Chapter 55: The Great Naming War
Su Yanyue sat at her wooden desk, brows furrowed, staring at a half-filled scroll of dish names. The collaboration with Madam Wei was progressing faster than she had imagined. She needed to finalize a set tea menu—refined, elegant, and appealing to noblewomen.
It was going smoothly... until the triplets insisted on helping.
"Every famous shop has poetic names," Su Lin declared, standing on a stool. "We need mystery. Romance. Power."
Su Rui nodded seriously. "We should call the meat buns 'Dragon's Heart Explosion!'"
Su Zhi chimed in, "And the sweet lotus cakes can be... 'Fairy Clouds of Destiny'!"
Yanyue nearly choked on her tea.
Yu Shiming, seated nearby peeling lotus seeds, coughed behind a smile. "Creative."
Yanyue gave him a glare. He promptly focused on the seeds like they held national secrets.
"Children," Yanyue said patiently, "these names will be printed on fans. Elegant fans. For noble ladies."
"Exactly!" Su Rui beamed. "Ladies love destiny and exploding hearts."
Su Lin scribbled furiously on a parchment titled "Menu of Glory." Underneath, it read:
1. Dragon's Heart Explosion (meat buns)
2. Fairy Clouds of Destiny (lotus cakes)
3. Night Wolf Dumplings (spicy beef)
4. Lady Weeps Under Moon (radish pickle?)
5. Sweet Blood Snowflakes (red bean cake)
Yanyue blinked. "Sweet... what?"
"They're red!" Su Zhi said proudly. "And we shaped them like snowflakes!"
Yanyue massaged her temples. "No one wants to eat blood snowflakes, Zhi-Zhi."
"But it's artistic!" he insisted, placing a small doodle beside the name.
Yu Shiming leaned over, barely suppressing a laugh. "What about something simpler?"
He picked up a cake, dusted with white sugar and a single red goji berry in the center. "Why not... Winter's Kiss?"
The room went quiet.
The triplets stared.
Su Rui whispered, "That's... that's really good."
Su Lin furiously crossed out "Sweet Blood Snowflakes."
"Uncle Yu is now in charge of naming," Su Zhi declared, solemn.
Yu Shiming looked mildly alarmed. "Wait—"
Yanyue chuckled. "Too late. Congratulations."
Thus began the "Official Naming Council" of Su Yanyue's tea menu. Su Yanyue, Yu Shiming, and the triplets held what they called "Tea Council Sessions" each evening, where suggestions were debated like state secrets.
"Peach blossom tarts?" Yanyue asked.
"Blossoms of Spring," Shiming suggested.
"Too safe," Su Rui countered. "What about 'Peach Fury'?"
"That sounds like a warrior in a plum skirt," Su Lin muttered.
They eventually settled on:
Winter's Kiss (red bean snow cakes)
Blossoms of Spring (peach blossom tarts)
Moonlit Harmony (lotus seed tea)
Mountain Echo (spicy dumplings)
Silken Serenity (radish pickles)
By the time they finished, the triplets had fallen asleep on top of the menu scroll, their cheeks smudged with ink and crumbs.
Yanyue covered them with a light cloth, her heart full.
She looked up and caught Yu Shiming gazing at her. For a moment, the room was quiet, soft candlelight dancing between them. She smiled, just slightly. So did he.
No need for words.
This wasn't just a business anymore.
It was family, chaos, and slowly—something like love.
Would you like Chapter 56 to follow the official grand opening of her first tea counter at Madam Wei's embroidery shop, and how the villagers react to her susuccessuc