〔Congratulations, Host! Today’s points gained: +585〕
“How many points do I have in total now?”
〔Total points: 621〕
There were still twenty days left before the one-month deadline.
Relying on the teahouse alone clearly would not be enough.
Yun Zhiyue thought silently for a moment before asking:
“Lüliu, where in the capital has the largest population?”
Without hesitation, Lüliu answered:
“Naturally the North District.”
That was true.
The North District was home to ordinary commoners. Houses were crowded tightly together, and the population density was the highest in the city.
Yun Zhiyue immediately formed an idea.
“Go call the steward over.”
“Yes, Miss.”
The steward hurried over behind Lüliu.
“Miss, what instructions does this old servant have?”
Yun Zhiyue handed him a roughly written plan.
“Tomorrow, set up four stalls in the busiest streets of the North District.”
“They will specialize in selling lemon juice.”
“One copper coin per bowl.”
The steward had doubts in his heart but asked no questions.
“Yes.”
Then he suddenly remembered something.
“Miss, there isn’t much ice left in the ice cellar. The demand for ice these days has been too high. If we continue at this rate, we’ll run out in less than ten days.”
Right.
Nearly every lemon beverage contained a small piece of ice.
There were no refrigerators in ancient times, and summer ice was extremely expensive and highly sought after. Usually, most of it was monopolized by the powerful noble families.
This time, she really had overlooked the issue.
In just a few short days, she had practically emptied her father’s coffers.
Yun Zhiyue still wanted to investigate further.
“Does anyone in the capital know how to make ice?”
The steward shook his head.
“Miss, this old servant has never heard of such a thing.”
“Normally, ice is harvested during winter and stored in ice cellars for summer use.”
Yun Zhiyue pressed a hand to her forehead.
That really was a problem.
“For now, continue business as normal. I’ll think of a solution later.”
Forget it.
She’d figure out ice-making eventually.
Every day, the lemons supplied by the system were stored in the cold cellar.
This dynasty did not yet have lemons at all.
She had expected people to question their origin eventually, though no one had asked yet.
The teahouse already had a capable manager handling operations independently, so there was little to worry about for now.
“Mother, where is your estate located? What’s planted there?”
Madam Yun looked puzzled.
“Why are you asking, Yue’er? Is something wrong?”
“The teahouse currently needs large quantities of lemons for beverages.”
“The lemons I bought from foreign traders before are almost gone, so I want to grow lemons at the estate and become self-sufficient.”
The system only supplied lemons for one month.
But Yun Zhiyue’s business still needed to continue afterward.
So she might as well cultivate them herself.
Madam Yun nodded.
“That’s fine. The estate is five li outside the city and currently sits empty. Your wet nurse knows the location.”
“All right. I’ll go take a look with Nanny when I have time.”
A carriage slowly traveled through the streets of the North District amid noisy crowds.
“Miss, look! So many people are lining up to buy our teahouse’s lemon juice!”
Unable to resist, Lüliu lifted the curtain.
Several dozen people stood in long queues before one of the stalls, bustling with excitement.
“Is that the lemon juice from Jade Delicacies Tea House?”
“Yes! Yesterday they gave it away for free, and I specifically went there. You have no idea how incredible it tasted—sweet, sour, icy cold, and refreshing.”
“I never expected them to set up stalls here today. Wonderful! My old mother can finally taste it too.”
“The owner of Jade Delicacies Tea House is truly generous. Their drinks are cheap, delicious, and even contain ice to cool you down.”
Because of today’s street stalls, they had recruited ten more attendants.
Three attendants operated each stall together.
Looking outside, Yun Zhiyue saw that most people wore coarse gray cotton clothing while holding rough pottery bowls in their hands.
The blazing sun beat down overhead.
They wiped away sweat and continued waiting patiently in line.
At the very front stood a thin dark-skinned child who bought a bowl of lemon water.
Though he kept swallowing at the sweet icy aroma, he still refused to drink it immediately.
Instead, he carefully protected the bowl with both hands and hurried into a nearby alley.
