19 Chapter 19

◎Envoy of the Northern Frontier.◎

It’s strange to say, there was clearly a eunuch with a sticky beard who came to cause trouble that day, but after that there was no more movement from those who wanted to make things difficult for Li Hengqing.

Everything was going smoothly for the Northern Goods Store's opening, awaiting only the auspicious date predicted by the master. Li Hengqing didn't believe in destiny, so it was the shopkeeper Qian who insisted on having the fortune told. After much persuasion, Li Hengqing finally agreed.

After all, she felt that it didn't matter whether it was unlucky or not. What mattered was that the guests thought it was auspicious.

Time quickly arrived on opening day. They had already advertised their business to every customer at the market, and now they had cut colored paper and taped it to the wall, and printed some flyers for distribution. Li Hengqing had initially worried about the marketing's effectiveness, but when she arrived at the shop, a long line had already formed outside.

Squinting my eyes and taking a closer look, I saw that there was more than one team.

A young girl next to her, also wearing a veil, saw her looking at the line and couldn't help but whisper to her, complaining, "This line is too long! I sent my maid away for a quarter of an hour and she still hasn't come back. It was all in vain..."

Li Hengqing pondered for a moment and said, "I heard from the shopkeeper that there are seats on the first floor for rest."

The girl stamped her foot again when she heard that. "They're all full! Besides, it would be awkward sitting with a bunch of smelly men."

Li Hengqing: "What about the second floor?"

She remembered that she also arranged a rest area on the second floor.

The street-facing shop is spacious, and Li Hengqing divided it into a hot food shop and a milk tea shop.

The latter not only offers Beidi's traditional salty milk tea, but also offers a refined flavor that's more like modern milk tea. Unfortunately, the industry's limited development makes it difficult to replicate the fancy toppings of modern times. Actually, this recipe was developed by Li Hengqing during a winter of boredom in his tent. While the selection is currently limited, the taste is guaranteed.

They also sell improved grassland water bags, which are special opening editions with the Beihuohang logo. You can use the water bags when you buy milk tea in the future, and a cleaning service is also provided.

Otherwise, how can you say she is a genius?

"You can go up to the second floor?" The girl's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? You've been standing here for so long for nothing. No, you know there are seats on the second floor, why are you still standing here? Don't you like sitting?"

At this moment, a girl dressed as a maid hurriedly rushed out from the front of the group, carrying two water bags. She looked around for her mistress and happened to meet Li Hengqing's eyes. The latter smiled at her, and the maid blushed instantly: "I, I, go find my mistress..."

Li Hengqing: ...

Look at the girl next to me, does she look like your daughter?

As expected, the girl snorted again: "I'm here! After all this time, you only bought two?"

The maid smiled apologetically and said, "Alas, Miss, the milk tea at the Northern Goods Store is limited in purchase. Each person can only buy two at most."

The girl said angrily: "Does the shopkeeper know who you belong to?"

"Whose man?" Li Hengqing was really curious when he heard that, so he turned around and asked.

"Mine." The girl pointed at herself.

Who are you?

Li Hengqing was somewhat face-blind. Although he was confused, he didn't show it on his face. He quickly counted the dignitaries in Yunzhou City in his mind and said, "Could it be Miss Shen?"

The girl nodded very reservedly and proudly.

Li Hengqing suppressed a laugh and gestured "please." "I didn't know Miss Chen was here. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Could you please come upstairs and sit for a while?"

Chen Jiao rubbed his sore calf, thinking that he shouldn't have walked out on a whim today, but he nodded in agreement.

The second floor of the Northern Goods Store sold cashmere and other fur products, including the previously mentioned water bags, which were available in a wider variety of styles. A separate and elegant lounge area was also designated. Li Hengqing asked for a teacup and tried to transfer the milk tea to the cup, but Shen Jiao flatly refused.

She argued confidently, "Grassland milk tea should be drunk with grassland utensils to be truly delicious—eh, why isn't it as salty as the grassland milk tea I had before?"

The maid replied cautiously, "Miss, the shopkeeper said it's called salted cheese. It's made by mixing whipped milk with cow's milk... I don't remember what happened after that."

Ordinary grassland milk tea certainly wasn't overly salty, but it seemed Miss Shen had a lighter palate. Li Hengqing also took a sip of the salty cheese milk tea, where the salty aroma of the cheese blended with the rich frankincense, creating a harmonious blend of saltiness and sweetness. The chewy highland barley served as a base.

