Chapter 35: Senior Sister Tang Yihan's Dark Dessert
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: Senior Sister Tang Yihan's Dark Dessert
After seeing those few customers off, I breathed a small sigh of relief. Although a few more people trickled in afterward, at least none of them made me say that "Good morning" greeting.
To prevent such awkward situations in the future, I wondered if I should look up some pleasant blessings or greetings during my downtime.
After all, I couldn't be sure those regulars wouldn't come back in the next few days. It would be bad if this became a habit.
After busying myself for a while, a fresh-from-the-oven aroma wafted through the scent-filled shop.
I looked up to see Senior Sister Tang Yihan emerging from the back kitchen, holding a large iron tray with thick, heat-resistant gloves.
"Xiao Han~ come here and help me taste-test this new product." Tang Yihan called out to me while I was idle.
"What is it?" I looked at the tray she brought over, unsure of what to call the items on it.
"It doesn't have a name yet, but I used a puff pastry method. The filling should be quite good."
"What kind of filling?"
I asked curiously, reaching out to take one. Seeing how steaming hot it was, I didn't dare grab it with my bare hands and wrapped it in a piece of paper first.
"You'll know once you taste it."
Tang Yihan smiled, refusing to say more. She watched me with an expression full of anticipation as I prepared to take a bite.
I bit off a small piece. The crispy outer layer offered a novel texture, and the heat from the oven carried a fragrance that rushed straight to my head. I had to admit, the scent alone was very pungent—perhaps a bit too intense to be sold.
However, I soon reached the filling. A bizarre flavor exploded in my mouth, leaving an aftertaste like I had just crawled across a lawn and devoured three acres of weeds...
For a moment, I didn't even know how to describe it.
Tang Yihan watched as my face contorted, though she didn't seem particularly surprised.
Instead, she tried a piece herself.
Soon, her expression mirrored mine.
"Pah... it's still disgusting. It seems the method I learned online still can't neutralize this flavor, even though it smells so fragrant..."
"What on earth is this?" I asked with a bitter face, trying to use my own saliva to wash away the taste.
"A type of plant root. It's very nutritious, but the taste is a bit strange. It looks like I'll have to keep improving it."
"Uh... can this kind of flavor really be used for desserts?" I asked incredulously. This wasn't just "a bit strange," was it?
Even if you're tired of normal sweets, you don't have to go looking for something this bizarre, right?
"Of course," Tang Yihan said with absolute certainty.
"Aren't you afraid of poisoning someone?"
"I'm not much, but I do know a bit of detoxification magic. Besides, there's a hospital very close by," she said confidently. It seemed she was an old hand at this, considering she even knew a Detoxification Spell.
And she must be very familiar with the route to the hospital, too.
"Al... alright then..."
I decided I needed to be careful. In the future, whenever Tang Yihan brought me something to test, I had to be on high alert. Otherwise, I really might kick the bucket one day.
I wasn't counting on any Resurrection Spell to bring me back. If possible, nobody wants to die.
I watched as Senior Sister Tang Yihan headed back, looking slightly dejected with her new creation. I even saw her dump the pastries into the trash can and then talk to the bin with a sorrowful expression.
Unfortunately, I couldn't hear what she was saying.
But soon, I was called inside by her. Once the morning rush passed, there were very few customers, so Tang Yihan brought me into the back to start teaching me how to make desserts.
She started from the very basics.
The first thing we tried was small cookies—the very ordinary kind, perfect for a novice like me to practice on.
Once I got my hands on the dough, I realized the key lay in the precision of the measurements. If you got the amounts right and followed the steps, making cookies was actually quite straightforward.
Though there were a few minor mishaps, under Senior Sister Tang Yihan's brilliant guidance, the final result was quite good.
At least, I thought the taste was decent and the texture was okay, though they were a bit on the soft side.
It seemed the oven temperature settings still needed some adjustment.
"The taste is mediocre, and the texture... is alright. It reminds me of the flavors I used to eat until I wanted to vomit," Tang Yihan gave a very honest evaluation. It seemed she really had eaten a lot of these in the past.
"You seem quite talented. In that case, I'll leave this Baking Recipe Book in your care for now." After she finished speaking, she rummaged around and pulled out a somewhat thick notebook.
The binding was similar to a cookbook. She patted off the non-existent dust and handed it to me.
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
I took the recipe book. Although there were many signs of it being flipped through, it seemed to have been pressed under something for a long time, giving it the feel of something that hadn't been used in a while.
"Don't mention it. I bought this back when I needed it for reference. If you want to try making something, start with the basics. You can use the materials in the shop to practice, just don't be too wasteful."
As she spoke, Tang Yihan began taking off her gear—her hat, her apron, and so on.
"Senior Sister, where are you going?"
"To buy ingredients. That girl Ying Shiqian promised she'd be the one to buy them this time, but then that whole mess happened and she ran off. I only realized this morning that we're almost out of supplies."
"I see..."
I nodded in understanding. I didn't know how many ingredients they went through in one go, but given the shop's sales efficiency, it probably wasn't that much.
Most of it probably ended up in the trash can.
At the same time, I silently prayed that Tang Yihan wouldn't buy any more weird materials—like the one I just tasted. That wasn't meant for human consumption.
Even putting salted egg yolk in there would have tasted better than that.
"Xiao Han~ keep a good eye on the shop. If you run into a customer you can't handle... oh right, you haven't added my contact info yet, have you? Add me, and you can just call me if anything happens."
"Okay."
I quickly grabbed my phone, and soon, a new contact appeared on my screen.
"I'm off to get busy then. Bye-bye!"
I watched her leave, standing at the shop entrance for a long time until her figure vanished. I hadn't expected Senior Sister Tang Yihan to be such an expert at riding brooms.
Since she was on a broom, she'd probably be back soon. After all, they travel in a straight line through the sky.
Ever since I learned about the bakery's "extra" source of income, I realized this shop wasn't as simple as it looked on the surface.
I just hoped no orders like that would come in while she was gone.
Feeling a bit bored, I returned to my seat and flipped open the dessert recipe book. I had to admit, many of the things inside were indeed different from my previous life.
Even though I hadn't been involved in this sort of thing back then, I could still see the differences.
At the very least, the recipes in my previous life didn't include materials containing transcendent energy.