Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 35

It must be said that setting up the fried bun stall near the academy is indeed a good choice. This Hongle Academy is the one Jiang Miao inquired about earlier. Upon learning that the children here all come from well-off families and are raised like little overlords, he dismisses the idea of sending Xiao Shitou here to study.

The uncle who sells sweet cakes earlier says that they rarely buy food from street vendors. Actually, that isn’t entirely true. It’s just that sweet cakes are too common, available in every street and alley, so they don’t pique much interest.

When Jiang Miao sets up his fried bun stall, the first ones attracted are the book attendants and young servants of these young masters. While the young masters attend classes, these attendants have some free time. Occasionally, they gather together and roam the streets, as long as they return to serve the young masters before classes end, it’s fine.

These children, who seem to be only twelve or thirteen years old, appear more worldly and experienced than modern children of the same age due to life’s hardships. However, as they gather in front of Jiang Miao’s stall, crane their necks, and peer eagerly at the buns cooking in the pot, they look more like typical youngsters.

Jiang Miao hands them the fried buns, and watches as they eagerly eat, wincing from the heat but unwilling to take smaller bites. This brings a smile to his face, reminding him of his own similar experiences.

These kids, being in their growth spurts, have particularly good appetites. One bun is hardly enough to fill their stomachs. However, they each carry only two or three copper coins, just enough to buy one bun.

What should they do if they still want to eat more? Naturally, they will go tell their young masters. If the young masters want some, they won’t be left out either. After classes, a group of them comes out from the academy again, surrounds Jiang Miao’s cart, and buys three to five buns each, quickly depleting Jiang Miao’s freshly prepared stock.

To cultivate long-term customers, Jiang Miao tells each attendant to have some chrysanthemum tea prepared at their residence to clear the heat. He thinks that these young masters might not like herbal teas made from things like thatch roots, but chrysanthemum tea sounds more elegant and they will probably drink more of it.

That night, when they return to their residences, the attendants go to the tea room and request some chrysanthemum tea. The tea room staff is puzzled since they usually drink premium teas. Why do they want chrysanthemum tea now?

The residences do have some dried chrysanthemums left from making chrysanthemum wine the previous year. Since it’s requested, they brew a pot and serve it. The dried chrysanthemums, when infused with hot water, first sink to the bottom and then slowly bloom in the cup, creating a pleasing sight. After admiring the view, they take a sip. Initially bitter, it leaves a sweet aftertaste, and as they swallow, it feels like something gently brushes their throats, a very comfortable sensation.

After drinking a cup of tea, the young master of the Wang family suddenly turns and asks his attendant, Qingfeng, “Qingfeng, did that bun seller really say this chrysanthemum tea can clear heat and reduce dryness?”

“Young master, is there something wrong after drinking it?” Qingfeng immediately becomes nervous.

“No, it’s just that my throat was slightly uncomfortable before, and after drinking it, I do feel better. Hasn’t my father been complaining about a sore throat these past few days? Go and ask the tea room to send some to him as well.”

“I’ll go right away.” Qingfeng hurries towards the tea room.

So, when the old master Wang sees a cup of chrysanthemum tea appear on his table, he is puzzled: “Did Hong’er ask you to bring this?”

“Yes, master. The young master has been thinking about your sore throat these past few days. Today, when he learned that chrysanthemum tea can clear heat and reduce dryness, he immediately instructed me to bring some for you to try.” Qingfeng is very good at helping his young master win favor. Though it is a coincidence, he makes it sound like a special request.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, old master Wang smiles immediately: “He’s thoughtful to think of me. I’ll give it a try.” He waves away the attendant, thinking that regardless of the tea’s effect, it is the child’s thoughtfulness that counts. It is certainly better than taking medicine, so he drinks the entire cup of tea.

The next morning, he wakes up to find that his throat no longer hurts, and he is overjoyed. After noon, he asks the teahouse attendant for a packet of dried chrysanthemums and happily goes to the teahouse. In the past few days, the old colleagues at the teahouse have indulged in their appetites and were a bit overheated. He takes this to them to help reduce the heat so they can continue eating in the afternoon.

Upon arriving at the teahouse, he hands the dried chrysanthemums he brought to the waiter, asking him to brew them. Then, he sits at his usual spot, waiting for the others to arrive.

Before long, those people arrive one after another. Seeing that Master Wang, who looked unwell and frowned the day before, is now full of energy, they are all a bit surprised. After learning the reason, they skeptically drink a cup of the chrysanthemum tea that is served. Whether it is a placebo effect or genuinely effective, they feel that their throats are indeed soothed and quite comfortable while drinking it.

“Why hasn’t the bun seller come yet?” Master Wang stands at the railing, looking down. The familiar little cart across the street from the teahouse hasn’t arrived yet.

“He didn’t come yesterday either,” another person says. However, since their throats were uncomfortable yesterday, they hadn’t thought about it.

“Could it be that he’s no longer setting up his stall here?” someone asks.

“You guys don’t know yet,” one person says mysteriously in a low voice. “A few days ago, the teahouse staff said they couldn’t leave the teahouse, right? Actually, it’s because the head manager thinks the fried buns are affecting the teahouse’s business, so he doesn’t allow the staff to go down and buy them. The young man probably got wind of this and decided to avoid conflict by setting up elsewhere.”

