HMIME Chapter 25: Prototype of a Milk Tea Chain Store

After exchanging a few words of argument, the royal kitchen had already prepared the pearl milk tea, pouring it into two blue and white porcelain cups with single handles, and presented them on a wooden tray.

Bai Lu approached to take a look, only to see in the flawless white cups rippling milk tea of a light tan color, filling about eighty percent, with a few tapioca flour balls the size of lotus seeds settled at the bottom. The color was already very beautiful, and the aroma wafting from it was even more fragrant.

Bai Lu couldn’t wait and took a sip, his eyes immediately lighting up, “Delicious!”

Moreover, the taste was richer and more mellow than the kind sold in stores. The milk tea was sweet but not cloying, the tapioca balls were soft and glutinous, and there was a faint tea fragrance.

After all, this wasn’t made from milk tea powder and packaged milk; it was slowly brewed from high-quality black tea and fresh milk, a flavor that industrial production couldn’t replicate.

Truly deserving of being called “Humanity’s Happy Tea,” Bai Lu’s happiness returned once again.

But the royal kitchen attendant beside him was frightened. Drinking in front of His Majesty without His Majesty reaching out first, how could he just drink it? At the very least, this was being straightforward and disrespectful, not knowing his place. At the most, this could be considered a serious offense!

The kitchen attendant hurriedly wanted to remind him, but from the corner of his eye, he saw that His Majesty wasn’t angry at all. On the contrary, he was looking very indulgently at Bai Lu.

Perhaps Bai Lu drinking the milk tea had touched Chu Ya in some way, reminding him of the warm and happy days they had shared in their previous lives. The resentment in his heart gradually dissipated, and his eyes softened even more, as if he were looking at some unique treasure in the world.

Bai Lu didn’t notice his gaze. He continued to drink halfway, then smacked his lips, slightly dissatisfied, “I still feel like it’s missing something… a straw. Right, how can it be called milk tea without a straw? Do we have straws?”

The kitchen attendant was puzzled, “Straw… What is that?”

Bai Lu picked up the chopsticks he had just broken, “It’s like these chopsticks, a bit thicker, hollow in the middle, and can suck up water.”

The kitchen attendant suddenly understood, “Oh, you mean drinking chopsticks.”

He opened a drawer in the nearby huanghuali cabinet and took out a five or six-inch long, slightly thicker than a pinky finger, wooden tube, presenting it to Bai Lu with both hands.

“Young master, this is a drinking chopstick. Girls usually use it to drink water, so their lipstick won’t stick to the cup. It’s made of catalpa wood, not easy to crack. It’s similar in size and shape to chopsticks, but it’s used for drinking water, so it’s called a drinking chopstick.”

Bai Lu thought, Is lipstick staining the cup really a problem that has persisted through the ages?

He took the drinking chopstick and put it in the cup. With this, a pure and perfect pearl milk tea was complete. How blissful it was to drink a warm milk tea in a feudal society where productivity was backward…

This morning, Geng Qing patrolled over with some people and saw Bai Lu sitting very contentedly on a low stone in the garden, holding a cup of steaming something in his hands, with a plate of grape milk cake beside him, two cats, one white and one yellow, playing around under his feet.

Geng Qing looked from afar and suddenly felt like this person was already in his seventies or eighties, surrounded by grandchildren, enjoying his twilight years.

He walked over alone, and Bai Lu glanced at him, then waved his hand, “Come and taste it, milk tea paired with milk cake is truly a perfect match.”

Geng Qing took the cup, casually taking out the straw from the cup, “Why are you still using drinking chopsticks, acting like a young girl.”

“Don’t babble, try it first.”

Geng Qing looked at the cup suspiciously, somewhat disdainful, “Isn’t this just milk tea? What’s so good about it? It’s not as good as drinking yellow wine. And what’s at the bottom? Small tangyuan?”

He took a casual sip, then suddenly paused, as if confirming something, slowly took two more sips.

