothes.

He wore the sky blue often, but rarely had he seen Liu Yimian in the lotus-colored one. The color had a hint of pale pink, and Liu Yimian’s skin was very fair, so when he wore it, it made his complexion look as white as snow. His delicate features and the small mole between his eyebrows, a bright red-like fire, left Ji Wei stunned.

Ji Wei stepped forward, took Liu Yimian’s hand, and examined him up and down, not saying anything for a long time.

It was only the second time Liu Yimian wore this outfit, and he still remembered how the students had looked at him strangely the last time he wore it. He never wore it again after that. Seeing Ji Wei’s silent reaction, he hesitated, saying, “Brother Ji, should I go change into something else?”

“No need, this one looks great.” Ji Wei paused for a moment. “I’ve had it for a long time; why haven’t you worn it before?”

“It doesn’t look good…” Liu Yimian muttered.

“How could it not?” Ji Wei laughed, gently flicking Liu Yimian’s cute nose, then took his small hand in his own and walked out. “I’m glad you haven’t worn it before. It’s so good-looking, that it’ll make everyone unable to look away. I’ll buy you more lotus-colored fabric in the future, and you can make clothes just to wear for me.”

Liu Yimian was stunned, completely not expecting that reason. His cheeks turned a little red, and after a while, he responded quietly.

When Ji Wei brought Liu Yimian upstairs to Fuxing Restaurant, Sun Hong had not yet arrived. He had invited Lin Tai and others, but they didn’t want to disturb the occasion, so they made excuses not to come.

Each dish on the table was covered with an elegant porcelain lid, hiding the contents. It wasn’t long before Sun Hong arrived, carrying a jar of wine.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! My bad, I’ll drink three cups as punishment!” Sun Hong saw the food waiting to be served and waved grandly. “Why haven’t you uncovered the food? Everyone’s here, hurry up, I’m starving!”

Ji Wei smiled and, together with Liu Yimian, uncovered the lids and placed them aside. The sight of the table full of dishes was dazzling, especially the delicate and pale pink cake, which made Liu Yimian’s eyes linger on it, unable to look away.

The cake had fine, colorful candles on it, specially ordered by Ji Wei. As he struck a match and lit it, the flickering flames made the cake appear even more beautiful.

Ji Wei softly said, “Make a wish. On your birthday, you make a wish while looking at the candles, and it will come true.”

Sun Hong, watching, couldn’t help but comment, “I didn’t expect you to have such a thoughtful side. Truly a tough man with a soft heart.”

Liu Yimian crossed his arms in front of his chest, his fingers intertwined. As soon as he closed his eyes, he couldn’t help but glance at Ji Wei. His cheeks reddened a little, and he quickly shut his eyes tightly, lips moving as he made a wish.

“What did you wish for? Tell us, and let’s see if Brother Sun can make it come true!” Sun Hong uncorked the wine jar and poured three bowls of wine for the table.

Liu Yimian shook his head slowly and firmly said, “If I say it out loud, it won’t come true.”

Sun Hong laughed heartily and didn’t press further. “Alright, let’s drink together then!”

Before Liu Yimian could even touch his wine bowl, Ji Wei stopped him, saying that he was too young to drink. Sun Hong shook his head, loudly proclaiming that Liu Yimian was sixteen and in other families, he’d already been married and had children by now, so how could he be considered too young?

The two of them finally looked at Liu Yimian, who seemed to be lost in thought, then he pursed his lips and smiled, taking the wine bowl and drinking it in one go.

His actions were just like how he’d seen others do it, but it made him cough, and his cheeks turned red as if they were covered in rouge.

“Was it good?” Sun Hong asked with a grin.

Liu Yimian nodded and said it was good.

“Good? Then drink a few more bowls.”

Perhaps it was because Sun Hong had backed him up, or maybe the alcohol gave him courage, but under Ji Wei’s stern gaze, Liu Yimian boldly drank another bowl and then another.

As the sky darkened, the lanterns on Yong’an Street lit up.

At that moment, a sharp hissing sound pierced the air, followed by the popping of fireworks exploding in the sky.

In the night, golden-red sparks scattered in all directions.

Liu Yimian had never seen such magnificent fireworks before. He leaned against the window, mesmerized, the colorful light reflected on his cheeks, looking like a painting, dreamlike and surreal.