MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 68

That night.

 

Lu Dongqing lay on the bed, deep in thought. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out why Qiao Suiman had ignored him all afternoon and evening. He went over the events of the day in his mind, but he couldn’t recall doing anything to upset him.

 

His arms tightened around Qiao Suiman unconsciously, causing the latter, who was sleeping with his back to him, to let out a soft whimper. “Too tight.”

 

Lu Dongqing immediately loosened his grip and buried his face in the crook of Qiao Suiman’s neck, his voice tinged with grievance as he whispered, “Xiao Man, what’s wrong today?”

 

Qiao Suiman froze. He didn’t know how to begin, so he simply responded, “It’s nothing. Let’s just sleep.”

 

“No. There is something.”

 

Lu Dongqing replied without hesitation. His hand, which was resting lightly on Qiao Suiman’s waist, now pulled him closer and turned him around to face him.

 

Lu Dongqing looked directly into Qiao Suiman’s eyes and said, “Tell me, please. I don’t like this.”

 

Qiao Suiman’s heart softened in an instant. He hadn’t meant to ignore Lu Dongqing on purpose. It was just that every time he spoke with him, he’d think of that picture book. And every time he thought of the book, his mind would leap to that matter. He really didn’t know how to face Lu Dongqing.

 

He didn’t expect Lu Dongqing to be distressed by this. His gaze flickered away, but Lu Dongqing cupped his face and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, leaving him no room to avoid his eyes.

 

Qiao Suiman made up his mind. Fine, he’ll say it!

 

 

He blurted out, “I saw the picture book you hid in the wooden chest. You did that to me before…”

 

He trailed off, only to see Lu Dongqing freeze as if struck by lightning. His head slowly turned toward the wooden chest, and he immediately withdrew his hands, stammering, “I… that was… before we got married…”

 

“I know.”

 

Qiao Suiman cut him off. “I just needed some time to process it. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

 

Lu Dongqing had never imagined this would be the reason. Fearing Qiao Suiman might think he was some kind of lecher, he rushed to say, “I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so I looked at the book to… learn a bit.”

 

The thick quilt covered their entwined bodies, and Qiao Suiman could feel his face burning. He didn’t want to dwell on the topic any longer, so he muttered, “It… it wasn’t uncomfortable. Let’s just sleep.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Lu Dongqing still felt a little embarrassed. After all, as a man, he was afraid that he might not perform well in bed and disappoint his fulang. So he went to look at some picture books, but his fulang discovered him. If others found out, he feared they would mock him for a long time.

 

Thankfully, they had talked it through. Qiao Suiman wasn’t angry with him today. He just stumbled upon his little secret.

 

After reassuring himself, Lu Dongqing happily pulled Qiao Suiman back into his arms, stroking his back several times before finally stopping when Qiao Suiman gave him a light smack.

 

“Sleep.”

 

Qiao Suiman nuzzled against Lu Dongqing’s chest. If they kept this up, they would oversleep tomorrow.

 

They still had to earn money, after all.

 

By the time dawn began to break, Qiao Suiman had already strapped a bamboo basket to his back. Inside were thirteen bamboo tubes that Lu Dongqing carved. Though Steward Fang only requested ten, Lu Dongqing worked late into the night, even lighting a lamp to finish thirteen.

 

Although it was done in a hurry, there was no carelessness in the process. Each bamboo tube was polished very smoothly and was equally exquisite.

 

When he arrived home, Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng were already lighting the stove in the kitchen. The papaya and bayberries had already been mashed into pulpy juice, ready to be cooked into syrup once the pot was heated.

 

“Da-ge, Qin Yu-ge.”

 

Qiao Suiman greeted them first, setting down the bamboo basket and washing his hands before getting to work.

 

“Qin Yu-ge, could you help me roast the tea leaves and dried osmanthus first? Not too much osmanthus, just a small handful. Then steep them in hot water.”

 

“Alright.” Qin Yu agreed and got to work swiftly.

 

Qiao Suiman fired up two pots at once: one for the papaya syrup and the other for the bayberry syrup. Meanwhile, Qiao Ruifeng was busy boiling mung beans over a clay stove.

 

With Qiao Suiman overseeing the process, Qin Yu handling the familiar tasks, and Qiao Ruifeng assisting, everything moved quickly. Within an hour, both syrups were done, along with the Osmanthus Drink and the Mung Bean Drink. Qiao Suiman then started on the Crystal Jade Beauty Drink.

 

This one required precise control of the heat, so Qin Yu didn’t dare intervene for fear of wasting the wine house’s tea leaves and sugar. He and Qiao Ruifeng could only watch in admiration from the sidelines.

 

“Crystal Jade Beauty Drink…. these folks really know how to name things. Just the sound of it makes it seem way more expensive than something like Osmanthus Tea with Rock Sugar and Sour Yellow Fruit Drink. They use the same ingredients, but the price difference is like heaven and earth.”

