In fact, based on the reactions of Xiaoxi and Erfu that day, what this person said should be true, but it was better to be cautious. Qiao Suiman and the others decided to follow along into town to have a look at the wine house themselves.
According to the steward, Fang’s wine house is located on Dongyuan Road, where most diners come and go. The surrounding neighborhood was mostly affluent households, where no one lacked for food or clothing. Because of this, the wine house’s business flourished, and its daily revenue was impressive.
Though the wine house served alcohol, most women, ge’r, and children who dined there did not drink. Recently, many vendors selling fragrant drinks had set up stalls outside, cutting into the wine house’s beverage sales. Moreover, many customers favored the drinks from the Qiao family’s stall, which was why the steward came up with this idea.
The Fang family’s master was acquainted with the County Magistrate, and the young miss was also on familiar terms with the magistrate’s ge’r. They could have directly leveraged Magistrate Liu’s reputation to elevate the wine house’s business, but the problem was that officials in the prefecture strictly forbade collusion between government and merchants. Thus, they dared not make this connection public.
But the Qiao family’s stall was different. They were a small household that, through a stroke of luck, had gained some recognition, though they hadn’t expanded yet. By partnering with Qiao Suiman for bamboo-tube drinks, the wine house would be borrowing the Qiao stall’s reputation rather than the magistrate’s. No one could find fault with that, no matter how they nitpicked.
As Qiao Suiman walked, he pondered the details: how to deliver the drinks, how much to deliver, whether the remaining dried fruits and flowers at home would be enough, and how to price everything. All of these were issues to consider.
Qin Yu felt similarly, his expression a mix of joy and worry. This sudden opportunity had caught them unprepared.
After walking for nearly the time it took two sticks of incense to burn, they finally arrived at Dongyuan Road. From a distance, Qiao Suiman spotted a three-story wine house. He tugged at Qin Yu’s sleeve and exclaimed, “Qin Yu-ge, look at that! How magnificent!”
A wooden plaque hung above the wine house, its four characters written in bold, sweeping strokes. Qiao Suiman quietly asked Lu Dongqing, “What does it say?”
“Lai Fu Wine House,[mfn]來福酒樓 lái fú jiǔ lóu (wine houses in ancient China did not just sell alcohol, they were full-service establishments combining drinking, dining, entertainment, and sometimes lodging.[/mfn]” Lu Dongqing replied, also somewhat surprised. “It really is impressive.”
Steward Fang looked quite proud. “Of course. Our wine house has been open for eight or nine years. Without boasting, it’s the most luxurious in Shuiqing Town.”
Qiao Suiman glanced at Lu Dongqing again, his eyes sparkling with delight, and his lips curling into a wide grin. They were actually going to do business with such a wine house!
Following Steward Fang’s instructions, Lu Dongqing parked the cart by the kitchen’s back door. Upon entering the kitchen, the cooks and kitchen staff were busy preparing ingredients and stir-frying dishes, each performing their duties in an orderly manner. The rich aromas wafting through the air were enough to make one’s mouth water.
“Wow,” Qiao Suiman murmured. “This is my first time seeing a place like this.”
Lu Dongqing found his expression endearing and chuckled softly, leaning in to whisper, “I’ll take you to the front to eat sometime.”
“Alright,” Qiao Suiman replied with a smile.
But that would have to wait until they bought their own shop. It’s not cheap to eat there.
The steward led them to a small room and had someone serve them several cups of hot tea. Qiao Suiman had never received such treatment before, so he immediately became respectful and asked cautiously, “Steward, who should we address you?”
He didn’t even know the man’s surname.
“I’m surnamed Fang, a servant of the Fang family. Thanks to the master’s kindness, I was promoted as a steward of the wine house. I put a lot of effort into running the wine house to make it what it is today. Now, do you believe me?”
Qiao Suiman and Qin Yu exchanged glances and nodded.
Steward Fang continued, “Xiahe Village is close to the mountains. I’ve been observing for quite some time. The ingredients you sell for your drinks are all picked from the mountains, right?”
Qiao Suiman hadn’t expected him to know so much about their stall and answered truthfully, “That’s right. Fresh fruits are too expensive now, so we can’t afford them yet. We were planning to close the stall after today and not reopen until after the New Year.”
“Let me be frank. I’ll order drinks from you, and we’ll provide the ingredients. Whether it’s tea leaves or fruits and flowers, we have other shops that can supply them, but you have to make them taste good. After all, the quality of the wine house cannot be compromised, and the selling price will be much higher than that of a stall.”
Steward Fang said bluntly.
This would essentially mean hiring him to make the drinks.
