67 Original Milk Tea
"I can't just stand by and watch someone die!"
When Cheng Buxi said this, Song Jinyi's expression changed slightly. She didn't understand why Cheng Buxi's attitude changed so drastically in just half an incense stick of time.
The wind in the valley was rustling, pushing the bamboo curtain, making a dull sound. The curtain rose and fell, allowing Song Jinyi to glance up and see someone standing outside. It was the person who had helped her get the milk just now.
Song Jinyi glanced at her, thought about her previous attitude, and made a decision in her heart.
She said to Cheng Buxi, "This dish is a new idea of mine. I've never made it before. It's true that there are still one or two things that need to be improved, but the taste is not bad. It's unfair for you to sentence it to death before you even taste it.
Even if Elder Cheng feels the flavor isn't to your liking, you should wait until you've tasted it before making a decision. Even if Jingzhao Prefecture investigates the case, they still have to examine it before determining the charges. Otherwise, if the facts are unclear, it would be a case of injustice."
Cheng Bushi had originally had high expectations for Song Jinyi's craftsmanship, but when he heard from her former maid that she actually boiled this precious tea in a big pot and mixed it with milk!
To the conservative Cheng Bushi, mixing tea and milk was simply inappropriate, like sending a top scholar to be a blacksmith.
absurd!
Cheng Bushi then changed his attitude, unwilling to try or give a chance.
But he could tell that Song Jinyi was not talking about Yinzi, but was secretly comparing Cheng Bushi to a cruel official, and comparing her and her Yinzi to people who had been wronged.
After hearing this, Cheng Bushi thought: If he doesn't notice, he will become a cruel official who doesn't know right from wrong. Then I will taste it and let her have a quick death.
He said, "If the taste is not good, Madam Song, please don't blame me for being harsh."
He picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly. The moment he took a sip, he felt that it was different from ordinary tea. It was silky smooth, like the finest Shu brocade, smooth and soft, brushing against the tip of his tongue, leaving an lingering feeling.
He usually didn't like drinking milk as he always felt it had a fishy smell. Now, when it was mixed with tea, the fishy smell was masked by the bitterness of the tea leaves and the sugar added color. It was the first time he tasted the milky aroma of milk.
He lowered his head and looked at the contents of the teacup. His eyes were serious and focused. It didn't seem like he was looking at the tea but rather at an exquisite piece of porcelain left over from a previous dynasty. He pondered for a moment, put down the teacup, and looked uncertain.
The wonderful combination of milk and tea lingered on his tongue for a long time, making him unable to forget the taste.
After a long time, a voice was heard in the tea room, which seemed particularly abrupt in this quiet tea room.
Cheng Buxi laughed twice, laughing at himself for being too conservative and almost missing out on delicious food. There was a hint of self-mockery and a hint of relief in his voice. He asked, "I have never seen this kind of tea before. What is its name?"
"milk tea."
"Milk tea? That's pretty straightforward." Cheng Buxi said, then asked, "Although your drink is unique, the process is not complicated. If someone were to steal your skills, the method you just mentioned would no longer work. What do you think?"
He heard from the maid that Song Jinyi used simple ingredients to make this dish, but added milk and sugar. The difference in grams could be tested by repeating the recipe.
The process is also casual, just boil this and boil that. Even a child can get the hang of it after watching it for a few times.
According to Song Jinyi's method, if you want to occupy the market, you have to stand out among the many drink shops, and your business must also be unique, but this is difficult to ensure at the moment.
Song Jinyi smiled brightly and didn't regard this as a problem.
When she came up with the idea of franchising, she had thought about this problem. Her only reliance was on the tea from Yunshang Tea House. As long as the owner Cheng was willing to cooperate with her, the rest would not be a problem.
Others can steal her craftsmanship, but they cannot steal her tea source.
She replied, "As long as I have your support, this won't be a problem. The taste of this tea depends largely on the quality of the tea. There's no better tea in Yunzhou City than yours."
The tea room was quiet for a moment.
Outside the teahouse, Xu Ruolan watched the sun float overhead, and the scorching heat fell on the tea garden, washing away the dullness of the tea leaves, turning them from dark green to emerald green.
She calculated the time. It had already been two hours. How was the conversation going inside? She could neither see nor hear anything, and she was extremely anxious.
Finally, the bamboo curtain was lifted, and a familiar figure walked over. She jumped up, went to greet him, and asked repeatedly: "Have you met Master Cheng? How did the talk go? Did Master Cheng agree to sell tea to us..."
Song Jinyi didn't have enough mouths to answer her questions at once. She patted Xu Ruolan's hand and smiled repeatedly, "Don't worry, everything is settled. Someone will bring the tea over soon."
Not long after, Xu Ruolan weighed the pottery jar and asked, "Is there more than a month's supply in here?"
Song Jinyi nodded, "It's 15 kilograms, enough for three months."
Xu Ruolan first opened the lid and looked at it carefully. The tea was bright in color, brown-red with a little gold, the leaves were uniform in size, and the buds and leaves were complete. It was many times better than the goods given by Manager Zheng.
But she also understood that this good tea must be expensive, so she asked about the price.
Song Jinyi said, "One catty and forty taels."
Xu Ruolan said: "One catty and forty taels!"
Song Jinyi didn't understand for a moment whether she thought it was cheap or expensive.
Xu Ruolan stared at the pottery jar in her hand in astonishment. Fifteen kilograms of tea leaves meant she was holding four hundred and fifty taels. Her palms tightened unconsciously.