 

Qiao Suiman burst into laughter at the name Qin Yu had just come up with, his shoulders shaking. No wonder they were family, they even named things the same way.

 

“That’s right! The steward told me their drinks would be priced much higher than what we sell at the stall. Can’t let the wine house’s reputation drop, after all.”

 

“Good thing you know how to make them and have so many ideas. That’s why they took a liking to you.”

 

Qin Yu chatted while tidying the kitchen, washing the pots, bowls, and utensils they used. By the time he finished cleaning up, the two barrels of Crystal Jade Beauty Drink were also ready.

 

“Whew.” Qiao Suiman exhaled deeply, rubbing his lower back. He’s finally done.

 

After sealing all the drinks to keep them warm and prevent spills, Qiao Ruifeng loaded everything onto the handcart, and the two of them set off for the wine house.

 

Besides the large barrels of drinks, the cart also carried the bamboo tubes and the dried sour yellow fruit slices Qin Yu had carefully preserved. Since Steward Fang had agreed to the deal so readily, Qiao Suiman didn’t want to hold back either. He wanted to show sincerity, so he brought the slices along for the steward to inspect.

 

The cart creaked and groaned as they traveled, the noise softening once they reached the main road in town. Following the route from memory, Qiao Suiman and Qiao Ruifeng arrived at the wine house by the end of chenshi[mfn]辰时 : 7-9 AM[/mfn].

 

They knocked on the small door to the kitchen, and soon someone came to greet them. When Qiao Ruifeng entered, he looked around in wonder. He patted Qiao Suiman on the head and praised him, “Thanks to you, I get to see the inside of a wine house kitchen.”

 

Qiao Suiman grinned smugly. “Indeed.”

 

Qiao Ruifeng laughed. “So proud of yourself.”

 

When they met Steward Fang, Qiao Suiman first told him how he had obtained the dried sour yellow fruit. The amount he brought today would last half a month. Steward Fang picked up a slice and chewed it, his face scrunching up at the sourness. “I didn’t expect this to taste so different when made into a drink. I can’t eat it on its own.”

 

Qiao Suiman was delighted and said with a smile, “As long as you’re satisfied.”

 

Steward Fang instructed someone to move the drinks to the main hall, placing them in the most prominent spot. The rewine house served lunch and dinner, and the servers were already busy wiping tables and sweeping the floor, ready to promote the new drinks once more customers arrived.

 

Qiao Suiman felt a little nervous. Even though both Steward Fang and the junior steward had tasted the drinks and found them excellent, he couldn’t help but worry.

 

“Don’t worry. They always sold well at the market. Here, the customers have money to spare. They’ll sell even better!” Qiao Ruifeng reassured him.

 

Qiao Suiman nodded absently, peering out from the kitchen as the first customers entered, his heart leaping into his throat.

 

There weren’t many people yet, so Steward Fang hung a sign outside the wine house announcing the trial sale of “Qiao’s Fragrant Drinks,” emphasizing that this was the same Qiao’s that the county magistrate had patronized. The first thirteen customers would even get theirs served in special bamboo tubes.

 

The servers also informed each entering guest about the new offerings, immediately arousing the interest of many people.

 

A woman holding a child shot a glance at the man beside her, who then asked, “What flavors do you have? And the price?”

 

The server was quick-witted and immediately listed the drinks one by one. As for the price, he gestured with his hands and said, “Twenty-five wen per tube.”

 

Twenty-five wen!

 

Qiao Suiman’s eyes widened, and he quickly glanced at the man, afraid he would not buy.

 

To his surprise, the man didn’t protest. Instead, he asked, “Is it really from that stall? I remember theirs only cost ten wen.”

 

The server chuckled and explained, “It’s really from that ge’r. We wouldn’t dare lie about that. Look, he’s right over there.”

 

After saying that, he pointed at Qiao Suiman, who was standing by the back kitchen door.

 

Qiao Suiman forced a smile and nodded at the customer.

 

“It really is him,” the woman remarked.

 

“Sir, our wine house specially commissioned him to make these. The tea leaves and fruits are all premium goods supplied by the Fang family’s shops.The tea leaves used are all from our Fang family’s most famous Zhengshan Xiaozhong, which is why it’s a bit more expensive.”

 

The server seized the opportunity to say.

 

“Alright then,” the woman had been wanting to drink something anyway, “I’ll take a tube of this Crystal Jade Beauty Drink. Husband, what about you?”

 

“I’ll have the Osmanthus Drink.”

 

“Coming right up. Please wait a moment.”

 

The server hurried to the main hall, swiftly filling two bamboo tubes and presenting them to the customers.

 

Their food hadn’t arrived yet, so the woman took a sip of her drink first. Her eyes widened instantly as she took several more gulps before stopping. Turning to her husband, she said, “Husband, this taste is truly unique.”

 

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