She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Chapter 78: Chapter 78 It’s Time to Talk Chapter 78: Chapter 78 It’s Time to Talk The back hall was a partition between the kitchen and the front hall, frequented only by busy servants and thus distantly orderly.

Upon entering the back hall, Ye Xinyan placed the items she carried on the table, unfolded the quilt, and removed the lid of the wooden tub to reveal the small iron bucket containing the ice cream. A cool mist emanated from both the insulating layer of the tub and the surface of the ice cream, piquing Shopkeeper He’s interest.

At this point, Shopkeeper He had yet to realize that the contents of the small bucket were frozen solid.

Ye Xinyan said, “Shopkeeper, could you bring a small bowl and a spoon?”

Shopkeeper He instructed the nearest servant, who promptly returned with a bowl and a soup spoon.

Ye Xinyan examined the spoon, a delicate porcelain one for soup. Well, given the circumstances, it would have to suffice.

Ye Xinyan carefully scooped two spoonfuls of ice cream from the bucket, striving to maintain its shape to make a good visual impression on Shopkeeper He.

It was frozen food! Shopkeeper He was only momentarily surprised before he masked his astonishment, took the bowl, and asked, “Do we eat it just like this?”

Shopkeeper He was deeply skeptical about the frozen delicacy this young woman had presented. It was high summer, and the food’s freshness was unmistakable, ruling out any possibility of it being a winter preserve.

Though exceedingly curious about the product, he refrained from inquiring in detail, understanding that many merchants kept their crafts secret. He simply asked whether the cool treat should be eaten as is.

After receiving Ye Xinyan’s nod of confirmation, Shopkeeper He took a small spoonful, brought it to his mouth, and experienced an avalanche of sensations: the cooling effect, the sweet taste, the rich fragrance… all melding together delightfully on his taste buds.

Shopkeeper He squinted his eyes as he savored the moment, then scooped up another generous spoonful. Once the ice cream had melted in his mouth, he swallowed and set down the bowl before inquiring, “Sister-in-law, what is this delicious creation called? Haha, being able to make such a frozen treat in the height of summer is indeed a rarity.”

Yen Xinyan was pleased by Shopkeeper He’s reaction; it seemed the business could work. But his way of addressing her…

“Shopkeeper, my family name is Qi. There’s no need for such polite formalities,” Ye Xinyan said. Sister-in-law? Having a thirty-something man of ancient, weathered appearance calling her that, especially in the absence of a big brother, was exceedingly awkward.

Shopkeeper He also laughed, “Then it shall be Lady Qi. My family name is He, and might I ask, Lady Qi, what is this treat called? Such a cooling and refreshing treat is hard to come by during the dog days of summer.”

That was a more suitable address. Ye Xinyan gladly replied, “It’s just a casual name we’ve come up with — we call it ice cream. Shopkeeper He, if you have any other creative ideas, changing the name is also acceptable.”

Shopkeeper He nodded, “Hmm, ice cream is quite a good name. I won’t beat around the bush with you, Lady Qi. Your ice cream is truly extraordinary, a rare find in this world indeed. You mentioned earlier about consigning it in my restaurant — what do you mean by that? Great Crane House is the largest restaurant in Qingyuan County, with the wealthiest clientele. Wouldn’t it be better if you supplied our restaurant exclusively? Or is Lady Qi considering supplying other establishments?”

Before Ye Xinyan could reply, little Qi Jia became impatient, as the uncle wasn’t looking at him while his basket still held tasty treats.

“Uncle, we have another tasty thing for your restaurant. Don’t you want to try it?”

Shopkeeper He immediately smiled, “Oh? The young master has something delicious as well? Where is it? Bring it out, and let uncle have a taste.”

Qi Jia lifted the basket in his hands, and Ye Xinyan quickly caught it, placing it on the table, “This is also a dessert, though not as extraordinary as ice cream, the taste is also quite good.” As she spoke, she lifted the cloth that was covering the basket and took out the bowl of double-layered milk custard.

Even though Ye Xinyan had said it wasn’t anything extraordinary, Shopkeeper He, still riding on the shock brought about by the previous ice cream, was filled with anticipation. He eagerly watched as Ye Xinyan removed the small plate covering the bowl and saw the tender white delicacy.

This looked, indeed, very ordinary. Shopkeeper He looked at Ye Xinyan with a puzzled gaze.

Ye Xinyan smiled and said, “As I’ve said, this isn’t something unusual, but the flavor is decent. This is called double-layered milk custard, Shopkeeper He can have a taste.”

The little fellow looked up at Shopkeeper He, confidently saying, “Uncle, it’s really tasty.”

Shopkeeper He laughed, “Since the young master holds it in such high regard, then Uncle shall have a taste.”

As expected, the tasting went very well. Shopkeeper He, satisfied, set down the spoon and gave the rest of the double-layered milk custard to one of his assistants, “Take this to the pastry chef to try.”

Shopkeeper He did not avoid Ye Xinyan when he sent the double-layered milk custard to the kitchen; in fact, he was sending a message to Ye Xinyan that the double-layered milk custard tasted good, but for someone who had tried it, especially a pastry chef, it wouldn’t be difficult to replicate, thus her product didn’t have much advantage.

However, Ye Xinyan wasn’t too worried about the double-layered milk custard being copied. The ingredients for the double-layered milk custard were simple, and upon tasting it, the ingredients could be discerned. However, what made the double-layered milk custard special was not merely a matter of mixing egg or egg whites into milk.

By the time some pastry chef figured out that the double-layered milk custard needed to retain the milk skin and place it on top of the egg and milk mixture, her business would have already stabilized, and she wouldn’t fear other businesses replicating it.

After Shopkeeper He gave instructions to the assistant, he turned back to Ye Xinyan and said, “Lady Qi, your two desserts are both quite good, and our restaurant is very interested. Let’s sit down and talk in detail, what do you think?”

He then instructed the assistant beside him, “Serve tea for the guest, and also, bring out two desserts for the young master.”

Shopkeeper He led Ye Xinyan and another to a room in the back hall to sit down. He began, “I am the Shopkeeper of Great Crane House; I can make decisions on ordinary matters, but if the business exceeds our usual practices, I would have to defer to our owner’s decision. Lady Qi, please talk about your plans, and I’ll see if we can settle this deal.”

Ye Xinyan smiled and shared her business plans in detail with Shopkeeper He.

Ye Xinyan’s plan was to rent a small shop next to Great Crane House mainly to sell ice cream and double-layered milk custard, in addition to some simple desserts and soups for pairing.

Both the ice cream and the double-layered milk custard would be sold in her shop while also supplying Great Crane House, with the ice cream priced at Half a Tael of Silver per serving, and the double-layered milk custard at thirty wen each small bowl. For every serving of ice cream sold, she would give Great Crane House a 20% commission of the selling price. As for other sales in her own shop, since the profit margin was not high, such a high commission would not apply, but the two businesses could further negotiate.

The 20% commission from the ice cream was based on the selling price, not the profit, which was already quite substantial; however, Shopkeeper He was not satisfied with the Qi family’s supply method.

He pondered for a moment and then stated, “Lady Qi, it’s not that I am using the power of our restaurant to suppress you, but the supply method you propose is something Great Crane House cannot accept. To put it plainly, you are using the business Great Crane House provides you to attract customers and elevate your status, and we will not agree to that. If Lady Qi is sincere in cooperating, then supply these two desserts exclusively to our restaurant, or merge them into Great Crane House. We will offer you a generous profit share.”