Qi Sanshun raised his hand to scratch his head but, seeing the dinner table in front of him, put his hand back down and frowned in thought before saying, "I can’t quite explain it, but this cake has a different kind of sweet fragrance, and it looks fluffier too."
Qi Sanshun spoke without much confidence, yet Ye Xinyan listened with great satisfaction, "You’re pretty impressive, kid," she said. "After dinner, your cousin will take a big piece of cake back for you as a reward."
Qi Younian was familiar with cake but, lacking a child’s sensitivity, couldn’t tell how this one differed from those of the past. He knew, however, that it must have been made with the ... whipped cream that Ye Xinyan had skimmed from the sour cow’s milk.
The cake was about the size of a modern eight-inch cake, and Ye Xinyan, using a thin-bladed knife, cut a slice for everyone, giving slightly larger pieces to Qi Jia and Qi Sanshun. Qi Yougui and Qi Younian, being older and as it was nighttime, only received a small slice, about two bites’ worth, just enough to taste it.
Qi Yougui pointed to the extremely tiny piece of cake on the small plate in front of him and said to Qi Younian with a smile, "This old chap indeed benefits from Sanshun’s luck, only getting such a tiny bite of this exquisite food."
"That’s not it, Great Uncle. This thing is quite sweet and rich," Ye Xinyan quickly explained. "I was afraid that if you ate this, you wouldn’t be able to eat your meal, so I didn’t give you more. After dinner, I’ll take some back for you and Great Aunt to have for breakfast tomorrow."
"But cousin, what about my big piece?"
Qi Sanshun hurriedly reminded Ye Xinyan, but was smacked on the back of the head by Qi Yougui, "How can you be so rude? You actually have the audacity to ask your sister for treats."
Qi Younian laughed and blocked Qi Yougui’s hand, "We’re all family here, and it’s just a matter between the kids—big brother, don’t interfere. Let’s try Ye Zi’s new-style cake first. The ingredients for this cake are different from the usual, and it’s our first time tasting it."
In this era, there were no forks, so Qi Yougui picked up his chopsticks, took a small piece of cake, and put it in his mouth. In the moment he chewed, he was immediately stunned by the rich taste that filled his mouth. He had not expected such deliciousness to exist in the world, nor could he find the words to describe the taste. He felt that as soon as the cake touched his mouth, its rich flavor spread into every nook and cranny between his lips and teeth.
He chewed slowly, almost reluctantly, on the delectable bite that hardly required chewing, attempting to make the extraordinary flavor linger in his mouth a bit longer so he could remember this unprecedented delicacy.
Qi Younian followed suit and ate a small piece; as soon as the cake entered his mouth, he was greeted with a mouthful of fluffy, tender sweetness and a rich fragrance.
Qi Younian looked at Ye Xinyan in amazement. Was this the cake they had thought was made from spoilt ingredients? It was incredibly delicious.
After completing the roughly eight-inch round cake, Ye Xinyan had only smelled the cream’s aroma and observed the unusual softness and golden-yellow color of the cake; she had not actually tasted it.
This was her first time tasting her own whipped cream cake in this era. She had to admit, a cake made with whipped cream instead of cow’s milk and vegetable oil was different from one made by replacing vegetable oil with butter. The former was richer and more flavorful, without the greasiness of butter, somewhat akin to a cheesecake, perhaps even more delicious.
Ye Xinyan was extremely satisfied inside and nodded at her grandfather with a smile. Yes, this was the cake made with cultured whipped cream. This was just whipped cream—if she could refine it into light cream to make even more aromatic and beautifully decorated cake frosting, that would indeed be amazing.
Nanny Jin wasn’t focused on tasting the cream cake; she was looking after the two youngsters, repeatedly telling Qi Jia and Qi Sanshun, "Eat slowly, eat slowly, we still have a big piece set aside for you. Even if this is finished, we can always ask your sister to make more for you two..."
By this time, Qi Yougui had swallowed the cake in his mouth. While savoring the aftertaste of deliciousness, he said, "Second Brother, is this dessert from your snack shop? With such a soft and wonderful taste, it’s no wonder the shop is thriving."
The children of the First Branch family who followed Nanny Jin and knew about the snack shop always praised its delectable treats, recounting the rich patrons’ visits to the shop in the county town, to the adults’ collective astonishment.
Lady Han had different aspirations. After hearing her son’s descriptions of the snack shop, she felt indifferent to the sweetness of the food but became even more envious and desirous of the business in the county town. Pity that the head of the family, Qi Yougui, and Lady Wang had imposed extra restrictions on them, disallowing the adults, except the necessary grandsons who needed to visit the town for work, from having the chance to witness the thriving business of the Second Branch family.
Hearing the eldest brother’s praise for his granddaughter’s culinary creation, Qi Younian felt honored. He said cheerfully, "It’s all thanks to Ye Zi’s efforts. Ye Zi heard about the ways the Northern Barbarians consume milk from cows and sheep, so she tried it and it turned out to be quite the delicacy."
Speaking of Ye Xinyan’s talent, Qi Yougui sighed in admiration, "Second Brother, your hardships over the years have not been in vain. You’ve aged, yes, but you have such a capable and thoughtful granddaughter. In the future, your lucky days will come, and you’ll live better than any of us."
After expressing himself, Qi Yougui put the last small piece of cake into his mouth, savoring the sweet fragrance with a slow swallow, his face filled with contentment.