Chapter 34 Bao Beiyuan takes over this business and goes to Wild Jujube Slope
Time is of the essence.
Ye Li didn't have time to make pancakes for Jiang Ji.
However, the tender and not-too-greasy braised pork last night was enough to soothe Jiang Ji's overworked brain from the past few days.
The restless young body was also soothed by the intense pleasure of sex.
He was in a state of great satisfaction, his gaze gentle and his demeanor calm. Standing in the courtyard, bathed in the morning glow, he made Ye Li's heart flutter. She wanted nothing more than to pounce on him and repeat the position they had been in the night before.
Good husband.
His dearest husband!
Unfortunately, the two of them got up too late and had too many things to do, so they didn't even have time to be alone.
After a simple breakfast, while Ye Li went back to her room to count her coins, she and Jiang Ji quickly kissed. Then Jiang Ji pocketed forty coins, grabbed a jar of soy milk rice mochi, and hurried toward the county town.
Jiang Ji jogged all the way to the private school, arriving a quarter of an hour before the bell rang for class.
Without taking a break, he went from the front yard to the main yard and then to the back yard.
Before going home last night, he specifically instructed Bao Beiyuan to stay in the dormitory and wait for him.
At that moment, as soon as he entered the backyard, he saw Bao Beiyuan leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, looking drowsy.
He frowned slightly, and strode over as he asked, "You didn't sleep again last night?"
One sentence jolted Bao Beiyuan awake from his heavy eyelids.
He rubbed his eyes, straightened up, yawned, and instead of answering, asked, "What are you holding in your arms?"
"Your future path." Jiang Ji held up the pottery jar in his hand.
"……What?"
Bao Beiyuan was stunned.
He rubbed his eyes again and looked closely at the pottery jar in Jiang Ji's hand.
The earthenware jar was about half a foot tall and quite ordinary. If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Ji hadn't finished the pickled vegetables he brought from home last time, he would have thought that it contained pickled vegetables.
Just as he was wondering about this, Jiang Ji arrived in front of him.
Jiang Ji shoved the earthenware jar directly into his hands: "Try this goat milk tea that my husband made."
"Goat milk drink?" Bao Beiyuan's eyes widened. This was a good thing, almost as expensive as pork.
He was quite moved: "Thank you, brother-in-law."
"Just call him Brother Li."
As Jiang Ji spoke, he pointed his slender fingers at the earthenware jar and ran towards the main courtyard, saying, "I think selling drinks has a better future than carrying heavy bags. Go to the kitchen and get a pair of chopsticks to try it. I'm going back to class now, and we can talk more at noon."
He was tall with long legs and agile steps, and he left the backyard in no time.
Bao Beiyuan scratched his head, picked up the small pottery jar, and went back into the house.
The small earthenware jar was sealed with burlap. He untied the rope on top, removed the lid, and the soy milk rice mochi inside was revealed: snow-white with a hint of yellow, just like the milk tea drink he remembered.
The earthenware jar was still slightly warm, held in Jiang Ji's hands the whole time.
He picked up the earthenware pot and took a sip.
It's sweet and quite delicious.
Moreover, it has a richer and thicker taste than some of the tea milk he had tried before.
Did they add too much goat milk?
But the tea flavor is quite distinct. Could it be that the tea was brewed directly with goat milk?
The earthenware pot wasn't big, and he hadn't had a drop of water that morning, so he gulped it down in a few mouthfuls. He soon noticed something at the bottom of the pot, white and looking like a dumpling wrapper.
Remembering what Jiang Ji had said, he told him to use chopsticks to drink.
He then got up, took the earthenware jar, and went to the kitchen.
He asked the cook for a pair of chopsticks, then picked up a piece of rice mochi from the bottom of the jar and held it up to his eyes to examine it carefully.
This thing looks just like a glutinous rice ball skin, but once you taste it, you'll know that there's a difference.