Then his eyes lit up as if electrified, “Wow, this taste is too good! It’s completely different from the milk tea I usually drink. How did you make this?”

Bai Lu proudly said, “Of course, there’s a secret recipe.”

Geng Qing thoughtfully looked at the milk tea in the cup, then approached Bai Lu, cunningly saying, “Brother, do you want to earn some pocket money?”

As soon as money was mentioned, Bai Lu became cautious, bargaining cautiously, “Why do you ask?”

“Listen to me, I have a relative who opened a restaurant in the capital. Do you want to sell this kind of milk tea in the store? You’ll definitely make a profit!”

Bai Lu hesitated for a moment. In fact, his monthly allowance was already quite substantial, and he didn’t usually have anywhere to spend money. But… who would complain about having too much money?

“Selling it is possible, but I definitely can’t manage the business, because I can’t leave the palace temporarily.”

Geng Qing rubbed his chin, “Right, forgot that you’re the favored consort of His Majesty.”

“You’re the favored consort! I’ll beat you up!” “Sorry sorry, I accidentally spoke the truth.” Geng Qing quickly changed the subject, “So, how about this, you tell me the secret recipe, and I’ll give you a tenth of the profit from selling milk tea at the restaurant.”

After the split was agreed upon, Bai Lu told Geng Qing the entire method of making milk tea that Chu Ya had told him about. Geng Qing recorded it with charcoal and half a piece of hemp paper, tentatively saying, “You haven’t signed a contract yet and you’re telling me the secret recipe. Aren’t you afraid I’ll go back on my word?”

Bai Lu shook his head, “I’m not afraid. If you dare to cheat me, I’ll have Chu Ya transfer you to clean bathrooms.”

Geng Qing: “???”

Can’t provoke, can’t provoke, this backing is really not to be provoked.

After Bai Lu told Geng Qing the secret recipe, he took advantage of his day off to go to his relative’s restaurant. Three days later, when he returned and saw Bai Lu again, his eyes were shining with golden joy.

“Brother, let me tell you, your secret recipe is amazing! It was extremely popular on the first day of sale, sold out in the morning. The next day, the store manager counted the accounts and found that this milk tea sold just as well as the most famous yellow wine in the store, and it’s also convenient to make, unlike the yellow wine which takes several days to ferment. Both adults and children can drink it, and even the young ladies from officials’ families come specifically to order it.”

All of this was within Bai Lu’s expectations. He lazily half-lay on the slightly swaying rattan chair, stroking the white cat in his arms, closing his eyes and saying, “Normal. Don’t forget about my share.”

“Hehe, I won’t forget.” Geng Qing sat attentively by his feet, massaging his legs, “Brother, do you have any other secret recipes? Let’s work together and strive to dominate the capital in the field of food within three months!”

Bai Lu opened his eyes, “I don’t have any. I don’t know how to cook. This secret recipe was also told to me by Chu Ya.”

Geng Qing was taken aback, his voice unintentionally rising a few decibels, “My Lord, what did you say? Who told you the secret recipe?”

“Chu Ya.” Bai Lu looked at him inexplicably, “Why are you so excited?” “No, no, His Majesty’s secret recipe, and you casually took it out to sell? Brother, ah, you should be a bit more cautious, even if you’re highly favored, you shouldn’t be so reckless. What if His Majesty gets angry? Aren’t you risking your life?!”

Bai Lu didn’t care much, “It’s fine, it’s just a cup of milk tea, what’s there to get angry about.”

But involuntarily, he remembered the cookbook that Chu Ya had mentioned before. The heir of a wealthy family who grew up in a privileged environment, it seemed like he had entered the kitchen and held kitchen utensils for the first time only after being with him, just to cook him a meal.

He even quietly recorded the recipe and cooking methods because he liked to drink milk tea. But the more tender and considerate Chu Ya was to him, the more uncomfortable Bai Lu felt:

Someone like him, what qualifications did he have to be loved?