Chapter 35 The First Cup of Milk Tea in Autumn
The sweltering heat lasted for two months, and sales of Fengyang Iced Tea series were quite impressive.
Following Yu Mingshu's advice, Cui Hongli created a separate menu for the drinks she developed, turning it into the Fengyang Iced Tea series.
Meanwhile, a few simple tables and chairs were set up outside Fengyanglou, so passing customers did not need to go inside to consume or order any additional dishes. They could sit outside, have a drink to quench their thirst, and then leave.
With an additional source of income, the Yu family's lives became much more comfortable. This was no secret from the neighbors, especially Granny Wang and Granny Zhao's group.
Aunt Wang's urge to play matchmaker has returned. Every few days, she pulls Wu Qiu Niang aside and talks about the young and promising men she knows. Fortunately, Wu Qiu Niang lets it go in one ear and out the other, and declines them all on behalf of her daughter.
To Yu Mingshu's surprise, Zhou Fuling had also heard about this.
Since entering the Eastern Palace, Zhou Fuling has never returned to Yong'anfang, but she would take time to visit Fengyang Tower every now and then, sometimes with newly acquainted friends and colleagues.
Through word of mouth, the name of Fengyang Ice Tea quickly spread throughout the inner court. Within three days, princes, nobles, and civil and military officials also learned that there was such an iced drink in Chang'an, whose taste far surpassed that of fine wine and nectar, quenching thirst, cutting through greasiness, and relieving the summer heat.
Cui Hongli noticed that the sales of fruit tea had been soaring for days, and more and more customers in purple and red robes were coming to the store. So she inquired around and finally found out that it was Zhou Fuling.
On the morning of her day off, Yu Mingshu came to "inspect the store" as usual, and Cui Hongli pulled her aside to talk about this matter.
"Is that Imperial Physician Zhou your friend?"
Yu Mingshu didn't know how to explain further, so he touched his nose and said, "That's possible."
“Yes or no, what do you mean by ‘maybe’?” Cui Hongli said reproachfully, “Don’t you trust me?”
Yu Mingshu reluctantly recounted Zhou Fuling's situation, and Cui Hongli also felt somewhat sorry for her.
"You mean well, but you're meddling in other people's business."
Cui Hongli put her arm around the young girl's shoulder and said in a complicated tone, "Zhou Changchun is paralyzed, but Zhou Qi is still fine. She is young and energetic and has all her limbs intact. What if she has a bad day and holds a grudge against you? Who will you complain to?"
Yu Mingshu fell silent.
She knew Cui Hongli was right, but what could she do? Zhou Fuling was in such a difficult situation; was she really going to just stand by and watch?
As they were talking, Cui Hongli's eyes suddenly lit up, and she shook Yu Mingshu's shoulder forcefully, "Look, you're here as soon as you say you'll come!"
Yu Mingshu turned and looked in the direction she pointed, his gaze crossing half of the hall and meeting Zhou Fuling's at the door. Both of them were startled.
Zhou Fuling brought two new customers to Fengyang Ice Tea today. Cui Hongli looked at the two with great interest; a man and a woman, both handsome and beautiful. Just looking at the fabric of their clothes, it was clear that they couldn't be bought in the mortal world. Besides their clothes and jewelry, what was most remarkable was the noble air about the man.
Driven by her business instincts, she nudged Yu Mingshu, a smile playing on her lips: "Don't just stand there, introduce me to your friend."
The waiter, keeping his eyes down and focused on his own thoughts, immediately rushed towards the three people who had entered the store.
"Physician Zhou, our manager would like to invite you and your two distinguished guests to a private room upstairs for a chat."
Zhou Fuling was slightly taken aback and dared not agree to his request on her own. She exchanged a glance with Yang Leyi, and the two of them turned their heads to look at the man in the middle—Crown Prince Liang Yuanjun.
…
Five people sat down in the Zhiyin Pavilion on the second floor.
Since entering Fengyang Tower, Zhou Fuling's eyes had never left Yu Mingshu. At this moment, she happened to be sitting opposite her and shyly called out, "Sister Mingshu."
"Fuling, are you doing well in the Eastern Palace?" Yu Mingshu asked politely, glancing at the two people beside her from time to time.
“I’m fine. Leaving the Zhou family feels like a new beginning.” Zhou Fuling’s nose tingled with emotion.
Cui Hongli smiled and said, "Imperial Physician Zhou is a regular at our Fengyang Tower. If I had known you were Miss Yu's friend, I would never have let you spend so much money."
Yang Leyi also laughed and said, "Fuling, you always say how delicious this Fengyang iced tea is. It turns out the shop owner is your friend."