The skin of glutinous rice balls is already considered a very soft food, but this lump in front of me is even softer and lighter than the skin of glutinous rice balls. You can swallow it directly without chewing it, and it also has a distinct taste of goat milk.
What's this?
...
A morning of intense studying completely consumed the pancakes and thick rice porridge that Jiang Ji had eaten that morning.
I was starving.
He put down his book, took a few steps out of the lecture hall, and planned to go to the backyard to call Bao Beiyuan to have dinner together.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him: "Jiang Ji, Brother Ji."
Turning my head, I saw Bao Beiyuan standing by the window just a few steps away.
Moreover, Bao Beiyuan had lost his previous dejected state and looked much more energetic than the previous two days.
He was slightly surprised, and then, on a sudden impulse, asked, "Are you interested in the milk tea drink in the morning?"
Bao Beiyuan laughed upon hearing this, walked up to him, and punched him on the shoulder: "You're so smart, you guessed it right away."
"Then let's go to the kitchen and talk while we eat."
Jiang Ji breathed a sigh of relief.
Being able to laugh and showing interest is a good sign.
These past few days, Bao Beiyuan has been eating in the kitchen.
The food in the kitchen was poor, but it was cheap.
The two carried a small willow basket filled with vegetable dumplings and a soup bowl, and then found a corner to sit in.
Then Jiang Ji took out four coins from his pocket and went to the stove to buy two boiled eggs.
He spent half of the twenty coins Ye Li gave him last time.
A raw egg, even the smallest one, costs one coin; therefore, a boiled egg sold in the kitchen costs two coins.
He bought one boiled egg a day and spent ten coins in five days.
This morning, Ye Li asked about the matter and got angry when he learned that Ye Li hadn't spent all twenty coins.
This audacious husband, in front of Xiaomai and Yage'er, pulled him aside and threatened him in a low, fierce voice that if he didn't spend all the money this time, he wouldn't be allowed to sleep on the kang (heated brick bed) next time he came back!
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will return home in ten days.
It's already hard enough to see him once every ten days, and he's not even allowed to sleep on the kang (heated brick bed)!
He would never allow such a thing to happen.
Flowers, he quickly flowers!
From now on, he will eat two eggs a day!
He grabbed the two eggs and went back to the corner. After sitting down, he handed one to Bao Beiyuan.
Bao Beiyuan was eating a vegetable bun when he saw this and immediately thanked him.
"Brother Ji is the best. The cornbread in the kitchen is really awful."
The vegetable dumplings in his hand were made from a mixture of cornmeal and sorghum flour. The flour was not finely ground, and combined with the slightly astringent taste of the wild vegetables, the texture was really not good.
"As long as I can eat my fill, that's fine," Jiang Ji said.
“That’s true.” Bao Beiyuan said, lifting up the steamed bun and taking a big bite. As he chewed, he said to Jiang Ji, “I have to thank Brother Li again for going to so much trouble for me. Of course, I can’t forget you, my good brother.”
"But now that the tea is ready, what's the next step?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji countered, "You're willing to do this?"
“I’m willing, it’s better than carrying heavy loads.” Bao Beiyuan nodded.
Why couldn't he sleep last night?
Because the road ahead is uncertain.
If he were truly heartless, that would be one thing; he could simply live a life of debauchery with a few dozen taels of silver, and then abandon himself once the money was gone.
But that's just not his personality.
He was already planning for the future while selling books.
He thought that as a young man, he could survive no matter what, but after listening to Jiang Ji's words, he felt that the road ahead was uncertain, shrouded in night and fog, leaving him with no clue what to do.
Even carrying a heavy bag requires so many intricacies, what else can he do?
So he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until the rooster crowed, and then he finally drifted off to sleep.
Now that Jiang Ji and Xian Gefu have shown him a way, he naturally wants to seize it.
