Chapter 35 Bao Beiyuan sells milk tea and delivers meals to her husband

Although Bao Beiyuan was a scholar.

But it is neither pretentious nor aloof.

Before, after returning home from the private school, he often helped out at his family's noodle shop.

Therefore, he was not opposed to selling tea and beverages on the street.

He was used to it and didn't feel ashamed.

He had already planned his sales route, and as soon as he entered the county town, he headed straight for his destination—near Bao's Noodle Restaurant.

The reason for choosing this location is that it is surrounded by neighbors. If one person buys it, others can easily invite their friends and relatives to join in, making it easy to establish a foothold.

As for whether or not they will run into Bao Beixing.

So what if we run into each other?

Since Bao Beixing didn't buy that piece of land, he can't go there?

He didn't go back to fight for the family fortune because he felt guilty towards his father.

He wanted to punish himself.

But he felt no remorse towards Bao Beixing.

He wouldn't deliberately avoid that area just because Bao Beixing was there.

What's the point of silently avoiding it?

Can Bao Beixing thank him?

That's a joke.

I only realized how difficult it is to make a living after leaving home.

Nobody can stop him from making money!

The layout of Beiyang County resembles the Chinese character "丰" (feng), with a main street running north to south, and three bustling side streets extending from each side of the main street.

The three side streets connect to many winding alleys.

Bao's noodle shop is located at the end of the middle side street on the west side.

From the perspective of the entire Beiyang County, this location is not remote, and it is connected to two alleys. In addition, Bao's father is skilled in cooking, so the noodle shop does good business.

The regular customers are mostly local residents, rather than business travelers.

Many families in the surrounding area run small businesses, just like Bao's Noodle Shop. They may not be rich or powerful, but they can afford a bowl of milk tea that costs a dozen or so coins.

By the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sun had already risen high in the sky.

As Bao Beiyuan walked along the street, all the shops were already open.

But it was too early for casual shoppers; there were only a few pedestrians on the street at that moment.

Two blocks away from Bao's Noodle Shop, Bao Beiyuan cleared his throat and, as if greeting customers at a noodle shop, called out loudly: "Drinks—fresh milk tea drinks—a unique and delicious creation—tasty and affordable!"

The boy's voice was clear and resonant, carrying far across the somewhat quiet street.

Gong Lisheng, carrying a bundle of scallions in one hand and a bag of green and red peppers in the other, turned out from the intersection next to Bao Beiyuan. When he looked up, he saw Bao Beiyuan carrying two baskets and turning his head to shout.

He opened his eyes wide and strode over: "Xiao Yuan!"

Bao Beiyuan looked closely, then smiled and said, "Brother Sheng!"

Gong Lisheng opened a small stall selling stir-fried mung bean jelly nearby. His father loved mung bean jelly, while Gong Lisheng preferred the noodles from his stall, so the two families often interacted.

Although Gong Lisheng was several years older than him, the two had a pretty good relationship.

"What's going on...didn't you go back to the private school with your classmate?"

Gong Lisheng approached, looked Bao Beiyuan up and down, and asked curiously.

"I'm going back to the private school, but I'm not studying anymore. I found a job selling tea drinks, and today is my first day selling them."

"Brother Sheng, please try my tea. It's a unique creation of the owner, and the only one of its kind in Beiyang County. No other beverage shops have it."

"We're old acquaintances, have a taste, it's free."

Bao Beiyuan said with a smile.

Gong Lisheng looked at his smiling face, his feelings complicated.

It seems she has moved on from the grief of Mr. Bao's passing.

But who knows if it's just a forced smile?

At the time, Bao Beiyuan's classmates wanted to help this young man fight for his family property, and several old neighbors were also willing to go to the county government to be witnesses.

But this kid voluntarily gave up such a large family business.

well!

He pulled himself together, turned around and pointed to the cold jelly shop not far away, saying, "Okay, I'll try it. Let's go to the shop, I'll get a bowl."

"Okay!" Bao Beiyuan replied with a smile.

The jelly shop was a small shop with a courtyard in the back, but Gong Lisheng only rented the shop and one room in the backyard. The remaining rooms were occupied by other tenants, making it a mixed courtyard.

Gong's Liangfen Shop is also a time-honored brand, having been open for over thirty years.

A few years ago, Grandpa Gong returned to his hometown to retire and take care of his grandson.

The cold noodle shop was handed over to Mr. and Mrs. Gong, who learned most of Mr. Gong's skills, so not many of their old customers were lost.

