Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 343 Miss Shen, I'll trouble you with the cakes for Wanshouzhang this year

Ci'en pondered for a moment and said: "Lotus, peony, peach blossom, chrysanthemum, etc. are all good. When the time comes, I will give them to the people. They will definitely be happy."

"The flower basket-like flower cake you made last time, if you take out the flowers from it and make them into individual flowers, wouldn't that make small pieces of cake?"

"As for the flower cake, just make it the same as the one the county magistrate brought. It would be even better if the flowers were more numerous and bigger."

Shen Yu understood immediately after hearing this. This abbot didn’t know how to make cakes at all. He just thought that the flower cake looked good.”

"She felt it was hard to explain, so she asked, "Master Ci'en, it's not difficult to make a bigger flower cake with more flowers. All you need is a big pot, stove and steamer."

"But speaking of cakes, have you ever tasted the flowers in that flower cake?"

Ci En was stunned and shook her head. "I ate the piece they cut and gave to me. It was a piece under the flower basket. It was sweet and soft, and the filling was red bean paste."

Wen Yuan said, "I've eaten the turmeric flowers in the flower cake. They taste like pasta, with thin petals. They taste like gluten cakes, and are quite chewy, but not soft at all."

Shen Yu nodded: "Master Wen Yuan is right. The flowers in the flower cakes look real, but they don't taste as good as cakes with fillings."

"If you really make cakes in the shape of flowers like this, people will say that the cakes in the temple this year don't look like baked cakes, but more like gluten cakes. They only look good, but not delicious enough."

Ci'en's originally peaceful face was rippled, and her gray eyebrows were wrinkled.

He asked puzzledly: "Is there no cake that is both delicious and beautiful?"

"I originally thought that during the annual blessing ceremony, since our temple is in the county town and people are willing to come here and donate a lot of money, we should get some delicious cakes to eat."

“But the cakes we distribute every year are always criticized. Is there no way to improve it?”

Wen Yuan saw that his master was anxious, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, and said hesitantly: "Master, don't worry, how about I go to the pastry shop and take a closer look at the pastries made by others."

"I will make delicious cakes this year so as not to embarrass you, old man."

Shen Yu listened and thought for a moment before coming up with an idea.

She said calmly, "Master Ci'en, I can make a kind of flower-shaped pastry that looks like flowers, but not as much as the ones on the flower cakes."

"It has a crispy crust, sweet fillings, and comes in a variety of colors and shapes, so it can be made into a variety of patterns."

"If it is placed in front of the altar in the main hall, it won't be like the dough flower cakes that cannot be exposed to the wind."

"In this weather, even if it's left out for a whole day, it won't lose its shape or taste. Do you think this is okay?"

Ci'en was very disappointed when she heard Shen Yu say that the flowers on the flower cakes tasted average and were not suitable for making small pieces for distribution.

Hearing Shen Yu say this, her face was full of smiles: "Really? Oh my, Miss Shen, you should have said it earlier."

Ci'en didn't want to delay for a moment, and immediately asked repeatedly: "Is this flower cake easy to make? What ingredients are needed? Go to the kitchen and take a look. If there is anything missing, ask someone to buy it immediately."

Shen Yu continued, "It's not difficult to make shortbread, but if you want it to look good, it still takes some effort. I wonder how many shortbreads you need to make?"

As the abbot, Ci'en had no idea about the specific details such as how many cakes and pastries would be needed. He only knew that there would be enough cakes and pastries there and he could just distribute them with a smile.

He looked at Wen Yuan inquiringly.

Wen Yuan hurriedly said, "Many people came to receive cakes and pastries during the Wanshou Festival."

"The Dharma Assembly will be held for three days in total, and I need to prepare about 700 to 800 yuan a day. It will be less in the first two days, and the most on the last day will be over a thousand yuan."

"Eating the cakes and pastries offered to you can bring you peace and happiness. Who among the common people wouldn't want to eat a few more?"

Shen Yu was stunned for a moment!

No wonder Wen Yuan’s pastries can only be made in the simplest ways!

No wonder I can’t order it from a bakery!

With such a large quantity and complicated patterns to be made, it would be impossible to make it all in one go if you were to slowly bake it in an oven.

It's impossible to have so much to do while looking good?

Wen Yuan saw Shen Yu's face change, and hurriedly comforted her: "Miss Shen, don't worry, every year on the Wanshou Festival, everyone works together to make cakes overnight."

"There are three or four people in our dining hall who can make cakes and pastries. We will ask them to help you. You won't have to do it alone."

Ci'en was also a little stunned. He said awkwardly, "So it takes so much, Wenyuan, why didn't you tell me before?"

Wen Yuan smiled naively: "Master is very busy during the Wanshou Festival every year, how can I bother you with such a small matter."

Ci'en suddenly thought of something and said angrily, "Ci Jing, that old fellow, his Guangji Temple has a small building and is built on a mountain, so not many pilgrims come every year."

"That's why we don't use that many cakes every year. Only in this way can we make them with great care."

"He also laughed at me, saying that the cakes I prepared every year were always shoddy and not as good as his."

"If he has to prepare so much every year, can he still say such things? I will have a good talk with him when I see him again in a few days."

Although Ci'en is old and is the abbot, all affairs in the temple have always been going smoothly and he doesn't need to worry too much, so he has not developed the kind of worldly-wise, deep and capable character.

Although he has been the abbot for many years, he still says whatever he thinks and is straightforward, like an old naughty boy.

When he thought of how his junior fellow student always laughed at him, he complained angrily like a child who had suffered a wrong.

Wen Yuan looked at Chu Xu and Shen Yu who were present and felt a little embarrassed.

Shen Yu and Chu Xu had no choice but to lower their eyes and study the pattern on the water cup on the table seriously.

After Ci'en spoke for a while, he realized that no one present was speaking and no one responded to his words.

He didn't think much of it, and instead said with a smile, "Miss Shen, I'll trouble you with the cakes for this year's Wanshou Festival."

"It must be better than Guangji Temple. If you need any ingredients or manpower, just ask Wen Yuan."

After he finished his instructions, he said without thinking, "If you are really too busy, I will come and help you."

"I'm still busy over there, so I'll leave first. If there's anything, send someone to call me."

After Ci'en finished speaking, he adjusted his monk's robes in a casual manner and left.

Shen Yu was stunned and muttered to himself: "If my mother and the others saw the abbot's current state, I wonder if they would still miss him so much."