The warm aroma of fruit tea gave Qiao Sui confidence. He hadn’t yet decided what to call this drink, but since it was for the wine house, he decided to leave it to Steward Fang to name it later.
Qiao Suiman looked around at the fruits and vegetables laid out on the table, many of which he had never seen before. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the familiar papaya, peeled and washed it, and cut it into small pieces. He placed them in a wooden tray and said to Lu Dongqing, “This needs to be mashed into pulp.”
Lu Dongqing immediately responded, “Mn, I’ll do it. It’ll be done quickly.”
With that, he picked up a clean wooden pestle and began mashing the papaya bit by bit. The fruit was quite firm, and if Qiao Suiman had done it himself, it would have been strenuous. But being able to help his fulang brought him nothing but joy.
While Lu Dongqing worked on the papaya pulp, Qiao Suiman didn’t idle either. He grabbed a handful of tea leaves, mixed in a small portion of dried osmanthus flowers, and placed them on a porcelain plate to roast slowly over a low flame. Soon, the combined fragrance of tea and osmanthus filled the air. He transferred the mixture into an empty porcelain bowl, poured in boiling water to steep it, then dissolved two pieces of sugar into it. Just like that, the Osmanthus Tea was ready.
This method was the same as the one he had used when selling Camellia Drink and Osmanthus Drink at his stall, so the process was quick and familiar. By the time he strained out the tea leaves and osmanthus residue, Lu Dongqing had finished mashing both papayas.
Qiao Suiman smiled, his eyes curving happily. “Perfect timing.”
Lu Dongqing was equally pleased. He adored the look on Qiao Suiman’s face when he was making drinks. We were focused and serious, his lips slightly pursed, yet his movements swift and precise. He was often captivated by this look when he assisted him at the Qiao family’s home, and was even teased by Qiao Ruifeng for it.
But so what if he was teased? His fulang was both beautiful and capable, so he didn’t mind the jokes.
“Is this papaya thirst-quencher drink?” Lu Dongqing asked.
“Yes. I’ve only ever seen others sell it but never made it myself,” Qiao Suiman replied.
Their home and the mountains nearby didn’t have papayas, so he never had the chance to try making it. Buying them separately from fruit vendors would have been too expensive and not worth the cost, so he had never attempted it before.
Truthfully, the only fruit-based thirst-quencher drink he had ever made was the ones using green plums and peaches. Now that he had the opportunity to experiment with other fruits, he wasn’t about to let it slip away.
He poured the mashed papaya into a pot and let it simmer over a low flame. Meanwhile, he instructed Lu Dongqing to wash the bayberries thoroughly and mash them into juice, preparing to make another type of thirst-quencher drink.
Although he had initially promised the steward three types of drinks, less than half a shichen had passed, so he figured he might as well make a few more. He didn’t want to seem like he was taking the job for granted.
As the papaya syrup simmered, Qiao Suiman washed a handful of mung beans and placed them in an earthenware pot with half a pot of water, setting it over high heat on another stove.
By the time the papaya syrup was ready, the mung beans had already come to a boil. He quickly removed a few sticks of firewood, reducing the flame to let it continue simmering gently.
After transferring the syrup into a jar, Qiao Suiman rinsed the small pot and poured in the bayberry juice that Lu Dongqing had prepared, which had already been pitted. He couldn’t resist praising his husband with sparkling eyes, “It’s so much easier with you here. You’ve saved me a lot of effort.”
Lu Dongqing beamed. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”
“I think we’re almost out of time, so let’s stop here for now. You should rest,” Qiao Suiman said with a smile.
“I’m not tired. I’ll just tend to the fire for you.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Suiman stood in front of the stove, stirring the pot with a spatula, while Lu Dongqing crouched nearby, adjusting the flame. The two exchanged glances from time to time, their eyes filled with subtle happiness.
With the one he loved by his side, even hard work felt joyful.
The bayberry juice had transformed into a translucent syrup, which Qiao Suiman also poured into a jar, leaving it unsealed for now. He scooped out a spoonful each of the papaya and bayberry syrups, diluting them separately with hot water. Then, he added three spoonfuls of sugar to the mung bean water, turned off the heat, and let it steep for a while.
With that, five different drinks were ready. Qiao Suiman arranged them neatly in a row, cleaned up the stove, and just as he finished, Steward Fang returned.
“I could smell the fragrance from afar. Are they all done?”
“Steward,” Qiao Suiman replied with a smile, “I’ve prepared five different flavors. Would you like to try them?”
Steward Fang stroked his beard, eyeing the tidy stove with satisfaction before picking up a bowl at random and giving it a sniff. “What’s this?”
It happened to be the first drink Qiao Suiman had made. The steward seemed intrigued by its unique aroma. After taking a sip and savoring it carefully, he exclaimed, “Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!”
