Five Blessings Pastry Shop [1990S]

Coming October 22: *A Western Fast-Food Joint Opens in the Old County Town [The Nineties]*. Please add it to your reading list! The blurb is below this novel’s synopsis. [This Novel] Lin Manfu owns a pastry shop in the old part of town. It’s kept his four children fed and clothed. Everyone in the neighborhood knows that of the four, only his youngest daughter, Lin Hongdou, is his biological child. He brought the other three home one by one. The neighbors all laugh at him for being a fool. His own little Hongdou is already enough to drive anyone crazy, so how could a man without a wife possibly raise four children? But Manfu has a stubborn streak of foolish determination. He raised all four children, each with a different personality and temperament, into adulthood. As he puts it, “Life’s hard, but as long as you’re alive, there’s always something to look forward to.” Then one day, Lin Hongdou got a call from her eldest brother. Their father had died after being rushed to the hospital, where doctors failed to save him. He had worked himself to exhaustion. After hanging up, Lin Hongdou sat on the bare wooden floor of her shabby rental room, unable to recover for a long time. She hadn’t even gotten to see her father one last time. Was this really what she wanted? Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and fell onto the floor. After staying up all night for two days revising a design, Lin Hongdou suddenly collapsed and never got up again. When she awoke, she was back in 1993. First, she made wedding pastries and challenged her father’s old-fashioned ideas. Then she introduced one innovative pastry after another, gradually expanding the family business. Lin Manfu’s pockets grew fuller, and the family’s life got better and better. This time, Lin Hongdou knew what she wanted: for her whole family to be healthy and happy. She wanted to treat the people who loved her a little better, and then better still. She wanted to stay with her dad, her eldest brother, her second sister, and Brother Nan forever! Perhaps adding two more people to the family wouldn’t be so bad... [Little Extra] Today is the joyous day Lin Manfu and Ding Chunli register their marriage. Among the wedding guests are Manfu’s eldest son, Jiang Shuo; his second daughter, Jiang Ting; his nephew, Qu Yenan; and Ding Chunli’s son, Little Dou Ding. Lin Hongdou has appointed herself the officiant. Eight-year-old Hongdou puts on a serious face and declares, “We’ve gathered here today to celebrate Comrade Lin Manfu and Comrade Ding Chunli joining hands in marriage and entering the blissful halls of their second marriages. Everyone, let’s give them a round of applause!” The audience plays along, applauding enthusiastically. Little Dou Ding’s hands turn red from clapping. Listening to his daughter’s formal little speech, Lin Manfu feels both amused and touched. The groom gives a toast: “Thank you all for your blessings. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ll drink this one down!” Manfu tips back his head and downs a glass of baijiu in one smooth gulp. Ding Chunli won’t be outdone. Her cheeks slightly flushed, she raises her glass and says shyly, “Thank you for giving Little Dou Ding and me a new home. Let’s all get along from now on. I’ll drink mine too!” Lin Hongdou is very pleased with the newlyweds’ union. After all, she’s the one who brought them together. Looking at the scene before her, a pastry shop, a kind couple, and five children of different ages, she knows that their family of seven will surely prosper more and more. Reading guide: 1. A light ensemble story about the everyday ups and downs of a lively family. 2. Every character has flaws. No one is perfect. 3. The business storyline unfolds alongside the family’s daily life, with everyone working together. 4. The story follows the characters from childhood to adulthood, as they each protect their family in their own way. Above all, I hope you enjoy this heartwarming, healing read. Coming next: *A Western Fast-Food Joint Opens in the Old County Town [The Nineties]*. Please add it to your reading list! [Upcoming Novel] [This novel launches October 22. Please add it to your reading list!] [This novel launches October 22. Please add it to your reading list!] Xu Mingyue, head chef at a fast-food restaurant, tragically dies after working two all-nighters in a row. When she wakes up, it’s 1997, and she has transmigrated into someone with the same name. As luck would have it, the era of the “iron rice bowl” is about to end. The workers at the state-owned factory where the Xu family works are all facing layoffs, and the whole family is losing sleep over the loss of their livelihood. Xu Mingyue isn’t too upset. She’s never had a steady job anyway. It’s just a job. If one place won’t