Having decided to make burned fairy grass jelly, she still needed to write to Minzhou to collect the raw materials for it, and have them transported when the tea was sent in spring.

But in Great Jin, there were ice powder grass seeds, and in summer, peddlers made ice powder jelly to sell. Using this as a substitute for burned fairy grass jelly would certainly be no problem.

She rubbed the ice powder into a gel, and after it solidified, cut it into small pieces. Then she added honey beans, roasted and crushed peanuts, raisins, and other ingredients, mixed in some milk tea, and the taste was no worse than the modern burned fairy grass jelly.

These four items instantly conquered the taste buds of Madam Yin and the two sisters.

“Goodness, Sister, you’re truly amazing. Did you learn this in your dream too?” asked Ye Yayin.

“Yes,” Ye Yaming nodded.

Madam Yin lowered her voice and asked Ye Yaming: “If this is taught by immortals…” she pointed to the sky, “would those above mind?”

After all, Princess Imperial Yü’an had also asked her this question during their casual conversation.

Ye Yaming smiled: “It’s fine.”

When she initially let Master Zhinen and Princess Imperial Yüning, and others know about this claim, she had considered the consequences if this rumor reached the Emperor’s ears.

If it were other skills, perhaps it would be taboo, directly leading to the Emperor having her eliminated. Mortal emperors didn’t allow the existence of “immortals,” beings nobler than themselves.

But her skill was just growing tea, processing tea, and opening teahouses, similar to a weaving girl—even if she descended to earth, she could only weave brocade, not usurp the Emperor’s position.

Moreover, the appearance of someone like her could satisfy the Emperor’s vanity—a sign of heavenly blessing and a flourishing age. This was an honor that only the greatest emperors in history could claim. What other emperor could surpass him?

Therefore, she allowed such rumors to spread from Master Zhinen’s mouth to Princess Imperial Yüning’s ears, and then from Princess Imperial Yüning to the aristocratic circles of the Capital.

And given the speed at which gossip spread at year-end banquets, she thought that perhaps after the New Year, this rumor would reach the ears of the Emperor and the common people of the Capital.

Ye Yayin and Ye Yayu didn’t think that far ahead. The two young ladies whispered among themselves for a while, then Ye Yayin asked: “Sister, can our shop sell these too?”

Although their pastry shop had opened, it was small with no space to sell these items, but they could move to a different location.

Ye Yaming shook her head: “Mother’s shop has Princess Imperial Yü’an as a shareholder, so it can’t be of low quality. These milk tea items are very special, and the prices will be set quite high, essentially serving only noble ladies and women. Your shop doesn’t have such backing, and if the profits are too high, it will attract others’ covetousness and create many troubles.”

“Then forget it,” Ye Yayin quickly said.

She and Ye Yayu were often taken out by their governess and understood the dangers of the world. Although her sister had married into the Xuanwu Marquis’s Manor, the Ye family was still a merchant family.

If some powerful family in the Capital took an interest in her shop and wanted to partner with her, should she refuse or not? Either way, it would cause big trouble for her sister.

Ye Yaming took the opportunity to guide her: “Eat according to the size of your bowl. The money in this world is endless. Before we do anything, we must consider whether we can bear the consequences. Don’t just look at the profits; think about the risks too.”

Ye Yayin accepted the lesson: “I understand.”

Ye Yayu also nodded.

Ye Yaming said to Madam Yin: “Let’s start with these five items. We can gradually increase later, adding two new products each month, so customers can maintain a sense of freshness.”

Last year she had provided ideas, and some clever craftsmen had finally figured out how to make a cream separator. Cream was now used in the Western pastries at the teahouse.

However, to maintain the uniqueness of the teahouse’s pastries, cream-based Western desserts would not appear in Madam Yin’s shop. But milk-topped tea was acceptable. Additionally, drinks like honey citron tea, mango pomelo sago, and other beverages could be offered.

In ancient times, transportation was difficult, and tropical fruits couldn’t be brought to the Capital. She could adapt these drinks according to local conditions, eventually providing at least ten different beverages in Madam Yin’s pastry shop.

…

Madam Yin now had her servants, purchased and trained with the income from the Lin’an pastry shop with Ye Yaming’s help. Ye Yaming had specifically asked Qi Ji to speak with a clerk at the Lin’an prefectural office, adding a dowry list to Madam Yin’s household registration documents.

This dowry list included shops, as well as an estate that Ye Hongsheng, Ye Yaming, and Ye Yayin had pooled money to buy for her, along with the names of these servants.

This was a woman’s foundation for living in this ancient world. In the future, even if there were major changes, such as Ye Hongsheng divorcing her and remarrying, Madam Yin could still live well with this dowry.

In the past two years, as Ye Yaming’s influence in the Ye family grew stronger and the second branch’s private property increased, the attitude toward Madam Yin from the household, clan, and acquainted families had changed significantly. Besides being highly respected, she now had a voice in the inner household, and sometimes her words carried even more weight than Madam Tao’s.

Now with this dowry list, Madam Yin’s confidence was even stronger, and she stood with an even straighter spine.

One’s surroundings change one’s body, and one’s nurturing changes one’s spirit. Madam Yin was no longer the same as when Ye Yaming had first transmigrated.

Now she could sit with Princess Imperial Yü’an to discuss opening a shop, and often it was she who did most of the talking while Princess Imperial Yü’an sat there listening with an admiring expression, which further filled her with confidence.

Therefore, when the pastry shop opened, Ye Yaming had Madam Yin accompany Princess Imperial Yü’an to receive people from the noble ladies’ circle. She only went once as a guest with Princess Imperial Yüning, ate pastries once, and then returned home, not interfering in the pastry shop’s affairs.

“Goodness, do you know how much the shop earned today?” Madam Yin returned home in the early evening and immediately exclaimed to Ye Hongsheng.

Ye Hongsheng had just returned from the teahouse. As he changed his clothes, he asked casually: “How much?”

“One thousand four hundred and eighty taels.”

Even though Ye Hongsheng’s teahouse had a considerable daily income, he was startled by this figure: “Why so much?”

“Because the pricing is expensive,” Madam Yin marveled at how ruthlessly her daughter set prices.

“The pastries are a bit more expensive than those in Lin’an City, which is not worth mentioning. But the milk tea, yogurt, ginger milk curd, double-skin milk, and burned fairy grass jelly are all one tael of silver per serving. After tasting our pastries, customers always want to take some away. People who enter the shop can’t leave without spending a dozen or twenty taels of silver. There were quite a few people who came to support us today, so the earnings were high.”

Ancient times were different from modern times. Ye Yaming didn’t recommend discount promotions. Therefore, whether it was the teahouse’s opening or the pastry shop’s opening, customers were rewarded through free gifts.

If you bought a cake, you received a small portion of cookies; if you purchased a membership card, you received several servings of black tea and Tieguanyin. This way, customers wouldn’t always compare discount prices with original prices, and they were delighted to receive gifts.

“Tomorrow’s earnings will drop,” Ye Hongsheng reminded his wife, concerned that her expectations for the shop might be too high.