Pastries?

This was too easy for Su Tang.

Anyone who has had egg sponge cake couldn't help but love it.

Many ladies and wives of large families would send their servants to buy them.

It used to be in short supply but now the store has enough manpower; otherwise, buying a few hundred on the same day would be impossible.

The theme of the fifth round was particularly intriguing.

However, it is also stated in the competition papers that this was the result of several officials drawing votes and that there was no possibility of cheating.

Su Tang thought it was a coincidence as well, but added, "If I just make egg sponge cakes, it would be boring. I'll come up with something else."

The officer asked curiously, "What does Miss Su want to make? Can we try it too at that time?"

Su Tang nodded. "Of course, I'll make it later so I can sell it in the store and we can try it together."

Su Tang was almost drooling when it came to thinking of the dessert she would make!

Not to mention, the Chinese-style dessert was excellent.

But Western-style dessert was also delicious.

What with snowball mochi, mango pancakes, cream puffs, and egg tarts that she hasn't eaten in ages.

She was on the verge of drooling just thinking about them.

She happened to have nothing to do today, so she could make dessert!

It was a perfect time to make butter and cream for this competition.

Then she could make a lot of beautiful cakes and desserts.

Su Tang was a huge fan of pastries! It could also be related to her name.

The most essential components of Western desserts were made with butter and cream, both of which were made from milk. She could make delectable desserts after processing the cream and butter.

Su Tang returned to the backyard with the competition paperwork. She carefully considered everyone's taste buds in the Cang Qin dynasty; ancient people preferred food that had a light taste. She quickly decided on a dessert that would appeal to people of all ages.

That's it, puffs!

Cream puffs!

Each bite was a mouthful of sweet cream, with fragrant and soft pastry puffs. It has a sweet, soft, and smooth taste when eaten. Who wouldn't enjoy it?

Someone suddenly flashed in Su Tang's mind.

Maybe, Young Master Qi won't like it?

At first glance, he had a cold and unapproachable demeanor; such a person would not enjoy sweet cream puffs!

However, to make puffs she needed to use low-gluten flour and cream. Things that could be purchased anywhere in modern times now must be made by herself.

To make low-gluten flour, first, place the regular flour in a steamer for 30 minutes, then dry it. Alternatively, simply add starch.

Butter and cream were also a big challenge because it takes several processes to make butter and cream.

Butter and cream are simply churned milk fat.

When compared to the commonly used vegetable oil and lard, the fat extracted from various animal kinds of milk to make a cream, was sweeter and more suitable for desserts.

She must first purchase milk to make butter. After the milk has been boiled, leave it to cool in the bowl for a while. Butter, or milk fat, would then float on the surface of the bowl.

After obtaining the thin layer of fat, after stirring, heating, straining and refining several times again, the common butter block would be obtained.

Su Tang must make the butter and cream ahead of time if she wants to advance to the fifth round of the God of Cooking Competition.

Fortunately, the fifth round was scheduled for ten days, giving her plenty of time.

Not only that but she could also test in advance how good she was at making desserts now.

Fortunately, both the breakfast store and the West District Restaurant were on the right track. She has nothing to do but check the accounts and so there is no need for her to work there now.

This meant she could also focus on the competition.

Su Tang was not the only one who was meticulously preparing; once the theme was revealed, the other contestants began to gather raw materials as well.

The thirty people left in the competition now were all elites, and any one of them would become a high chef if they were eliminated, or won the competition.

They were all full of confidence when they first entered the competition, believing that they would undoubtedly win first place. Only after they entered the competition did they realize that there was a sky beyond the sky and that they still had to do their best.

Among these 30, Su Tang, Jing Liang, Huang Yue Tong, and Zhu Jin Yuan drew the most attention.

Except for Su Tang, the other three were all from the same aristocratic circle, and their families were all leaders in the capital's culinary world.

Not to mention the Huang family, who served as the Imperial palace's chef.

As for Su Tang?

Who would have guessed that such a gifted person could be hidden in the small West District? It was completely outside of anyone's expectations!

