Chapter 21 A Familiar Sight: These peach blossoms are blooming quite nicely…
Fu Yun had done a site survey when he first came to the market to find a good location for his stall. He decided on a crossroads, about a hundred meters from the bustling market entrance, so that people from all directions could see it.
A beverage stall doesn't necessarily have to be located in a busy area; a crossroads with lots of people coming and going is often more suitable.
When passersby saw Fu Yun and her group of four picking out things and stopping there, they looked on with curiosity. Some even stopped in their tracks, clearly wanting to see what these good-looking people were up to.
The first thing Fu Yun did was take out the promotional wooden board that had been under the lotus leaf cup from the winnowing basket and place the boards with prices and promotional red paper pasted on them side by side on the ground.
He had only put it down for a moment when people began to gather around.
"Huh? Are they setting up a stall to sell things?"
"It looks like it, but I wonder what it sells?"
"milk tea"
"Cola?"
"Soda?"
"What are these things? Why do they have such strange names?"
"Small? Medium? Large? What does this mean?"
Just as Su Mang was about to step forward to explain, a middle-aged woman dressed in luxurious clothes and with striking features took a few steps forward, standing in front of the crowd. Her gaze fell on Fu Yun's face, scanning him from head to toe, before she revealed a pleased smile. She stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Fu Yun, and asked with a smile, "Young master, what are you selling?"
Fu Yun walked to the wooden bucket containing milk tea and answered directly with her actions. She lifted the lid of the bucket, and a rich aroma of milk and tea poured out.
Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "It smells so good!"
"What kind of tea leaves can be used to brew such a fragrant and sweet flavor?"
"I have never heard of this before, nor have I ever seen it before."
"Me too."
"Is it some kind of new gadget?"
The middle-aged woman was closest to the aroma and naturally smelled it most clearly. She slightly opened her almond-shaped eyes and asked, "What kind of tea is this?"
Fu Yun replied calmly, "Original milk tea is a type of tea drink."
The middle-aged woman's gaze returned to Fu Jun's face, her bright features deepening with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of teasing: "I've never heard of this before, young sir. Could you please give me a detailed introduction?"
Fu Yun ignored the middle-aged woman's gaze, took out a small lotus leaf cup, scooped in a spoonful of milk tea, and handed it to the middle-aged woman: "It's okay if you haven't heard of it, you can try it first."
The middle-aged woman stared intently at Fu Yun, as if she could read a flower from his face, but she pretended to hesitate and said, "I have never seen this before, how can I eat it so casually?"
Su Mang could tell what the middle-aged woman was up to just by looking at her expression. She quickly stepped forward, took the cup from Fu Yun's hand, blocked the middle-aged woman's view, and said coldly, "This is a tea that my family head tasted when she traveled all over the country. She thought it tasted good, so she bought the secret recipe and made some."
"Oh?" The middle-aged woman's view was blocked, and she looked slightly displeased and suspicious. "I've been to many places, so why have I never heard of this? Are you trying to fool us with something of dubious origin?"
Su Mang's face darkened: "If you don't..."
Fu Yun reached out and patted Su Mang's arm, stopping her from speaking: "I'll do it."
He took the lotus leaf cup from Su Mang, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then he glanced at the onlookers and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to me. We've only resorted to selling tea on the street because our family has fallen on hard times and we can't even afford to eat. Although we're not famous or wealthy, we've been in business for generations. I never thought about getting rich through this stall; I just hope to earn some money to supplement my family's income. Please rest assured, the teas I sell are all cooling and thirst-quenching, similar in function to the herbal teas you usually drink, only they taste better. When you're tired, sleepy, or hot from all the running around, you can have a cup to cool down and quench your thirst, instantly restoring your energy. If there were any problems, I wouldn't have drunk it so readily."
Hearing him say that, and smelling the enticing aroma, everyone really wanted to go forward and try it.
The middle-aged woman's gaze swept over Fu Yun's fair neck, her eyes becoming particularly intense. She said with great interest, "Then give me a cup to try."
Fu Yun nodded, took out a new lotus leaf cup, scooped out a small cup of milk tea, and handed it to the middle-aged woman: "Please enjoy."
The middle-aged woman gave Fu Yun a meaningful look, took the teacup from his hand, raised her left arm, slightly covered it with her long sleeve, tilted her head back and took a small sip, then froze.
The moment it enters your mouth, you're overwhelmed by the aroma of milk, leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth; the taste is truly exquisite.
She couldn't help but take another big gulp, once again enveloped by the rich aroma of tea and milk, feeling that this was the best tea drink in the world.
Even after finishing the entire bottle, she still felt a lingering sense of satisfaction.
The person behind him, whose appetite had already been whetted by the milky aroma, swallowed hard and asked, "How is it?"
The middle-aged woman was extremely satisfied: "Just as the young man said, it tastes excellent. This is the first time I have ever enjoyed such a sweet and delicious drink."
Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really that amazing?"
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "You'll know once you try it."
She planned to have another drink to take home for her husband to try.
Some young women who had brought their husbands stepped forward, wanting to buy a drink for their young husbands to try.
Only a few poor people hesitated when they saw the prices.
Original milk tea / small cup / three coins.
Original milk tea/medium/five cents.
