met free Chapter 118 Returning to Xinchuan County
Chapter 118 Returning to Xinchuan County
On the day the tavern opened, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's grandson, Zhang Jinxuan, Li Jiating, Fu Bao's father Li Chengjie, and the old Duke of Zhenguo, among others, all sent congratulatory gifts.
Su Baiyu and her maid waited early at the tavern entrance. When the court officials learned that the Emperor had sent someone to deliver gifts to the tavern, they all sent their own people to join in the excitement.
Wen Yuxia cut the red silk, and the crowd waiting outside rushed in. They were all astonished to see the crystal glasses displayed in the showcase, filled with clear, pure white wine and bright red fruit wine.
"What kind of wine is this?" someone asked, pointing to the clear, pure, and fragrant white liquor.
The tavern waiter smiled professionally: "Compared to the cloudy, dark yellow baijiu with sediment on the market, our baijiu is top-notch in both appearance and taste..."
As he spoke, the waiter gestured to his colleagues to pour drinks for everyone to sample. The free samples were limited, just a small sip for each person.
"Twenty catties of fruit wine and twenty catties of baijiu," Su Baiyu had attended wine tasting banquets before and had originally come for the fruit wine, but she hadn't expected to see such excellent-looking and delicious baijiu. She was the first to speak up and buy it.
The waiter asked with a smile, "Sir, did you bring your own wine jar, or would you like us to provide one?"
"Whatever you provide, we'll include the price in the total," Su Baiyu said with a smile hidden behind her veil, thinking to herself, "Wen Yuxia is so stingy, she won't even give me a wine jar."
Wen Yuxia was sitting in the backyard sipping tea. If she could hear Su Baiyu's thoughts, she would definitely mock Su Baiyu's ignorance. Calculating the price of wine jars wasn't because she was stingy, but rather a necessary marketing tactic.
The waiter placed two wine jars on the counter and said with a smile, "Sir, here is your wine. Twenty catties of fruit wine is 60 taels of silver, twenty catties of white wine is 120 taels of silver, and the wine jars cost 4 copper coins. Rounding down, the total is 180 taels of silver."
Upon hearing that the change would be rounded down, Su Baiyu was secretly delighted. "Wen Yunxia, Wen Yunxia," he thought, "didn't you insist on charging for the wine jars too? Now the waiter has rounded it down, huh?"
"Xiao Qing, here's the money," Su Baiyu said with a hint of pleasure, then instructed the waiter to help carry the wine jar onto the carriage.
The tavern has been busy since it opened. At lunchtime, the staff take turns eating in the back kitchen. They only get a break when the tavern closes at night.
The tavern owner, hunched over the counter calculating accounts and collecting money, had been working on the abacus all day. Finally, he could rest. He stretched his arms, stood up, picked up the money box and led the ledgers, and went to the backyard.
"Princess, this is today's revenue." The manager, surnamed Zhou, was the head of the kitchen at Yunyi Tower. Xia Yichen had transferred him to "Fragrant Wine Abundance" to be the manager.
"The aroma of wine permeates the air" was the name Wen Yuxia gave to the tavern. In addition to the name, Wen Yuxia also wrote advertising slogans for the fruit wine and baijiu (Chinese liquor), which were then displayed in the most prominent place in the tavern.
Baijiu (Chinese white liquor) has an intoxicating aroma and a lingering, unforgettable taste. Fruit wine can relieve pain, slow down aging, and beautify the skin.
The shopkeeper's bookkeeping method was taught to him by Wen Yuxia; it was simple and clear. Wen Yuxia could tell the total amount without an abacus just by looking at the ledgers, and it was accurate to the last penny.
In just one day, one-fifth of the wine in the tavern was sold, and the amount shown in the books was six thousand three hundred and twenty taels.
Wen Yuxia was happy but also a little worried. She was happy because business was good, but worried because she was afraid of not being able to keep up with the demand for goods.
The distillery on the outskirts of Beijing has already started operations, so she's not worried about a shortage of purified liquor. However, there are no pomegranates on the estate; if she wants fruit wine, she'll have to go back to Xinchuan County.
