MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 92

Qiao Suiman busied himself again. He placed the dried peach blossoms and dried osmanthus flowers he bought not long ago into the steaming hot goat milk. After steeping them for a good while, he added some sugar. After tasting it, he still felt something was missing. The floral fragrance blended with the goat’s milk better this time, but unfortunately, the flavor was too faint. One had to carefully savor it to notice the taste.

 

The steamed rice was ready. Lu Dongqing patted Qiao Suiman’s shoulder: “Eat first, continue making it after the meal.”

 

They had already used up one bowl of goat’s milk, with only a small half left. They did not drink more, fearing they wouldn’t be able to eat their meal.

 

After dinner, Qiao Suiman took more time to think before acting. The syrup’s flavor clashed too much, while the dried flowers’ fragrance was far too faint. Meanwhile, the goat’s milk was particularly strong in taste.

 

One was too weak, the other too strong. He needed to find a way to add a flavor to balance them out. What to add… Qiao Suiman looked around at the items on the stove.

 

Only tea leaves hadn’t been tried yet.

 

Qiao Suiman decided to simply mix together the two bowls of goat’s milk he had steeped with dried flowers instead of starting with fresh goat milk. After washing the pot, he prepared it just as he would for brewing a fragrant drink: he placed Tieguanyin tea leaves and sugar into the pot and stirred them over the fire until the sugar melted completely. He added a small half bowl of water, and once the water boiled and bubbled, he poured the goat milk in and continued boiling.

 

The fragrance of tea and milk wafted out at the same time, unexpectedly blending well. After some of the water evaporated, the goat milk gradually became thicker. Qiao Suiman’s eyes lit up. He felt that it was almost cooked, so he took the pot away. Seeing this, Lu Dongqing immediately took out the firewood.

 

Qiao Suiman’s eyes were filled with anticipation as he carefully poured the goat milk from the pot into a small bowl. He looked up at Lu Dongqing with an irrepressible smile on his face and said, “It smells good.”

 

Lu Dongqing nodded in agreement. “It smells very fragrant, similar to the first time I smelled the Crystal Jade Beauty Drink.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Qiao Suiman thought about it. Indeed, Lu Dongqing would not trick him about this. When previous attempts tasted bad, he remained silent and offered no opinion.

 

The two waited in the kitchen for the goat milk to cool. Qiao Suiman would also occasionally touch the side of the bowl. After getting burned twice, Lu Dongqing held his hand to prevent him from touching it. They stood foolishly by the stove waiting.

 

Lu Dongqing suddenly had an idea and slapped his forehead: “We’re such fools. We can just scoop it with a spoon and blow on it to cool it down.”

 

Qiao Suiman’s eyes widened, then he bent over laughing. “Quick, quick, go! We really are so nervous we’ve become stupid. How long would we have to wait just standing here!”

 

Lu Dongqing’s face was full of smiles. He took two wooden spoons from the cupboard and gave one to each of them.

 

Qiao Suiman blew a few times, then carefully brought the spoon to his lips, sipping the goat milk slowly.

 

As soon as it entered his mouth, he looked at Lu Dongqing in surprise, his eyes bursting with joy.

 

After finishing his spoonful, Lu Dongqing said with a smile, “Much better than before.”

 

The Tieguanyin flavor was strong, and so was the goat milk, yet the two surprisingly did not clash. It was unlike the fruit syrup, which was like two flavors fighting, neither yielding to the other.

 

At first sip came the rich fragrance of the goat milk. Having been boiled twice, it now tasted thicker and fuller. Then came the unmistakable tea flavor of Tieguanyin. Finally, the two merged together, with a faint lingering scent of osmanthus that enticed one to take another mouthful.

 

However, sugar was already added once when using the dried osmanthus earlier, and again when heating the tea over the fire. Drinking too much would likely make it too sweet.

 

Qiao Suiman took a few more sips and then said, “It’s too sweet. The floral fragrance could be stronger. I think we can also add more water so it doesn’t become so overwhelming.”

 

Lu Dongqing savored it again and nodded. “This method uses a lot of milk. We had two small bowls of milk, and after adding the dried flowers earlier, we only drank a few sips. Now, even after boiling it again, only this much remains. We should be more careful with how much milk and water we add.”

 

“Mm, but fortunately, there’s hope.” Qiao Suiman was smiling, with the corners of his mouth raised high, and his eyes became brighter under the reflection of the candlelight.

 

Lu Dongqing could not help but pull him into an embrace, kissing his eyelid softly, and said in a husky voice, “Let’s stop here for now. Try again tomorrow.”

 

“Mm!” Qiao Suiman agreed.

 

After tidying up the kitchen, they washed up. Qiao Suiman lay in bed, still in high spirits.  He tossed and turned until Lu Dongqing finally held him down and demanded his share of affection before he could fall asleep.

 

The next few days kept Qiao Suiman very busy. He had to manage the drink shop’s business while also testing how much goat’s milk and tea to add, never finding a free moment. Even Qin Xiaoyao curiously asked several times.