Fengyang Iced Tea is indeed too famous; even the Crown Prince has heard of it.
At that time, He Zheng was also in the Eastern Palace. His Highness the Crown Prince asked him curiously if he had ever heard of the iced fruit tea that was popular in the capital. He Zheng immediately laughed heartily and said with great pride: I have not only heard of it, but I have also drunk it. I was one of the first customers of Fengyang Ice Tea.
It was after hearing these words that Liang Yuanjun made up her mind to come and taste the fruit tea.
Zhou Fuling could not hide her panic upon hearing Secretary Yang's words, fearing that His Highness would blame her for spreading rumors for personal reasons.
“Fuling and I used to be neighbors, but we weren’t close,” Yu Mingshu explained for her. “As for the taste of Fengyang iced tea, you two will know once you try it.”
Liang Yuanjun's attention was not on his appetite. Ever since he heard Zhou Fuling call her "Sister Mingshu" and Manager Cui mention "Miss Yu," a look of inquiry had appeared in his eyes.
"On that day, He Zheng recommended Zhou Fuling to His Highness the Crown Prince, saying that he was entrusted by a classmate from the academy." His gaze was intense, and his tone was calm but carried an invisible pressure. "According to He Erlang, this classmate of his was Yu Mingshu, the second son of the former censor Yu family."
After a moment of silence, Yang Leyi also looked at her, "The Yu Erlang that He Erlang mentioned, is actually Miss Yu?"
"There are no female students at Chang'an Academy. I had no choice but to do this, and I did not intend to deceive the Crown Prince." Yu Mingshu hesitated for only a moment before choosing to be honest. "Lord Yang is also aware of this matter."
After a few seconds of silence in the cubicle, Liang Yuanjun was the first to drop her serious demeanor and said with a light laugh, "No one is blaming you. I just suddenly remembered this and thought I misheard or misremembered."
Yu Mingshu gave a polite smile in return, but didn't say anything more.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere between the two, Cui Hongli harbored no goodwill towards this aggressive man. She regretted inviting them up earlier. However, the female physician Zhou and the other girl subtly displayed an air of superiority towards him, forcing her to put on a forced smile.
She observed the expressions of the group and said to Zhou Fuling, "Leaving that aside, why doesn't Physician Zhou introduce these two friends?"
"I am Yuan Jun, a servant of the Crown Prince's Palace." Before Zhou Fuling could speak, Liang Yuanjun introduced herself and then pointed to the person next to her and said, "This is Yang Leyi, the secretary of the Crown Prince's Palace."
Upon hearing this, Yang Leyi and Zhou Fuling both glanced at him.
His Highness the Crown Prince spoke with such firmness that it was as if he were about to swear an oath; there was not a trace of guilt in him for lying.
Yu Mingshu suddenly sat up straight and asked with great interest, "What is the relationship between Yuan Sheren and Mr. Yuan of Chang'an Academy?"
Liang Yuanjun's smile faded slightly as she tapped her fingers on the table. "I've only heard some rumors about this person."
The subtext is: It's okay if we don't know each other.
Yu Mingshu was skeptical of this.
After hearing about Yuan Yi's background, out of curiosity, she inquired with Zhao Niangzi. There were very few families with the surname Yuan in the capital, and even fewer that matched the story of Yuan Yi's background.
Yu Mingshu couldn't understand why Zhang insisted on Yuan Yi taking his father's surname. But just now, when this "Yuan Sheren" introduced himself, she clearly saw that Zhou Fuling and Yang Leyi's eyes were unusual.
In other words, either the name or the identity of "Yuan Sheren" was made up on the spot.
Based on her understanding of the Eastern Palace, Secretary Yang was the Crown Prince's most trusted subordinate. However, since entering Fengyang Tower, among the three of them, "Attendant Yuan" was clearly the most respected. If Lord Yuan's status was higher than Secretary Yang's, why had his name never been heard of outside the palace?
After much thought, there is only one possibility—Yuan Jun is an alias.
If Yuan Jun is an alias, then what about Yuan Yi?
While she was brainstorming, Cui Hongli had already instructed her staff to prepare a table of signature dishes and ordered the kitchen to make two buckets of fruit tea and send them up.
Two buckets of iced tea on the table emitted wisps of cold air. One was a mixed fruit tea, and the other was a hand-whipped lemon tea, the two most classic varieties in the Fengyang Ice Tea series.
After tasting the fruit tea, Yang Leyi finally understood where Yu Mingshu's confidence came from. Fengyang iced tea was indeed refreshingly sweet and thirst-quenching, and it was the only one of its kind in the entire Chang'an, making it impeccable.