The previous rounds of the competition were extremely busy, and well-informed people knew that the emperor and Marquis Qi Tian Yun had attended and praised Su Tang's food.

Not everyone has experienced such an honor.

Because of the competition's growing popularity, even seats will be set up around the platform at the fifth round of the competition, making it easier for the audience to watch.

Wouldn't the anticipation for the competition be enormous in this way?

The fifth round of the God of Cooking competition was being discussed by almost the entire capital.

Governor Pei, who proposed starting the God of Cooking Competition, had no idea it would garner so much attention.

The Minister of Household Affairs had also inquired about the competition as well.

It stands to reason that their two official positions should be comparable.

The difference was that since childhood, the Minister of Household Affairs' daughter had been a childhood sweetheart to the emperor and they were planning to get married in the autumn.

Could Governor Pei be disrespectful to the emperor's future father-in-law?

But the Minister of Household Affairs was just asking and didn't say much.

This surprised Governor Pei.

For this round of the competition, he asked people to customize clothes and aprons for thirty people, as well as build ovens and small stoves on the competition site.

Every competition stand was essentially a small kitchen.

This setup may also allow the contestants to perform better.

The theme in the fifth round was chosen by vote, rather than by debate, and dessert making happened to be Su Tang's strongest point.

However, making only egg sponge cake for the competition would be too simple.

And due to a narrow point of view, everyone believes Su Tang was a natural dessert maker!

Of course, she wouldn't mind whatever the theme of the competition was.

The squirrel mandarin fish she had made the last time had already dispelled their doubts, and many people were eager to see what else she could do.

Before the competition, Su Tang would go to the dairy farm on the outskirts of the capital to take a look, since she was going to make desserts.

Dairy farms were mostly found in the west district suburbs. The current dairy farms did not meet modern standards but it's already sufficient for a family to have four or five milking cows.

Many people in the capital enjoy purchasing desserts and snacks, and when they run out of milk for their children, they will go out and purchase some from the dairy farms.

However, only wealthy families could afford milk. After all, the milk in this era tastes fishy. To mask the flavor, they must carefully boil it and add a lot of sugar.

Ordinary people naturally cannot afford to drink it.

Furthermore, because many people get diarrhea after drinking milk, fewer people drink it directly.

However, they won't have to worry about that if they turn milk into cream and use it to make milk tea.

Su Tang thought of this and decided to visit the dairy farms.

But as she was about to leave, she encountered Young Master Qi. Young Master Qi has come here a lot in the last few days, usually before the lunch hour arrives, but now he was here very early.

Su Tang had no choice but to greet him and let Young Master Qi sit in her home for the time being.

The two talked casually which was fine but Su Tang didn't want to know too much about Young Master Qi, like what his name was or what he did.

Wasn't it better to simply maintain the relationship between a chef and a customer?

Su Tang's demeanor was noticed by Qi Tian Yun as well, but he only raised his eyebrows and remained silent.

Because the future is still so far away, it's best to take things slowly.

Su Tang, seeing Qi Tian Yun approaching, said helplessly, "The opening hours have just ended. Why are you here now?"

Young Master Qi arrived shortly after nine o'clock and mentioned that he wanted to wait for lunch!

But it's still too early right now!

The imperial guards who followed him had grown accustomed to Miss Su's demeanor and also the Marquis didn't seem to mind so they didn't say anything!

"Oh?" said Qi Tian Yun lightly. "Is it really that early? When I went out, I didn't look at the time."

Su Tang was skeptical. "You don't look at the time, even though you have a lot of people working for you who you can ask? You still can't see the time?!"

But no matter what, he was a guest after he had arrived.

"I am going out to handle some business soon." Su Tang had no choice but to say, "I'm afraid I won't be able to entertain any guests because there will be no one at home."

Qi Tian Yun looked at her with amusement. "Is Boss Su trying to drive away a guest?"

Calling her Boss Su was naturally to tease Su Tang.

But she dared not to let anyone use the phrase "drive away a guest" when describing her!

There was no reason to drive away customers, no matter what type of business you were in.

