TATSD Chapter 99

As soon as Ji Wei’s voice reached the carriage, Old Master Zhang stroked his white beard with a smile. “Old Zheng, it seems fate has brought you two together. Since you’ve crossed paths, why not sit down for a chat?”

With that, he lifted the carriage curtain and waved to Ji Wei with a grin. “It’s me, Ji Wei. Care to hop in?”

Ji Wei was already planning to visit him, so with this unexpected meeting, he had no reason to decline. He leaped up to sit beside the driver, clasped his hands respectfully, and said, “Greetings, sir. Thank you for the gift.”

“The gift came from me, so why only thank him?” Old Master Zhang squinted playfully.

“I’m grateful for your generosity, Master Zhang. I came to deliver a gift in return.” Ji Wei lifted the box he was carrying, presenting it to the old master, who paused, surprised. Realizing this encounter wasn’t a coincidence, he laughed heartily, slapping his thigh.

“Old Zheng, looks like you’ve got some luck today!”

At that, Zheng Yi looked puzzled until prompted by Old Master Zhang, he opened the box and immediately widened his eyes—not because of the shape of the contents, but due to the rich coconut aroma wafting out. He had just come from the land of coconuts, so he could easily recognize it.

As a seasoned trader who had traveled far and wide, Zheng Yi had seen much, even more than Old Master Zhang. But now, as he gazed at the coconut tarts in the box, he found himself marveling. He picked one up and examined it. “You’re a talented young man. I’ve traveled from the South to the North and never seen anything like this. What is it?”

“It’s called coconut tart. I just thought of it on the spot and baked it. It’s still warm; why don’t you both give it a try?” Ji Wei gestured invitingly, his gaze meeting Zheng Yi’s look of curiosity, his confidence evident.

This confidence came from his twenty years of meticulous honing in his past life.

“Well, don’t mind if I do!” Old Master Zhang didn’t hesitate. Before Zheng Yi could react, he grabbed a tart and bit in.

At first, he worried it might be as hard as a cookie. But as soon as he bit down, he found it soft and sweet, nothing like a cookie at all.

“This flavor…” He took another bite, savoring it.

After Zheng Yi had gifted him the coconut, Old Master Zhang had cracked open a few and drank the juice, so he was somewhat familiar with the taste. But with this tart, the familiar flavor came concentrated, filling his mouth, and making him sigh in satisfaction.

“What’s wrong, Master Zhang? Not satisfied with it?” Ji Wei raised an eyebrow.

Normally, Old Master Zhang loved any sweets Ji Wei brought him, so his expression now was puzzling.

Zheng Yi, noticing his friend’s reaction, took a few bites himself and let out a sigh as well.

Now Ji Wei was really confused, frowning as he waited for the two older men to explain.

“We’re just getting old,” Zheng Yi chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at his friend.

After decades of friendship, Old Master Zhang immediately understood his meaning.

Combined, they were over a century old, yet this young man beside them, barely twenty, had so much talent and creativity. Coconuts were rare in this little town of Changliu, and yet Ji Wei had figured out how to make something like this so quickly. How could they not be impressed?

“It’s wonderful, and so are you.” Old Master Zhang’s face softened with a warm smile, his wrinkles relaxing. “This scent, I daresay, is even richer than that of Yuewangtou. What did you do, Ji Wei?”

“Yuewangtou?” Ji Wei repeated, looking away as he chuckled softly. It seemed that was what coconuts were called here. How interesting.

“Nothing too complicated,” he replied. “I just used the coconut flesh and juice, processed them a bit, and it became this tart. I’m glad you both like it. I still have quite a bit of Yuewangtou at home. I’ll send more to your estate sometime.”

Zheng Yi’s eyes brightened. “I’ve never seen anything like this elsewhere. My friend here had told me about your pastry skills, but it seems you’ve truly mastered an art of your own. Such talent is wasted here.”

Old Master Zhang huffed. “I understand what you’re implying, but how can a young man go far without solid foundations?”

The two older men discussed his future as if he weren’t there, but Ji Wei wasn’t oblivious. He had thought about this, too.

Just as Old Master Zhang said, he had no real foundation here. Leaving Changliu would be challenging, but with Zhang’s family supporting him, it might speed things up.

When their conversation reached a pause, Ji Wei asked, “By the way, Mr. Zheng, how many Yuewangtou did you bring this time?”

As a merchant who traveled around, Zheng Yi carried various goods to sell. Since he had gifted some coconuts to Old Master Zhang, he must have more in his stock.

In these ancient times, transport was slow and limited, so going to Yanzhou, the far southern coast, for coconuts was nearly impossible. If he wanted more, Zheng Yi was his best bet.

It wasn’t that Ji Wei had to make coconut treats, but with the rarity and unique flavor of coconuts, he didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

“A few hundred, at least. Are you interested?” Zheng Yi straightened, eyes gleaming as he looked intently at Ji Wei.

