Wenjuan, on the other hand, squatted on the ground and watched as saltpeter was added to the large basin in front of her, and the water in the small basin in the middle froze into ice.
She stared in astonishment, her eyes widening as she covered her mouth tightly, her gaze filled with surprise as she looked at her sister-in-law.
She's only been married into the family for a few months! How could a granddaughter-in-law like her possibly know the secret recipe for making ice?!
"Fu Niu'er, I'll pretend I didn't see anything today. Don't worry, I won't say a word. I'll go call Grandma in..."
Wenjuan was terrified and got up to leave, but Jiayin pulled her back. "Sister-in-law, don't worry, Grandma knows. Besides, Uncle and the others have been making ice like this for a long time when they transport seafood."
"Besides, you're my second brother's wife, we're family. Just don't let anyone else know. We still need to use this method to make money!"
Wenjuan's fear was easily shattered by the words "family." She took a deep breath and nodded emphatically, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely not tell anyone."
Jiayin smiled and pointed outside, saying, "Second brother can still tell you. If second sister-in-law gets pregnant, she can ask second brother to make ice for her. Grandma and the others said that pregnant women shouldn't get cold."
Wenjuan blushed deeply and dared not continue the topic. She quickly urged her sister-in-law to arrange some work for her.
Jiayin gave her the red beans, put them in a pot of water to boil, and they quickly cooked through, becoming soft and sticky. She then scooped them out and placed them aside.
Then, boil brown sugar and black tea, add milk, and let it steep for half an hour. Finally, filter out the tea leaves, pour it into a cup, add a spoonful of red bean paste, and stir well.
Jiayin tried a sip.
The sweetness is just right, the tea flavor is refreshing, the milk flavor is rich, and the red bean paste has a smooth texture.
Even without pearl dumplings, it feels like something's missing.
But I couldn't find tapioca flour right away, so I couldn't make the dumplings. I'll just have to make do with red bean paste!
Fortunately, it tastes good too. When you're a little hungry or sleepy, a cup of this is definitely a lifesaver for relieving hunger and energizing you.
Wenjuan was still a little hesitant, after all, it just didn't look right to cook good tea leaves with brown sugar and milk.
But her sister-in-law looked so happy that she couldn't resist taking a bite herself.
After drinking it, Wenjuan's eyes lit up immediately.
She wanted to say something but couldn't, so she could only take another sip, savoring it carefully, before saying, "This is so delicious! It's more mellow than tea and doesn't have a milky taste. I thought it would taste strange, but it's completely different!"
Jiayin pulled her along and started making fruit drinks again.
Actually, fruit drinks are even simpler. Just mash wild strawberries, mix them with honey, add cooled boiled water and a little ice.
Jiayin wanted to make it look more presentable, but there wasn't even a passion fruit available, so she had to make do with what she had on hand.
These wild strawberries grow on the nearby hills. I saw people selling them during the day. They were bright red and very pretty, and a basket of them only cost ten coins, which was very cheap.
But this stuff is all show and no substance; it looks nice and is cheap, but it's extremely sour, and kids rarely eat it.
However, she added honey to balance it out, and with the added coolness of ice, the final product was surprisingly delicious...
Li Laosan and Jia Huan walked in front, while Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying walked behind, the four of them chatting and laughing as they walked back from the canteen.
As soon as they entered, they saw Old Lady Li standing guard at the kitchen door. The four of them were puzzled, and Zhao Yuru quickly stepped forward and asked, "Mother, why aren't you asleep yet? What are you doing sitting here?"
Grandma Li replied with a smile, "What good stuff are Jiayin and Wenjuan up to? I'll help guard the gate, and when we make some money, I'll let them share with me!"
Grandma Li was obviously joking, but everyone laughed.
Just then, the kitchen door opened, and Wenjuan, her face flushed with excitement, carried a tray with several small porcelain bowls on it.
Jiayin followed with a smile, then coughed twice in a serious manner and said, "Our shop is opening today! Please enjoy our free milk tea and iced fruit drinks. Don't miss out!"
The crowd laughed even harder.
Such a young boss is probably unique in the entire Tianwu.
Zhao Yuru bent down and picked up her little niece, laughing, "Oh my, our little boss Fu Niu'er is so fast! She's only been half a day and she's already opened a new store?"
Li Laosan patted his little niece's head, while Jia Huan took the tray from his wife and led the whole family into the house.
Like presenting a treasure, she served milk tea to her grandmother, mother, and third aunt, while giving iced fruit drinks to her third uncle and brother.
The remaining cups were left for Granny He, Shui Ling, and Xiao Yue to choose from.
Sure enough, the milk tea was loved by both young and old, and the iced fruit drink was also drunk up by Li Laosan and Jia Huan in one go.
"Are these going to be sold in the cafeteria?" Li Laosan was the first to ask, his eyes shining with excitement. "I was originally thinking of buying a few more tea sets, but it seems I don't need to now."
Jiayin quickly went over and hugged her third uncle's leg, "Third Uncle, we definitely have to buy cups, and they have to be pretty and big!"
Li Laosan always obeyed his little niece's every word, and immediately nodded in agreement, "Okay, in a little while, your third uncle will take you to draw a design. Whatever you want, your third uncle will go and fire it!"
Zhao Yuru, who was in charge of the money box, was more concerned about the cost and talked to her daughter-in-law for a long time.
In the end, everyone agreed that this small business was viable, with low costs and high profits.
The main thing is that it tastes pretty good. If it's put in the cafeteria, students can drink it whenever they want, and they won't lose anything if they don't.
Jiayin and her third uncle went to draw some blueprints for mugs and milk tea pots. When they came back, they found that their mother and aunt had drunk two more bowls of milk tea.
Fortunately, Grandma was afraid of having to get up at night, so she didn't ask for a refill.
Jiayin's big eyes crinkled with laughter, and she covered her mouth, not saying a word more...
The next morning, before dawn, Li Laosan went to the canteen to get busy, and Jia Huan also rushed back to the city.
Wenjuan and a few others, including Granny He, made breakfast. Old Lady Li and Jiayin had just finished washing up and sat down at the table when Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru came out of the room, yawning.
Grandma Li was very surprised; she thought her daughters-in-law had all gone to the cafeteria.
Jiayin was all smiles when Tao Hongying caught her and pressed her for answers: "You naughty girl, tell me, was the milk tea too strong last night? Did they put too much tea in it? I was wide awake last night, I went to bed at least half an hour later than usual."
Zhao Yuru also said, "Yes, I was sewing by the oil lamp, and I made an extra shoe sole before I felt sleepy."
Jiayin received two light pats on the bottom from her mother. The doting grandmother quickly took her granddaughter and said, "You two drank too much! You don't usually drink much tea, and suddenly drinking so much is bound to keep you from sleeping. Besides, my granddaughter isn't making this milk tea for you; it has a very important purpose!"
“A few days ago, Jiaren came back for dinner and said that he dozed off during evening class and almost knocked over the inkstone, and was scolded by the teacher. Also, Jiahuan and Jiaxi always say that they get hungry during evening class, but the teacher only lets them drink water and not eat anything.”
"Just think about it, if they could drink a cup of this milk tea, wouldn't it stave off hunger and refresh them?"
Overjoyed, Jiayin turned around and gave her grandmother a big kiss, extremely excited, "Grandma, sob sob, you know me best! It's all because of this!"
Grandma Li smiled proudly, "Of course! My granddaughter is the most thoughtful. Others only see how our boys take care of and love their sister, but nobody knows that my granddaughter is also very good to her brothers."
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