“Is it really that good?” The man laughed at his wife’s surprised expression.
“Really! Here, have a sip.” The woman said, lifting the bamboo tube to her husband’s lips with a smile.
The man took a sip as his wife did, then suddenly widened his eyes in surprise and exclaimed, “It really is! There’s a smoky, fragrant flavor, sweet and sour, with the tea aroma blending perfectly.”
After saying that, he took two more sips and nodded repeatedly. “This is the first time I’ve tasted something so unique. That Qiao family ge’r really knows his craft.”
“Indeed! I’ve often sent people to buy from his stall before. His drinks really are different from others’.”
Qiao Suiman was not far away. After hearing their conversation, his heart finally settled down, and he couldn’t help but smile. They were praising him for making such good drinks!
Qiao Ruifeng, standing beside him, shared in his pride and teased, “Shopkeeper Qiao’s skills are quite impressive, aren’t they?”
“Of course!”
After saying this, Qiao Suiman felt a little embarrassed. He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he let out a sigh of relief.
Soon, two more tables of customers arrived, intrigued by the drinks on offer. Like the man earlier, they questioned whether these were truly the same drinks the county magistrate had enjoyed during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Seeing this, Steward Fang simply had Qiao Suiman and Qiao Ruifeng move to the center of the main hall to serve the drinks, offering an additional fifty wen per day for their efforts.
Qiao Suiman was naturally happy to do so, though standing in the middle of the bustling hall made him slightly self-conscious. The people coming and going were all wealthy, which was very different from when he was selling goods at the East Market. But by sishi[mfn]巳时 : 9-11 AM[/mfn], there were more and more customers, and he and Qiao Ruifeng were so busy serving drinks that they had no time to think about anything else.
The customers here are generous. When a family comes to eat, they order four or five bamboo tubes at once, and the bamboo tubes are used up in no time. Those who order later can only use porcelain bowls, and some people even complained to Steward Fang about this.
Steward Fang could only repeatedly explain that this was their first trial day, with only thirteen bamboo tubes prepared. Those who came early got to use them, but once the bamboo craftsman finished carving more, everyone could enjoy their drinks in bamboo tubes.
After much persuasion, the customers were finally appeased. Meanwhile, Qiao Suiman continued serving drinks while answering questions from curious patrons.
His eyes lit up when he spotted a group of women and fulang entering the hall. “Auntie Xu!” he called out cheerfully.
“Oh my!”
Auntie Xu was surprised and exclaimed, “Qiao-xiao ge’r, what are you doing here?”
Qiao Suiman grinned. “We ran out of ingredients at home, and the wine house’s steward happened to want to place an order for drinks, so I came here to make them.”
The women and fulang all looked astonished. Who would’ve thought that the young man who was running a market stall not long ago would now be working in a wine house?
Auntie Xu was especially delighted. “I knew I had good taste! I always said your stall would grow bigger and bigger.”
After saying that, she looked at her friends with an expression that said, ‘See, I told you so,’ and boasted as if it were her own stall.
Qiao Suiman found it amusing and changed the subject, saying, “Are you all here for a meal today, Auntie?”
“Yes! What a coincidence. We only treat ourselves to a meal here once every few months, and we just happened to run into you!”
Auntie Xu clapped her hands and continued, “Is this a new flavor? The server said there’s something called Crystal… something to drink.”
“That’s right, it’s Crystal Jade Beauty Drink,” Qiao Suiman confirmed with a smile.
“Yes, yes, that’s the name. Twenty-five wen. My goodness, that’s too expensive,” one of the fulang in their group remarked.
Qiao Suiman hesitated. Although he also thought it was a bit expensive, the steward invited him there to do business, and he couldn’t very well take the steward’s money and then turn around and call his prices unreasonable. So he simply said, “This uses flower-and-fruit-scented tea brought back by the Fang family’s merchant caravan from another prefecture. That’s why it’s pricier. I heard it’s even made with the finest Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea!”
“Is it really Zhengshan Xiaozhong?!”
“You know of it?”
“My husband brought back a small tin once when he returned from escorting goods. He said even that little tin cost several mace of silver!”
“It’s so expensive!”
“That’s right. In that case, it makes sense to sell it at a higher price.”
The women and fulang chattered excitedly among themselves. Qiao Suiman didn’t interrupt, only gently reminding them, “Aunties, a-mo, you could start with one or two tubes to taste. If you like it, you can always order more.”
Auntie Xu exchanged a glances with the fulang and said, “Then we’ll start with one Crystal… Jade Beauty Drink.”
“Of course, Auntie.”
Qiao Suiman swiftly prepared a serving and handed it to the server attending their table.
Seeing that the two of them had agreed on what to drink, the remaining people also became interested. In the end, they sold one Crystal Jade Beauty Drink, one Red Berry Drink, and one Golden Orange Drink to the group.
Once seated, they eagerly scooped up the drinks to share. Without exception, surprise flashed in their eyes, and they then took several more sips.
Auntie Xu’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Quick, try this! I’ve never had a drink like this before!”
Her reaction immediately piqued everyone’s curiosity. After all, they knew how much Auntie Xu loved her drinks. If even she was surprised, it must be good.
So they all scooped up a spoonful of the Crystal Jade Beauty Drink. As soon as it touched their lips, they realized that Auntie Xu’s words were true. This taste was worth every wen!
Qiao Suiman kept glancing over at them. Seeing their expressive faces, he couldn’t help but smile, then continued to prepare the drinks ordered by other customers.
After another half hour of hustle and bustle, all those barrels of drink were sold out! According to the server, it wasn’t even the busiest time of day at the wine house yet.