Qi Tian Yun, seeing her embarrassment, asked, "Where are you going? Anyway, I'm free so I'll accompany you."

This made Su Tang even more dumbfounded.

Is she still in ancient times?

What's going on with Young Master Qi? Why was he staying next to her?

Su Tang replied tactfully, "It's alright, I can go by myself. I'll hire a carriage and it'll arrive soon."

"Don't bother with a carriage, I brought a pony today and you can just ride it, so let's go together," Qi Tian Yun said, nodding.

Pony?

Riding a horse?

She'd never ridden a horse before, so she was immediately intrigued.

"If you go to a place where there's an open space, it'll be a perfect time for you to learn how to ride," Qi Tian Yun said with a smile.

Su Tang was conflicted but nodded. "Really? Well, I'm going to the west district suburbs so I can ride the horse there!"

Su Tang felt a pang of regret after saying this, but this kind of opportunity comes along only once in a lifetime.

It may look as though she had a lot of money right now, but if she wanted to have her own pony, she still couldn't afford it!

Of course, she was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity now that she had the chance to ride a horse.

Riding a horse would definitely be exciting!

Qi Tian Yun had not expected it to go so smoothly. He arrived this morning with a pony, ready to take Su Tang to the school field outside the city.

He'd seen Su Tang's gleaming eyes before when he rode to the West District Restaurant.

And he was correct, Su Tang was fond of horses.

Su Tang's eyes lit up when she saw the pony that Qi Tian Yun had brought with him.

The lines and physique of this pony... how could it be like the Rolls Royce' Majestic horse ah?!

And its coat was golden too!

There seem to be very few golden horses. This one was absolutely out of ordinary.

"It's stunning." Su Tang couldn't walk away after seeing such a horse for the first time.

The golden and sturdy horse gleamed in the sun, drawing the attention of many passers-by. A horse or pony like this was extremely rare in the world.

Su Tang was unable to identify the breed of this horse, but she could tell that it was exceptional.

Qi Tian Yun said, "Have a go at saying hello. It's very docile."

The imperial guards couldn't help but recall that the Western Regions had paid tribute with three hundred Akhal-teke horses this time. This one was also the best out of the three hundred. How could it be docile?

But Marquis had only asked for this one, clearly intending to give it to Miss Su.

Miss Su appears to be talented in the kitchen, as the Marquis no longer eats as if he were being punished. Is it therefore also a worthwhile exchange?

Su Tang finally climbed onto the back of the horse with the help of Qi Tian Yun and thought for a moment before pulling out a piece of caramel from her pocket.

Caramel was melted sugar. Horses, if she remembers correctly, enjoy this the most.

But Qi Tian Yun, who had been relaxed before, subconsciously grabbed Su Tang's wrist and frowned. "How do you know horses like caramel?"

This could be regarded as the key to horse raising. Su Tang is an ordinary person who rarely comes into contact with horses on a daily basis. How did she find out?

Su Tang stunned, which made Qi Tian Yun subconsciously let go.

"Sorry. "

He was overthinking it. He had asked people to check out Su Tang's background before and her life was recorded in detail. It was impossible for her to be a spy.

He was currently extremely alert because the recent military events had given him a headache.

When Su Tang was caught by him, she was on alert for the first time in a long time.

After she transmigrated, her life went so smoothly that she forgot about this kind of thing.

And yet she had dared to sit on an obviously extraordinary horse.

Even if she didn't know who Young Master Qi was, she could tell he had a remarkable background. How could she dare to get close to him just because of a horse today?

Su Tang's expression remained unchanged, but she was already sounding the alarm for herself in her heart.

It was just that she'd promised Young Master Qi earlier today, so it wasn't easy to back out.

But after today let's avoid this person; otherwise, who knows what may happen.

Qi Tian Yun apologized, and Su Tang responded lightly, "It's okay, I've heard people talk about it occasionally."

After speaking, the relationship between the two was obviously rather tense.

The imperial guards looked at this atmosphere with cold sweat on their foreheads.

Didn't it go well just now?

Why did it suddenly change!

The marquis is also really... Why was he so mean to a girl?