In Jiuzhenfang.
Zheng Ruqian, dressed in a thin cotton shirt, bowed to the young man in brocade robes and said, "Thank you very much, Young Master Zhu. I will never forget your great kindness."
Who would have thought that in the end it was Zhu Sihuan from the Zhu family who helped, not only buying up the Liao family's lychees, but also taking them all.
A full hundred pounds, all of it is here.
"It's nothing to do for Brother Xu, just a small favor." Zhu Sihuan waved his hand with a smile. "I only hope that when Brother Xu passes the imperial examination with top honors, he won't forget his friend."
"Definitely, definitely," Zheng Ruqian said with a smile.
Although the Zhu family is a vassal of the Fang family, Zhu Sihuan is a man of genuine character. Due to the conflict between the two families, he dares not get too close to them. It is already quite an achievement that he has managed to take the lychees.
In return, Zheng Ruqian gave him ten catties of lychees and a lot of pastries.
Once Jiuzhenfang had calmed down, Jiang Sheng came over with her round, rosy face, and asked expectantly, "Second Brother, can we begin now?"
Since deciding to harvest lychees, they have invested a total of 3,700 taels of silver, almost equivalent to their current savings.
Even the bravest Jiang Sheng couldn't help but feel a little scared.
They were afraid of losing money, afraid of losing all their capital, and afraid of not being able to sell their products.
But the lychees had already been harvested, and the cellar was constantly being replenished with ice; the die was cast.
Instead of waiting anxiously, it's better to find out the result as soon as possible.
Zheng Ruqian patted his little sister's head and replied softly, "Okay, let's begin."
If we set aside the business battles and focus on the buying and selling itself, things become much easier.
To express his gratitude and to elevate the status of lychee shaved ice, Zheng Ruqian ordered that a plate of lychee shaved ice be sent to each of the Yao, Dou, Qi, and Zhao families. Even Zhu Sihuan secretly sent a plate.
The Jiang family would not overlook this; they would not only send gifts, but send even more.
Two plates were given to Old Madam Jiang, and two plates were sent to the second branch of the Jiang family.
The lychees pulled from the ice hole were initially a bit firm, but softened considerably after a short rest. They were at their best when a white frost appeared on the flesh.
The ladies from aristocratic families would gently bite into half a piece, first savoring the sweet and refreshing taste of the lychee flesh, then enjoying the sweet and rich aroma of the osmanthus honey, and finally the crisp and refreshing coolness of the ice, which directly drove away all the heat waves.
For those who are more easygoing, they can stuff the whole piece into their mouth, feel the frost on their tongue and lips, enjoy the sweet saliva that is stimulated, and finally gently bite into the flesh to let the sweetness and fragrance blend together.
No matter how you eat it, it's enough to amaze even the most jaded and decadent families of Toyokyo who are tired of crispy mountain delicacies and ice cream.
Of course, the most precious thing is the lychee itself.
Thanks to the Liao family for their tireless efforts in raising the price of lychees in recent years, it was an honor to eat a couple of lychees in season, and lychees out of season were practically as precious as jewelry.
In addition, its unique flavor amazed Yao Siqing, who ordered five plates the very next day.
Yes, sold per plate.
Jiang Sheng believes that the current price of lychees is rather awkward. They are not as expensive as before, but they are not cheap either. Lychee ice seems expensive at fifty taels, but there is no profit at ten taels.
Why not just put on a plate, display about thirty lychees, weighing about one and a half pounds, and sell them for forty taels?
After removing the weight of the ice and filling, the profit is quite substantial.
After the Yao family, other prominent families in Fengjing also placed orders one after another, and they earned back the 3,700 taels in just a few days.
Even the second branch of the Lianjiang family has booked several properties.
The second courtyard.
Jiang Sheng picked up a piece of braised fish with her chopsticks, somewhat disappointed, "Just breaking even?"
"Three hundred and forty catties of lychees, and you've only sold a little over a hundred catties to break even. That's good." Zheng Ruqian removed the thorns from her lychees. "The rest is all profit."