Qiao Suiman’s heart finally settled completely. “This one is made by stir-frying tea leaves with sugar, then adding dried fruit slices I brought from home and boiling them all together.”
“You’ve got a good eye. This tea is our Fang family’s most famous Zhengshan Xiaozhong.[mfn]正山小种 (Lapsang Suochong)- It is a black tea consisting of Camellia sinensis leaves that are smoke-dried over a pinewood fire. (Wikipedia)[/mfn] It is rich and mellow without bitterness. Mixed with the caramelized sugar and a hint of tart freshness, the layers of flavor are distinct yet harmonious. Truly excellent!”
Steward Fang was thoroughly impressed and couldn’t stop praising it.
“You mentioned using dried fruit slices from home. Could that be the source of this sour taste?” Steward Fang asked.
Since neither the tea nor the sugar could have produced such a flavor, it had to be the dried fruit Qiao Suiman mentioned.
“Yes. They were grown by my brother-in-law at home. Since there were too many, we dried and stored them. Yesterday, I thought they might be useful, so I brought some here.”
Qiao Suiman answered truthfully but deliberately avoided specifying what kind of fruit it was.
Steward Fang was shrewd enough to take the hint and didn’t press further. “This drink is definitely going on the menu. Since it uses your brother-in-law’s dried fruit, how about this: for every tube sold, we’ll add one wen, and that extra will go to your brother-in-law. What do you think?”
Qiao Suiman was overjoyed. With their stall closed for now and fewer jobs at the docks, Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu would have less income. This arrangement would not only help use up their excess dried sour yellow fruit but also earn them money. Isn’t this killing two birds with one stone?
“Of course! Thank you very much, Steward!” Qiao Sui said happily.
“It’s only because your drink is so good. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have raised the price.”
Steward Fang was in high spirits and asked, “What is the name of this drink?”
“I haven’t named it yet,” Qiao Suiman scratched his head in embarrassment. “Usually, I just name drinks after whatever’s in them, but I was afraid that might not suit the wine house’s customers, so I thought I’d leave it to you.”
Steward Fang laughed heartily. “You’re quite honest.”
After a moment’s thought, he said, “This drink is a vibrant, translucent red. Let’s call it Crystal Jade Beauty Drink!”
Crystal Jade Beauty Drink.
Qiao Suiman mulled over the name silently. Indeed, the names he came up with were worlds apart from what the wine house preferred. He had originally considered calling it “Fragrant Tea Caramel Sour Drink,” but now he was glad he didn’t say it out loud.
“It’s a very elegant name,” Lu Dongqing said encouragingly.
Steward Fang went on to name the other drinks as well: the bayberry juice became “Red Berry Drink,” the papaya thirst-quenching drink was called “Golden Orange Drink,” and the mung bean drink was embellished with an extra two characters, becoming “Snow-Soaked Mung Bean Drink.” Only the Osmanthus Drink remained straightforward and unchanged.
Steward Fang also called the kitchen’s steward, who also praised these drinks highly, saying they would definitely help attract more business to the wine house.
Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing were both delighted to hear this. Steward Fang produced the contract, which Lu Dongqing reviewed carefully. He then added the extra one wen for the sour yellow fruit. Once everything was confirmed, the two of them signed the agreement.
However, the kitchen here was smaller than the one at the Qiao residence, so Qiao Suiman arranged with Steward Fang to take a set amount of flowers, fruits, and tea leaves home each day. He would prepare several barrels of drinks the next morning and deliver them in heat-retaining wooden barrels, keeping them warm over a low flame upon arrival so they wouldn’t cool.
With everything settled, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing headed home, each carrying a basket of supplies. The two fruit syrups didn’t need to be prepared in advance, but the other drinks would require two barrels each, to be delivered before the wine house’s lunchtime. This meant they could leave an hour later than when they used to run their stall.
This was a very good opportunity for them, so Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing were both very enthusiastic.
Upon returning to Xiahe Village, Qiao Suiman first told Qin Yu about selling the sour yellow fruit slices. Qin Yu was delighted. He had originally dried the excess fruit to avoid waste, never expecting it to bring in extra income during the winter.
“Xiao Man, you’re so clever,” Qin Yu said cheerfully, pinching Qiao Suiman’s cheeks affectionately. Lu Dongqing watched from the side, his eyes gleaming as if he wanted to do the same, but a sharp glance from Qiao Suiman stopped him in his tracks.
After finalizing the plans for making the drinks the next day, Qiao Suiman stored the ingredients he had brought back from the wine house in the kitchen before leisurely heading home with Lu Dongqing. It was nearly noon, and both their stomachs were growling.
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Author [陳皮皮梅]:
I want to drink Osmanthus oolong tea
Dongqing: My fulang looks so beautiful when he is serious
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