Chapter 324: Invite More White Rats

"If we have different ideals, we cannot work together."

Mu Nanzhao lay on the bed with his eyes closed, this sentence still circling in his mind.

Different road?

Was he going to drag her onto his path by force?

Or should he give up his own path and follow hers?

If a person has to sacrifice himself, how can it be considered a good choice!

…

Two days later, Gu Xixi continued to take An Qinghe out for tea during the day.

Among them are some teahouses of various sizes recommended by He Jinglan.

He Jinglan herself was busy decorating the dessert shop.

That night, the two of them took a tub bath together and shared what they had gained that day.

Gu Xixi has been to more than a dozen teahouses and tea shops of different grades.

She half-closed her eyes and smiled, "These two days have not been in vain. Although loose tea is popular in Beijing, the trend of brewing tea is also quite popular and is more related to elegance."

"Moreover, all teahouses have mellow flavors such as Fucha, black tea, and Pu'er tea, which are popular with many customers and are not considered new or novel."

"I have decided to prepare the tea garden when I return, and I will leave the establishment of the tea factory to An Qinghe."

He Jinglan leaned against the wall of the bucket, raised her head and sighed comfortably, "Seeing you have such confidence, I am happy too."

"I'm also making good progress here, and construction will begin tomorrow."

"So don't rush back. Wait another half a month and you'll be able to see our dessert shop."

Gu Xixi replied lazily, "Don't worry, I can't leave for the time being."

"First of all, it will take time to communicate with the county government to find a way to get the land."

"Secondly, we are destined to miss the spring farming season. It is best to wait until early autumn when the weather turns cooler before transplanting tea trees. There is no time to rush."

"And Lu Jing..."

"We have to wait until she gets a response from her complaint."

He Jinglan smiled and nodded, "It's good that you don't leave. Feel free to stay at my house. You are welcome to stay as long as you want."

Next to the bathtub stood a large black lacquered tray inlaid with gold.

On the plate there was a glass self-serving teapot, teacups, and two kinds of sweet and sour candied fruits.

He Jinglan made the tea hot and poured two cups of it. The water was light red and had a sweet rose scent.

She handed a cup to Gu Xixi, "This is the tribute rose water from southern Xinjiang. It is mixed with honey and is the color of rouge. With this pot of water, you only need to pick up a teaspoon and it will be very fragrant."

Gu Xixi took a sip and found it delicious. The floral scent also helped to relax the mind.

He Jinglan smiled again and said, "My brother has tried the two tea cakes you gave him and he likes them very much."

Gu Xixi said, "It's good as long as Lord He can drink."

"When I came to the capital, I just wanted to go back quickly. I didn't want to bother you in person, so I didn't bring any gifts."

"These two tea cakes are the only ones I made myself. Just to show my appreciation."

He Jinglan said, "Your gift is very good, and it can't be bought anywhere else. He plans to take it with him when he goes outing, and ask his good colleagues to make tea for him to drink before the weather gets too hot."

Gu Xixi smiled and glanced at her. "Fucha is mild in nature, neither hot nor cold, and it helps digestion. It's actually suitable for summer."

"It's just that when it's hot, lighting a fire to make tea is smoky and annoying. You can make Fu tea somewhere else and let it cool down. You can add ice cubes when drinking it. You can also soak dried citron and tangerine peel in the cold tea for flavoring. It will definitely be refreshing."

He Jinglan was pleasantly surprised. "This is a good and novel idea. I will tell my brother about it later. He will definitely be happy."

"If you can't come up with something unique when it comes to food, how can you be worthy of the name of a scholar?"

The sound of splashing water.

He Jinglan turned to Gu Xixi, holding the bucket with both hands and smiled:

"Then you have nothing else to do next? I mean the important things you were supposed to do."

Gu Xixi replied, "This time I came here just to get a preliminary understanding, so this is enough."

He Jinglan's smile deepened, and it was clear from her expression that she had already planned something.

"That day, I asked my brother and his friends to try the drink, as well as my maids and servants. Although we received feedback later, I still feel it is not enough."

Gu Xixi asked, "Can you find more people to be guinea pigs?"

He Jinglan said cunningly, "Of course."

"But I have to come up with a good reason. Not only can I let them drink, but I can also not let them drink for free."

"It's best to kill two birds with one stone. Take this opportunity to build up the reputation of our dessert shop!"

Gu Xixi understood, "You want to treat us?"

He Jinglan nodded, "It's the spring flower viewing season, so let's hold a flower viewing poetry party at my house."

"Anyway, in the past, there would always be such a banquet at the Dahe Mansion at this time of year."

"It just so happens that I got to grab this ray of east wind this year."

Gu Xixi thought for a moment and said, "Those who are invited by your He family are naturally the young men and ladies of the capital. Most of them are rich and have free time, so they need new and novel enjoyments."

"If you want to promote something, a banquet is indeed a good opportunity. But..."

She was a little worried. "After all, this involves interpersonal relationships, and it's very troublesome to prepare. What about Lord He?"

He Jinglan was prepared. "Don't worry, I've already told my brother about it, and he has no objection."

"Now that there is no sister-in-law in the house, I am the mistress of the house."

"We can discuss and decide how to organize the banquet."

Gu Xixi smiled lightly, "Okay."

He Jinglan pondered and said, "In addition to thinking about the format of the banquet, we also have to write the invitations in advance."

"The Spring Examination is approaching, so why not set the date after the results are announced?"

"This way, no matter whether you pass the exam or not, everyone will be at ease, and we can invite more people to the banquet."

"Also, send a message to your relative Jiang Mingyuan."

Gu Xixi nodded, "That's all right."

After all, the Spring Examination is the biggest and most discussed event in the capital city today.

Once the trial is over, the tasting at the flower viewing banquet will have a chance to attract widespread attention and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Neither Gu Xixi nor He Jinglan are the kind of people who would dilly-dally.

Immediately discussed:

Gu Xixi: "On the day of the banquet, you don't need too much sugary drinks. Three or five kinds are enough. They can be used as appetizers, beverages to accompany meals, and desserts during meals. They should be included in the menu of the day."

He Jinglan: "We have to choose something that no one has ever had before, something that will shock people the most and leave them wanting more."

Gu Xixi: "You have to choose the one with the highest acceptance and the widest audience, otherwise it will easily fail."

He Jinglan: "Yeah, that makes sense. It seems that it's not enough for only my family to try it. I'll let the people in the Regent's Palace try it. They have a lot of people over there."

"Oh, I'm here on my own. I mean it's just me. You don't have to owe them a favor!"

…

There were still two days before the Spring Examination. Gu Xixi and An Qinghe bought some things and went to the inn to visit Jiang Mingyuan.

Gu Xixi hasn't seen Mu Nanzhao in recent days.

He Jinglan also found it strange. Before, either Mu Nanzhao went to the He Mansion or He Jinghui went to the Regent's Mansion. In short, they came and went every day, either at one house or that house.

But this time, Mu Nanzhao didn't come to He's house for several days, which really broke the record.

He Jinglan thought back to the conversation with Mu Nanzhao that night, and cursed inwardly, wondering if this guy was really backing out?

She didn't feel comfortable discussing it with Gu Xixi, so she had to ask her brother privately.