Remembering that Lin Zhuangtou and the others were brewing pomegranate wine before they came to Beijing, Wen Yuxia made up her mind to return to Xinchuan County and transport the freshly brewed pomegranate wine back with her.
"Manager Zhou, this princess will be leaving the capital tomorrow. If you encounter any problems you cannot resolve, please go to Yunyi Tower to find Zhang Jinxuan."
Manager Zhou nodded in agreement, took the account books, and left. He had been busy all day and needed to go home to rest.
After instructing the night watchmen and guards to be careful, Wen Yuxia returned to the Princess's residence with Bei Yi and Bei Er.
"Hong'er, I'm going back to Xinchuan County early tomorrow morning to get fruit wine..." Wen Yuxia said she was going to the warehouse to pick out gifts for Wen Dashan and the others, and asked Wen Yunhong if he wanted to go.
Wen Yunhong shook his head and said, "I usually buy a lot of trinkets, which can be given as gifts to my cousins. I also have gifts for my grandfather and second uncle in my room."
The next morning, Wen Yuxia, Bei Yi, Bei Er, Nan Er, and Nan San, a group of five, rode away on horseback. To make things easier, Wen Yuxia, Bei Yi, and Bei Er changed into men's clothing.
Wen Yuxia planned to use her spatial ability as a cheat code to transport fruit wine to Xinchuan County. Since she didn't need a carriage, she told Steward Tang that she wanted to return to Xinghua Village to see Wen Dashan.
Knowing that Wen Yuxia would be buying New Year's gifts for Wen Dashan's family in Xinchuan County, Butler Tang still carefully selected four gifts that could withstand the bumpy journey for Wen Yuxia to carry on their backs.
As for the gifts that Wen Yuxia and Wen Yunhong prepared for their families, as well as the gifts and money that Nan Yi and the others brought back for their families, they were all placed in Wen Yuxia's spatial storage.
Once outside the city, Wen Yuxia stopped in a secluded spot and said crisply, "Give me the bundle." Bei Yi and the others quickly took the bundles off their backs and handed them to Wen Yuxia.
Several days later, the five arrived in Xinchuan County, travel-worn. Nan Er and Nan San went to a brokerage to rent a carriage, while two drivers followed behind Wen Yuxia and the others.
The carriage was packed full of supplies when Wen Yuxia returned to the grand mansion in the west of the city, satisfied. "Princess, you're back," the servants greeted Wen Yuxia, who smiled and nodded in response.
"Princess, you're back!" Upon hearing that Wen Yuxia had returned, Steward Li hurried to the outer gate of Youxia Residence and bowed deeply upon seeing her.
Wen Yuxia offered a helping hand, saying, "No need for such formalities," and then told Steward Li with a smile that she had returned to deliver fruit wine to the capital.
"Steward Li, send someone to rent a warehouse in the east of the city and have Lin Zhuangtou and the others put the fruit wine there... Don't prepare any meals for me tonight; I'll eat at my grandfather's house."
Steward Li nodded in agreement, "This old servant will make the arrangements immediately."
Wen Yuxia took out the gifts and money that Bei Yi and the others had brought for their families from her spatial storage, and told the four of them to leave the city and go home immediately. Before they left, she also instructed them, "Don't mix up Nan Yi's gifts and money."
Afterwards, he had the servants of the manor drive a mule cart loaded with gifts to the residence in the south of the city. When Lu Zhigang opened the gate, he saw Wen Yuxia, dressed as a man, riding a tall horse, and exclaimed in surprise, "Princess, you're back!"
"You're back. Is Grandpa home?" Wen Yuxia asked with a faint smile.
"Yes, yes, yes, the old man is taking care of the greenhouse vegetables in the backyard," Lu Zhigang told Wen Yuxia in a rambling manner. Wen Dashan goes to work in the vegetable garden every day, and no matter how much they try to persuade him, he won't listen.
Wen Yuxia laughed and said, "The old man has been farming all his life. He must be not used to leaving the fields all of a sudden. If he wants to do it, let him do it!"
When they left Xinchuan County, Wen Yuxia initially wanted Wen Dashan to live in a large mansion in the west of the city, fearing that he would not be used to being away from the fields. In the end, she decided to let Wen Dashan live in the south of the city.