Yun Zhiyue quietly lowered the carriage curtain, seemingly lost in thought.
“Let’s go.”
Lüliu held an umbrella beside Yun Zhiyue while supporting her over uneven ground.
The wet nurse walked ahead leading the way.
At the estate entrance stood a wooden gate with a plaque reading Fortune Full Estate.
Inside, only a few sparse trees were planted around the grounds.
Most of the land was barren and empty.
Seeing this, Yun Zhiyue felt puzzled.
“Nanny, why doesn’t the estate grow crops?”
At that question, the wet nurse looked troubled.
“Miss does not know.”
“It’s not that we don’t want to plant crops—it’s that nothing survives.”
“Strangely enough, Madam tried many times in earlier years, but regardless of the plant, nothing ever managed to grow.”
Yun Zhiyue crouched down and grabbed a handful of soil.
“Bring me a thicker branch.”
Though she did not understand why the young miss wanted a branch, the wet nurse did not ask questions and hurried away to fetch one.
When she realized Yun Zhiyue intended to dig the soil herself, the wet nurse immediately stopped her.
“Miss is delicate and precious. How can you personally do such work? Let this old servant handle it.”
The wet nurse was surprisingly strong and quickly dug out a small pit.
Yun Zhiyue crouched beside it, reaching down to touch the deeper soil.
Too dry.
And it was sandy loam soil.
Actually, crops could be grown here—as long as the correct methods were used.
However, given the current season, planting lemons probably wasn’t ideal anymore.
The estate itself was huge and received excellent sunlight.
She could simply build a workshop here.
Dried lemons could still be used for tea.
“Let’s go back.”
“I heard your Jade Delicacies Tea House has brown sugar pearl milk tea? And something called mille-feuille cake?”
“Yes, yes! Esteemed young ladies, please come in. There are private rooms upstairs. Would you like a private room?”
“Obviously. Hurry up and lead the way.”
“Yes, honored ladies.”
The waiter wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
A woman dressed in brilliantly colored clothing walked proudly ahead with her chin raised arrogantly.
Behind her followed another girl wearing a pink high-waisted ruqun dress.
Inside the upstairs private room, the food was quickly served.
“Honored ladies, this is your mille-feuille cake and brown sugar pearl milk tea.”
Li Wanqing took a sip of milk tea, her eyes instantly brightening.
“Jiaojiao, this milk tea is delicious. No wonder everyone’s been talking about it.”
The woman beside her merely glanced at her.
“It’s acceptable.”
“Jiaojiao, I heard Jade Delicacies Tea House’s phoenix claws and phoenix wings are extremely popular. Why not try them too?”
“Fine. Waiter, bring the phoenix claws and phoenix wings.”
After a while, the young woman stared suspiciously at the plate of phoenix claws.
“They look ordinary enough. I don’t see what’s so special.”
The waiter wiped away sweat nervously.
“Miss, perhaps you should taste them first.”
The woman picked one up and placed it into her mouth.
Sour, spicy, tender, and chewy.
Not bad at all.
“What is this made from? It’s actually decent.”
“Uh…”
The waiter hesitated awkwardly, unsure whether he should answer.
Then he suddenly remembered the shopkeeper’s training instructions.
Listen carefully. If anyone asks what the phoenix claws are made from, you will all answer the same thing: it’s a secret recipe.
“Miss, this is the teahouse’s exclusive secret recipe.”
But Li Wanqing’s personal maid muttered quietly nearby:
“What secret recipe? This servant thinks they look like deboned chicken feet.”
Li Wanqing’s expression changed in shock.
Her hand trembled, and the phoenix claw she held dropped onto the table.
“What?! These phoenix claws are actually made from chicken feet?!”
The woman beside her widened her eyes in horror and immediately spat the food from her mouth.
Then she slammed the table furiously.
“How dare you serve such filthy things to this young lady?! Call your manager over immediately!”
“I’d like to see just how many heads he has to dare sell such disgusting food!”
This was utterly revolting.
She was a noble lady of the capital.
How could she possibly eat something so filthy?