Even Steward Fang was surprised. He didn’t expect the drinks to sell so quickly.
“What? It’s sold out just as I arrived?”
A fulang who had just sat down and ordered a drink said loudly.
“My deepest apologies, honored customer. Today is our first trial day, so we didn’t prepare much. Come back tomorrow and we’ll definitely have some for you!” Steward Fang hurriedly apologized.
“Tch. Fine. Save some for me tomorrow, that Red Berry Drink. The name sounds festive.” The fulang said with a pout.
The man beside him chuckled. “We’ll just come back tomorrow. Don’t be upset.”
The young fulang gave the man a sharp glare. “You come buy it tomorrow. Meals here aren’t cheap. We can’t afford to eat here every day. Just one tube will do.”
“Alright, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Amid the lively clamor of the wine house, the staff handled the crowd while Qiao Suiman and Qiao Ruifeng followed Steward Fang back to the small kitchen.
Steward Fang looked delighted. “I never expected it to sell so quickly!”
Qiao Suiman was equally delighted. “Yes, it’s selling faster than usual.”
Steward Fang clapped his hands decisively. “Then, starting tomorrow, prepare an extra barrel of each type, and make more fruit syrup too. Deliver them at the same time!”
Qiao Suiman pursed his lips. There were only three of them. If they wanted to do more, it was not impossible, but they would have to get up earlier. But for the sake of earning more, he could endure a little exhaustion!
So he agreed. Beyond that, he has to pay his elder brother and Qin Yu-ge for their labor and firewood. The more he thought about it, the more tangled his thoughts became, so he decided to sort it all out after returning home.
“One more thing,” Steward Fang added. “Make some more bamboo tubes, too.”
After a moment’s consideration, he said, “Let’s aim for eighty.”
Qiao Suiman’s eyes brightened instantly. “Okay, I’ll tell him to do more when I get back.”
Once outside the wine house, Qiao Suiman rubbed his sore shoulders and back. Thankfully, Steward Fang said that they only needed to appear today. From now on, they would only need to deliver the drinks.
“Xiao Man, sit on the cart. I’ll pull you home.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Suiman was really tired, and there was no need to be polite with his brother. He responded with a nod and sat down by the cart, letting his legs dangle as his brother pulled him home.
Qiao Ruifeng dropped him off at the Lu family home first. After a quick sip of tea, he didn’t linger and hurried back to his own house.
“You must be exhausted.”
Miao Lianhua saw that he was constantly rubbing his shoulders and arms, and knew that he was tired. She asked Qiao Suiman to sit down, closed the door to the main room to keep the wind out, and gave him a massage.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“No need for thanks between us.” Miao Lianhua smiled, her eyes filled with both relief and concern.
Qiao Suiman was hungry and tired, and just then, Lu Dongqing brought the meal. Miao Lianhua didn’t stay long and went to the front hall to busy herself.
“The food is still hot. Hurry up and eat. Why are you so busy at this hour?”
Lu Dongqing’s heart ached at the sight of his fulang’s tired face.
Qiao Suiman leaned back into Lu Dongqing’s embrace, resting his head against his shoulder. “Some people didn’t believe I made the drinks, so Steward Fang had me serve them today. Starting tomorrow, I won’t need to anymore. It’s fifty wen a day!”
Mentioning their earnings brought a sparkle back to his eyes. He took a bite of meat and continued excitedly, “And the bamboo tubes, the steward said he wants eighty of them. You should’ve seen it. So many people praised my drinks today! They sold out in less than an hour.”
Lu Dongqing caught his enthusiasm but was also worried about his exhaustion. “I’ve already carved ten today. By evening, I’ll probably finish seventeen or eighteen. In a few more days, they’ll all be done. Then I’ll go to town with you and see if there are any suitable shops. After the New Year, many shops change hands, so we should pick one we like early.”
Qiao Suiman swallowed his food and nodded firmly. “Mm.”
Lu Dongqing’s heart swelled. He kept piling food onto Qiao Suiman’s plate, occasionally wiping away stray bits from the corners of his lips.
After eating, Qiao Suiman returned to his room to rest. He was truly exhausted and had no energy to embroider handkerchiefs at the moment. He would wait until he recovered his strength later in the evening before resuming his work.
After a long day’s work, Qiao Suiman napped for the time it took two sticks of incense to burn before rising to embroider again. Having returned late, he only managed a short while before it turned dark, so he headed to the kitchen to help Miao Lianhua with dinner.
Lu Dongqing continued carving bamboo tubes, while Lu Xuesong had been leaving early and returning late these days, digging up herbs and wild vegetables, hunting for earthworms and insects to feed the chickens and ducks, and tending to the fields. In short, all four members of the family were busy, and no one had any free time.
“Life is so good like this.”
After washing up, Qiao Suiman snuggled under the covers, waiting for Lu Dongqing to finish and join him. When he did, he nestled into his arms.
“Hm?” Lu Dongqing didn’t quite follow.
“Mother, we, Songzi, we are all busy and have something to look forward to. These days are truly wonderful,” explained Qiao Suiman in a low voice, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
Lu Dongqing chuckled softly. Indeed, even if it was tiring, this kind of life was good.
After extinguishing the lamp, their eyes still gleamed in the dark. They exchanged tender kisses, though Lu Dongqing held back from going further, mindful of Qiao Suiman’s early start the next day. Instead, he pressed affectionate kisses to his cheeks and neck.
Ticklish but unwilling to stop him, Qiao Suiman let him continue until drowsiness overtook him. Clutching the hem of Lu Dongqing’s inner robe, he gradually drifted off to sleep.
—
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