Chapter 13

Chapter 13

At this time, the "Tea Saint" had not yet emerged to rescue tea-drinking culture. Tea leaves were generally boiled with various seasonings, and the young ladies who enjoyed this style were still in the minority.

But Zhu Mingli had long instructed the servants in the tea room to stop mistreating the tea leaves. Although it was not yet possible to achieve the refined art of boiling tea, basic steeping could still be done. The tea made this way was light in flavor, left a lingering fragrance in the mouth, and retained its refreshing effect without diminishing it.

The tea leaves for the milk tea were pre-roasted to enhance the tea’s richness. The maids had risen early to brew the milk tea, melting the sugar until it turned caramel-colored, then adding milk and tea leaves to simmer together. Finally, they added milk curds and strained it, creating a simplified version of brown sugar milk tea.

The fruit tea, on the other hand, was cold-brewed to ensure a light fragrance while reducing bitterness. It was paired with crushed grapes, resulting in a sweet and refreshing thirst-quencher.

The young ladies chattered and picked samples to taste, needing no extra effort to liven the atmosphere. As soon as they sat down, the scene was already lively.

"Although the grape fruit tea is called tea, it’s not bitter at all."

"So fragrant and sweet! Adding cheese curds didn’t make it gamey at all. I thought it would be like the salty and savory kind the Hu people often drink."

"Indeed, it’s exceptionally rich. I’ll take this. Pour me a big cup."

They recommended drinks to each other, laughing and chatting in a group. The maids moved swiftly among them, pouring tea and handing out small cups for tasting.

Soon, the brown sugar milk tea was finished, and the tea stove by the pavilion came into use. The charcoal had been extinguished, and the residual heat kept the pre-prepared milk tea at just the right temperature for immediate refills.

Zhu Mingli had originally wanted to make straws, but after experimenting with reeds and lotus leaves, they proved unsuitable, so she had to give up.

Thus, each young lady was given a round spoon, convenient for scooping up the pearls at the bottom of the cup. At that time, cassava was not available, so lotus root starch and glutinous rice flour were used as substitutes. The texture was slightly inferior, but the appearance was more translucent and crystal-clear.

For Zhu Mingli, who had eaten finely processed pearls, the lotus root starch pearls were barely satisfactory, but for the young ladies who had never seen such a thing before, they were a novelty.

Soft yet chewy, with a hint of brown sugar flavor spreading in the mouth when bitten, they were utterly addictive.

Their eyes lit up, and forgetting their manners, they exclaimed in delight and pestered the maids for more.

"What is this at the bottom of the cup?"

"Add some more for me."

They ate happily, which meant the kitchen had done well. The serving maids were all exceptionally warm and attentive, eager to fill them up.

The novelty of the drinks had barely faded when small desserts came to steal the spotlight.

This time, there was no need for individual service. The maids carried trays laden with a variety of small desserts, lined up along the long table. Each dessert was only two mouthfuls in size, looking delicate and not cloying.

Sweet options included cupcakes, cream buns, honey buns, and so on. Savory ones featured pork floss mini cakes, salted egg yolk towel rolls, chicken patty sandwiches...

The young ladies were stunned. They had never seen such a scene!

This was even harder to choose from than the drinks!

The head maid gently reminded them, "Young ladies had an early breakfast, and the journey here must have tired you. Have some small pastries to tide you over."

The table fell silent. With such variety, who could resist trying one of each? Was this just supposed to "tide them over"?

Wang Wuniang, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites, sat to Shen Lingyi’s right. Hearing this, she instinctively turned to look at Shen Lingyi, expecting her friend to share her bewilderment at how to start. But Shen Lingyi, as a taste-tester, had long been fed everything by Zhu Mingli, and in just ten days, her waist had thickened a bit.

So Wang Wuniang could only see a calm and collected Shen Lingyi, exuding the demeanor of a host.

Wait, weren’t you an orphan struggling to manage the household? When did you become so prosperous?!

Seeing everyone dazzled and hesitant to start, Shen Lingyi calmly spoke up, "The pork floss mini cakes are good. You can try them and see if they suit your taste. They’re just two mouthfuls, so they won’t spoil your lunch."

Someone asked, "What is pork floss?"

Shen Lingyi had to explain.

At that time, most people held prejudice against pork. One reason was the dirty environment pigs were raised in, which made people think pork was inferior. Another was that the gamey smell of pork was hard to mask, making it intolerable for young ladies with sensitive palates.

Some hesitated, while others bravely tried. Regardless of which small dish they picked, they were all amazed by the taste.

What a unique texture! What a wonderful consistency! What a rich flavor!

"What are the black crispy bits on the pork floss? The flavor blends perfectly with the meat."

"There’s no gamey taste at all!"

"How can it be so savory and aromatic, with a hint of sweetness lingering?"

They chattered noisily, breaking into a lively clamor, completely forgetting their usual restraint and elegance, laughing and talking with unrestrained joy.

Shen Lingyi couldn’t keep up with the explanations, but the serving maids took over. Their rehearsed positions came in handy. Whether serving dishes or attending to the young ladies, they moved without crowding each other.

At first, everyone only picked from what was in front of them, but after tasting, they began reaching for items farther away. Eventually, they couldn’t stay seated and stood up to grab dishes from the far end.

By then, they had completely forgotten that lunch was still to come, focusing entirely on the food in front of them.

One young lady, under the strong recommendation of her elder sister, finally decided to try the pork floss mini cakes. The two sisters turned their heads while talking, only to find that not a single piece remained on the long table.

