On the way to the dairy farm in the western suburbs, Su Tang wanted to use any and every excuse possible to get Young Master Qi to leave.

The atmosphere was so strange now with the two of them riding horses and the guards walking in front of them while remaining silent.

Young Master Qi's imperial guards were even more solemn.

Everyone on the road backed away from them, fearing that something major had occurred.

But Su Tang just didn't want to talk.

When Su Tang arrived in the West District suburbs she wanted to get off the horse. However, she noticed the golden pony was staring back at her, and it had clearly detected her intent to hop off.

The pony neighed and Su Tang heard a trace of grievance from the horse's neighing.

Qi Tian Yun said, "The horse understands human behavior. He likes you very much, so he doesn't want you to go down."

Su Tang didn't want to respond, so she just said, "Hmm."

"I apologize, earlier was my fault." Qi Tian Yun suddenly said and apologized very seriously, "I doubted you for a second. It's just that raising horses is very confidential. Even the Western Regions have only just begun to know more about horses in recent years."

"It turns out that's the case." Su Tang interrupted him hastily. "It's alright. It's because I talk with others and listen a lot, so I just went to feed it casually."

Ah, ah, she didn't want to hear what Young Master Qi had to say about the Western Regions and horse breeding.

Only those in the imperial court appeared to be able to communicate with those in the Western Regions. As far as people like her were concerned, there were no interconnected commercial markets in the Western Regions.

And raising horses?

Ordinary wealthy households may raise horses but they don't require a systematic method of horse raising knowledge.

However, the imperial court was the only place where Cang Qin could raise horses on such a large scale.

If he continued speaking, Young Master Qi might have ended up revealing his identity to her!

Qi Tian Yun sensed the resistance in her words, so he had to stop talking about the horses.

The atmosphere became awkward once more, but Su Tang's horse started to move, and he quietly rubbed against the side of Qi Tian Yun's leg. After some rubbing, both riders' legs would be next to each other.

Su Tang, who is unable to control the horse, can only touch the horse's head and say, "Good boy, will you walk forward?"

Su Tang spoke in a low voice, but everyone around her could hear her.

Imperial guard Li almost burst out laughing. It was uncommon to find women in the world who disliked their masters.

Su Tang soon arrived at the dairy farm but before she opened the door, she was overcome by the stench.

Qi Tian Yun was so sick that he wanted to vomit.

Su Tang looked around and decided not to buy the milk, saying helplessly, "In such an environment, the squeezed milk is definitely not going to be good."

This smell, this environment... It was simply horrifying.

It's better to kill her than make her make dessert with such milk.

Could she let her customers eat something of this quality?

However, after walking through two or three dairy farms, it becomes clear that they were all in a similar state.

"I've had people ask around, these cattle are basically meat-producing cattle for the normal beef people eat, and if they are milk cows, they are not carefully raised," Qi Tian Yun said.

After all not many people in the capital used dairy products.

Su Tang sighed. How else would she make dessert if that was the case?

Then Young Master Qi spoke again.

"I have... I'm familiar with a cattle ranch. The cows there should be cleaner. It's not far from here. Do you want to go take a look? You should be able to find the milk you require there." Qi Tian Yun stated sincerely.

"Consider it my apology to you for earlier. I heard that dessert will be the fifth round of the God of Cooking competition. This trip should be related to the content of your competition. Do you want to see the ranch?"

Su Tang was no longer angry. After all, she met Young Master Qi by chance and it was natural for him to suspect her due to official duties.

Young Master Qi, on the other hand, was unexpectedly courteous and took the initiative to find suitable milk for her as an apology.

Su Tang hurriedly said, "How embarrassing to bother you again, you already lent me a pony to ride here. This is already a great favor."

Qi Tian Yun's eyes lit up with a smile, and he pretended to feel ashamed. "How could it be enough, earlier it was my fault for suspecting you."

The surrounding imperial guards: "Marquis? What's wrong with you?"

He even apologized to someone today, was this still the same Marquis?

Qi Tian Yun's apology went more smoothly. He didn't feel embarrassed or like he'd lost his dignity.

Instead, he continued speaking, "I'll assist you in finding a dairy farm because I also want to apologize and make amends."