 

This situation continued until the day before the tenth. Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing were tired of drinking goat milk these past few days. Later, Qiao Suiman stopped testing with small bowls. A small bowl always reduced significantly after boiling for a short while, so he divided a large bowl of milk into two portions. He even went to Hedong Village in between to fetch three more bowls.

 

Since the drink was to be used for tomorrow’s competition, Lu Dongqing also drove the donkey cart to Hedong Village that very day to buy several bowls back.

 

Qiao Suiman tried different tea leaves and dried flowers. In the end, osmanthus and mountain jasmine produced the most distinctive aroma. Roselle and peach blossoms didn’t work as their bitterness was too noticeable in the milk. As for the tea, only a strong and rich Tieguanyin would do. Even with just a little, the fragrance was prominent.

 

In the evening, Qiao Suiman prepared all the ingredients, along with the specially carved bamboo tubes made by Lu Dongqing. Only after storing everything neatly in a bamboo basket did he feel at ease. Yet still, he found it difficult to fall asleep.

 

Lu Dongqing turned on his side and brushed aside the hair falling onto his face. He said with a slight smile, “Xiao Man, you’ve already done very well.”

 

Qiao Suiman turned over and nestled into Lu Dongqing’s embrace. “I know. I’m just a bit excited. This is my first time participating in this kind of competition. I heard there are so many participants.”

 

“But few among them know how to make drinks properly,” Lu Dongqing said while gently stroking Qiao Suiman’s hair.

 

Qiao Suiman laughed as he recalled something he had heard: “Xingxing-jie said even her relatives whose family butchers pigs also registered. They’ll probably end up making pork soup as their entry.”

 

Lu Dongqing chuckled, his chest shaking with laughter. Then he remembered something and reminded him, “You still need to decide on a name for the drink.”

 

Regarding the theme “life”, Qiao Suiman had already thought of how to explain it, but the drink’s name hadn’t been finalized yet. No matter what he came up with, he was not satisfied. And if he delayed further, it would be time for the competition.

 

“Milk Tea.”[mfn]奶茶 nǎichá –  lit. “milk tea”[/mfn]

 

Qiao Suiman said quietly: “Just call it Milk Tea.”

 

Lu Dongqing lowered his head, slightly surprised: “Why did you finally decide on this?”

 

Previously, they had thought of names like “Fragrant Blossoms Goat Milk Tea,” “Fresh Flower Tieguanyin Goat Milk Drink,” and such. Lu Dongqing knew Qiao Suiman valued this drink and also helped think of several names. Never would he have thought the final choice would be the one Qiao Suiman had once joked about.

 

Back then, when unable to decide after much thought, Qiao Suiman pouted and muttered, “Why not just call it Milk Tea? After all, it’s simply just milk and tea.”

 

“I see customers only remember the name Fragrant Drink. They don’t really care what kind of tea it uses, and sometimes they don’t even recall. So I thought of giving it a name that’s short and easy to remember. Moreover, I can write both these characters.” Qiao Suiman smiled gently.

 

Lu Dongqing had always supported his decisions. He pulled the quilt up higher. “Then we’ll just wait for the competition. Rest well.”

 

With decisions made on the troublesome matters, and with Lu Dongqing always behind him, Qiao Suiman stopped worrying and closed his eyes.

 

–

 

“Look, isn’t that Xiao Man!” Qin Yu exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Qiao Ruifeng’s hand and pointing at the person by a small square table on Longhua Street.

 

“I see him! It’s Qiao-gege! He’s over there!”

 

“Right, right, it’s him, it’s him.”

 

A group of people had crowded into a private room of a teahouse along Longhua Street. It was especially booked by Lu Dongqing so they wouldn’t have to squeeze in with the crowds on the streets.

 

The Lu family, Qiao family, Chen family, Tang Guo’er, and Tang Xiao also came to join the excitement. Since the room was small, only closer acquaintances were allowed in.

 

Lu Dongqing hadn’t seen Qiao Suiman since seeing him into the county office. Now, seeing his small figure in a rather remote spot on the street, he couldn’t bear to look away for a second.

 

Longhua Street is the largest street in Shuiqing Town. The county office arranged many small tables along it.

 

Qiao Suiman had drawn lots and got number fifty-three, which placed him farther back. Xiao Shun was two numbers ahead of him. He previously said some nonsense, and Qiao Suiman didn’t bother to pay him any attention, which only made him angrier.

 

Qiao Suiman stood straight behind his small square table, feeling very excited but forcing himself to remain calm.

 

At the front, a yayi struck the gong, announcing the official start of the competition.

 

Soon, servants began bringing the first round of ingredients to each table. Qiao Suiman saw many familiar items like peaches, crabapples, papaya, and surprisingly, even persimmons!

 

There were also several kinds of tea leaves, each with different appearances, likely offering different flavors.

 

The first round has a time limit. Within the time it takes two sticks of incense to burn, regardless of how many types of drinks were made, they would be served to the tasters. As long as one tasted good and was selected, one could advance to the next round.

 

So some people immediately began cutting up all the ingredients, not caring about combinations, only trying to produce as many as possible. Seeing them produce several drinks so quickly, others around grew anxious and started rushing as well, their movements growing sloppy.

