Before Nanny Li could even touch the pastries, Lüdou caught her hand.
“Nanny, have this one!”
Lüdou handed her the slightly larger piece.
She herself picked up the smallest pastry.
Nanny Li froze.
So she had misjudged!
Nanny Li exchanged the pastry in her hand with the one in Lüdou’s.
“The Princess wants you to have a good taste. Once you learn, you’ll need to help her make more to earn silver.”
Nanny Li already knew that Duoduo had bought a shop, and it was registered under Lüdou’s name.
Duoduo was counting on that shop to bring in more income.
Nanny Li understood well that a girl’s dowry relied most on the earnings from such shops.
If Lüdou could run a thriving shop, then the Princess would have security!
Seeing Lüdou hesitate, Nanny Li took a small bite of her own pastry first.
“I’m old, and my stomach is weak. I can’t eat much.”
“Just this small piece to taste is already a blessing from the Princess!”
Seeing that Nanny Li wasn’t upset, Lüdou grinned broadly.
“Then, Nanny, I won’t hold back!”
“Mm, even if you wanted to be polite, you can’t—I’ve already eaten mine.” Nanny Li made a rare joke.
Duoduo watched them pushing things back and forth with a smile.
She loved this atmosphere.
Harmonious, caring, warm.
Lüdou took a careful bite.
“Wow—this pastry is deep-fried.” She immediately tasted the oil.
Duoduo nodded.
“Probably to set the shape of the petals.” Duoduo examined the pastry in her hand closely.
Lüdou agreed with a nod.
“Princess, this chrysanthemum pastry is also filled with chrysanthemum filling inside.”
“So it has a strong chrysanthemum fragrance.”
Duoduo was puzzled. “How did they make it so golden yellow?”
“There’s a food coloring that’s dissolved in water and mixed into the dough.”
“Then, after deep-frying, the yellow becomes even more vivid.”
Nanny Li, having spent a long time in the palace, knew a thing or two.
“Nanny, if it weren’t deep-fried, would it still turn golden?”
Where there was something she didn’t know, Lüdou wasn’t afraid to ask.
Nanny Li paused, then shook her head.
“That, I don’t know.”
“Pastries that are fried are more fragrant and appetizing.”
“If you want to find out, you can try it later.”
Lüdou nodded at her words. “Fried things keep well, but the cost is too high.”
“Also, when it’s hot, they easily go bad.”
Nanny Li chuckled.
“In the Imperial Kitchen, pastries are portioned out to each palace.”
“Every palace only gets a few, so there’s never any left.”
“The mistress eats some, and the rest are given to the servants.”
“When it comes to such delicious treats, the servants rarely get a single crumb, so your concerns don’t apply.”
Lüdou smiled sheepishly.
“Nanny, I was just thinking—if the shop sells these, how should we handle it?”
Beside them, Duoduo’s mind flashed with an idea as she listened to Nanny Li.
“Nanny, you said these pastries are all portioned by quota?”
Nanny Li nodded. “Yes, Princess.”
“But the Imperial Kitchen always makes a few extra, in case some come out imperfect.”
Duoduo blinked.
Xiao Che was a neglected prince, so he would never be allocated these pastries automatically.
So, these pastries…
Had Xiao Che bought them with silver?
“Nanny, can you buy pastries from the Imperial Kitchen?” Duoduo asked, eager to learn.
Nanny Li nodded again. “Yes, Princess.”
“As long as it’s not specifically reserved for someone above, anything can be bought with silver.”
“It’s one of their ways to make money.”
Duoduo’s eyes glimmered.
“Then, Nanny, how much silver do you think these pastries cost?”
Nanny Li made a rough estimate.
“At least forty to fifty taels, I’d say.”
“What? That expensive?” Lüdou and Duoduo exclaimed at the same time.
Seeing them both with mouths wide open and eyes round, Nanny Li couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s how it is with palace items.”
“Such delicate things are only eaten by favored mistresses or the Emperor himself.”
“So, naturally, they’re sold at a high price.”
Lüdou clicked her tongue.
“Things in the palace are way too expensive!”
“A basket like this would only cost a few taels outside.”
“No wonder people always said silver in the palace is worth nothing!”
Nanny Li agreed. “That’s why everyone in the palace tries every way to find sources of money.”
“Because here, aside from a mistress’s favor, silver is the only foundation you can rely on.”
“Money makes the world go round—nowhere is that more true than here.”
Beside them, Duoduo was lost in thought.
“Lüdou, what if we released one new item every month, branded it as ‘palace-style,’ and raised the price?”
“And kept the quantity limited—only selling a set number each day until they’re gone?”
“This is what the teacher taught—‘limited-supply hunger marketing’! Exactly that!”
“What do you think?” Duoduo turned to Lüdou.
Lüdou thought for a moment, then lifted her head.
“Princess, you’re brilliant!”
“This could become the shop’s gimmick! Yes, Master Li used that word: gimmick!”
“Then loads of people will scramble to get a taste!”
Lüdou could already picture the shop surrounded by crowds.
She trembled with excitement.
Duoduo smiled brightly.
“Then, from now on, we’ll share these pastries like this.”
“Lüdou, the heaviest task falls on you!” Duoduo cut off Lüdou’s protests before they began.
“You’ll only have one chance with these pastries.”
“After you taste them, you need to be able to replicate them.”
“So you must remember not only how they look but also guess the recipe and method.”
“Meanwhile, Nanny will remember the texture, and I’ll help Lüdou keep track of every detail.”
Hearing Duoduo’s plan, both Lüdou and Nanny Li forgot their objections and began focusing on their tasks.
Duoduo, meanwhile, was already thinking of ways to get Xiao Che to buy her some pastries of different flavors.
While they still had time, she wanted to expose Lüdou to more techniques to improve her skills.
Her thoughts wandered further.
Since Xiao Che already knew about her situation, everyone at the study must know too.
She wondered if the Grand Tutor would still allow her to study there after all this.
Before, she had been reluctant to attend; now, she felt reluctant to leave.