He owned the dairy farm but he swallowed that fact when he was about to say it.

He did so because he had only just noticed that Su Tang appeared to be terrified of what kind of office he might be in. Thus he decided not to say anything now, so as not to scare her.

Su Tang did not expect Young Master Qi to apologize so many times; there was no real anger on her part at first, but now she was filled with guilt.

Young Master Qi had already taken her reins and was leading her horse to the dairy farm, by the time Su Tang had reacted.

As soon as she enters through the gate, she realizes how different this dairy farm is. It's clean and tidy and each cow has a large space to roam in.

It's just that everyone working here appears to be so respectful that they almost kneel.

Su Tang was certain now. When Young Master Qi arrived, the steward here was so terrified that his legs went limp.

It was just a cattle ranch, so when did the marquis ever step in, ah?!

Fortunately, they do things neatly most of the time, so the ranch was clean and wouldn't pollute the marquis' eyes.

When the imperial guards arrived early to deliver the news that the marquis was on his way, the stewards rushed to clean it again.

So Su Tang and Qi Tian Yun saw the cattle ranch in very good condition.

Qi Tian Yun dispatched someone ahead of time to deliver the news, as he also wanted to make a good impression on Su Tang.

"This is my friend's farm." Qi Tian Yun explained. "Just let them know if you need anything."

The steward next to him froze when he heard this.

Obviously, it was the Marquis' dairy farm, how come it has become someone else's.

It was a good thing he didn't expose the Marquis, even if he doesn't understand. In any case, he would simply bring them over to the ranch in a respectful manner.

Su Tang doesn't require much more than fresh milk. However, she requires fresh milk not only today but also in the coming days.

The cattle farmers in this area were grassland herders. They were most familiar with cattle and sheep, so the cattle and sheep on this farm were very well cared for.

Su Tang knew at a glance that the milk source around here was definitely not right.

The living conditions of cattle affect the quality of their milk.

Earlier she was still overestimating the ancient breeding industry. She wouldn't have gotten such good milk if she hadn't relied on Young Master Qi this time.

Su Tang put aside her awkwardness and said to Young Master Qi, "Thank you, I wouldn't have found such a good dairy farm if it hadn't been for you."

"These are all minor issues, just don't hold earlier against me." Qi Tian Yun's eyebrows furrowed, a guilty expression on his face.

His heartfelt request made Su Tang even more embarrassed.

Young Master Qi, who was normally very cold, has been apologizing to her repeatedly today.

Maybe she was thinking too much into it too?

Su Tang was still feeling deeply indebted to Young Master Qi throughout the entire journey until she returned home.

She couldn't help but say, "If you don't mind, I'll make you a puff. This is the first time I've made it for another person."

She used to be a food blogger, so she made food by herself and ate it by herself.

But now it's different. Some people like delicious food and they especially like hers, which makes Su Tang very happy.

"What is a puff?" Qi Tian Yun asked, with a smile hidden at the corner of his mouth.

Ah, how does she explain this?

Su Tang couldn't say anything, so she had to say, "You'll know later."

When Qi Tian Yun saw Su Tang making dessert, he was certain of one thing.

She was better coaxed with gentleness rather than coercion because if he used coercion he would almost certainly be kicked out

The little lady would be sympathetic towards him if he kept pretending to be pitiful.

Su Tang went into the kitchen in a daze.

What's the deal with her? She led Young Master Qi to come here to eat puffs as soon as she saw his regretful expression?

She had previously assumed that Young Master Qi would despise fragrant and soft things, yet he would be the first person to try the puffs.

Anyway, she's going to start making the butter now.

But not long after she began, she noticed Young Master Qi approaching her and he asked her, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Help? Didn't they say that a gentleman would stay away from the kitchen?

Although Su Tang didn't ask this, her thoughts were obvious through her facial expression.

Qi Tian Yun said, "The reason why a gentleman stays away from the kitchen is that he can't bear to see death (TL: aka killing fish, chicken). It doesn't mean anything else. Food is the most important thing for the people and there's nothing wrong about going into the kitchen."

This made Su Tang secretly agree and she felt a little more comfortable and continued to make butter.