"If you're willing, that's good. What your brother Li means is that you try selling it for a few days first. If business is good and you're really determined to do this, then I'll teach you the recipe, and you can make and sell it yourself."
"Daily revenue, 1.9 cents."
"He takes 10%, you take 90%."
Jiang Ji said while peeling the eggshell.
"One-nine points?" Bao Beiyuan's eyes widened instantly.
"Is it too much? If you think it is, we can discuss it further."
"No, no, no, I just think Brother Li is taking too little," Bao Beiyuan quickly said.
In the food business, the most crucial element is the recipe.
Just like his noodle shop, the dough and soup base are his exclusive secret recipes!
Thanks to this unique recipe, his parents were able to turn their small stall into the noodle shop it is today.
The recipe for that morning's tea was given by Brother Li, but he only takes 10% of the profits. This is to help him out and to pity him.
He was moved: "Good brother, it should be split 30/70."
Jiang Ji shook his head: "He only gave you a prescription, and you're responsible for the rest. A 10/90 split is quite reasonable."
Seeing that Bao Beiyuan was about to refute, he continued, "To sell this, you don't have a shop in the early stages, so you have to go door-to-door yourself."
"Moreover, you should at least rent a kitchen that you can use alone, so that no one else can see the recipe."
"Just the initial investment alone will require you to put in five taels of silver. How many milk teas do you need to sell to earn back that five taels?"
"It's settled then. If things really go well in the future, then you can give your brother Li some more."
After saying that, he ate the egg in two bites, and then picked up the vegetable bun and started eating it.
Bao Beiyuan also picked up an egg and cracked it on the mottled old wooden table, saying, "This will definitely sell well. It tastes better than any cheap milk tea I've had before."
He tried almost every one of the more than ten beverage shops in Beiyang County.
Leaving aside various fruit wines and health teas with added herbs and spices, let's just talk about milk tea.
More upscale versions are made by cooking cheese with tea, flowers, and honey. Some add fruit paste, while others add dried fruits such as goji berries and longan. Some are even served in silverware.
A small bowl costs tens of coins!
Ordinary people can't afford to drink it.
Milk tea for ordinary people isn't that expensive, but if it contains cow's milk, goat's milk, or fruit paste, a bowl can cost over ten coins.
This morning's milk tea didn't have any cheese or dried fruit in it, so it's considered an affordable milk tea.
But the taste is better than the cheap milk tea from beverage shops, and the dumpling-like filling inside is also fresh and delicious.
If he were to sell it door-to-door, it would definitely be cheaper than the drinks sold in beverage shops.
Cheap and delicious, these two factors alone will surely make it a bestseller.
"Let's try selling it for a few days first; no one can say for sure right now."
"After we finish eating, go to Wild Jujube Slope and talk to Ye Li about this in detail, shall we?"
Jiang Ji only said.
This division was determined by Ye Liding.
Also considering that Bao Beiyuan alone can only produce a limited amount of milk tea each day, resulting in limited profits, they initially offered discounts.
Otherwise, if Bao Beiyuan worked hard all day and only earned a dozen or so coins, what motivation would he have?
He agreed with Ye Li's decision to offer discounts initially, and suggested they try selling it first to see how it went.
Upon hearing this, Bao Beiyuan was even more moved and quickly agreed.
After lunch, the two returned to their dormitory.
Some of the students in the same dormitory went straight back to the lecture hall to study hard.
Some chose to take a short rest.
Each person in the dormitory has their own locker, which is placed in a row in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), and contains their personal belongings.
Bao Beiyuan pointed to Jiang Ji's cabinet and said, "Jiang Ji, give me one hundred coins. If we reach an agreement, I'll buy some supplies on my way back."
He entrusted most of his silver to their Master Han for temporary safekeeping, leaving only a little over a hundred coins and putting them in Jiang Ji's cabinet along with Jiang Ji's small amount of copper coins.
Jiang Ji agreed, took out the key from his body, opened the door, and first put in the dozens of copper coins he had on him.
