Chapter 103: The Counterattack, Part III

He Zhi Xing obtained the address of the cake factory run by Liu Keyuan’s apprentice. That very night, he set out and found the factory. With a light leap, he used his qinggong to scale the five or six-story building and landed on the rooftop.

He then applied his lightness skill to cling to the wall, searching floor by floor. At last, on the second floor, he found the cake factory. Choosing the best vantage point, he lay flat atop the casing of a large air conditioner and activated his clairvoyant vision to observe the master making various cakes inside.

As he watched, he took notes with his notebook and pen. His clairvoyant eyes allowed him to see in the dark and write without any difficulty. The first thing he recorded was the bread recipe: two pounds of sugar, eight eggs, four and a half pounds of water, four ounces of milk powder, twenty grams of improver, ten pounds of high-gluten flour, one ounce of yeast, continuing to knead in eight-tenths of an ounce of salt, eight ounces of butter, beaten until smooth.

These ingredients were similar to Lan Jie’s recipe, but what mattered most were the methods and steps. With the recipes and the right techniques, making these would be simple.

He then noted down the cake recipe. Step one: whip fifty egg whites, add fifteen grams of baking powder, two pounds of sugar water. Step two: mix one and a half pounds of water, six ounces of sugar, one pound and two ounces of oil, then add one pound of cake flour, twenty grams of custard powder, six ounces of starch, fifteen grams of baking powder, fifty egg yolks, mix well, then combine the two steps, pour into baking tins, and prepare for the oven...

The recipe for honey bean muffins: 120 grams of butter, 100 grams of sugar, 100 grams of eggs, 100 ml of milk, 30 ml of lemon juice, 200 grams of low-gluten flour, a quarter teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of baking powder, 100 grams of honey beans, with steps similar to the above.

Salad dressing: ten eggs, one pound of sugar, forty grams of salt, ten pounds of oil, fifteen grams of vinegar. Egg tart filling: one pound of warm water, four ounces of sugar, nine eggs, thirty-five grams of custard powder, a dash of coloring. Tart crust: one part low-gluten flour, half part sugar, one egg, half a pound of shortening. Coconut tart: one ounce of maltose, one pound of water, six ounces of oil, bring to a boil, add three and a half ounces of fine shredded coconut, three and a half ounces of coarse shredded coconut, sixty grams of low-gluten flour, sixty grams of custard powder, fifteen grams of baking powder, four eggs... and so on.

There were many more recipes: dried blueberry yogurt muffins, orange madeleines, yogurt raisin muffins, chocolate walnut cupcakes, dried fruit crown loaves, vanilla heavy cheesecake, and countless other varieties. He Zhi Xing observed all night; whenever the master paused, he would close his eyes to rest, and only returned as dawn approached, having filled a thick notebook with recipes.

The next night, and the night after, he persisted in secretly learning, memorizing every variety of cake and pastry until he knew them all by heart. He then returned and began planning a bold new strategy to turn the tide for Lan Jie’s cake shop. Their first decision was to relocate—just across the street, near He Zhi Xing’s new district supermarket. They would create a stylish cake shop by the entrance of the new supermarket, personally guided in design by He Zhi Xing. The new district supermarket was in the final stages of stocking, aiming to open on the twenty-fifth of the month.

He called back to check with Su Mei. She reported that the specialty mountain vegetables and wild fruits he had requested for purchase had been gathered. Delighted, He Zhi Xing handed things over to Lian Yaqiang, Jiang Chunmei, and Yufang, then drove back to Five Towns himself. The pace of a powerful comeback was approaching step by step. Who knew what economic impact this storm would bring between the provincial capital and Five Towns? The days of surging influence were drawing near—stay tuned for what is to come...