Liang Yuanjun held her cup, savoring the sweet and sour taste of the lemon tea, when she suddenly looked at the person opposite her and asked, half-jokingly, "Miss Yu, how many unique recipes do you still have? Have you ever thought about joining the Imperial Kitchen? The Director of the Imperial Kitchen is a sixth-rank official, with a monthly salary of five strings of cash and an additional ninety shi of rice per year..."
Cui Hongli interrupted him with a smile, rebuking him, "Yuan Sheren, it's not good to poach people in front of me."
Liang Yuanjun ignored him and continued to look at Yu Mingshu: "It won't stop you from making money from Fengyang Tower."
Yu Mingshu's thoughts returned, and he looked up to face "Yuan Sheren".
You know what, you really have to admit, the salary and benefits, the permanent position, are really tempting.
However, the Imperial Kitchen has a rather high accident rate and a rather low safety factor. In novels and dramas, if the concubines were to fight, the cooks would be the first to be injured.
Besides, her first choice wasn't to be a chef.
“Being a lady-in-waiting in the inner court is certainly dignified and prestigious… but unfortunately, my ambitions lie elsewhere.” Yu Mingshu declined. “Initially, I borrowed the ice to make tea simply to thank He Erlang, and I never intended to make a profit from it.”
“Indeed, Miss Yu, having entered Chang’an Academy as the Second Prince of Yu, must have lofty ambitions,” Liang Yuanjun said regretfully.
Zhou Fuling couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister Mingshu, you've read so many books, what do you want to do in the future?"
Yu Mingshu thought for a moment and said seriously, "Teaching."
It was a very simple ambition, so simple that it surprised Liang Yuanjun.
"I thought you aspired to a high position in the imperial court."
“Governing the world requires practical skills. Do you think I can instruct on river engineering and embankment construction or teach farmers how to cultivate the land just because I have read a few volumes of classics and history?” Yu Mingshu said with a smile. “Professional matters should be left to professionals. I only know how to read books and conduct research, so I will honestly teach and educate people.”
After a brief silence, Zhou Fuling took over the conversation.
"Please don't blame me for not coming to thank you sooner about what happened before. I really didn't dare to go back to Yong'anfang. Besides, Father is the kind of man who would kill his wife and even his daughter. If he finds out what happened and holds a grudge against you, I really can't rest easy."
Yu Mingshu smiled dismissively, “I was just talking. It was He Erlang who actually recommended you to the Eastern Palace, and it was His Highness the Crown Prince who trusted him and accepted you into the Eastern Palace.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Liang Yuanjun again and said, "If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince's kind heart and He Erlang's righteousness, how could I have saved you from your suffering with just a few words?"
“Sister is right.”
What Zhou Fuling didn't mention was that she had already visited the Marquis of Anyuan's residence before.
She learned that He Erlang of the Marquis of Anyuan had recommended her to enter the Eastern Palace. She was both grateful and puzzled. She thought of going to his house to express her gratitude and also to find out why He Erlang, whom she did not know, would help her.
As it turned out, He Erlang wasn't at home that day, but the Crown Prince's wife personally entertained her, her attitude unusually warm. She was terrified and fled in panic after only a few words.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Cui Hongli and Yu Mingshu took their leave.
"Do you think that if I were to issue an imperial decree to summon Yu Mingshu to the Chongwen Academy, He Zheng would cause a scene at the Eastern Palace?" Liang Yuanjun asked with interest.
Yang Leyi said helplessly, "Walls have ears, and the person hasn't gone far."
Liang Yuanjun didn't take it to heart. He had only introduced himself as a servant of the Crown Prince's Palace because he was worried that Manager Cui and Yu Mingshu were being too reserved.
Besides, judging from Miss Yu's attitude, she had clearly guessed his identity, so what was there to hide?
…
Yu Mingshu and Cui Hongli returned to the first floor. Looking at the gradually thinning crowd outside the iced tea stall, Cui Hongli felt a little worried.
"Autumn is almost here. After the summer heat is over, will anyone still eat ice cream?"
Yu Mingshu leaned against the edge of the table, his eyes darting around, and suddenly chuckled: "I have a plan."
Cui Hongli already regarded her as a benefactor, and upon hearing this, she raised an eyebrow, her eyes showing a hint of anticipation: "What?"
“Let’s call this plan ‘The First Cup of Milk Tea in Autumn’,” Yu Mingshu said.
Startled, Cui Hongli didn't understand and muttered blankly, "What is the first cup of milk tea in autumn?"
Without wasting any words, Yu Mingshu gestured with her chin toward the kitchen and asked, "Do you have milk in the shop?"
"Yes, do you need it now? I'll have someone fetch it for you."
Yu Mingshu nodded and turned to go into the kitchen.
