Chapter 919: Farmside Tea House
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Liu Yinyin’s voice trembled due to excitement. She knew listening to her sister-in-law was always the right thing to do. Besides helping to manage the factory, she spent her time reading and studying.
She enjoyed reading because she could learn a lot from books. Most importantly, Su Binglan had built a massive library in Su Teng Village and allowed everyone to read its books for free.
Sometimes, Liu Yinyin would bring her sons there to read with her husband. The library’s environment was excellent, and everyone was delighted to read there. Time seemingly flew by when they were inside.
People could sit and read in peace. Even the sound of flipping pages was quiet so as not to disturb others. Moreover, the books were neatly categorized, making them easier to locate.
Of course, Liu Yinyin did not know that initially. When she visited the library for the first time, the librarian guided her through the place and even advised her on certain things.
The library also served water for free. Sometimes, people would even say the water tasted better than elsewhere. No one knew that Su Binglan had placed a spirit stone inside the water tank.
Liu Yinyin had learned a lot in the library, but she never expected her sister-in-law to suggest that she become a teacher. Liu Yinyin did not even dare to consider such a career.
She felt she could make her parents proud if she became a teacher. Although it was good to be a factory manager, the people of this era always looked up to scholars. Therefore, people held teachers in high regard.
Liu Yinyin suppressed her excitement and said, “Thank you, Binglan.”
Su Binglan smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. You should thank yourself because you study hard every day. If you pass the exam, it’ll be because of your hard work.’
Shen Qiuhua agreed, “You’re right. Yinyin is very hardworking and reads all the time. She even has a stack of books in her room that she cherishes. She has read through them several times. Even the little ones love reading.” Su Wenzhe added, “I didn’t like reading initially, but Yinyin did. I wanted to accompany her, so I started reading, too. I grew to enjoy it in the end.” Even so, he had no intentions of becoming a teacher.
As the family chatted, they arrived at the foot of the valley to the north of town. They lifted the carriage curtains and looked outside to see a vast farm. Su Wenzhe exclaimed in disbelief, “Sister, the farm is massive!”
Su Xuehai looked outside curiously and excitedly. “Wow, there are so many cows!”
“Yeah, there are so many,” Liu Yinyin said smilingly, “The milk you and your brother drink comes from her.’
Shen Qiuhua got off the carriage and took a deep breath as she looked around. She sighed, saying, “The air is fresh even though there are so many cows.”
Su Fengmao followed suit. He nodded and praised, “It’s so clean here with all the cows in their pens.”
He saw several people cleaning the area and noticed the words embroidered in their uniforms—Su Family Farm.
“The workers gather milk daily,” Su Binglan explained, “Then, a few of them deliver the fresh milk to the customers every morning. We get many visitors, and they feel assured when ordering milk after looking around.
“We try to keep the environment and milk as clean as possible. The workers wear clean gloves whenever they gather the milk. The buckets are clean, too.”
Shen Qiuhua nodded. ‘Yeah, they look clean and organized. Of course, people will feel assured when they order fresh milk, not to mention this milk doesn’t smell weird.’
Su Binglan smiled, saying, “We add some vinegar to the milk to remove that smell.’
She even added a little spiritual spring water to ensure the milks purity.
Su Wenxiu asked curiously, “Sister, you should be able to get plenty of milk with this many cows, right?”
“Yeah, we use milk to make milk tea and pastries, so we need as much as possible. Although the farm is big, we can barely produce enough milk to meet the demands.
“I plan to expand it a little more, so I got someone to buy a bull to impregnate some of the cows. The farm will continue to grow as time passes, and then we can produce more milk.”
Su Binglan chose to build her farm here because it was vast and remote. She could even expand it later on.
Shen Qiuhua said, “Milk tea is popular now, so you indeed need plenty of milk.
Su Binglan smiled. “More people will want to order fresh milk, too. The amount of fresh milk we’ll need will surpass what we need for milk tea. Some teas don’t need milk, but we need to use it to make cakes, too.’
Liu Yinyin recalled something and said, “It seems a lot of people are eating cakes on their birthdays now.”
Su Binglan explained, “That’s because we have several large cakes in the dessert shop. The customers will become curious when they see the cakes. The manager will tell the customers that the large cakes are for birthdays and festivals. They even encourage the customers to use candles.”
“Yeah, Xuexuan said some of his classmates’ parents have begun buying
birthday cakes for their children.”
Su Binglan looked at her two nephews and said, “I’ll make you two big birthday cakes for your birthdays, okay?”
Su Fengmao noticed a building outside the farm and asked curiously,
“Binglan, is that a tea house? What’s something like that doing here?”
“Indeed, that’s a tea house, but I haven’t opened it yet. I plan to gather tea leaves first. Then, people can buy some for themselves. The pavilion is also a place for visitors to rest.”
Since Lan Ruozhu became the emperor, the control over tea leaves was no longer strict. Everyone could buy and sell tea leaves as they wished. That way, even ordinary folks could enjoy drinking tea.
Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao entered the shop curiously and saw several large tables with tea sets on them. Indeed, customers could sit and enjoy their tea there.
“This place looks perfect for drinking tea..”