CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: HOW DID I BECOME THE COUSIN

In Shu City, Chun Nuan was also trying to find out about her eldest sister’s situation in the Capital.

She specially made several kinds of pastries to bring to Zhao Minghua, and had Qingsheng take her to the Six-sided Fate Tea House.

"Look, look, isn’t my Six-sided Fate just as good as the Fate Tea House across the street?"

If you talk about the setup, it’s even better than across the street—clean, tidy, and hygienic. But the business is not as good as theirs, don’t you think that’s just infuriating?

In the past, they used to be on par, but ever since Xiao Chunnuan started causing trouble, he felt unbalanced inside.

"Don’t try to fool me, just say it, what recipe did you bring me? Can I have better business than the Fate Tea House?"

"The secret to good business is all in this bamboo basket."

What?

The bamboo basket was still covered with some taro leaves, and he always thought it contained local specialties.

He reached out to grab it.

"Don’t move." Chun Nuan couldn’t help but smack his hand: "These are exquisite pastries, not made of iron and can’t withstand your rough handling."

With a little force, they could turn into tofu dregs.

Zhao Minghua withdrew his hand.

"Then you do it, you do it."

He wanted to see what was so special about them, how could just a basket of these improve his business?

He was deeply skeptical!

When the taro leaves were lifted to reveal a few pastries placed on taro leaves inside the bamboo basket, Zhao Minghua thought it was an utter waste.

"At the very least, put them on a decent plate."

I mean, aren’t you from the Capital, and yet so unrefined?

Won’t the taro leaves mix the flavors?

"I also need to have decent plates, right?" Chun Nuan thought, truthfully, the well-off don’t understand how the hungry feel: "Taste them while they’re fresh."

Tasting pastries isn’t out of the question, but people come to tea houses to drink tea, what sense does serving some pastries make?

Besides, not many men even like sweets, right?

"What if I told you that these pastries have different effects?" Chun Nuan pointed to the three kinds of pastries in front of her: "These are three of the Eight Treasures Cake, known for strengthening the spleen and stomach, dispelling dampness and detoxifying, promoting clarity and reducing turbidity. These three pastries are very famous in the Capital, and can arguably rival the Royal Palace’s gourmet dishes."

Hold on, Zhao Minghua seized upon the key point: Royal gourmet, palace issued, such... is this something that can appear in Shu City?

No, no, absolutely something that can appear, and definitely something that can make his business instantly boom.

"Not only can they be offered here when having tea, but customers can also take some home as a token of their thoughts." Chun Nuan said: "Mr. Zhao, what do you think of this idea?"

"Don’t rush, let me taste first."

It can’t all just sound good, it has to be tried to know for sure.

The pastry entered his mouth, not as sweet as he imagined, and the key was the excellent texture.

"It’s been more than an hour since I made these, the texture would be best if freshly made."

"Then we’ll buy the courtyard next door, make and sell them fresh."

"That works, but I’ll only provide the recipe and technique."

As for money, she couldn’t offer a bit.

"Sure, sure, as we discussed before, we’ll double the bonus given by Old Master Zhang."

Although it stung a bit, her ideas and the pastries truly were worth it!

With business concluded, Chun Nuan wanted to discuss something personal.

"Is your merchant friend from the team that travels to the Capital still in town?"

Chun Nuan came all this way today just to meet someone from this merchant team to inquire about the Capital’s situation.

"Are you talking about Master Zhou Qi?"

Master Zhou Qi is the leader of the Changzhou merchant team, traveling to the Capital three to four times a year.

"Is it convenient to pay him a visit?"

"Uh..." Zhao Minghua glanced at Xiao Chunnuan: "It seems a bit inconvenient."

This Master Zhou Qi, strictly speaking, was his distant uncle, famous in Changzhou not just for heading the merchant team, but also known for his fondness for beauty.

His house was filled with wives and concubines, and what he brought back most from his journeys wasn’t wealth, but women.

A girl like Xiao Chunnuan going to see him would be like a lamb entering a tiger’s den, wouldn’t it?

Indeed, with the current Xiao family, any one of them could easily handle her, and someone like Master Zhou Qi would effortlessly deal with her, easily manipulating situations.

Zhao Minghua dared not risk this.

If he acted thoughtlessly and took her directly, it would be like a meat bun thrown to a dog—gone forever.

Who was Xiao Chunnuan?

She was not just a girl from the Xiao family now but also Zhao Minghua’s lucky star. Even his grandfather treated her differently.

If something really happened, his grandfather would break his leg!

"Is it really inconvenient?"

If you’re asking for a favor, you must have the attitude of asking; she didn’t even ask why it was inconvenient, and disappointment was instantly written all over her face.

"But don’t worry, if you want to send a letter or even goods to the Capital, as long as it’s not a large parcel, I can find someone to help you take it." Zhao Minghua felt a bit sympathetic: "Really, there’s a brother in the merchant team I get along well with, and he’s reliable."

"Really? He went to the Capital last time with you?"

"He did, he was the one who helped convey the letter."

"That’s good, I’d like to meet this brother of yours."

Chun Nuan no longer worried about seeing that Master Zhou Qi.

Zhao Minghua asked Qingsheng to find Tang Liu.

"Third Young Master, what is it?"

Why is he bringing himself in front of a beautiful girl?

A marriage proposal?

He didn’t even have time to change into clean clothes.

"Tang Liu, this is my cousin. She wants to hear some stories about the Capital."

Cousin?

Not only was Tang Liu surprised, but Xiao Chunnuan was also stunned for a moment. When did she become his cousin?

But thinking about it, introducing her this way was actually pretty good; it would save a lot of trouble.

"Miss, what do you want to hear about the Capital? I assure you, Tang Liu knows everything and will hold nothing back."

Heh, storytelling is what he excelled at.

"I’ve heard there’s an imperial decree posted in the Capital regarding the treatment for the First Prince’s illness?"

"Yes, yes, it’s posted right at the city gate, but unfortunately, it’s been months, yet no capable doctor has been found." Tang Liu said: "In truth, it’s not that no one wants to accept the challenge, but serving the emperor is like serving a tiger; one careless move, and it’s a beheading. One has to live to earn the silver for the reward, and live to spend it too."

"I heard that the First Prince’s illness was always treated by Doctor Xiao from the Imperial Hospital. The First Prince is fourteen years old, and Doctor Xiao kept him alive for fourteen years, but suddenly, Doctor Xiao just..."

Tang Liu made a beheading gesture.

"What are you spouting, kid? Aren’t you afraid of scaring my cousin?"

Zhao Minghua thought the person in question was right in front of him, and quickly stopped Tang Liu from saying anything unpleasant.

"I wasn’t talking nonsense, let me tell you, that Doctor Xiao’s ancestral home is actually in Shu City, and I heard from Master Zhou Qi that he’s from a prominent Xiao family. I also heard..." it’s said that good news never goes beyond the door while bad news spreads far and wide. Everyone had heard about the Xiao family’s expulsion from the Xiao clan, and Tang Liu got more excited as he talked: "This time, the Xiao clan really had no shame. If it weren’t for the support from two generations of Doctor Xiao, the Xiao family would still be tenant farmers. How could they have developed into a big clan? When people had abilities, they flocked to be kin; when down on their luck, they bullied even women and children."

"Alright, alright, I asked you to talk about the Capital, not about Changzhou."

Zhao Minghua stuffed a pastry into his mouth, hoping to finally silence him.