Then he took out Bao Beiyuan's string of coins: "We need to buy a lot of things, take them all."
That makes sense.
Bao Beiyuan took the money, then asked Jiang Ji about the location of Yezaopo, before hurriedly leaving the private school with the money.
The private school was located in the south of the city, while Yezaopo was in the north of the county town. He walked along the main street of the county town for a while, and when he passed a candy shop, he stepped inside.
Xian Gefu found him a good job, and since it was his first time visiting, he couldn't come empty-handed.
After looking around the sugar shop, he finally bought two pounds of cane sugar.
Pastries are as expensive as candy, but a pound of pastries only contains a few pieces, which are gone in no time.
But a pound of sugar can last a long time.
Moreover, Xian Gefu needs sugar to make tea, so he bought two jin now to save Xian Gefu from having to buy more.
After leaving the candy shop, he saw a stall next to it selling windmill toys, so he spent another ten coins to buy a large handheld windmill shaped like a palm leaf fan.
Carrying two pounds of sugarcane in one hand and a large windmill in the other, he walked and inquired along the way, taking almost half an hour to find the Jiang family's house.
In the Jiang family courtyard, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya had already woken up and were preparing to take the hemp rope to collect firewood.
Seeing an older boy, about the same age as Jiang Ji, peeking out from the courtyard gate, Jiang Mai walked over and asked curiously, "Big brother, who are you looking for?"
"Excuse me, is this the Jiang Ji family's residence?"
Bao Beiyuan smiled and asked.
"My older brother isn't home; he's studying."
Jiang Ya chimed in, his big eyes gazing curiously at Bao Beiyuan.
Upon hearing this, Bao Beiyuan's smile widened. He shook the large windmill in his hand and said, "You must be Brother Ya, right? I'm your elder brother's good brother, Bao Beiyuan."
"I've come to see your Brother Li. I have something important to discuss."
"Here, take this windmill. You and Xiaomai can play with it."
Bao Beiyuan spoke so quickly that Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya were taken aback. Then, Jiang Ya ran towards the kitchen with her short legs, shouting, "Brother Li, Brother Bao is here!"
Jiang Mai also came to his senses. Thinking of Brother Bao's miserable experience, he quickly put on a smile and pointed to the courtyard, saying, "Brother Bao, come in and sit down. I'll go get you some water!"
Bao Beiyuan immediately said, "Thank you, Xiaomai, you're so good."
He entered the courtyard with a sense of curiosity.
At that moment, Ye Li, who was frying tofu puffs, heard the conversation in the courtyard, quickly put down his chopsticks, and came out of the kitchen with Ye Liang.
The two sides met and exchanged warm greetings.
Knowing that Bao Beiyuan had specially bought two catties of sugar, Ye Li immediately said, "You've come all this way, there's no need to buy these things, you're too kind."
"You should buy what you need to buy. It's my first time visiting, so I can't come empty-handed."
Bao Beiyuan, holding the cool boiled water Jiang Mai had poured for him, said with a smile.
“You and Jiang Ji are good friends, no need for such formalities. Come, let’s talk in the kitchen, I’m still frying tofu puffs in the pot.”
Ye Li pointed to the kitchen.
Bao Beiyuan hurriedly agreed and stood at the kitchen door with the bowl in his hand.
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya listened curiously for a few minutes, then grabbed the hemp rope and ran out of the house.
Emma, Li Ge will have to cook soy milk rice mochi continuously from now on, which will require a lot of firewood!
They can't slack off!
Actually, the two little ones are overthinking it.
Since this is just a trial sale, the number of tea drinks made each day will be limited.
Following Ye Li's plan, for the next few days, he would make a pottery jar of jasmine tea and soy milk rice mochi every morning after breakfast, and then have Bao Beiyuan sell them in the county town.
With few items, they carried two baskets on their backs and lifted one in their hand, so they didn't need a wheelbarrow.