"For tea of this quality, even if it's priced at seventy or eighty taels, I wouldn't be surprised. On the contrary, the fact that you, Jin, can get such a price is unbelievable to me. If I weren't familiar with you, I would have thought you were related to him by blood, and that's why I offered you such a price."
Song Jinyi scratched the tip of her nose and said, "I'm just a country woman, how could I have any relationship with him?" After she said that, she turned her head away and her eyes drifted away.
In front of a stick of incense, in the tea room.
"One catty and sixty taels."
Even though Song Jinyi was mentally prepared, she still took a breath at this moment.
There were only three words in her mind: I can’t afford it!
Cheng Buxi said leisurely, "This is the lowest price. If someone else doesn't have seventy taels, don't even think about buying a single tea leaf from me."
Song Jinyi tried to negotiate, "If I only had one store, I wouldn't be able to make this offer. But in the future, I'll have to have seven or eight stores to cover the remaining tea supply, so I'm making this offer."
Cheng Bushi was not a man who liked to bargain, as he seemed cheap. When he heard that Song Jinyi wanted to negotiate the price, he waved his hand and didn't want to talk anymore, but he still had to listen to her ignorant remarks.
He narrowed his eyes, a cold smile on his face. He didn't respond to her words and asked, "You've only walked a few steps in my garden and seen a few acres of land, and you say such things. It's too arrogant. If you can buy 100 kilograms, I will reduce it to 50 taels. I just don't know if you can eat so much tea."
Song Jinyi said, "Perhaps my words were inappropriate and angered you. I apologize for that. However, I was not being disrespectful when I spoke about the quantity of goods. However, words alone are not enough to prove anything. I hope you can give me some time so that I can demonstrate it to you in person. How about two months? I will definitely be able to consume a hundred taels."
Cheng Buxi looked at her carefully. She was young, but not at all shy, with bright eyes and a lively expression as she talked about business. Suddenly, Cheng Buxi thought of an old friend.
He first asked back, why should I give you this opportunity to try and make mistakes?
Song Jinyi hadn't expected him to be so difficult to deal with. Her face froze slightly as she was pondering how to respond when he suddenly asked, "Your last name is Song. What's your mother's last name?"
Song Jinyi was shocked. She analyzed the other party's question cautiously. Cheng Bushi would never ask this question on a whim. What was it related to?
Could it be that he knew the Song family and recognized her... She denied this idea.
After much deliberation, she finally revealed the truth. If Yunshang Tea House wanted to investigate her, she wouldn't be able to hide it. Rather than being caught and embarrassed by her deception, it was better to tell the truth. After all, it wasn't a secret.
"My mother's surname is Yun."
As soon as Song Jinyi finished speaking, he heard the other party immediately say, "Is it Yunzhi?" He paused after blurting out the words, and looked at Song Jinyi steadily.
Song Jinyi's surprise at that moment was impossible to disguise. She asked in surprise, "You know my mother?"
Cheng Buxi stared at her for a moment, sighed, and did not answer her question. Instead, he changed his tone, "I'll give you forty taels of silver and give you three months to prove it to me. If you can do what you said, the price can be negotiated."
This was much better than Song Jinyi had imagined. She had originally thought it was a luxury for the owner of the manor to give her two months.
He suddenly changed his mind and made so many concessions. There must be a reason for this. Was it because of Yunzhi?
What is the connection between Master Cheng and the original owner’s mother?
******
Song Jinyi and Xu Ruolan took a carriage to Xiaolu Pavilion. As they went back and forth, the sky gradually darkened. The dusk dyed a large area of orange. The faint light was gradually swallowed by the darkness. The outlines of the trees gradually moved away, and the human figures were stretched out like two sticks.
On her way to South City, Song Jinyi came across a stall selling exquisite tea sets. One set, aqua blue with orchids painted on it, caught Song Jinyi's eye. Pointing at it, she said to Xu Ruolan, "Look at this set. It goes really well with your name."
“…”
Suddenly, a burst of scolding came from behind.
This sound...
Song Jinyi and Xu Ruolan both felt that the man sounded familiar. They turned around and saw that it was the craftsman Zhang who used to work for them.
At this moment, his hair was standing on end, his brows were furious, his mouth was wide open, he was cursing his daughter, and kicking her from time to time.
"You're a useless thing! Why should I keep you? I can earn some money by selling you to a brothel."
His daughter was one or two years younger than Li He, and her arms were thinner than bamboo poles. How could such a small person dare to resist the tall man in front of her? She curled up in a ball like a little quail.
Song Jinyi frowned as he watched this scene. His father was really cruel. It looked like he was about to beat the man to death with that kick.
Someone nearby couldn't stand it any longer and tried to stop him, but Zhang the Carpenter pushed him away. "Get out of here! This is my family affair. Even if the authorities come, they can't interfere. I want to beat her to death today, but that's my own business."
The words are very arrogant.
Xu Ruolan couldn't bear it and wanted to step forward to stop him, but Song Jinyi stopped her, "You want to go up and persuade him, but what can you do? You saw it too, that Zhang the craftsman started a mess, and he didn't care about his relatives."
"Then I can't just stand by and watch someone die!"
Although Song Jinyi couldn't bear to see the violence, she didn't want to get involved in trouble easily. She had seen too many people who repaid kindness with enmity in her previous life.
"Why are you so impulsive today? You clearly know that going up there will be of no use and will only bring us trouble."
Xu Ruolan paused, her whole body trembling slightly as if she had been electrocuted. She suddenly grasped Song Jinyi's hand and said, "Jin, you are the most powerful person I have ever met. Can you help her? I know this request is rude, but I really, really want to save her."
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