Glory

After deciding to make grass jelly, she still needed to write to Minzhou to collect the raw materials for grass jelly, arranging for them to be shipped along with the spring tea delivery.

However, the Great Jin Dynasty had ice jelly grass seeds, and vendors sold ice jelly during the summer. Using it as a substitute for grass jelly was naturally feasible.

After kneading the ice jelly, letting it set, and cutting it into small pieces, she paired it with sweetened beans, roasted and crushed peanuts, raisins, and other toppings, then mixed in some milk tea. The flavor was in no way inferior to modern grass jelly.

These four items instantly captivated the palates of Yin Shi and the other two.

"Heavens, sister, you're truly amazing. Did you also learn this in your dreams?" Ye Yayin asked.

"Yes," Ye Yaming nodded.

Yin Shi lowered her voice and asked Ye Yaming, "About this immortal's teachings..." She pointed upward, "Would it be a problem if those above found out?"

After all, even Princess Yu'an had asked her about this during their casual chats.

Ye Yaming smiled, "It's fine."

When she first let Master Zhineng and Princess Yu Ning know about this story, she had already considered the consequences of the rumor reaching the emperor's ears.

If it were some other skill, it might have been taboo and could have led the emperor to execute her directly. Mortal emperors did not tolerate the existence of "immortals"—beings considered nobler than themselves.

But her skills were limited to growing tea, processing tea, and running a teahouse—much like the Weaving Maiden, who, even after descending to the mortal world, could only weave brocade and had no means to usurp the emperor's throne.

Moreover, the appearance of such a person could satisfy the emperor's vanity—a celestial sign of prosperity and a glorious era. This was a privilege only the most renowned emperors in history could claim, setting him above all others.

Therefore, she allowed the rumor to spread from Master Zhineng to Princess Yu Ning, and from Princess Yu Ning to the noble circles of the capital.

Given how quickly gossip traveled during the year-end banquets and gatherings, she thought it likely that by the new year, the rumor would reach both the emperor and the common people of the capital.

Ye Yayin and Ye Yayu didn't overthink it. After whispering to each other for a while, Ye Yayin asked, "Sister, can we sell these in our shop?"

Although their pastry shop was already open, it was small and had no space to add these items. But they could always relocate.

Ye Yaming shook her head, "Mother's shop has shares from Princess Yu'an, so it must maintain a certain standard. Items like milk tea are quite unique and will be priced higher, targeting noble ladies and women. Your shop doesn't have that kind of backing. If the profits are too high, it could attract envy and lead to a lot of trouble."

"Then forget it," Ye Yayin said quickly.

She and Ye Yayu were often taken out by their instructing matrons and were well aware of the dangers in the world. Even though their sister had married into the Xuanwu Marquis Household, the Ye family was still a merchant household.

If some powerful family in the capital took a liking to their shop and proposed a partnership, should they refuse or not? Either way, it would cause major trouble for their sister.

Ye Yaming took the opportunity to teach her, "Eat according to the size of your bowl; there's no end to the money in this world. Before we do anything, we must consider whether we can bear the consequences. Don't just focus on the profits; think about the risks too."

Ye Yayin accepted the lesson, "I understand."

Ye Yayu also nodded.

Ye Yaming said to Yin Shi, "Let's stick with these five for now. We can gradually add more later, introducing two new items each month to keep the customers interested."Last year, she provided the concept, and some highly skilled craftsmen finally managed to invent the cream separator. This time, cream was used in the Western-style pastries at the teahouse.

However, to maintain the uniqueness of the teahouse’s pastries, cream-based Western desserts would not appear in Yin Shi’s shop. But milk tea with cheese foam could certainly be offered. Additionally, beverages like honey pomelo tea and mango pomelo sago could also be introduced.

Due to inconvenient transportation in ancient times, tropical fruits could not be shipped to the capital. She could adapt these drinks to local conditions, ultimately ensuring that Yin Shi’s pastry shop would have at least ten types of beverages.

...

Yin Shi now had her own servants, purchased and trained by Ye Yaming using the profits from the Lin’an pastry shop. Ye Yaming had even asked Qi Ji to notify the clerks at the Lin’an government office to add a dowry list to Yin Shi’s household registration documents.

This dowry list included the shop, a manor funded by Ye Hongsheng, Ye Yaming, and Ye Yayin, as well as the names of these servants.

This was the foundation that allowed women in ancient times to survive in this world. Even if major changes occurred in the future, such as Ye Hongsheng divorcing her and remarrying, Yin Shi could still live comfortably relying on this dowry.

Over the past two years, as Ye Yaming’s influence within Ye Jia grew and the second branch’s private assets increased, the attitudes of the household, the clan, and acquaintances toward Yin Shi had changed significantly. Not only was she treated with great respect, but she also gained a voice in domestic affairs. Sometimes, her words carried even more weight than Tao Shi’s.

Now, with this dowry list, Yin Shi’s confidence grew stronger, and she carried herself with greater poise.

Environment shapes the body, and nurture shapes the temperament. Yin Shi was no longer the woman she had been when Ye Yaming first transmigrated into this world.

Now, she could sit with Princess Yu’an to discuss opening a shop, often speaking eloquently while the princess listened with admiration. This further filled her with confidence.

Therefore, when the pastry shop opened, Ye Yaming had Yin Shi accompany Princess Yu’an in receiving guests from the circle of noblewomen. She herself only went as a guest with Princess Yu Ning, sampled some pastries, and then returned home, without interfering in the shop’s affairs.

“Heavens, do you know how much the shop earned today?” Yin Shi exclaimed to Ye Hongsheng as soon as she returned home that evening.

Ye Hongsheng had just come back from the teahouse. While changing his clothes, he asked indifferently, “How much?”

“One thousand four hundred eighty taels of silver.”

Even though his teahouse earned a considerable daily income, Ye Hongsheng was startled by the figure. “How could it be so much?”

“Because the pricing is high,” Yin Shi remarked, marveling at how ruthless her daughter’s pricing strategy was.

“The pastries are slightly more expensive than those in Lin’an, but that’s not the main point. The milk tea, yogurt, ginger milk curd, double-layer steamed milk, and grass jelly all cost one tael of silver per serving. Customers who try our pastries often take some home. No one leaves the shop without spending at least ten or twenty taels. Today, many people came to show their support, so the revenue was high.”

Unlike modern times, Ye Yaming did not recommend discount promotions. Whether it was the teahouse or the pastry shop opening, customer rewards were given in the form of complimentary items.

For example, buying a cake would earn a small cookie as a gift, and signing up for a membership card would come with complimentary samples of Dark Tea and Tieguanyin. This way, customers would not constantly compare discounted prices to the original prices and would be delighted with the free gifts."Tomorrow's earnings will drop." Ye Hongsheng, worried that his wife had too high expectations for the shop, reminded her.

Off-topic note:

Beginning of the month, seeking guaranteed monthly votes

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