After the goods were sold out, the day's profits were split equally with Bao Beiyuan.
We can't ask Bao Beiyuan to run errands for nothing.
Bao Beiyuan was somewhat surprised to hear this: "Do you still have jasmine tea?"
“Yes, why?” Ye Li asked.
"Hmm...it might not sell very well. This is the most common type of drink. It's sold not only in drink shops, but also by street vendors."
Bao Beiyuan explained.
"I know, we'll sell it cheaper. Our main product is soy milk rice mochi."
Ye Li was not worried.
He was thinking of a product that would sell in large quantities.
A product that has made a name for itself.
If it's not selling well in large quantities, he'll change the regular jasmine tea to Four Seasons Spring Tea with cheese foam.
The recipe for Four Seasons Spring Cheese Milk Foam is quite complicated and difficult for others to replicate.
Bao Beiyuan thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."
Now that the weather is warmer, tea should sell better than in spring and autumn.
At worst, he can just go to a few more places.
After agreeing on the details, Ye Li told Bao Beiyuan to return to the county town first and come back the day after tomorrow morning.
He needs to prepare the ingredients tomorrow.
He's almost used up the raw materials Ye Liang bought for him last time.
The next day, after selling half of the tofu puffs, Ye Liang took some copper coins and went into town to buy glutinous rice, sweet potato starch, and tea.
Actually, he needed to cross the county town to get to Yezaopo. Logically speaking, it would have been most appropriate for him to buy these items in the county town, saving him the trouble of carrying them for another twenty miles.
He knew the town very well but was unfamiliar with the county seat, so he always bought his things in the town.
Upon arriving at the Jiang family's residence, he handed the ingredients to Ye Li. Ye Li, without even having time to eat, immediately took the glutinous rice to the well to wash it.
It's hot, so after washing them clean and letting them dry in the sun all afternoon, they can be ground into glutinous rice flour by evening.
However, to make the rice mochi more delicate, he had to grind it more than ten times before he could finish.
On a sweltering day, pushing a millstone for half an hour in the mill is a truly unpleasant experience.
On the third day, after breakfast, he first pressed the tofu, and then started working on the large iron pot and stove at the same time.
When Bao Beiyuan arrived, both drinks were already prepared.
There is jasmine green tea in a ceramic jar.
Not much, only two liters.
One earthenware jar contains soy milk rice mochi, while the rice mochi and soybean flour are served separately in bowls.
Not much, only three liters.
Bao Beiyuan had already bought the grapes.
The wine scoop looks like a long-handled spoon, or a bamboo tube tied to a wooden stick; it is a utensil specifically used for scooping wine.
Bao Beiyuan bought some large grapes, each grape weighing half a jin (250 ml), which is the amount of a carton of pure milk.
If it's jasmine green tea, a bundle costs two coins.
If it's soy milk rice mochi, a bundle costs ten coins.
At this price, jasmine green tea doesn't really make much money; you only earn one cent for every two kilograms sold.
When it gets hotter later, when we need to use saltpeter to make ice or buy ice blocks, the profit will be even lower.
Soy milk rice mochi is doing alright; you can earn two and a half cents for every bundle sold.
The reason for this price is mainly due to the high cost of the rice mochi.
Sweet potato starch costs 13 yuan per pound.
Glutinous rice costs ten coins per pound, and the leaves must be ground into powder.
Moreover, it has to be cooked with goat's milk.
However, even at this price, it's still cheaper than the milk tea sold in beverage shops.
Beiyang County, a transit point for both southern and northern boats and horses, was more bustling than many prefectural cities despite being a county.
This large county town supports a number of beverage shops.
If other people's beverage shops are thriving, there's no reason why my own soy milk rice mochi shouldn't sell.
Ye Li offered Bao Beiyuan a few words of encouragement, then watched him leave.
Next, we just have to wait for the soy milk rice mochi to sell well.
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