Gong Lisheng arrived at the shop, opened the door, and gestured for Bao Beiyuan to sit down: "I'll go get a bowl."

The shop is small; besides the stove, there are only four small tables inside, and you can see everything at a glance.

Bao Beiyuan placed the basket on the table and asked, "Where is Sister Cuihua?"

“She went back to the village yesterday; she missed your nephew.” Gong Lisheng smiled and took a white porcelain bowl from the cupboard: “Here, let me try the new tea milk you mentioned.”

He placed the white porcelain bowl in front of Bao Beiyuan.

Bao Beiyuan took out the wine grapes wrapped in burlap and said with a smile, "You'll definitely be satisfied."

He opened the earthenware pot containing the soy milk rice mochi, first scooping out half a cup of tea. Upon seeing this, Gong Lisheng immediately said, "Why didn't you fill it up for me?"

"Brother Sheng, try it first. If it's not to your liking..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gong Lisheng interrupted him: "No need to try it, I'll buy it. Do you think you'd cheat me? If I don't like it, it's because I don't like the taste, not because there's something wrong with your tea."

One sentence warmed Bao Beiyuan's heart as if he were standing under the blazing sun.

He gave a loud "Mmm": "Brother Sheng, you used all the best ingredients, and the method is complicated. Let me give you an extra bite of rice mochi!"

He scooped up a full cup of tea and poured it into a white porcelain bowl.

Then he opened the bowl containing rice mochi and soybean flour.

He first put two pieces of rice mochi into the bowl, then used a spoon to sprinkle a layer of soybean powder into the bowl.

Gong Lisheng looked on curiously and pointed to the rice mochi in the bowl, asking, "What's this?"

"This is rice mochi, my boss's secret recipe, it's especially delicious. Brother Sheng, have some chopsticks and try it." Bao Beiyuan handed over the white porcelain bowl.

Upon hearing this, Gong Lisheng quickly took another pair of chopsticks from the cupboard.

Holding the white porcelain bowl, he first took a sip of tea.

Hmm, it has a rich and full-bodied flavor, and the tea taste is also strong.

The quality ingredients are evident in the taste.

Then he couldn't wait to pick up the rice mochi with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

Given his family's circumstances, they must have eaten glutinous rice balls before.

Previously, he thought that the glutinous rice ball skin was the softest and most delicate food, but who knew that this food would make the glutinous rice ball skin seem a bit hard!

He opened his eyes wide, his face filled with disbelief.

Bao Beiyuan didn't miss his expression and asked with a smile, "How is it? Surprised?"

Gong Lisheng nodded emphatically: "Your boss is really something! I've never tasted anything like this before!"

How much is a bowl of this?

“Ten coins a bunch,” Bao Beiyuan said.

"Ten coins?!" Gong Lisheng was surprised again.

It's cheaper than at the beverage shop!

The taste is just as good as that of old-fashioned beverage shops, and they even deliver to your door. He said with some emotion, "You've found a good job, kid. You won't go hungry from now on."

"Brother Sheng is right. I am very grateful to my employer. There are still many good people in the world."

Bao Beiyuan said with a serious expression.

"Of course, there aren't many people like Bao Beixing in the world."

Gong Lisheng gestured towards Bao's Noodle Shop with his chin, looking disgusted, and said, "You don't know, do you? These past few days, Bao Beixing only opens in the afternoon every day, sleeping in late every morning!"

"Although I don't think much of him, you know I really love noodles. I crave them if I don't eat them for a few days."

“But yesterday afternoon I went to a noodle shop and the dough that kid kneaded wasn’t chewy at all! The noodles were all soft and mushy, and he was even lazy in kneading the dough.”

"The family fortune your parents earned will be ruined by him sooner or later!"

Gong Lisheng's rant left Bao Beiyuan somewhat stunned.

No, it's one thing to open late.

You're not even kneading the dough properly?

After finishing his rant, Gong Lisheng took a big gulp of milk tea, feeling quite satisfied.

He added, "Let's not talk about him anymore, he's a spoilsport. Come on, let's go out and shout it out. You only brought this much, so we can just give it to the neighbors."

"Let's go, let's go."

He pulled Bao Beiyuan and walked out.

Bao Beiyuan snapped out of his reverie and agreed.

...

When Bao Beiyuan returned to the Jiang family home, it was already afternoon.

Thanks to Gong Lisheng's vigorous promotion, the two earthenware pots of beverages sold out quickly.

But he went back to the private school first.

After eating a few vegetable dumplings at the private school to make do with lunch, I chatted with Jiang Ji for a while before returning to Yezaopo.

