Chapter Text
"Currently lining up at Lotus Oven! Woah, everyone look at these peo— oh thanks for the donation user Rei2000 ~!"
"Have you seen Mr. Jiang's café feature on the television yesterday?"
"I did! I wish I was around during that time, my break is too short to visit the café on weekdays..."
"But he's pretty handsome, right? Jiang Cheng only ever stays in the kitchen, who thought he'd have such a blessed face?"
"Even his sister who cooks most of the dishes comes out from time to time, Mr. Jiang seems quite cold, hm?"
"And yet his sweets are truly the best in the city!"
The daily chatter spread through the long line that reached Yunmeng cafés exterior as early as seven in the morning, each one eagerly awaiting their turn to be able to purchase a box of pastries specially prepared by the owner and patissiêr himself, Jiang Cheng.
Although set right in the heart of commerce and the daily hustle, the aroma of sweet dough with thick lotus paste filling would escape the establishment's four walls and tempt anyone who ever passed by. This warm and familiar scent would remind them of an occasion of sorts, like a new year's party or a christmas celebration which would bring up nostalgia and beckon a craving for traditional sweets people would otherwise choose to eat another day.
Another reason for its popularity was the authenticity. No matter how many times others would imitate a recipe, people always sought for the original. Jiang Cheng, together with his siblings came from the more provincial part of China where his parents owned a lotus farm that his father used to make dishes from and sell at a stand near the market while his mother did the financial work. Over the time, the recipes were passed down to the children. Originally, it was Jiang Yanli who was interested in cooking, however, Jiang Cheng had come to the conclusion that if he wanted to keep eating the lotus-seed pastries he was so fond of, then he'd have to learn it himself. Slowly, his interest in baking grew and it soon expanded to western-style desserts.
The idea of putting up a café in the city didn't come by, until later, just when YanLi was pregnant with her son and the two brothers had gotten their degrees. Wei Wuxian who was typically not allowed in the kitchen had sparked a sudden interest when his and Jiang Cheng's roommate, Nie Huaisang, praised him for his coffee-brewing skills. The two brothers agreed on the proposal and went to tell their sister first who was already living in the city with her peacock of a husband. She quickly fell in love with the idea and urged them to inform their parents of such plans. After all the arrangements had been done, they quickly gathered the money they've been saving up along with a bit of help from Yanli's husband that had been secretly given, paying almost half of the building expenses- that he of course, would never admit.
Little by little, they watched the skeletal structure of the establishment slowly come to life, it's design a combination of traditional wooden floors and lotus symbols combined with a more modern and sleek finish of huge glass windows and marble counters. The main colors of the tapestries were a range of purple with accents of white, gold or black that was careful not to make the atmosphere seem heavy, but instead cozy.
Wei WuXian handled the more technical side of things, from finance to advertisement with his hobby of vlogging, Jiang Cheng held the most authority with the management and the culinary work until Yanli's son, Jin Ling had gotten to University and Yanli found herself enough free time to share the cooking with her brother. They had also hired baristas and other staff to help with the cashier and coffee-brewing, one of which was Jin Ling's friend, Lan Sizhui that Wei Wuxian quickly became attached to and claimed as his 'apprentice number 1' — whatever that meant.
From morning to night, Jiang Cheng's hands would weave it's way through the dough and wrap it carefully in a dark purple box before handing it on to YanLi who would finally present it to the customer. It was such a simple and quick routine already, but rest-assured every client felt like they brought a piece of home.
This was what made Yunmeng so special.
"We have to make this a special event for him and all his efforts."
"Understood, sir. I'll be seeing you in the office later."
Lan Xichen hung up and stared at the time on his phone.
4:59 a.m.
Sometimes calls did a much better job of waking him up than his alarm, really. Most of them were for work but others were for some questionable or trivial matters that he repeatedly tried to see the good side of. Nevertheless, he turns off the alarms before it even rung and looks toward the other room, already lit. Wangji was awake.