The little girl, only eight years old, saw the young lady opposite her eating with such relish and nearly lost her composure.

Her sister quickly turned to ask the maid, "Are there any more pork floss mini cakes?"

The maid was a bit embarrassed, having never expected the quantity to be insufficient. Zhu Mingli had instructed that the desserts were not the main meal, merely to fill the stomach, but the dessert workshop had prepared twice the usual amount. Now, they were completely gone!

"Young lady, there really aren’t any left."

It was over. Those who hadn’t gotten any were even more tempted. The sisters angrily grabbed several plates and pulled them in front of them.

Seeing the desserts on the table dwindling, Shen Lingyi stepped in to take charge, "Now that you’ve had something to tide you over, shall we start playing?"

At this, who could still say they wanted to eat more? For young ladies from prestigious families, acting like starving ghosts would be too shameful.

Those who were slow regretted it; those who were quick were very full. Each in their own state, they answered in unison, "Let’s start the games."

Then maids came to collect the dishes and clear the tables. This had been rehearsed countless times; they moved swiftly, forming long lines to enter and exit, and soon everything was cleared away.

After that, maids brought in lightweight square tables and narrow tables. The square tables were for games, while the narrow tables held the drinks.

The gauze curtains allowed the breeze to pass through, quickly dissipating the fragrance of the desserts. Everyone’s attention shifted to the new items.

On the square tables lay a large sheet of paper covered in grids, with small characters written inside.

The first shift of maids was replaced by a new group. The rotating maids took over to explain the game rules.

"This board is called 'Monopoly.'"

At that time, backgammon was very popular. It involved rolling dice to count steps and moving pieces, with the goal of reaching the opponent’s boundary line first to win. In essence, the underlying rules were the same as Monopoly, but Monopoly added a lot of fun—punishments and rewards, the ability to buy and sell land—and one game could last a long time.

Multiple layers of paper were glued together, coated with paste, and dried to harden, forming rough cards. Zhu Mingli wrote down a large set from memory, creating thick stacks placed beside the tables.

Due to the large number of people, the game was divided into three groups, with six people per group. The two youngest young ladies watched from the sidelines.

Everyone was a bit lost at first, but they understood once they started playing.

“This is just like Shuanglu (a board game), except the board has become square grids,” a young lady said with a laugh.

Soon, she realized she was wrong—this had more rules than Shuanglu, but it wasn't complicated at all. It didn't require brains, just luck.

Watching the young lady across from her accumulate more and more money, that young lady finally reached a space where she could buy land.

A maid from the study room whispered, “Young lady, would you like to buy land?”

The young lady who was asked looked closely and said, “Shouzhou? My maternal grandfather once served there.” She looked uncertainly at the price, “Can I buy it?”

The maid gave her a card with the name, placed a marker to show that the next person to land there would have to pay.

Before she could even regret spending money on land, the next young lady landed on her territory and reluctantly paid up.

At this, the scene became lively, throwing all manners out the window.

“I have to pay? Where's the fairness?! Then I'll buy land too!”

“Hmph, what's so great about Shouzhou? I'm waiting to buy Chang'an.”

“You have to land there to buy it, and with your unlucky streak, you won't get it.”

Everyone frolicked, playfully slapping and poking each other, bursting into laughter together.

The combined noise from the three tables grew increasingly loud, and maids passing by heard it from a distance, whispering in surprise, “What are the young ladies playing that has them so excited?”

Jiao Wei finished overseeing the lunch arrangements, completing the morning tasks, and rushed over to the small garden. Having a senior maid on site was always an extra safeguard.

She was already worried about mishaps, and hearing loud shouts before she even got close, she quickly ran over, her heart in her throat. The scene she saw turned out to be two young ladies from the Zhang family chasing each other: “Fenzhou (a prefecture) is where my mother married from—why won't you let me have it!”

No mishaps. Jiao Wei let out a long sigh of relief, mentally noting the information of each young lady.

Zhu Mingli lived in the inner residence and was not very clear about many things, especially the connections within large families. Madam Shen knew most of it, but details like where someone's maternal uncle served or where someone's eldest aunt accompanied her husband were hard to remember.

Judging by the young lady's intention, all the dowry shops in her hands would be changing businesses in the future. Goods came from different places—for example, pearls from Lingnan Circuit were cheap, and embroidery from Huainan Circuit was exquisite. What if this information came in handy?

Even though it was a seated game, the young ladies worked up a sweat.

Shuanglu was certainly fun, but Monopoly was more novel. After all, in the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, 'merchants' were at the bottom; none of them had ever experienced the thrill of waving a hand and raking in money. Let alone buying land and collecting taxes—under heaven, all land belongs to the king—who would dare engage in such trade?

Fortunately, the current atmosphere was liberal. In Pingkang Ward, many scholars discussed politics and cursed the court. The young ladies' small game played behind closed doors was harmless. In a strict dynasty, Zhu Mingli, who invented this game, would have been punished at the very least.

“Great!!” Another young lady rolled the dice to the maximum number, cheered with her younger sister who was watching.

A young lady with bad luck puffed out her cheeks in anger, venting by drinking milk tea on the side.

Everyone grew more and more excited, the atmosphere reaching a peak of harmony. Both familiar and unfamiliar people drew closer through the frolicking.

Seeing that the time had come, Jiao Wei walked over lightly, lifted the light gauze curtain, and said, “Young ladies, it's almost time. Would you like to have lunch?”

The noisy scene immediately quieted down.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: at the Shen residence, which served such novel sweet cakes and hors d'oeuvres, what would lunch be like?