He walked along, calculating his earnings for the day.

Ye Li had instructed him to take out a bottle for the diners to try.

Since it's the first time we're selling it, we definitely need to let everyone try it first.

But the neighbors felt sorry for him, struggling to make a living on his own, so they refused to try the food or ask for more. In the end, Gong Lisheng got a little advantage – he gave him an extra bite of rice mochi.

So, today's tea drinks have all been converted into cash.

Two liters of jasmine tea, totaling four catties.

The profit is 0.5 cents per pound sold.

I earned two coins from the four catties.

Soy milk rice mochi has high profit margins, totaling three liters, or twelve pieces.

The profit per cup is two and a half cents.

Twelve taels is equivalent to thirty coins.

The total profit was thirty-two coins.

He split the money with Ye Li, so he would get sixteen coins.

A good omen!

This money is easy to earn!

In the Jiang family's courtyard, Bao Beiyuan sat at the kitchen door and recounted his morning's experiences in detail.

He smiled and said, "Jasmine tea is quite popular. It tastes just as good as the drinks from beverage shops. I deliver it to people's homes, and they're happy to buy it."

Ye Li stood by the stove, holding long chopsticks, and said while stirring the tofu puffs in the pot, "This is beyond my expectations."

Unexpectedly, poor Bao Beiyuan actually has some connections.

But today's situation is special, so he instructed, "Tomorrow, go to a different place and see how other diners react. You can't always rely on your neighbors."

“Okay,” Bao Beiyuan replied.

That's what he was planning to do too.

Although the old neighbors were well-off, they couldn't bear to drink milk tea, which cost ten coins a bowl, every day.

He needs to visit several places to scout them out.

When he starts selling his wares from his own cart in the future, he'll have a better understanding of the market.

Bao Beiyuan didn't linger. He quickly left the Jiang family home with a bowl of freshly made cold preserved eggs from Ye Li in his pocket.

It's been half a month since I last made preserved eggs with Ye Li.

Yesterday afternoon, Ye Li opened the jar, knocked on five pieces, and each one had a beautiful soft center.

Preserved eggs are tasteless and cannot be eaten with porridge or vegetable dumplings like salted duck eggs, but such a delicacy must be enjoyed by my good husband, so Ye Li quickly made a cold dish and had Bao Beiyuan take it away.

After frying the tofu puffs, when Ye Liang left, he let Ye Liang take twenty with him.

Five were given to the Ye family to eat.

The remaining fifteen were sold at Liu's pancake stall.

If sales are good, he'll quickly produce the next batch.

Summer is the perfect time to eat preserved eggs. They're served cold with cucumber, making a refreshing, unique, and incredibly delicious dish.

Ye Liang was very interested in the preserved eggs. Ye Li had said that these things could be preserved for half a year without spoiling. There were many merchants coming and going in Baxian Town. If they could sell them to merchants from other places, given the flow of people in Baxian Town, selling several hundred a day would not be a problem!

By then, the Ye family will also be able to make money by turning eggs into real ones!

Because Ye Li alone couldn't make that many preserved eggs, Ye Li was willing to teach him the recipe for preserved eggs!

It's foolish not to make money when you have it.

Once Ye Liangyi returned home, despite the late hour, he immediately asked Liu Yi to try making cold preserved eggs.

Ye Li explained the steps clearly, and he taught them to Liu Yi one by one. Liu Yi tried it three times with three preserved eggs, and then made the same cold preserved egg dish as Ye Li.

Ye Liang felt relieved; he was one step closer to making big money!

Early the next morning, Liu Yi made a bowl of cold preserved egg salad and took it to town along with tofu puffs, large skewers, and fried dough twists.

The preserved eggs have beautiful colors, and they attracted a lot of attention as soon as they were displayed.

As for the taste...

Because these are eggs, which are expensive, you have to buy a pancake with vegetables first if you want to try them for free.

However, there are some things to keep in mind when offering free samples, because the egg white of the preserved egg is not as good as the yolk.

If you want to try the egg yolk for free, you have to buy three "Family Reunion" pancakes with fillings!

Therefore, when Liu Yi cut the eggs, he made a point of separating the egg whites and yolks.

This tasting method was determined by Ye Liding.

At first, Ye Liang and Liu Yi were a little worried, feeling that this method had too many restrictions, and what if someone didn't want to eat the pancakes but only wanted to eat the preserved eggs?

But as it turned out, they had worried too much.