Jiang Sheng finally felt relieved and focused on eating the fish.
Zhang Xianglian was skilled at stewing pork hock, but not so good at handling fish, so on her two visits to the courtyard, she ate more meat than fish.
Upon learning this, the head chef volunteered to come and help stew the fish.
The children understood his intentions and kindly nodded in agreement, but they did not expect that the master chef's skills were truly superb. Jiang Sheng was able to eat the whole braised fish he made and still wanted more.
Zhang Xianglian felt sorry for her daughter, so she shamelessly asked the master chef to come and help again.
We've already helped them, it would be too much not to offer them a meal.
So the head chef was able to sit openly at the dining table in the second courtyard and serve food to Zhang Xianglian.
"Xianglian, try this. The meat under the fish's eyes is the best, the most tender and fragrant." The head chef happily picked it up and placed it on the plate.
At first, Zhang Xianglian put the food in Jiang Sheng's mouth, and then she blushed and sipped it.
"This one, this one is delicious too, the fish mouth is the essence." The chef picked up another piece with his chopsticks.
Zhang Xianglian waved her hand.
He was a sensible person, so he quickly changed the subject and put the food into Jiang Sheng's bowl, saying, "Child, eat well, have more."
"Thank you, Master Chef," Jiang Sheng replied crisply, finishing off the braised fish.
After finishing our meal, we still had to get back to work.
There are countless families that have been in the business of ordering lychees. The more desolate Jiuzhenfang was before, the more bustling it is now.
Familiar faces and unfamiliar faces alike came to buy lychee shaved ice.
Jiang Sheng had just finished receiving the money from the Zhao family when a maid appeared before her, her face cold and displeased. "I'd like a plate of lychee shaved ice too."
"Address, forty taels, arrange for someone to deliver it immediately." She wrote it down without looking up.
The maidservant was silent for a moment, then uttered four words, "The Liao family of East Street."
Jiang Sheng's handwriting wasn't very good to begin with, but now that it suddenly stopped, it became completely illegible.
She regretfully pulled away the sheet of Xuan paper and replaced it with a new one. "Forty taels. I'll have someone deliver it to you later."
Lychee ice is special; it's difficult to transport in ordinary wooden boxes. It must be a whole block of ice wrapped in a cotton quilt to prevent it from melting.
The maid snorted and produced a fifty-tael silver ingot.
Zhang Xianglian used large scissors to cut off two pieces, weighed them out to a total of ten taels, and pushed them over.
"No need." The maid didn't reach out to take it. "These ten taels are a reward from the Liao family."
What a wonderful word, "reward".
Rewards can only be given by a master to a servant, or by a noble to a lowly person.
Although Jiuzhenfang was just a pastry shop, belonging to the merchant class among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, it had never received such blatant contempt in Fengjing.
Zhang Xianglian was a little unhappy at the time.
Jiang Sheng remained calm, took the ten taels of silver, and said lightly, "The Liao family is generous, please thank them for me."
Seeing that her words had no effect, the maid turned away angrily.
Zhang Xianglian was very worried. "Xiao Jiang Sheng, go and call Ruqian over. The Liao family definitely has ill intentions. We can't send them lychee ice."
Business at Jiuzhenfang was booming, but Zheng Ruqian, being restless, had already gone off to attend to other matters.
Jiang Sheng pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I won't go to my second brother, nor will I let my aunts go. I'll go myself."
Perhaps it was the confidence given by her grandmother, or perhaps it was the knowledge that Zheng Ruqian would eventually have to travel the world, but the little girl who had been protected by her brothers began to stand on her own.
The Liao family is nothing to be afraid of.
Besides, Jiang San and Jiang Si are both with them.
Jiang Sheng put away the money and asked Daya to record it. She then got into the carriage and rushed to the Baishui Noodles Workshop to get the lychee ice, and then rushed to the Liao family's door as quickly as possible.
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