TATSD Chapter 42

After passing on the technique for making flatbreads to the chosen individuals, Ji Wei didn’t pay much attention to the further development of things. His motivations were twofold: repaying a favor and fulfilling his bet with Liu Qing. As long as one or two of those people truly started selling, Ji Wei was guaranteed victory.

However, setting up a stall wasn’t easy. Even when Ji Wei rushed in the past, it still took several days to prepare everything. He knew this well and was prepared for a long, drawn-out battle with Liu Qing.

In the days that followed, Ji Wei didn’t go out much. He needed to create a market for desserts in this world, which was a difficult task—whether in terms of market foundations, ingredients, or equipment.

Although Ji Wei knew many production techniques, he had never tested the most basic ingredients. For example, cream, an essential component of desserts, was something he always purchased pre-made. On rare occasions when he had to make it himself, a key ingredient was gelatin.

Ji Wei had agreed with the butcher early in the morning, before he slaughtered the pigs, to sell the pigskin to him. The price wasn’t high, but an entire pig’s skin didn’t come cheap either.

The butcher couldn’t understand why someone like Ji Wei would want only the skin and not the meat. However, pigskin didn’t sell well on its own—people generally only bought it with the meat. Selling the skin in advance to make some money and still being able to charge more for the pork later was a win-win for the butcher.

Since Ji Wei knew how to make gelatin but had never attempted it, he wasn’t entirely confident and shut himself indoors to experiment.

The pigskins were sold to him already scraped clean of fat, reducing one step in the process. All that remained was to wash them thoroughly, cut them into small pieces, and soak them in a weak lime solution for a full day and night. He then used clean water to remove the impurities and hidden fat. This was repeated several times, alternating between washing and soaking in vinegar.

Finally, the pigskin fragments were boiled in water while constantly stirred, until they dissolved into a thick, sticky gelatinous liquid. Ji Wei then evaporated the water by steaming the mixture in a pot, condensing it into a semi-solid form.

Once dried and cooled, it became the freshest, purest gelatin.

At first, Ji Wei was a bit clumsy, but after a couple of tries, his process became more stable. In three days, he had successfully rendered all the pigskins into gelatin.

With such a large quantity of pigskin, the amount of gelatin produced was considerable.

Having gelatin meant having cream.

And with cream, he now had the foundation for Western desserts.

Ji Wei was overjoyed and asked Liu Yimian to buy some good ingredients to celebrate.

Liu Yimian obediently prepared a table full of dishes, but he couldn’t quite understand what Ji Wei had been doing all these days. Ji Wei had been so busy that Liu Yimian hadn’t dared disturb him. When he casually asked at the dinner table, Ji Wei explained the purpose of the gelatin.

To make it clearer, Ji Wei took half a jar of goat milk after the meal. Knowing that Liu Yimian didn’t like the taste of milk, he added a bit of tea, mixed it with gelatin and sugar, and simmered it over low heat.

When the goat milk thickened to the point that it clung to the chopsticks without dripping, it naturally cooled into a solid block. He cut it into pieces, creating a simple dessert known as xiaofang (small milk cubes).

The flavor was rich with the fragrance of milk and a subtle hint of tea—sweet but not overpowering.

Ji Wei regretted that he didn’t have shredded coconut, which would have made the dish even better.

Making shredded coconut was easy, but transportation in this era was inconvenient, and this remote place had never even seen a coconut, let alone made coconut shreds.

Ji Wei left the milk cubes for Liu Yimian as a snack and was about to process a batch of cream. Just as he poured out the goat milk, there was a knock at the door.

Many people had come looking for him recently. Aside from the people from Changliu Town, even folks from Daxi Town had tracked him down using the flyer to place large orders of cookies.

But Ji Wei had turned them all down.

“Go see who it is and send them away for me,” Ji Wei said, not wanting to deal with visitors. He asked Liu Yimian to handle it.

At the door stood a plump, middle-aged man, smiling before he even spoke, offering the items in his hands as soon as the door opened.

“This is just a small token of appreciation.”

“Oh, this is too generous—I can’t accept it!”

The visitor was none other than Lin Yaozu.

He was quite a bit taller than Liu Yimian and could easily see over his head, taking in the layout of the courtyard.

Although Ji Wei wasn’t visible in the courtyard, faint sounds were coming from the kitchen, indicating someone was inside.

“I’ve traveled from Daxi Town to meet Mr. Ji. I’ve heard he hasn’t been going out much lately, so I figured he must be at home.” Before Liu Yimian could respond, Lin Yaozu had already preempted any excuses.

“Well…” Liu Yimian was at a loss. Lin Yaozu was a sharp old fox, with decades of life experience. Next to him, Liu Yimian felt like a young lamb, unable to hide anything from his discerning eyes.

Seeing Liu Yimian’s hesitation, Lin Yaozu instantly understood—Ji Wei didn’t want to see any visitors.

But this also confirmed that the area had recently become quite lively, and he feared he might have arrived a little late.

“I just have a small matter to discuss with Mr. Ji. It won’t take long—just give me half an hour,” Lin Yaozu said kindly, pushing the gift into Liu Yimian’s hands. His tone was gentle and warm. “You can go and ask him first. If Mr. Ji is unavailable, then I’ll leave.”

“Please, take this gift—”

“Why not ask him first? If Mr. Ji refuses to see me, you can return the gift afterward.”

Seeing Lin Yaozu’s insistence, Liu Yimian nodded and asked him to wait a moment. He ran inside to inform Ji Wei of the visitor’s purpose.

Ji Wei glanced at the dark red and gold-trimmed box Liu Yimian was holding and unfastened the clasp. Inside was a long ginseng root.

It was about half an arm’s length, with a strong ginseng fragrance, and had developed a humanoid shape—a valuable specimen.

Although Ji Wei had not yet met Lin Yaozu, the sincerity was obvious just from this gift.

“Go ahead and invite him in,” Ji Wei said, setting down what he was working on. He took a cloth and tidied the kitchen counter. Seeing that Liu Yimian hadn’t moved, Ji Wei smiled and urged him on.

“Why are you just standing there? Are we going to neglect our guest?”

“But didn’t you say you didn’t want to see anyone?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t see him—I’ve been waiting for him.”

Liu Yimian murmured to himself but went ahead and invited Lin Yaozu inside. As they walked, Liu Yimian couldn’t resist asking, “Do you know Ji Ge? I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’ve never met Mr. Ji, but I’ve long admired him from afar.”

As they neared the door, Ji Wei heard the footsteps and came out to greet the guest, offering a clasped fist salute. The two sized each other up for a moment, neither speaking immediately.

Then Ji Wei broke the silence.

“Ginseng is precious, and I can’t accept it without having earned it,” Ji Wei said, holding the box and offering it back to Lin Yaozu.

“I heard you were injured recently, Mr. Ji. I happened to have this old ginseng at home, and it seemed more useful for your recovery than just sitting around.”

“But this is our first meeting, and I have no reason to accept such a gift,” Ji Wei smiled politely, still insisting on returning the box.

“True, this is our first meeting, but it certainly won’t be our last. I’ve come today to discuss something with you—specifically, the matter of selling your cookies on consignment.” Having tested the waters with this initial exchange, Lin Yaozu felt satisfied and got straight to the point.

Ji Wei said nothing, simply stepping aside to invite Lin Yaozu in. He then asked Liu Yimian to use the tea leaves that Lu Yushu had gifted them and brew a pot of tea for their guest.