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Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Business Opens 2
𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
Tong Yao bent down to pick up Niuniu and put her on the pushcart, then started helping He Fang push the cart, "Let’s go!"
"Little sister, I don’t need your help, I can push it myself." People were pretty honest in this era, they worked without trying to slack off. He Fang felt that since she was being paid, she should work.
Besides, Tong Yao, being so thin, didn’t seem strong. Her arm was also recovering from an injury. What if she got hurt?
The pushcart was not heavy. Seeing He Fang’s determination, Tong Yao didn’t insist on helping. The two quickly reached the school within a few minutes.
With He Fang’s assistance, Tong Yao unloaded everything from the cart and switched to a coal-ball to boil black tea. He Fang had nothing else to do at home, so she stayed with Niuniu to watch. If she found any way she could assist, she would lend a helping hand, and see how Tong Yao made this milk tea she spoke of.
School started at 7:40 and it was only 6:40 in the morning. The students hadn’t arrived yet, so Tong Yao wasn’t in a hurry. She leisurely made her tea, which left He Fang staring in amazement.
"Little sister, you really get more and more beautiful. Even when you work, it looks like a piece of artwork. It’s very poetic. Whoever marries you in the future, will truly be blessed for eight lifetimes, they’d probably wake up laughing in their sleep."
In the past, she thought the descriptions of a willow-like waist were all exaggerations. But ever since she met Tong Yao, she’d found that to be an understatement. Tong Yao’s waist was far more pleasing to the eye than a willow’s.
Describing Tong Yao as a fairy wouldn’t be overstating it. It reminded He Fang of an old saying, "There are girls as beautiful as jade in the books, how many times can such beauty be found in the world?"
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao immediately laughed, "Sister Fang, I’m already married."
"What?" He Fang was surprised, her mouth fell open in disbelief as she looked Tong Yao up and down. "Little sister, you look like you’re only seventeen or eighteen years old! Why did you get married so early?"
"I’m twenty."
"Really couldn’t tell." He Fang was both surprised and curious, "What does your husband do?"
Tong Yao answered truthfully, "He works as a doctor in the People’s Hospital."
Speaking of having a husband while being away from home could help avoid a lot of trouble. Even though her marriage was just nominal and might not last, having someone was better than being alone. People wishing to bully her would at least hesitate a bit, after all, she had someone behind her back.
"Being a doctor is good!" He Fang said with admiration, "Being a doctor is a steady job, I bet his salary isn’t low, right?"
"It’s okay." Tong Yao’s voice had just fallen when she saw Mr. Niu riding his bicycle over. She had been worried that the fresh milk would arrive too late, but to her surprise, it came very quickly.
As Mr. Niu parked his bike and saw the smoke rising from the pot, it was clear that Tong Yao had been waiting for a while. He quickly brought out the milk, apologizing with a guilty face, "I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?"
For the past couple of days, he’d been worried that no one would be there to receive the milk at the school. After all, it was a little strange for a student to order several jin of milk. Now seeing Tong Yao with a cart and cooking, he figured out that she was selling snacks at the school gate, which reassured him a lot.
"No, you came just in time." Tong Yao took the milk and put it aside, then paid him the remaining money, "Mr. Niu, can you bring three more jin of milk at noon?"
"You need three more jin?" Mr. Niu wondered if he had misheard.
Seeing his surprised face, Tong Yao quickly asked, "Can your factory not supply it?"
"We can supply it, we can supply it, I’ll definitely bring it on time." Mr. Niu, reassured by Tong Yao’s demand for three more jin of milk, nodded repeatedly. With excitement, his palm squeezed the money he obtained and he started to sweat.
Now he had a big client, which meant that his job was secured. Since he had to hurry up to deliver the milk to the hospital, he quickly got on his bike and left for the hospital.
The steam was surging out of the pot, spreading a rich aroma of tea. After boiling the water for a few minutes, Tong Yao poured a jin of milk into the pot. As the boiling water bubbled again, a rich milky fragrance spread out. She added a few big lumps of rock sugar. After the sugar melted, she spooned a bit into a cup to taste. Her eyes lit up instantly.
Perfect, although the cooking tools weren’t as adequate as they were in the 21st century, the taste was just as good. It was delicious.
The children of this era weren’t very demanding when it came to food and drink. They would definitely like it. Thinking of this, Tong Yao quickly poured the prepared milk tea into the prepared bucket and then boiled another big pot.
Attracted by the scent of milk, Niuniu was swallowing her saliva while looking longingly at He Fang, tugging gently at her sleeve, "Mum, I want to drink it too."
Hearing this, Tong Yao, who was busy working, remembered that He Fang and her daughter were still there. She was generous and directly poured a cup for Niuniu, "Niuniu, have some milk tea."
"No, no, you are running a business, we can’t just eat and drink for free..." Seeing He Fang shake her head in refusal but Niuniu still took the milk tea, she quickly said, "Little sister, how much are you selling the milk tea for? I should pay you."
Tong Yao replied crisply, "Sister Fang, this milk tea is on me, for Niuniu. No need to pay."
As students gradually began to arrive at school, Tong Yao started pouring the milk tea into cups. Seeing Tong Yao busy, He Fang didn’t want to get in the way, "Little sister, I have nothing to do at home, if you need any help, just say so."
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao didn’t hold back. "Sister Fang, could you help me pour the milk tea?"
"Alright." He Fang let Niuniu stand to one side sipping her milk tea, and then started pouring the tea.
She was very efficient, and not a drip of milk tea was spilled when she used the spoon to pour it into cups.
As the delicious scent of milk tea diffused, it began to attract some students who were heading to school. It was the first time everyone had seen someone selling stuff at the school gate and they were all very curious. Kids at this age are more receptive to new things and they had absolutely no resistance to delicious food or drink. Some well-off kids after inquiring the price, bought the milk tea.
Tong Yao originally had prepared many small cups, intending to let everyone try before buying. Her plan was to establish her reputation on the first day, not to make money.
However, things turned out to be completely beyond her expectations. A well-dressed, pretty girl tasted the milk tea, and immediately nodded her head in satisfaction.
"Delicious, It’s really delicious!"
Already tempted by the strong milk fragrance, students rushed in to buy after hearing the girl’s remarks.
It was the peak time for school and more and more students gathered. He Fang’s cups of milk tea sold out very fast. Seeing the students pushing and shoving each other, trying to thrust their money at her, Tong Yao was afraid they would knock over the stove. She quickly shouted,
"There’s plenty of milk tea, stop pushing and line up to buy. If you don’t line up, I won’t sell any."
Her words were very effective. The crowded students immediately formed into a long line. Looking at the queue, Tong Yao was taken aback. Goodness, there were at least twenty people. The milk tea was selling like hotcakes. She wished she’d asked Mr. Niu to bring more milk. Thankfully she had asked Mr. Niu to bring three more jin at noon, in case they ran out.
This scene also shocked He Fang. She’d drunk fresh milk before and, to be honest, it tasted quite raw. Yet, when boiled with water, why were so many people rushing to drink it?
A jin of fresh milk cost only a few cents, yet this watered-down milk tea sold for a dime a cup and everyone was eager to buy it. What kind of sorcery was this?
