CHAPTER 414: CHAPTER 414: MATCHA CAKE

The crowd was also a bit taken aback. Firstly, the Liu’s, claiming to be the founder of the egg cake, didn’t make cakes as delicious as Pei’s.

And Pei’s was just a small shop from Su County.

However, there was some doubt in everyone’s heart. Watching Pei Shu’er make cakes looked much more skilled than Master Hong, as if she really was the founder of the egg cake.

She smirked, "Master Hong’s skills are very good, but the egg cake wasn’t originally created by Liu’s. I have been making egg cakes for so long, so it’s only natural that you lost."

Hong Dachu didn’t refute it; instead, he seemed to be comforted.

His previously disheartened expression was instantly filled with determination.

"You are right, in the next two rounds, I cannot possibly lose to you."

Because the egg cake was Pei Shu’er’s area of expertise, she knew it better, and his loss was only to be expected.

With these words, the people exchanged looks of disbelief.

Now, even Master Hong admitted it!

They couldn’t believe the egg cake truly belonged to Pei’s.

Such a humble rural shop could actually invent such a delicious confection.

Manager Liu’s face was unsightly, as he tried to salvage the situation.

"The egg cake was originally created by our Liu’s."

Pei Shu’er smiled, "The people’s hearts have already reached a conclusion. No matter how much Manager Liu says, it’s useless."

Master Hong said, "Saying more is pointless."

These words nearly admitted that Liu’s had indeed stolen Pei’s recipe and claimed it as their own.

Manager Liu looked grim, "Master Hong, you shouldn’t say things carelessly; it can easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

Master Hong looked steadily at Manager Liu, frowning a little.

He had always disdained Liu’s methods of stealing Pei’s recipe, as he couldn’t stand it from the very beginning.

Yet, as an employee, he had to work for his employer.

But now, with the facts so clear, Manager Liu still refused to admit it and even wanted to take the recipe for himself. He only felt ashamed.

Hong Dachu sighed, "Let’s begin the second round."

Apart from the egg cake, he believed Pei Shu’er was not superior in other areas, so he could still regain his dignity in the second round.

He just wanted to end this embarrassing situation as soon as possible.

Manager Liu gave a long look at Hong Dachu, then smiled, "Alright, let’s begin the second round. Let someone come up to draw lots."

The people coming up to draw lots were reselected, but Manager Liu was very confident, believing that Master Hong wouldn’t be worse than Pei Shu’er in the next challenge.

Pei Shu’er was only exceptional at making egg cakes.

Moreover, it was now based on different topics, and Master Hong had thoroughly researched these.

The drawn word was "tea."

Upon seeing this word, Master Hong was stunned. How could tea be used to make cake?

For so long, no one had heard of using tea to make pastries.

But Pei Shu’er’s eyes lit up; she could use it to make matcha cake, and perhaps the taste would be better.

She separated the egg whites from the yolks, ensuring the bowl for the whites was clean and dry, ground the green tea into powder, sifted it into the oil, added water, and mixed, followed by flour.

Pei Shu’er handled these tasks methodically, remembering each step clearly.

Master Hong made a confection called green tea cake.

He kneaded the dough with green tea-infused water, and the taste was actually quite nice, having a faint tea flavor. He even carved tea leaves on the cake.

But Pei Shu’er’s creation was not as simple; she ground the tea leaves first,

Her method seemed more complicated, but Master Hong shook his head, thinking Pei Shu’er was too young.

Doing it that way would incorporate the bitterness of the tea leaves into the cake, resulting in an unpleasant taste.

Pei Shu’er and Master Hong plated their cakes and had them delivered.

The crowd first looked at Manager Liu, who gave them a reassuring expression.

This time, Liu’s cake was placed on the left according to the setup.

Liu’s cake was a tender green, square, soft cake, reportedly called matcha cake.

They took a bite; it was fluffy and soft, with a fresh tea aroma.

Sweet but not cloying, it was perfectly sweet.

The taste brought a refreshing wild fragrance, like being amidst the scenic beauty of mountains and lakes.

After finishing, they were slow to react.

They couldn’t help but admire Hong Dachu in their hearts.

No wonder it was made by Master Hong, it was delicious.

On the right was a light green, round green tea cake.

They took a bite; the tea aroma was faint, but compared to the one on the left, it lacked finesse.

This seemed like something made by a young girl like Pei Shu’er at her age.

It’s just a pity that this young girl is still so young now.

Given time, this pastry shop could certainly flourish and cement its place in Jingzhou.

Everyone wanted to vote for the cake on the left, but at this moment, Manager Liu suddenly spoke.

"Hold on a moment."

Then he walked over, revealing the labels on both sides.

It turned out that the matcha cake on the left was Pei’s, and the green tea cake on the right was Liu’s.

At this moment, his expression was unpredictable as he quietly looked at the ones holding the trays.

He now confidently surmised that the tray carriers were insiders.

Yet he didn’t know how the mole was planted, as these were supposed to be Liu’s people.

Pei Shu’er smiled at Manager Liu, who seemed unable to figure it out.

In fact, it was simple. The first wave of cake carriers wasn’t insiders; Pei Shu’er discreetly had people tell them to swap the sequence.

The first wave was replaced because of this.

The second wave was actually Tang Zan’s people.

But fortunately, Manager Liu already found out which plate was made by Pei Shu’er, so voting became easier.

The Commerce Association Deputy voted for Liu’s, the pawn shop manager voted for Liu’s, and Manager Ma hesitated but also voted for Liu’s.

Manager Zhang almost lifted his left hand but restrained himself and voted for Liu’s.

However, he felt uneasy.

It would have been fine if one cake was slightly inferior, but the flavors and textures of these two cakes were worlds apart.

The matcha cake tasted so scrumptious, he had finished it. Isn’t that what yearning for gourmet pastries is all about?

But they had cooperation with Liu’s; they couldn’t cut off their lifeline.

The lady from the Drunken Immortal Tower initially wanted to vote for Liu’s; she looked calm.

But midway through raising her hand, she looked up.

"Manager Pei, is it? Can you supply some of this matcha cake to our Drunken Immortal Tower?"

Pei Shu’er nodded with a smile.

"Of course, being able to collaborate with Drunken Immortal Tower is an honor for Pei’s."