This was typical Lan behaviour that their parents have drilled into their heads before they unfortunately passed away. Even then, their uncle,who took on the position of being their guardian, taught them everything from proper etiquette, morals and other work-related business to make sure that they grow up to become "The fine, educated, and kind young men your parents always wanted you to be."
Some would call it strict or suffocating but Xichen really did not mind at all. He saw the point they were trying to make and he knew very well he should do his best with all his heart always, because to provide so many jobs and services for others was an honour. While it proved to be a truly exhausting and pressuring task, if he were able to contribute to a smiling face of a kid who finally got the toy they wanted after their parents came home with their paycheck, then he could say it was worth it.
Slowly climbing out from his blankets, he stretches his arms and fixes the bed before heading off to the bathroom. After that, he pulls out his well-pressed suit ironed the night before and ties his shoulder length hair in a half ponytail. He takes one last glance at the mirror fixing any other imperfections before going down the stairs to meet his brother by the dining table.
"Good morning, Wangji."
"En. Good morning." His brother greets him with his perpetually still face that Xichen has grown accustomed to reading. Right now, he looked pretty much exhausted but he could detect a hint of a smile on his features as his hands clutched tightly on the phone. It was probably a text from his boyfriend. Then, he notices his brother’s eyes land on his attire with an eyebrow slightly raised.
"I have to go to work earlier today, Wen Ning called and told me about the needed preparations for the party next month." Xichen explains.
"You're not eating breakfast?"
"Ah." He stops and looks back at his brother, sighing. "I'm afraid I don't have much time— I'll pick up a coffee on the way, I guess."
His brother doesn't speak another word and takes out a box sitting on the table. "From Lotus Oven."
"Huh?" Xichen takes the box in hand, and peeks inside, revealing a slice of cake.
"Breakfast."
He smiles brightly at the gesture, feeling warm inside. "Thank you, Wangji. Also please give Wei Wuxian my best regards. I'll see you at work soon! " If he had a bit more time, he would have wanted to chat with his brother more but his schedule just wouldn't allow anything else other than business so he had to leave quickly, turning the engine of his car on.
It was about nine in the morning when his stomach growled in the midst of typing out a document. He had arrived in such a rush and was already greeted by all sorts of people that he forgot about the cake his brother had given him. Thankfully, his secretary was always kind enough to give him his daily cup of coffee but gulping down twelve ounces of caffeine really didn't do much for an appetite, unfortunately. He glances at his watch to calculate the remaining minutes before his next meeting and smiles. Twenty minutes was enough.
The box was a smooth lavender matte with dark purple lotuses embossed all around. On the top, written in gold font was the logo in an elegant cursive, 'Lotus Oven Sweets' it read. Below it was a contact number and the address. Xichen admired the overall aesthetic before opening it and revealing the cake inside.
A three-layered slice of vanilla, mocha and chocolate cake with alternating flavors of frosting in between. The exterior was coated with a soft chocolate flavored buttercream frosting and two swirls on top. He takes the fork and slowly digs in, appreciating the overall balance of the dessert. The first layer of vanilla had a light taste before it descended into the sweetness of the chocolate layer making the mocha a good transition between the two. The icing wasn't too sweet either, just a hint of flavor with enough thickness so as to not let the cake seem dry. It was pretty much a taste of heaven inside a box.
He ate it a little too quickly out of his eagerness and hunger that he almost missed the treat when he finished. It tasted so divine that he made a quick search on his phone to read about the place and made a mental note to visit soon. Wangji told him that people usually lined up as early as seven am or even sooner so he'd have to wake up earlier- or maybe not sleep at all. Scrolling thoroughly on the article, he was about to press on the pâtissier's information and other achievements when his secretary decided to enter the office.
"Sir. Lan, the documents you requested have been sorte— did something good happen?" The secretary stops mid-sentence noticing Xichen's happier demeanor. While his trademark smile was no rarity, his aura today was much more brighter— even rivalling that of the sun.
"Nothing, just had some good food, that's all." He replies kindly. " It's— it's been a while."
Wen Ning could only look at him quizzically. Did the great and well-known CEO of Gusu not eat good food everyday?!
