Chapter 33 - 2#
Chu Yu poured the meringue into the previously prepared batter and stirred it evenly: “The cake I made this morning was just a steamed egg cake; this time’s cake should be even softer.”
Yan Zhi followed him behind to the stove, looking at him admiringly and exclaiming constantly: “Wow… wow wow wow!”
Chu Yu put the batter into the steamer: “By the way, how do you know about ‘cream’?”
“I…” Yan Zhi paused and said embarrassedly, “The Emperor gave me cream puffs and cream cake. Cream puffs are a layer of flour skin on the outside, and inside…”
“I know!” Chu Yu said suddenly, “I know what it is.”
“You know too?” Yan Zhi was confused. “The Emperor said that he’s the only one who has puffs.”
“Of course I know.” Chu Yu patted Yan Zhi’s shoulder. “Good Yan-er, who said only he has cream puffs? Although I can’t afford them, I can make them!”
“Really?”
“It’s not some rare thing. When I make cream puffs, I’ll let you eat your fill at once!”
“Thank you, A-Yu, you’re so good!”
Whether what he said was true or not, Yan Zhi was happy.
He squatted in front of the furnace, concentrating on adding wood and making the furnace burn brightly.
Chu Yu stood by the furnace, observed the batter’s changes for a while, and then covered the lid.
He asked casually: “That Emperor… how many puffs did he give you?”
Yan Zhi blurted out: “Twelve…”
He had remembered everything in his heart. Even if he could forget, it wouldn’t be forgotten so quickly.
“That’s quite a lot.”
“Is it a lot?” Yan Zhi looked up at him nervously. “Are cream puffs expensive?”
“Not really.” Chu Yu said, “What I mean is—”
“You’re so soft-hearted and love puffs so much, yet you still decided to leave the palace. That means the Emperor must have been very bad to you, right?”
“Actually…”
Yan Zhi pursed his lips and lowered his head, staring at the stove fire.
The flames were a bit blinding. As he watched, his eyes couldn’t help but turn red.
“Hey, don’t cry.” Chu Yu saw that he wasn’t quite right and hurriedly squatted beside him. “Isn’t it just a few puffs? Does he want our Yan Zhi to work for him for a lifetime? Absolutely not!”
Yan Zhi blinked and held back his tears.
“He just bullied you on purpose because you didn’t understand. Stop crying; I’ll make puffs for you to eat.”
Yan Zhi sniffed and nodded vigorously: “Mhm.”
*
There was no milk in Shiyan Town.
After working for a whole afternoon, Chu Yu just used oil to fry out “puffs” but didn’t make “cream.”
But Yan Zhi still liked them very much and ate several.
“It’s like crispy biscuits, crispy and crunchy, also very delicious. Adding some bean paste, it’s almost the same as cream puffs.”
“Of course it is.”
The two of them ate the self-made puffs as dinner and continued researching pastries.
Finally, they decided to get up earlier tomorrow, make one more steamer of cake, and set the price the same as brown sugar cakes.
If everyone likes it, they’ll sell more later.
If not, they’ll change the variety.
Anyway, they have two people now, trying one pastry after another; they will eventually find a suitable one.
Moreover, the New Year is approaching, and everyone is more willing to spend money. If they don’t earn now, when will they?
By the brightly burning stove fire, Yan Zhi and Chu Yu gathered together, counting on their fingers and calculating accounts until midnight.
“No, the price for making cake and brown sugar cake is not quite the same; brown sugar is more expensive.”
“Then let’s calculate like this…”
“Forget it, forget it, we can’t calculate it clearly; we’ll know after selling it tomorrow.”
“Mhm.”
The two looked at each other and high-fived with a smile.
Chu Yu said: “After we earn money, we’ll rent a storefront in the market. The outside will be the shop, and the inside will be the kitchen. You sell cakes outside, and I make cakes inside. This way, we don’t have to move things back and forth. If the storefront is larger, we can even live in it, and the house over here can be sold.”
“I’m not selling.” Yan Zhi said. “This is my house; I’m not selling.”
“Keeping it is fine too. After we earn more money, we’ll go to the city to open a pastry shop, and finally go to the capital to open one, and earn a hundred taels, a thousand taels.”
“I also want to earn a lot of money.” Yan Zhi held his face. “A-Yu, where are cream puffs sold? I want to buy them myself to eat.”
“This…” Chu Yu choked for a bit, “We’ll see later; I’ll buy them for you to eat in the future.”
Seeing that it was late and they had to get up early tomorrow, they extinguished the stove fire and prepared to sleep.
Chu Yu escorted Yan Zhi to his house door and watched him go in.
He also cautiously reminded: “Lock your doors and windows when you sleep at night, and call me if anything happens.”
“Okay.”
When Yan Zhi was with Chu Yu, he felt very comfortable and at ease.
As soon as he separated from Chu Yu and stayed alone in the house, he felt a bit scared.
He was afraid the Emperor would descend from the sky, afraid the Emperor’s people would surround his small courtyard.
Yan Zhi led Sugar Cake back to the room and let Sugar Cake sleep by the bedside.
“You should sleep with me; don’t go out.”
“Awoo—”
Yan Zhi took off his outer robe, simply wiped his hands and face, and was about to go to bed.
After lying in the darkness for a while, he was still scared. He simply climbed up, found his bundle, and took out a dagger from it.
