Chapter 6: Vegetarian Buns—Not Tasty and Not Profitable, So Why Make Them?
The three of them quickly returned to the shop.
Yihuan noticed that Ah-miao had already repaired the wooden doors on the first floor and even prepared a brass lock. She felt a surge of relief and pride.
She smiled and said, “Ah-miao is getting more and more capable.”
Ah-miao blushed with embarrassment. “Thank you for the compliment, Miss.”
Yihuan continued, “In a bit, take Yiran out for some food and then rest early. Tomorrow morning, we’re setting up a stall.”
Ah-miao froze. “Set… up a stall?”
She was astonished. “But we don’t have any stock yet. What are we going to sell, Miss?”
Yihuan chuckled. “We’re going to sell breakfast. Didn’t you hear the noodle stall owner today? There are many people passing through the East Market early in the morning. We’ll try our luck there tomorrow.”
Ah-miao nodded hesitantly, unsure but trusting Yihuan. However, recalling that her mistress had never cooked before, she asked, “Then… what are we going to sell for breakfast? I can knead dough… or make buns…”
She tilted her head thoughtfully, trying to recall her culinary skills.
Yihuan’s smile deepened. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll sell donuts.”
Lin Yiran, overhearing this, became excited. “Sister, I want donuts too!”
Yihuan patted his head. “Alright. But after you’re full, you’ll help Sister sell them, okay?”
Lin Yiran hesitated. “But… but I don’t know how to sell… and I don’t want to go.”
Although clever, Lin Yiran frowned at the idea of going out to sell things on the street—it felt embarrassing. Naturally, he was unwilling.
“No one is born knowing how to do something; we all learn step by step. Besides, if we all just stay home, we’ll have nothing to eat but the cold northwest wind. Be brave and work hard with Sister, alright?”
Lin Yiran nodded silently, though reluctantly.
*****
Once she had settled the two of them, Yihuan went to the small kitchen on the second floor.
She carried up the ingredients she had bought from Qingmu Zhai, then began planning how to make the donuts.
In modern dessert-making, precise measurements of ingredients are crucial. For example, to make donuts, every 150 grams of milk requires 4 grams of yeast. Too much yeast would make the dough overly fermented and sour, rendering it inedible.
She took out the food scale she had purchased from Qingmu Zhai and carefully measured everything.
Meanwhile, Lin Yiran and Ah-miao were peeking in from outside the kitchen door.
“Why is Sister picking up a handful of ash?” Lin Yiran asked curiously.
Ah-miao shook her head. Most of the ingredients and tools Yihuan had bought were things she’d never seen before.
“Master Lin,” Ah-miao said, “I’m going to buy some food for us.”
Lin Yiran nodded and continued watching Yihuan work with fascination.
Yihuan poured the carefully measured yeast into the milk. The grayish-brown yeast powder spread over the white milk and quickly dissolved.
Next, she added flour to a large bowl, cracked an egg into it, and began mixing them together. The egg yolk and flour seemed shy at first, but they gradually blended into each other.
Then she poured the milk mixed with yeast into the flour and egg mixture and stirred it slowly with chopsticks.
At first, the mixture was clumpy, but with her patience, it became smooth and soft. She switched to kneading it with her hands, not worrying about making the dough completely smooth on the first attempt.
Once the dough was partially kneaded, she drizzled a bit of oil on it and continued working it.
Her sleeves were rolled up high, revealing her slender, pale wrists. Her movements were skilled as she worked the oil evenly into the dough. Lin Yiran couldn’t resist running up to the counter, clutching its edge as he stared in amazement.
After kneading the dough a second time, Yihuan placed it into a bowl, covered it, and left it to rise. The dough would need about an hour to ferment.
Seeing Lin Yiran’s earnest expression, she teased him, “Is it fun to watch?”
Lin Yiran nodded and furrowed his small brows. “Sister, when did you learn to knead dough?”
“I saw the kitchen maid do it and learned from watching,” Yihuan lied smoothly.
Lin Yiran’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Sister, you’re amazing!”
After their family’s fall from grace, only Yihuan remained to care for him, and his fondness for her deepened every day.
Just then, Ah-miao returned and called up from the first floor, “Miss, Master Lin, I bought vegetarian buns. Please come downstairs to eat.”
Yihuan brought Lin Yiran downstairs as the second-floor kitchen was small and had no proper seating, making it inconvenient for meals.
On the table were vegetarian buns wrapped in something resembling parchment paper. The paper wasn’t greasy, and Yihuan thought it might be a good option for packaging takeout food in the future.
She gently unwrapped the paper, revealing the plain white buns inside.
Yihuan handed one to Lin Yiran and another to Ah-miao, then broke off a small piece for herself.
She first sniffed the bun, finding it almost devoid of aroma—entirely unappetizing. Then she took a bite and chewed slowly.
As expected, the bun was utterly bland. It wasn’t sweet, nor was it savory—just the dull taste of steamed flour. The texture was dry and crumbly, unpleasant to eat.
Disappointed, Yihuan asked, “Where did you buy these buns?”
Ah-miao replied, “From Hu’s Bakery across the street… I wanted to save some money, so I bought the cheapest vegetarian buns. Miss, do you think they’re bad?”
Feeling a little guilty, Ah-miao added, “If I’d known, I would have spent more on better ones. Miss and Master Lin aren’t used to eating such coarse food.”
Yihuan shook her head. “It’s alright… I can eat anything, no matter how bad it is.”
Back when she was learning to cook, her teacher had insisted that she eat every failed dish she made.
This habit forced her to analyze why something went wrong and how to improve it next time. As a result, she developed the ability to critically evaluate every dish she ate, identifying its strengths and weaknesses.
Now that she was planning to run her own shop, she also started thinking about the business side of food.
“I’m wondering,” Yihuan murmured, “why they make these vegetarian buns. They’re not tasty enough to build a good reputation for the shop, and they’re sold so cheaply that the profit margin must be minimal. Why would the bakery bother making them?”
Ah-miao said, “I thought the same thing. When I was there, I saw a lot of people buying these buns—mostly the workers, errand boys, and blacksmith apprentices from the area. They were all men.”
Yihuan paused, then her eyes lit up with realization. “I understand now!”
Translator’s Note: Hey guys, I hope you like the story so far. More Yummy Chapters are on the way. Till then Please do Comment and save it to your reading list.