Qiao Suiman didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he asked, “If that’s the case, what ingredients can you provide? How will my wages be calculated? Would I need to come to the wine house to make them?”
Lu Dongqing added, “And you mentioned bamboo tubes. What specifications do you need?”
Steward Fang took a sip of hot tea and said calmly, “The drinks will be displayed in the wine house’s main hall. You’re welcome to make them here, but if you’re worried we might steal your recipes, you can prepare them at home and deliver them. The Fang family has vast resources, so they have all kinds of tea leaves, dried flowers, and fresh fruits like persimmons and sweet tangerines. As for wages, we’ll pay you five wen per bamboo tube. After deducting costs, it should be about the same as what you earn from your stall.”
“The bamboo tubes need to be more refined. We won’t sell them; they’re just containers. We’ll start with fifty. As for the design, I’ve already had someone sketch it. Just carve according to the pattern. We’ll pay eight wen per tube. How does that sound?”
Eight wen each, with no need to peddle them himself. This was practically business delivered to their doorstep. The price was fair, and Lu Dongqing thought the bamboo tube deal was feasible. He turned slightly to glance at Qiao Suiman and gave a small nod.
After careful consideration, Qiao Suiman said, “You’re being sincere, so I won’t haggle. But I’m afraid what I make might not meet your standards. How about this: you bring some fresh fruits, tea leaves, and flowers tomorrow, and I’ll come here to test them out. If you’re satisfied, we can proceed. What do you think?”
“I’ll make one bamboo tube tonight. If you approve of it tomorrow, we’ll finalize the deal,” Lu Dongqing added.
Steward Fang was pleased with their response. He had indeed made the right choice of people. The couple was both very honest. He would have been worried if they had agreed without even asking.
“Very well. Come by tomorrow and I’ll prepare the contract. Let’s try it for half a month first.”
Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing nodded in unison. This arrangement would last until the New Year. Apart from being a little tired, they would not lose anything.
With the discussion concluded, Qiao Suiman and the others didn’t linger. They bid farewell to Steward Fang and slowly made their way home, taking turns munching on steamed buns to stave off hunger along the way.
“It’s really great to have a skill,” Qin Yu exclaimed.
Qiao Suiman smiled lightly and replied, “Even at five wen per tube, without needing to forage in the mountains, we will earn more than double what we did from the two-wen drinks. Most importantly, we can use other fruits and flowers to try new flavors and improve our skills. This business is indeed not bad.”
“But we’ll have to get up early every day. It’ll be exhausting,” Qin Yu said.
“I’m not afraid of hard work,” Qiao Suiman continued. “The faster we save up, the sooner we can buy a shop and stop traveling back and forth.”
He chuckled after speaking. These were things he only said in front of Lu Dongqing, Qiao Ruifeng, and Qin Yu, as they wouldn’t laugh at him. If others heard, they would likely mock him for overestimating his abilities, a country ge’r dreaming of opening a shop in town.
Lu Dongqing adjusted his grip on the cart handle, his smile reaching his eyes. “We’ll definitely manage. If this deal continues, we’ll have enough saved by next year.”
“Mhm. I’ll have to think carefully about what to do tomorrow when we get back.”
Qiao Suiman thought of something and asked Qin Yu, “Qin Yu-ge, do we still have a lot of sour yellow fruit at home?”
“There’s plenty. The fresh ones aren’t growing much now, but we dried a lot earlier. Do you need some?”
Qiao Suiman nodded. “I’ll take some later. I might use them tomorrow.”
“Sure, take as much as you need. Your brother and I couldn’t finish them even if we drank them every day. We’ve already given a lot to Aunt Shuifen. Take some for your home too.”
“Okay!”
After fetching a large jar of dried sour yellow fruit slices from home, they returned to the west of the village.
Qiao Suiman told Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong about the wine house deal, and they were both astonished. They repeatedly praised him for coming up with the bamboo-tube drink idea and now partnering with a wine house. Their compliments made Qiao Suiman a little embarrassed.
Once home, Lu Dongqing immediately sawed a section of bamboo and began carving meticulously according to the design Steward Fang had provided. The design featured the wine house’s name and some of its dishes, which was not difficult for him.
As for Qiao Suiman, he pondered over the drinks until bedtime, only settling into Lu Dongqing’s arms to sleep once he had a plan in mind.
—
Author [陳皮皮梅]: The fragrant drink artisan makes his debut~ He won’t stay a small laborer for long!
Magic spell cast today to break 400 collections! Thank you all for your support – looking forward to reaching the V-line[mfn]The threshold required for a novel to “go VIP” on Chinese web literature platforms such as JJWXC, where chapters become paywalled. Reaching this milestone allows authors to monetize their work.[/mfn] soon for a massive update spree!
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