hire me, there’ll be somewhere else that will. The old county town where she now lives is still economically underdeveloped. Forget hamburgers; many people have never even heard of French fries. Getting customers to accept them will be no easy task. That leaves Xu Mingyue a little worried. Xuanbei County is a major potato-growing region. This year, a torrential downpour washed out the bridge connecting the county to the city. With no way to transport them, a huge pile of potatoes has been left in farmers’ yards. There are more than even the pigs can eat. The local officials are frantic. By the time the bridge is repaired, all those potatoes will have rotted. When Xu Mingyue hears the news, she volunteers and strides into the county committee compound. Smiling at the group of officials in the courtyard, she says, “Leaders, I have an idea. I’m not sure if I should say it, though.” The county magistrate looks at the young woman before him, expecting nothing, and says, “Go ahead.” Xu Mingyue thumps her chest and promises, “I’m confident I can use up this entire batch of potatoes.” “Oh?” A flicker of surprise crosses the magistrate’s face. “Do you have that much money?” She’s young, but she certainly talks big. Xu Mingyue smiles, her eyes curving as she gives a little wink. “I don’t, but you leaders do.” Xu Mingyue’s first pot of gold comes from the county officials pooling their money to help her buy the potatoes. She works her magic, turning them into delicious fries, potato cakes, potato balls, and mashed potatoes, then sells them right back to the officials. The county committee officials: Why does something about this feel a little off... But they can get delicious hamburgers and fries every morning, so maybe it’s fine. She did earn the money with her skills, after all. Xu Mingyue: Let me show you how to get a mountain of potatoes for free. Hehehe. As long as you’re thick-skinned enough, there’s no money you can’t make! Han Yang is a poverty-alleviation official sent from the city to Xuanbei County. He’s busy running between work sites every day, sometimes too busy even to eat. He’s also very particular about food, so he’s lost five pounds in the month since arriving. Having gone to university in the capital, he’s of course tried Western fast food before. Those restaurants have professional chefs, and their recipes are said to be closely guarded. How could anyone make food that tastes just like theirs? But after his very first bite, Han Yang’s attitude changes completely. Fresh out of the fryer, the fries are golden and crisp on the outside, soft and piping hot inside. Their salty, savory flavor bursts across his tongue. One fry leads to another, and he just can’t stop. They’re every bit as good as, if not better than, the fries made by the chefs at fast-food restaurants. Han Yang can’t help admiring Xu Mingyue’s cooking. At the same time, a few other thoughts begin to take shape in his mind. [Little Extra] With her first pot of gold, Xu Mingyue buys the Hongxing Restaurant, which had gone bankrupt due to poor management, in the county town’s central business district. Lately, Han Yang has been going out of his way to be nice to Xu Mingyue. He wants her to come up with a new product that can help sell the grapes the farmers haven’t been able to move. Xu Mingyue thinks to herself, This young Han must be in love with me. What can I say? My charm is just too much. I only have to let a little of it show, and people are completely smitten. Han Yang stammers, “Comrade Xu, um, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Xu Mingyue crosses her arms in front of her chest and lifts her chin smugly. “Go ahead. When did it start?” Han Yang freezes for a moment, not quite understanding. Then he answers honestly, “The first time I tried one of your hamburgers.” Xu Mingyue proudly curls her lips. “So you were drawn to my professional skills. As expected, someone as outstanding as me is popular with men wherever I go.” Han Yang finally realizes what she means and awkwardly explains, “Comrade Xu, you’ve got the wrong idea. That’s not what I meant. I’m not in love with you. I just want you to help me sell some grapes.” Xu Mingyue’s expression instantly freezes. Her mouth opens and closes, but for a long time she can’t say a word. Han Yang, don’t you dare regret this! [Reading Guide] 1. The story mainly follows the heroine’s family, career, and romance. 2. The career storyline starts with a fast-food restaurant and later expands into other areas of business. 3. Neither the male nor female lead is perfect; both have their flaws. They marry later on. 4. The story is set in an impoverished, underdeveloped county in inland northern China during the 1990s, so prices are low. 5. I hope you enjoy the read. Theme: A family of seven works hard to make a fortune!