 

Qiao Suiman exhaled. He first heated water and steeped the several types of tea leaves. Then he selected the two fruits used most commonly, peaches and persimmons, mashed them, and used a clay stove to boil them into syrup. He was already very skilled at this job, and he only needed to make enough for ten servings. Before long, he had prepared two types of fruit syrup.

 

The teas had cooled by then, so Qiao Suiman tasted them.

 

Sure enough, these tea leaves varied greatly in taste. Some smelled pleasant but lacked taste, while others smelled bland yet carried a rich tea fragrance when drunk.

 

Qiao Suiman guessed that this was about testing combinations.

 

This time, he already has an idea in mind. For the persimmons, he chose the tea with a strong aroma but lighter taste. Once the water cooled to the right temperature, he mixed it with persimmon syrup, stirred evenly, and then added chunks of ripe, crimson-red persimmons. These were perfect for drinks.

 

Qiao Suiman divided the first prepared drink into ten portions, placing them into the bowls set before him. Thus, a version of Persimmons of Good Fortune was ready.

 

He also prepared another tea, which was fragrant and flavorful, and was perfect for the fresh taste of peaches.

 

The peach syrup was also brewed with tea and some chopped fruit was added. The first round of two items was completed.

 

Qiao Suiman didn’t plan to make too many. These two were enough. Soon after, someone nearby, having prepared too many things at once, failed to keep track and burnt an entire pot, filling the air with a charred smell.

 

Qiao Suiman frowned slightly and sighed softly.

 

Xiao Shun, who was standing in front of him, cursed the person under his breath: “What rubbish! He burnt the pot, and he still dares to participate in the competition. Go home and cook!”

 

Qiao Suiman was close enough to hear, and his frown deepened. Just then, the gong sounded again, marking the end of the first round.

 

Maids and servants carried away the drinks placed before the participants. The trays under the drinks had numbers. The tasters didn’t know which number corresponded to which person. When announcing those advancing to the next round, only the numbers would be called. The yayi would remove the tables of those whose numbers weren’t called.

 

There were really many drinks. Qiao Suiman waited where he was for news. He looked up towards the private room Lu Dongqing had booked in the teahouse and happened to meet his gaze.

 

Lu Dongqing’s gentle, smiling gaze fell upon him. Qiao Suiman couldn’t help but blush slightly. He didn’t know how long Lu Dongqing had been watching him, as he was focused on making drinks and didn’t notice.

 

“Xiao Man-ge will definitely make it to the second round. I saw one of the tasters smile after drinking his, and they even put a token on his tray!” Lu Xuesong had been watching closely the person who took Qiao Suiman’s drinks, and said loudly to Miao Lianhua and the others when he saw this.

 

“I saw it too! They put tokens on both of Qiao-gege’s trays,” Tang Guo’er also came to the window, his eyes also unblinking.

 

Zhou Shuifen laughed a few times: “You young people have sharp eyes. Those people were walking around, and I couldn’t even remember who was carrying it.”

 

Chen Xuesheng and Wang Qi, who also didn’t manage to keep track, remained silent nearby.

 

Qin Yu was tired from standing, so he sat down on a chair to rest. He was also happy to hear what they said, “Haven’t they finished tasting yet? Xiao Man must be anxious.”

 

“Almost, I see they are counting the tokens now,” Qiao Ruifeng replied.

 

“My heart’s about to burst!” Miao Lianhua patted her chest nervously.

 

The next second, Chen Xiasheng shouted, “It’s time to call out the numbers.”

 

“What is Xiao Man’s number? Fifty-three, right?”

 

“Right, right, right.”

 

On the street, Qiao Suiman saw the people ahead getting slightly restless and knew they were about to start reading the numbers.

 

The street was long, and every two zhang[mfn]丈 : ~3.3 m[/mfn] stood a yayi holding a list. At another strike of the gong, they began calling in unison.

 

“Number three.”

 

“Number twelve.”

 

“Number seventeen.”

 

“Number twenty-six.”

 

With each number called, someone exclaimed: “I’m number two! They didn’t call me? I didn’t get in?”

 

“They already called Twenty-Six? I’m Number Twenty-Three, why wasn’t I called?”

 

Such words made Qiao Suiman gradually grow anxious too. His hands clenched tightly, heart beating faster and faster.

 

“Number fifty-one.”

 

Hearing a number starting with five, Qiao Suiman’s heart trembled. Xiao Shun laughed heartily, shouting: “I’m in! I’m in!”

 

Heart pounding like a drum, Qiao Suiman stared fixedly at the yayi, not daring to blink, as the man turned to the next page.

 

“Number fifty-three.”

 

“That is all.”

 

“Whew.“

 

Qiao Suiman patted his chest, his heart settling back into place. Such bad luck, drawing such a late number. He had to wait longer than the others to know the result.

 

The crowd in the teahouse also breathed a sigh of relief. Their hearts had been in their mouths and then dropped back down. It was too nerve-wracking.

 

 

 

 

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