Shen Ling'er turned around and took out a small white porcelain bottle from her waist.
Use your thumb to pry open the cork.
A bluish-brown pill was poured out.
She pinched it between two fingers and held it directly to his lips.
Open your mouth, let it melt before swallowing.
The minty scent filled my nostrils.
Their fingers were so close that the warmth of their fingertips traveled through them by the millimeter.
Gu Moran his mouth, taking in half a mint leaf along with it.
They were too close.
So close that I could see the section of her fair neck next to her neckline when she looked down.
Shen Ling'er recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.
Her fingertips were behind her back, and a small blush appeared at the base of her ears.
"Sit tight and don't wander off. I'm going to deliver the new abacus to Sister Su."
She grabbed the tray and quickly stepped out the door.
Gu Moran leaned back in his chair.
The tip of my tongue rested on the mint pill, and a cool sensation flowed down my throat.
My gaze returned to the long street.
Chen Qing and Zheng Hao from Prince An's Residence have already taken the first step towards " Mixue Ice City ".
The real show is about to begin.
Chen Qing straightened her clothes and stepped into the Mixue Ice City store.
Zheng Hao followed behind, slowly waving his folding fan and glancing around.
The shop is small, with two floors.
Below were seven or eight bamboo tables, and wooden signs on the wall listed the items and prices.
Various fruit and honey teas, two to three dollars.
Snow Milk Drink, 5 coins.
Signature Goat Milk Fruit Tea, 10 coins. Limited to 50 servings per day.
There is also free water available next to the entrance.
Become a member and receive free eggs.
Zheng Hao glanced at the price list and frowned.
"Cheap."
"It's too cheap," Chen Qing said in a low voice, "This is a ploy to win people's hearts."
Behind the counter, Xie Wanqing kept her head down, fiddling with the abacus, without looking up.
Su Yao walked over from the side, fanning herself with a folding fan.
"Gentlemen, what would you like to drink?"
Chen Qing sized up the " Young Master Su " in front of him.
He has an extraordinary demeanor; you can tell at a glance he's no ordinary shopkeeper.
He was secretly delighted; it was indeed someone from the Prince's residence in charge.
"Waiter," Chen Qing said, feigning arrogance as he sat down at the table, "Bring two bowls of your most expensive ones first."
"Signature Goat Milk Fruit Tea. Two bowls, twenty coins."
Chen Qing took out a piece of broken silver and threw it on the table; it was at least half an ounce.
"Keep the change, please."
Su Yao glanced at the broken silver and tapped her palm with her folding fan.
"The guest is very generous."
"Not at all, not at all." Chen Qing waved his hand, his eyes darting around. "I see your shop is quite large. It must be tough to open a business in Yi Prefecture City now."
Su Yao put the loose silver into her money box and smiled calmly.
"It's alright, it's a small business."
"Little Ben?" Chen Qing feigned surprise. "I saw fifty kids singing at the door, and they were even advertising some kind of 'express delivery' service. Quite a spectacle."
Su Yao brought over two bowls of iced drinks.
The white goat milk mixed with crushed ice and diced hawthorn looked very refreshing.
"It was all the boss's idea. I was just a gofer."
Chen Qing picked up the bowl and took a sip.
Cool, sweet, and smooth.
He paused for a moment, stunned.
I took another sip.
"This... is delicious."
Zheng Hao also took a sip, and stopped fanning himself.
"It really tastes good."
Chen Qing put down the bowl and wiped his mouth. It was delicious, but he couldn't forget his business.
"Waiter," he lowered his voice, "Is your boss... a local from Yi Prefecture?"
Su Yao twirled the folding fan in her palm.
"It's not convenient to say."
"Hey, I'm not trying to pry into any secrets," Chen Qing said sincerely. "My brother and I are in the silk trade and we're looking to settle down in Yi Prefecture. Your shop seems quite successful, so we'd like to get to know the owner. Maybe we can do business together."
Su Yao looked at him and smiled.
"There's no rush to get to know the employer."
She pulled a small wooden plaque with gold trim from under the counter and placed it in front of Chen Qing.
The front of the wooden sign features a snowman's head crown, while the back is blank.
"Our shop has a rule," Su Yao said calmly, "For every tael of silver deposited, you will receive a wooden token, which entitles you to a 10% discount on all teas thereafter. For every 5 taels of silver deposited, you receive a 20% discount, plus three complimentary bowls of tea each month."
She paused for a moment.
Looking at the person who came, he casually made up a story.
"Twenty taels of silver..."
Chen Qing and Zheng Hao both perked up their ears.
"Ten bowls of wine will be given as a gift every month."
Su Yao casually draped her folding fan over her shoulder.
"You will be personally greeted by the shopkeeper and taken to a private room to sample our exclusive new products, which are not available for sale to other customers."
Chen Qing's eyes lit up.
The shopkeeper personally greeted us.
Private room.
This was exactly what he wanted: an opportunity to get in touch with key figures in the Prince's mansion.
He glanced at Zheng Hao, Zheng Hao nodded almost imperceptibly.
Chen Qing slammed his fist on the table.
"Twenty taels!"
He took a silver ingot from his pocket and slammed it on the table.
"I've topped it up!"
Su Yao put away the silver, picked up a brush and wrote the four characters "VIP No. 1" on the back of the wooden plaque, then handed it to Chen Qing.
"Please wait a moment, sir, I'll go fetch the manager."
She turned and walked away.
Chen Qing clutched the gold-rimmed wooden plaque, his smile impossible to hide.
"Brother Zheng, did you see that? Twenty taels of silver is enough to meet the person behind the scenes."
Zheng Hao shook his fan.
Is it worth it?
"Worth it." Chen Qing examined the wooden plaque twice. " His Prince An spends more than twenty taels a month on his spies in Yi Prefecture. My twenty taels are being delivered directly to their doorstep—isn't that a great deal?"
Zheng Hao thought about it and felt it made sense.
He also took out a silver ingot.
"Then I'll top up my account too."
When Su Yao reached the door of the private room on the second floor, Gu Moran was putting the last candied fruit into his mouth.
Two big fish have arrived?
"Two fools." Su Yao placed her folding fan on the table. "Twenty taels, without even blinking."
" The Prince An's men are never stingy."
Gu Moran up and straightened his robes.
"Who should we send down to see them?" Su Yao raised an eyebrow.
Gu Moran's gaze passed over Su Yao's shoulder and landed on the human-shaped iron tower standing at the door.
Batuer.
He was only half a head shorter than Tuoba Mang, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and two thick eyebrows that were so thick they could trap mosquitoes on his square face.
Today, Murong Xue ordered me to change into a dark blue Shu brocade robe. The fabric was stretched taut, and the sleeves were even a bit short.
Gu Moran casually picked up a wooden plaque with the word "Owner" written on it from the table and waved it at Batuer.
"Then."
The wooden sign traced an arc.
Batuer reached out and took it, glanced down at the words on it, and his features scrunched up.
"I... I'm not good at socializing."
"No need for socializing." Gu Moran gestured downwards. "If he asks you anything, just say you don't know. If he presses you, glare at him."
Batuer hesitated for a moment.
Murong Xue peeked out of the window and grinned at her.
"Go ahead, consider it feeding the horses."
Batuer responded in a muffled voice, clutching the wooden sign, and turned to go downstairs.
With each step, the floorboards trembled.