Yan Zhi sat on the couch and pulled out the dagger forcefully.
The dagger was sharp. The bright moonlight shone on it, reflecting a cold light that mirrored in his eyes.
Yan Zhi stared fixedly at the dagger. Because of cowardice, he almost couldn’t catch his breath, his chest heaving up and down.
Although Chu Yu repeatedly stated that he wasn’t afraid of being involved, he still couldn’t put Chu Yu in danger.
He could only rely on himself.
Before, he had been hiding from the Emperor, thinking that if the Emperor couldn’t find him, he would eventually give up.
But now, the Emperor was clearly biting on and not letting go; the entire Liang was unsafe.
If the Emperor really came, he would…
Anyway, Yan Zhi put the dagger away and hid it under his pillow.
He lay on his side, curling up, one hand clutching the quilt, one hand holding the dagger handle, having chaotic dreams that were all about the Emperor.
Slowly, slowly, he fell asleep like that.
*
Five days later.
Xiao Cuan led a group of personal guards and arrived at Huai Prefecture.
As five days ago, local officials stood respectfully outside the city gate to welcome them.
“Greetings to Your Majesty!”
Xiao Cuan sat on horseback and also asked them two questions—
“Has the matter of the Empress’s appointment been proclaimed to all under heaven?”
“Has Yan Zhi come to the government to declare his identity?”
The answer of the Huai Prefecture officials was exactly the same as that of the An Prefecture officials.
Xiao Cuan knew they hadn’t found him and didn’t bother to ask more, riding straight into the city.
He couldn’t understand.
Yan Zhi wanted to be the Empress, so he appointed Yan Zhi as the Empress.
Yan Zhi didn’t want him to have a beauty selection, so he stopped the selection.
Yan Zhi wanted him to yield, so he provided a way out.
These matters were what Yan Zhi wanted, and he had done them. Why did Yan Zhi still refuse to appear?
The horse hooves stepped over the stone-paved street unique to the south, making “da-da” crisp sounds.
Xiao Cuan didn’t understand.
Before, when he recruited talents who lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, he only needed to issue an edict and send a few ministers to find them.
Even for talents with full attributes, they wouldn’t fail to appear.
He had already appointed Yan Zhi as the Empress; shouldn’t Yan Zhi return to him joyfully and happily?
Xiao Cuan grabbed the reins and turned his head, looking at the affection panel that floated in the air and was only visible to him.
Ten days had passed since the edict was issued, and ten days had also passed since the messengers set out.
He was sure that the entire Liang knew about Yan Zhi being the Empress.
But Yan Zhi’s affection for him still didn’t move at all.
Instead, that Chu Yu…
Yan Zhi’s affection for him had risen to eighty-nine.
At the top of the “liking stage,” only a tiny bit away, Yan Zhi’s affection for him would be “deep love.”
Deep love…
How could Yan Zhi deeply love others?
Not allowed! Yan Zhi can only love him! Yan Zhi is only allowed to love him!
After so long, Xiao Cuan originally thought he had already been able to view it calmly.
Anyway, while Yan Zhi was outside, he would always get to know people and befriend people.
But now, seeing the bright red characters on the affection panel, he still couldn’t help his anger surging.
Xiao Cuan tightened the reins in his hand; the reins were firmly embedded in the knife cuts he had made on his hands a few days ago to remove calluses.
The wounds split open, the flesh was turned out, blood droplets fell, and merged into the warhorse’s mane.
Xiao Cuan, however, refused to let go, gritting his teeth and pressing the reins deeper.
He had long been used to using pain to maintain calmness and keep his mind clear.
Yan Zhi’s refusal to see him was either because he hadn’t heard the news of the Empress’s appointment or because…
Being the Empress was Yan Zhi’s previous wish.
The current Yan Zhi no longer wants to be the Empress; he doesn’t care for the position of Empress.
No… not right…
Xiao Cuan frowned, unwilling to think carefully about this possibility.
It’s impossible for Yan Zhi to not want to be his Empress.
Even if it’s for the hundred taels of salary as Empress every month, or to stay by his side and continue to eat cream puffs.
Yan Zhi absolutely couldn’t…
On the warhorse, the Emperor’s tall figure swayed almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Cuan almost fell from the horse’s back, but he quickly grabbed the reins and sat firmly again.
He had to think of more ways, think of more ways.
Xiao Cuan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the passing common people.
Huai Prefecture was prosperous, and the streets were bustling with people coming and going.
Seeing a horse team coming, the people withdrew to the roadside to make way for them.
Xiao Cuan closed his eyes for a moment and asked casually: “What day is it today?”
The local official following behind replied: “Replying to Your Majesty, today is the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.”
Xiao Cuan said lightly: “The New Year is approaching.”
“Yes. It’s a southern custom to make glutinous rice cakes and steam fruit cakes, so there are more people on the street.”
“Are the prefectures and counties in the south lively during the New Year?”
The official couldn’t be sure, saying only: “The common people during the New Year worship Buddha, watch flower lanterns, watch acrobatics; it’s still quite lively. But of course, it can’t compare to the capital.”
Xiao Cuan said coldly: “I’ll grant you a favor.”
A crowd of officials hurriedly bowed: “Your Majesty—”
“On New Year’s Eve, let’s have some fireworks in the southern prefectures and counties.”
Yan Zhi loved watching fireworks most; Xiao Cuan didn’t believe he wouldn’t come.