Ji Wei smiled. “Well, gentlemen, the coconut meat in these tarts came from that Yuewangtou. The flavor after roasting is far richer. So, it’s not just about my interest; it’s also up to Master Zhang.”

Zheng Yi’s gaze shifted to his friend, who coughed lightly, chuckling. “You sly one, pushing everything onto an old man, are you?”

Old Master Zhang hadn’t mentioned his arrangement with Ji Wei to Zheng Yi, so he explained, “My arrangement with Ji Wei is simple: I purchase ingredients for him, and he does the baking.”

Zheng Yi nodded. “That simplifies things, then. I’ll let you buy them all; that saves me a trip! This batch of Yuewangtou is freshly harvested, and they’ll stay good for a while.”

“You…” Elder Zhang chuckled, “Let’s discuss this later. We need to carefully calculate everything before making any hasty decisions.”

The carriage made a round through the streets and stopped outside the inn where Zheng Yi was staying. After bidding him farewell, Elder Zhang and Ji Wei returned to the Zhang household in the carriage, ready to discuss the details regarding Zheng Yi’s batch of coconuts.

Since this was a perishable stock, using it needed careful planning to avoid waste due to spoilage over time. Elder Zhang inquired about Ji Wei’s coconut tart recipe and initially thought to purchase only half of the coconuts, just to be cautious. Though he and Zheng Yi were old friends, they were also businessmen, and profit was always paramount.

However, after Ji Wei explained that turning the coconuts into shredded coconut would extend their shelf life, Elder Zhang decisively decided to buy the entire stock from Zheng Yi at their next meeting. The coconut tarts alone would bring in a guaranteed profit!

But with a limited coconut supply, the tarts couldn’t be made a regular shop item. Ji Wei and Elder Zhang agreed to market them as luxury treats to wealthy households, similar to the gift-wrapped mooncakes they’d once sold. These upper-class customers didn’t lack money; they craved novelty.

Ji Wei’s pastries were unlike anything else in this world. With a bit of packaging, they could stir up just as much excitement as the mooncake gift boxes had.

The two exchanged satisfied smiles, both envisioning a bright future.

“But the artist who previously did my designs has gone to study at the county academy, so I’ll need to find someone new, which might take some time.” The gift boxes needed custom designs and printing to attract elite clients.

“Don’t forget about me.” Elder Zhang stroked his beard, smiling. “I’ll take care of finding someone. Once you finalize the design, I’ll arrange for Jun Qi to expedite the printing.”

Previously, selling the mooncakes required a lot of groundwork to get them noticed, but with the market already set, selling these coconut tarts would be far easier.

With the details sorted out, Ji Wei took his leave.

“I’m innocent!”

Since the group had gone to the headmaster’s cottage en masse and come out again, Zhang Xiaoman had cried out to the sky in despair and collapsed to the ground in tears.

On their way to find the headmaster, they encountered Liu Chengyin, Chen Peizhi, and others returning from outside. They immediately questioned them and dragged Zhang Xiaoman to see the headmaster. Liu Yimian and the others explained the situation, while Chen Peizhi exaggerated the story, adding enough flourishes to make it sound like he’d witnessed it firsthand. This enraged the headmaster, who declared Zhang Xiaoman guilty of corrupting the academy’s morals and unfit to stay.

If it weren’t for Lu Yushu stepping in and vowing to find the real culprit, Zhang Xiaoman would no longer be a student at the academy.

Even so, Zhang Xiaoman felt hopeless. The suspicion and hostility from everyone weighed heavily on him until he finally passed out.

Liu Yimian sat by the bed, watching Zhang Xiaoman’s pale and frail face, and sighed softly.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Tai asked, looking equally troubled.

They’d argued fiercely with Chen Peizhi and others in front of the headmaster, and while it seemed they had the upper hand for now if the real thief wasn’t found, Zhang Xiaoman would still be expelled.

“I believe Xiaoman. He’s not the kind to do something like this.” After the argument, Liu Yimian calmed down. Thinking back on Zhang Xiaoman’s usual behavior, he knew it couldn’t be him.

“I don’t believe it either!” Lin Tai muttered with a frown. “If he did it, then pigs could fly.”

Normally, this would have made Ji Baoshan and Zhao Mian laugh, but the seriousness of the situation left no room for humor.

“What do you plan to do?” Lu Yushu asked, calmly holding a paper fan. His gaze was steady on Liu Yimian, and he slowly opened the fan, revealing a bamboo painting.

“Lin Tai, could you lend me some silver?” Liu Yimian asked suddenly.

“Of course! How much do you need?” Lin Tai agreed instantly. “I only have a bit over two taels, but if it’s not enough, I can go home to get more!”

“No need. I have some,” Lu Yushu said with a smile.

“Two taels will be plenty.” Liu Yimian sighed softly. Under their watchful gaze, Zhang Xiaoman slowly opened his eyes.

“It’ll just require Xiaoman to bear with this for a few more days.”