Curious, Cui Hongli followed her inside and found a quiet corner. There she saw her squatting down, gathering her skirt, and picking through the vegetables in the basket.
After a while, Yu Mingshu selected a small, round taro from the pile, then rolled up his sleeves and took up the knife. With nimble movements and skillful knife work, he cut the taro into small pieces.
Aren't you making drinks? Why are you chopping vegetables too?
"Shopkeeper, could you please get me some more red beans?" Yu Mingshu said.
Cui Hongli didn't feel there was anything wrong with her being ordered around as the manager, so she responded and quickly filled a bowl with red beans.
After receiving the ingredients, Yu Mingshu started boiling water in a pot. The red beans were cooked in the pot, and the taro was steamed. Since she didn't have an accurate timer, she could only time it by feeling and by looking at it with her eyes to make sure that both were cooked until soft and tender. Then she could take them out to make milk tea.
Considering that milk tea can be enjoyed both hot and cold, Yu Mingshu prepared two different tea bases. The iced version used a cold-brewed tea base from the fruit tea series, while the hot version required boiling the tea leaves in milk.
Pour the milk tea into a bowl, mix it with the toppings, and add an appropriate amount of dissolved syrup. That's how red bean milk tea and taro milk tea are born.
Yu Mingshu took a sip herself. The taste of fresh milk and tea was certainly not as good as non-dairy creamer milk tea. In later generations, so-called fresh milk tea would add some base milk or other technological products. But in Liang, where ingredients were limited, the milk tea she made was absolutely unique in the capital.
Cui Hongli was still looking at her expectantly, "How did it go? Did you manage to make it?"
Yu Mingshu filled a bowl for her as well, and even gave her a spoon, saying, "Try it."
Cui Hongli picked up the bowl and took a big sip; the warm and fragrant taste made her eyes light up.
"Speaking of milk tea, I always thought of the salty milk tea that the Rong people in the north drank. The one you made is actually sweet?"
"Just tell me directly, shopkeeper, whether it tastes good or not."
"The milk aroma is rich, and the tea flavor is sweet. It's wonderful!" Cui Hongli praised it highly.
"Try the taro paste inside again," Yu Mingshu said, pointing to the spoon.
Following her advice, Cui Hongli scooped up a spoonful of taro paste, mixed it with milk tea, and put it in her mouth... How could there be such a wonderful dessert in the world!
Setting down the empty bowl, she hugged Yu Mingshu tightly and said, "Mingshu, you really are the god of wealth for Fengyang Tower!"
"Taste is secondary. To build a reputation, the shopkeeper needs to do marketing, which is what I just mentioned: the first cup of milk tea in autumn."
Yu Mingshu then explained in detail what marketing is and how to create momentum.
Cui Hongli's business acumen is undeniable, and it was immediately clear what she meant.
"I understand. Just focus on your studies and wait for my good news."
…
On my way home from Fengyang Tower, I passed Chunhuitang Clinic. The entrance was packed with people, and the already narrow street was now completely blocked.
It was difficult to see what was happening inside the crowd from the outside, but a stench that assaulted the nostrils could be smelled. Any passerby who came across the place either vomited from the stench and fled in panic, or, being overly gossipy, would rather hold their nose and try to find out what had happened.
Yu Mingshu was the third type. She was almost home when she was suddenly blocked from her way. She had no choice but to ask Luo Yan to drive her on a longer route, while she prepared to walk back.
She was also hoping to hear some gossip, so she quietly approached the crowd. As a result, she was jostled by the onlookers, tripped over her own foot, and fell on the spot.
Remembering the news reports of stampedes he had seen in his previous life, he ignored the stinging pain in his ankle, hurriedly stood up, hopped on one foot to the side, and rested against the wall in a less crowded place for a while.
Looking around, Yu Mingshu saw a kind-looking young woman and mustered her courage to pat her on the shoulder. "Sister, what happened up ahead? Why is everyone gathered here?"
The woman glanced at her, and seeing that she was a harmless little girl, she answered frankly, "Oh, what could possibly happen in a clinic? Someone died, that's all. That family carried the body to the clinic entrance in the middle of the day, demanding an explanation. The body was already rotting, and they still wouldn't leave!"
"Such a thing happened?" Yu Mingshu exclaimed, his mouth agape. "What's the name of the doctor involved? I absolutely must never see him again."
Encouraged, the woman raised her voice even higher: "His surname seems to be Zhou, and he's a young man. I also heard that his father is the owner of Chun Hui Tang, and he was recently punished by the authorities for murder!"
Those nearby, upon hearing her words, all echoed her sentiments.
"As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too; like father, like son. This is because bad roots cannot produce good results."
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