Chapter 109 Mingrentang is a shady shop
The cup for milk tea is a specially made glass cup, and the straw is made of bamboo.
With a gentle sip, the soft and chewy pearls mixed with the sweet milk tea flow through the throat and into the stomach.
"Delicious, delicious! Wow, what on earth is this thing inside? I've never tasted it before!"
Zheng Yunxi was a little older, so she was calmer. "It's really good. I haven't seen these things in Kyoto."
"Ye'er, go order another portion of what we just ordered and bring it back for my aunt to try."
Similar scenes occurred in every corner of Mingren Hall, even in the members' room on the third floor.
Gu Jiayue and the children entered Mingren Hall from the backyard and went straight to the largest private room on the third floor. Kangzi had already put all the cakes and milk teas in the shop there. It was enough for the young people of the Gu family to eat and drink.
Even the toys on the first floor are available here.
"Oh my goodness, Second Sister, the food here is so delicious. Did you invent all of this?"
Gu Jiayue smiled and said, "I'm not that smart. These are the wisdom left by others. I'm just borrowing them."
She didn't have the nerve to say in front of her younger brothers and sisters that these things were her original creations.
Although she changed a lot of recipes because some materials could not be gathered due to practical reasons, the original recipes were still purchased from the system mall.
Those recipes cost her a thousand education points! You can see how expensive they are.
But this was not a reason for her to take these things for herself, after all, they were not hers in the first place.
"Whoever came up with these things is so smart." Despite his busy schedule, Gu Yuhe took the time to admire.
The others were too busy eating to talk, and just nodded in agreement.
Gu Jiayue looked at them with a smile, took a cup of fruit tea with three parts sugar and left the private room.
Watching the people coming and going downstairs and the long line at the cashier, she felt her empty wallet slowly filling up.
Aunt Cai no longer had to sigh and groan while holding the money box every day.
In fact, Mingrentang's products are still relatively expensive for ordinary people. For example, a cup of the most basic pearl milk tea costs 16 wen.
This price was unaffordable for ordinary people. After all, they only earned ten coins for a hard day's work. Juzhou was more prosperous, so they could earn fifteen coins a day.
Even so, I can’t afford the cheapest bubble milk tea.
So the ordinary people who had followed in out of curiosity left decisively after hearing the price. Then they would tell their acquaintances, "Don't go to that new Mingrentang on Zhengyang Street. They charge sixteen wen for a cup of any tea. They're really ruthless."
But there was no other way, because sugar and tea were really expensive. Adding in labor and costs, if we didn't sell them at this price, we would only lose money.
In desperation, she could only temporarily give up the civilian market and take the high-end route.
There is no shortage of wealthy people in the capital city. Although it seems that the company has lost many customers by taking the high-end boutique route, it has gained a large number of powerful customers.
Look at those young men and women, they don't even look at the price, they only look at the appearance. They order more than one or two taels without blinking an eye.
What if this happened to ordinary people? Her grandmother would get a heartache if she spent even a penny more.
So, if you want to make money, you have to make money from rich people. It’s boring to make money from ordinary people.
But costs still need to be controlled.
If we no longer need to buy sugar and tea from outside, the cost will be lower and the profit will be higher...
Well, we can try to get the villagers to grow sugarcane. Making sugar from sugarcane can solve some of the villagers' jobs.
Tea could be grown here, too. She remembered that the famous green tea and Maojian tea from her previous life came from Juzhou. There was even a massive matcha production base hidden in a county town in Juzhou. If it weren't for the agricultural survey, the entire nation would have been kept in the dark.
Juzhou boasts a diverse range of soil types, including extensive areas of acidic soil. Tea trees favor acidic soils. Furthermore, Juzhou boasts rich vegetation and a high forest coverage rate. This abundant vegetation provides a good ecological barrier for tea plantations, reducing soil erosion. Maintaining the diversity of tea plantation ecosystems attracts insects and other organisms, contributing to the ecological balance of tea plantations.
Juzhou has it all. It is no exaggeration to say that it is truly the tea-growing area chosen by heaven.
At that time, planting tea, collecting tea, and frying tea can increase the villagers' income.
But there doesn't seem to be that much land.
I have to discuss this with the village chief after I get back. If all else fails, I can just go and reclaim the wasteland. The Hundred Thousand Mountains behind Taohua Village are deserted and there is a lot of land waiting for them to be reclaimed.
But this is a big move. If we accidentally alarm the parasites in the county, the villagers' hard work will be in vain.
It seems that Kangzi still needs to establish good relations with the county leaders!
Sigh, I'm thinking too far ahead. The most important thing right now is Mingrentang. I don't know how much revenue we can generate today.
On the first floor below, Zheng Yunxi was eating while picking up a storybook from the bookshelf and reading it.
She usually likes reading, and the stories in this book are novel and she has never seen them before! She was so obsessed with it that she was almost captivated.
"Ladies, we have been out for a long time. It's time to go back." Ye'er reminded in a low voice.
Zheng Yunxi finally woke up from her dream.
Glancing at the sky outside, she was startled. "It's been a long time indeed. If I don't go back soon, my aunt will be worried. But..." She hadn't even finished reading the entire book. If she did go back, she would be thinking about it day and night, and wouldn't be able to sleep well at night.
"Cousin, what's wrong with you?" Song Yao hurriedly took the last bite of cake and looked at her cousin's worried face with some confusion.
Zheng Yunxi raised the book in her hand. "This book is quite to my liking, but it's a pity that I can't finish it."
"What's the difficulty? Let's just buy it back." As she said that, she called the waiter.
Coincidentally, the person who came was Pan'er.
"What are your wishes, young lady?"
Song Yao pointed at the book in Zheng Yunxi's hand. "We want to take this book away. How much silver is it?"
Pan'er took a look and then smiled. "Don't be offended, young lady. The books and toys in our store are not for sale to the public. However, if you really want them, there are two ways."
When Song Yao first heard that the item couldn't be sold, she felt a little uncomfortable. As the eldest daughter of a prefectural governor, what could she not get in Juzhou Prefecture? And now, she was being rejected by a small shop?
This is outrageous! Don’t they know who I am? “Oh, what other options are there?”
Song Yao's arm was held by Zheng Yunxi, and she could only suppress her temper.
Pan'er spoke calmly, seemingly unaware that the lady opposite was already angry. "First, you can stay in the store until you're done. We won't chase you away. Once you enter, you can stay as long as you want before closing. Second, you can apply to become a member of our store. Once you become a member, you'll earn points, which can be redeemed for a variety of things, including books here and toys over there."
"Oh, membership means being a distinguished guest who enjoys services that others cannot enjoy." After saying this, Pan'er kindly explained what a membership is.
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