The appearance of the preserved egg is like amber, which is really tempting. Those who have money to spare would like to try it.

Besides, the most common thing at Liu's pancake stall is Liu's pancakes; all the other food is delicious.

So, a customer with a bulging wallet immediately took out his money and bought three "family-style" pancakes with fillings, wanting to taste what the yolk of the preserved egg really tasted like.

Like preserved eggs, century eggs have a wide appeal.

Many people don't like eating the egg white of preserved eggs, but very few people don't like eating the yolk.

In addition, Liu Yi's cooking skills are excellent, so the unique and delicate texture of the egg yolk, paired with the sour and spicy sauce, is truly irresistible.

This wealthy customer immediately bought all the remaining preserved eggs.

The preserved eggs are sold individually.

The cost, apart from eggs, is only a small amount of lime and sawdust.

It's really not that high.

The small ones cost two coins each.

The big ones are three coins each.

The price is similar to that of a tea egg; it's not expensive.

If you want to make money, you have to go for volume.

But judging from today's situation, the prospects for making money are excellent!

Relieved by Ye Liang's feedback, Ye Li approached Jiang Tong and asked if he could get him some sawdust.

He's not in a hurry; he'll give it to him in ten days, half a month, or even several months.

The matter was too simple, and Jiang Tong readily agreed.

Even if Ye Li hadn't helped him a lot, given the relationship between the two families, he would have agreed.

To be honest, he had devoted himself to carpentry for ten years, and although he ultimately came up empty-handed and didn't gain any real skills, he was reluctant to give it up completely.

Since he had some money at home, he decided to go to the city to buy some tools.

He can't handle large items, but making stools and chairs is no problem for him.

If there are too many to make, they can be sold at a low price in the town or county.

He doesn't expect to make money from this skill.

He just couldn't let go.

After Ye Li contacted Jiang Tong, he asked Bao Beiyuan to bring him some quicklime and sawdust the next day when Bao Beiyuan came to the Jiang family to return the pottery jar.

Jiang Tong's sawdust supply is far from being available, so if he wants to make preserved eggs, he has to buy sawdust himself.

Bao Beiyuan readily agreed.

Ye Li also started collecting eggs in the village.

This time, he plans to make five hundred eggs.

At noon that day, when the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class, the lecture hall, which had been filled with the sound of students reading aloud, suddenly fell silent.

Once the teacher announced the end of get out of class, the lecture hall returned to its lively atmosphere.

Students who knew each other greeted each other, either going to the dining hall together or leaving the private school together to fill their stomachs outside.

Jiang Ji slowly packed up his books and waited until most of the people in the lecture hall had left before he got up.

Nowadays, after selling tea in the morning, Bao Beiyuan would have lunch at the private school before noon, and then head straight to Yezaopo.

So now he's eating alone again.

He left the lecture hall and was about to go to the backyard when he heard someone calling from the hanging flower gate connecting the front and main courtyards: "Jiang Ji, someone is looking for you at the gate—"

Unauthorized persons are not allowed to enter the private school.

If someone comes to a student's home, the doorman will come in to deliver a message.

Is someone looking for me?

Jiang Ji's heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he ran towards the front yard.

He strode through the hanging flower gate and quickly arrived at the gate of the private school. He climbed the steps, stepped over the threshold, and looked around. Sure enough, Ye Li was standing under the shade of a tree on the high wall to the left of the gate, smiling at him!

Her smile was radiant, brighter than the sun overhead!

His narrow eyes instantly filled with laughter, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He strode over and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to buy some jars to make preserved eggs, and I'll bring you some food on the way."

Ye Li pointed to the basket on her back and said, "I made braised pork and rice."

Jiang Ji felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing these words.

With Bao Beiyuan relaying messages daily, he knew about Ye Li's plan to make a big splash.

However, Ye Li rarely came to the city on official business, so he even specially made braised pork for him!

They're taking it too seriously.

She treated him with too much care.

Feeling extremely pleased, he reached out his hands and helped Ye Li untie the basket on her back, saying, "You're so busy every day, you don't need to do this."

"I'm just worried you won't spend your money properly." Ye Li put the basket on the ground and squatted down.

He took out the small ceramic jar from inside and handed it to Jiang Ji: "It's been five days, how much money have you spent?"

Jiang Ji also squatted down against the wall and immediately said upon hearing this, "I spend four coins every day to buy two eggs, and now I've spent twenty coins."

"Really?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow.

"Really." Jiang Ji hugged the small pottery jar and said seriously, "I wouldn't dare not spend it."