This isn’t an uncommon occurrence. Many places have done this before; it’s not just about driving away small businesses, there have even been cases where big shops force others to sell their recipes.

“Sigh, I haven’t had enough yet! Finally, something new and tasty comes along, and they chase it away.” Old Master Wang doesn’t like sweets and usually orders peanuts and melon seeds when he comes. These snacks also cause internal heat and aren’t as flavorful as the buns. He has finally gotten some tea to clear the heat, but now the buns are gone.

“Since it’s all within these few streets, we can send someone to find out where the young man has set up. When we want some, we can just send someone to buy them.” After all, they don’t have to run the errands themselves.

Soon, a young servant finds out that the bun stall has moved to the area near Hongle Academy.

Old Master Wang immediately orders someone to buy a potful and bring it over. Then he and the others enjoy the buns while drinking chrysanthemum tea. Gradually, other regulars at the teahouse follow suit. Whenever they eat something that causes internal heat, they bring some dried chrysanthemum and ask the waiter to brew it. They happily drink it all afternoon without worrying about a sore throat the next day.

One day, the head manager is doing the accounts again. He finds that even though the bun seller is gone, the teahouse’s business hasn’t improved. Not only are fewer snacks being sold, but even the tea sales have dropped significantly. The strange thing is, the teahouse is still full of customers.

After some inquiries, he discovers that the customers have taken to bringing their own chrysanthemum to brew. They pay for a table and sit there all afternoon.

In the past, people occasionally brought rare tea leaves for the teahouse’s staff to brew and enjoy together, which the head manager welcomed, thinking it would boost the teahouse’s popularity. If he now forbids bringing in their own tea, those old customers might not stay.

He mutters a curse about whoever came up with the idea of chrysanthemum tea, but then decides to add chrysanthemum tea to the teahouse’s menu. This slowly reduces the number of customers bringing their own chrysanthemum tea.

…

Jiang Miao hadn’t expected his casual suggestion about chrysanthemum tea to cause so much trouble, but even more surprising is that the first big profit he makes from his fried bun business comes from his small cart.

That day, Jiang Miao is pushing his cart and walking home with Xiao Shitou when he suddenly hears someone calling his name. He looks around and finds that the voice is coming from the carpenter’s shop by the roadside. It’s Master Huang, the carpenter who made his cart, calling him.

Today, Master Huang has a big smile on his face, quite different from his usual stern expression. As Jiang Miao pushes the cart over, Master Huang’s eyes light up eagerly.

“Brother Jiang, is this cart working well?” Before making it, Master Huang had been a bit impatient, thinking that the blueprint looked terrible and that nothing good could come out of it. He even wondered if someone was just trying to make a fool of him. However, after making the cart, Master Huang retracts his prejudice, realizing that the cart would be great for setting up a small stall.

Jiang Miao thinks he is asking about his experience using it and enthusiastically praises, “Master Huang, your craftsmanship is excellent. The wood is smoothly carved, the frame is sturdy, and especially the four wheels at the bottom don’t get stuck at all. It works great!”

“Not at all, not at all. I have to say, it’s your design that’s brilliant. I’ve been in this business for so many years, yet I never thought of making a cart like this.” Otherwise, there would be no need to go through so much trouble.

“I just needed something practical,” Jiang Miao says with a smile, sensing that Huang has more on his mind. “Master Huang, you didn’t call me over just to talk about this, did you?”

“Brother Jiang, I wanted to discuss something with you.” Huang looks a bit embarrassed. “You see, these past few days, as you’ve been pushing the cart around, someone took notice of it. They found out it was made at my shop and want one just like it. If it were anything else, I’d have made it right away. But since the cart’s design is yours, I wanted to ask if you could sell me the blueprint.”

After thinking for a moment, he adds, “That person also said if I couldn’t make it here, they’d look elsewhere.”

“Other places can make it without the blueprint? Aren’t they afraid I’ll report them to the authorities?”

“This cart isn’t complicated to make. For someone in our trade, a few glances are enough to figure it out. Besides, if they make a few modifications, who can prove it’s your design? Such cases rarely concern the authorities.”

“Wouldn’t you lose money if you bought the blueprint?” Since others could replicate it without paying, what was the point of buying it? In these times, there isn’t much concern for intellectual property.

“If I buy the blueprint and leak the news, at least for the next six months, others won’t be able to make a move.” Every profession has its rules. This six-month period is enough for their family to launch their product. Those who are worried about their reputation won’t mind following along afterwards. No one can stop them. It’s fortunate to have such rules; otherwise, who would bother to think about new things? They would all wait for others to figure it out before learning. However, these rules only apply to insiders; outsiders have no way out.

Jiang Miao thinks carefully and decides it’s better to sell the blueprint. Regardless of whether he sells it or not, carts will be made. It’s better to sell it and build a good relationship with Master Huang, which might come in handy for future projects.

Seeing Jiang Miao agree, Master Huang immediately invites him inside to discuss. Although anyone can make the cart, paying for the blueprint gives them peace of mind.

In these times, there are no royalties; transactions are straightforward. Jiang Miao returns home with twenty fresh taels of silver, which he adds to the stash of tips he had previously received.