Original milk tea / large cup / six coins.
A woman dressed simply in a blue robe spoke up, "Why is a cup of tea so expensive?"
"Yes! Yes! That's enough to buy five steamed buns and ten mantou (steamed bread)."
"That's right, all other teas cost two coins a pot, so why is yours so much more expensive per cup?"
"Exactly! If you didn't say you were selling tea drinks, people would think you were a street performer!"
Su Mang and Lu's mother exchanged glances, a hint of worry flashing in their eyes.
Lu Zhisheng walked to Fu Jun's side, somewhat reluctantly saying, "Young Master Su, perhaps I should do it!"
Fu Jun patted him on the shoulder: "Don't panic, it's a small matter."
He smiled slightly, walked to the wooden board, and calmly began, "There's a reason why our prices are a bit higher. Our preparation process is completely different from ordinary tea drinks. Ordinary tea drinks are made by boiling a kettle of water, adding tea leaves, steeping and filtering for fifteen minutes, then pouring in another kettle of boiling water and drinking directly, resulting in a bitter taste. Our milk tea, however, requires many ingredients and processes, even including maltose and dairy products, which increases costs. The flavor is primarily sweet and fragrant, making it irresistible. If you don't believe me, just try it and you'll see. As for the preparation process, that's a trade secret and I can't disclose it completely, so please understand. Next, I plan to give everyone some perks to celebrate our first day of business."
Everyone was so engrossed in listening that no one dared to refute them.
Fu Yun pointed to the contents of the red paper on the wooden board and explained carefully: "Grand opening promotion! For first-time customers, we offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal, but only for the same cup size. If you buy two small cups, we'll give you a medium cup for free; if you buy two medium cups, we'll give you a large cup for free."
"In other words, you only need to pay for one cup to get two cups of tea. Buy two medium cups and you can get one large cup free."
Everyone's eyes lit up; they were naturally eager to take advantage of the opportunity.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Fu Yun knew he had a chance, so he added, "And if you buy today and come back tomorrow, you can get another cup for free."
He paused, then added, "Of course, this is only for the first thirty people; it won't be open to those who don't."
"Give me a drink."
"I'll have one too."
"I want one too."
Seeing the people scrambling to squeeze through, Fu Yun handed the spoon to Su Mang, then went to Lu Zhisheng, looking at the crowd: "Everyone, don't rush, we have plenty of portions, everyone gets some. Please line up, be careful, one at a time. After you pay, come to Xiao Lu to register. We will be launching other promotions later, and we, as regular customers, will enjoy priority."
Hearing this, everyone had no choice but to line up and stare longingly at the milk tea in the wooden bucket.
Seeing this, Lu Zhisheng whispered to Fu Yun, "Young Master Su, you are quite remarkable. You have managed to make everyone believe your words without a doubt."
Fu Yun smiled and shook her head: "This is just the beginning."
Once the milk tea is sold out, the cola and soda will come in handy, and a good reputation will naturally attract customers.
The first person to pay came over with their milk tea.
Lu Zhisheng quickly found a small stone to sit on, took the promotional board and placed it on his knees, and began to record the buyers' information.
Pedestrians came and went, and the intersection quickly became crowded.
"It must be very hard for someone so young to have to help with the family's stall, right?"
A middle-aged woman's voice came from behind. Fu Jun and Lu Zhisheng were both slightly startled. They turned around and saw that it was the first middle-aged woman who had made a purchase. She was holding a cup of milk tea in her hand.
Lu Zhisheng asked, "This distinguished guest, are you here to make a record?"
The middle-aged woman did not respond, but her gaze fell on Fu Jun's face. She said gently, "If you are willing, young man, come back to the royal residence with me and become my husband. How about enjoying all the riches and honors?"
Fu Yun: "..." Big sister, you must be mistaken? Su Fu Yun's age is completely mismatched with yours.
Lu Zhisheng was stunned for a moment, then realized that the woman had taken a liking to Young Master Su.
Fu Yun didn't want to offend anyone on her first day of setting up a stall, so after a moment's thought, she said, "Thank you for your kindness. My master treats me very well, and I don't want to leave her. I'm sorry."
The woman smiled amiably and showed no intention of forcing him. She simply appeared confident and said, "It's alright, I'm not in a hurry. It's not a good thing for her to make you show your face in public and live a life of hardship. If you ever want to stop living such a miserable life, just come to the Wang residence to find me."
After saying this, he put down a jade pendant, turned around, and left.
Lu Zhisheng joked, "Young Master Su, you're quite the ladies' man!"
Fu Yun pointed to a young woman standing not far away: "Lu Zhisheng, stop teasing me, you're no better yourself."
Lu Zhisheng looked up in surprise and found that it was a masked woman dressed in a red outfit.
The woman in red first looked at Lu Zhisheng for a moment, then turned her gaze to Fu Yun next to Lu Zhisheng, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
She observed the crowd for a moment, noticed Fu Yun and Lu Zhisheng looking over, and immediately turned and left.
As Lu Zhisheng took notes, he pondered the situation, feeling that the woman's back view seemed somewhat familiar.
After a moment, he hesitated before speaking, "Young Master Su, do you find this woman's figure somewhat familiar?"
A note from the author:
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