The milk directly supplied from the place of origin is so rich and fragrant that she couldn't help but sigh. This is also a rare place where the life is better than that of ordinary cows and horses in modern times.

Over there, Shen Jiao drank another kind of milk tea and raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Why is it sweet and sour? Let me try it again... Hmm, it also tastes like honey. Do those Beidi people usually eat so well?"

At this time, the waiter came up with a bang, looking embarrassed. His eyes moved between Li Hengqing and Shen Jiao, hesitating: "Husband, uh, Miss Shen..."

Li Hengqing raised his eyelids and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

The waiter then said, "Envoy Shen Jinglue knew Miss Shen was here, and he said that if she didn't come down and go home, he would smash our store..."

"Let Miss Shen never have any milk tea to drink again..."

When Shen Jiao heard the second sentence, his expression became stern and he raised his head: "My father is really something. If you have something to say, you should talk to him nicely. What's the point of destroying his store?"

Li Hengqing nodded in agreement.

Shen Zhenyuan, the Northern Frontier Governor, had few children; his only surviving child was his pampered daughter, Shen Jiao, who had been raised as a son. In other words, she was naturally free-spirited, and it was she who had previously challenged Li Hengqing to take over his business.

Although this man holds the military power in the northern border, he is an absolute lone minister in the court, without any faction or friends. That is why he is favored by the emperor now.

"Let's go. I'll give Miss Shen a ride. You're welcome to come again next time." Li Hengqing said with a smile, and stood up to see the guest off. "Waiter, pack a portion of that seabuckthorn honey sauce for Miss Shen. Just think of it as trying something new."

Shen Jiao's mind finally came to her senses, and the surprise in his eyes didn't seem fake: "Are you the proprietress here?"

Li Hengqing: "Yes, the boss."

After hearing this, Shen Jiao pondered for a moment, then suddenly reached out and patted Li Hengqing's shoulder heavily. She took off the jade pendant from her waist and generously stuffed it into her hand: "Yes, I will make you my friend. Take this, and you can come to me anytime in the future."

The jade pendant in his hand was very clear and the piece was not small, but it was only carved into a simple Ruyi buckle style, with Shen Jiao's name engraved on it in dark patterns. You could tell it was not a cheap item just by touching it.

Li Hengqing's lips curled up in a smile. However, Shen Zhenyuan hadn't come to pick up Shen Jiao in person; he had simply sent a sedan chair to take him back. She wasn't in a hurry either. It seemed like she'd gained a lot of favor today, and now she had the token. There was no need to worry about not having the chance to meet again in the future.

…

The Northern Frontier Governor's Mansion.

Shen Zhenyuan looked at his daughter who had returned from her mischief, his eyes falling on her waist which was now much emptier, and asked, "Where's the jade pendant?"

Shen Jiao said with a chuckle, "Give it away."

Hearing about sending someone off, Shen Zhenyuan's brows almost knitted together, and he asked repeatedly, "Sending someone off? Is that person a man or a woman? How old are they? What does they do?"

Chen Jiao flicked his fingers and said, "It's a woman, probably a few years older than me, the owner of the Northern Goods Store."

Shen Zhenyuan nodded. He had indeed heard rumors about the opening of the Northern Goods Store, but he had only heard about it briefly and hadn't investigated further. The servant poured him the milk tea that Shen Jiao had brought back, and Shen Jiao quickly said, "I brought this especially for Daddy. Please enjoy it."

The sweet and sour fruit aroma permeated his mouth, along with the lingering aroma of nectar. Harmonized by the all-embracing milk, the taste was surprisingly quite good. Shen Zhenyuan's brows relaxed slightly, and he put down his cup with a sigh. "Never mind. With the Sixth Prince's imminent arrival, I've been so busy with military affairs that I've neglected you."

After hearing this, Shen Jiao smiled and went over to massage Shen Zhenyuan's shoulders: "Daddy still cares about me."

Shen Zhenyuan snorted coldly, but was obviously quite benefited. He ordered people to investigate the background of that northern goods store and the boss behind it.

The boss hadn't deliberately concealed his identity, so it wasn't particularly difficult to investigate. It didn't take Shen Zhenyuan long to get the results. After reading the secret report, General Shen frowned again.

To whom did his unfortunate daughter give the Shen family jade pendant? Was the Shunyang Prince who married far away in Beidi real?

Are there nobility and royal families in this world? The erratic and moody Sixth Prince is one of them, and my daughter can just bump into one of them on the street. Is this going to end?