It would be time to bake once the butter was made.

But because she had a lot going on today, she asked the West District Restaurant to send some premium lunch boxes for their lunch.

Su Tang wanted to make her own lunch, but Qi Tian Yun stopped her and told her that making desserts was more important than making lunch.

Such a move made Su Tang even more embarrassed to drive people away and only served to make her hasten the baking process.

The remaining steps were to convert the plain flour to low-gluten flour and then to beat in the eggs to make a batter.

Su Tang made a piping piece out of several pieces of oil paper, poured the cake batter into the oil paper, and then placed it in the piping piece.

The cake batter squeezed out of it resembles puffs.

Such rows of small yellow pastries looked really cute.

The cake batter was also made in a different way than the traditional dessert method.

To begin, simply break up the egg yolk, then add the low gluten flour and mix until the batter is fluffy.

Then, beat the egg whites with a small amount of white vinegar and sugar until they form a meringue.

Finally, add it to the previous yolk cake batter, which served as the foundation for making puffs.

Su Tang had started beating the cream after the cake batter had been baked.

There were special tools, like whisks, for beating cream in modern times, but she now has to use chopsticks to beat the cream; fortunately, she knew a technique for quick whisking.

But Su Tang was a little tired after finishing the previous butter making.

It's really not easy to beat the meringue and mix the batter!

But it's a crucial step, and she can't just give up.

Qi Tian Yun looked at her and said, "If you need strength, I can help you."

Su Tang shook her head: "It's already so difficult for me to whip the meringue by myself, and I'll be even more tired and disadvantaged if I don't know how to do it later on in the competition."

Su Tang was a little hesitant because of the fresh cream. It would be more convenient to do it at the West District Restaurant because it would be quicker to chill the chopsticks and fresh cream before beating.

Qi Tian Yun immediately noticed Su Tang's hesitation.

"Is there anything you need?"

Su Tang paused. "I suddenly remembered that it would be easier to make this dessert in an ice cellar, but when the competition comes, there won't be any ice to use."

This was what was called hard cream. If she did it without ice, her hand would break after the competition.

Qi Tian Yun heard her say this, but her hand continued to move, and she immediately began stirring the cream she had made.

Su Tang's movements were clearly skilled. After nearly an hour, the original cream has become fluffy and formable.

Su Tang said happily, "Look! Cream!"

Then she tasted the cream a little with her finger.

Make fresh cream with fresh milk, then beat it into the current cream peaks. In the middle of the process, the sugar was added several times. It's extremely fragrant and sweet!

Qi Tian Yun stood to the side, watching. He'd already smelled the sweet and creamy batter in Su Tang's hand, but it wasn't unpleasant.

He wanted to help several times right now, but Su Tang turned him down each time.

Su Tang didn't find it tiring and actually enjoyed it.

But in Qi Tian Yun's opinion, Su Tang's hands are amazing.

She only used milk, eggs, and flour to create such a magical dessert.

The hollow puffs on the other side had already been baked, and the fragrance belonging to the puffs had begun to burst out.

Many of the imperial guards in the yard who disliked desserts were secretly swallowing their saliva.

This young chef was truly amazing. How did her brain form to be able to make such a fragrant dessert on the spot?

Su Tang was unaware of everyone's thoughts because she was focused on adjusting the cream. The cream was now sweet and formable, and it would be appropriate too for coating the outside of birthday cakes.

Finally, she is going to make the last step of the cream puffs.

She put the cream into a homemade piping bag and started squeezing cream into the hollow puffs.

Let's see if the squeeze will succeed!

The cream puffs made were the ones that everyone sees inside modern stores the most often!

She has never completely made her own puffs!

However, this time it was all done by herself!

The taste must be very good!

Su Tang's expression was serious and focused, a look that Qi Tian Yun had never seen before.

He suddenly realized why Su Tang's food was always so delicious. Perhaps it was her serious demeanor?

This thought caused the corners of Qi Tian Yun's mouth to twitch, but he said nothing and continued to watch Su Tang make the dessert.

It seemed that looking at her was also a kind of enjoyment.

Su Tang was a person who wholeheartedly enjoyed her life.

She was always cheerful!