Li Zhiyue was a milk tea enthusiast.

Back when she was preparing for the civil service exam, the pressure was immense, and she would always order a cup of milk tea every day to relieve her anxiety.

She became somewhat familiar with it, but she still needed to actually try making it to know whether she could do it.

She reached for the glutinous rice flour and poured it into a bowl.

Aunt Zhang quickly said, “Miss, whatever you say, I’ll do it.”

Li Zhiyue stepped aside and began to direct based on her memory.

“Add appropriate hot water to the glutinous rice flour, stir continuously, and knead into a dough…”

The process for making desserts was usually similar, and Aunt Zhang quickly got the hang of it.

Soon, the dough was placed on a clean chopping board.

She divided the large dough into small portions and kneaded them into little round balls, sprinkling dry flour to prevent sticking.

Once the water in the pot was boiling, the small balls were added and cooked for a short while, until they became faintly translucent.

Afterward, they were scooped out and cooled under cold water, making them soft and chewy.

Finally, the pearls were soaked in the prepared syrup.

Li Zhiyue tried one, and surprisingly, it tasted great, nearly identical to the pearls she had had in modern times.

At the same time, Qiuer’s milk tea was almost ready.

She had used the three types of tea commonly found in the future: Longjing tea, black tea, and jasmine green tea.

The milk was goat’s milk, which was expensive, and she had used a 1:1 ratio of milk and tea, which made only about four cups.

She tasted it but felt something was off.

“The milk flavor is too strong,” Li Zhiyue shook her head. “Try a 7:3 ratio instead.”

Qiuer nodded and tried again.

Li Zhiyue was thinking about how much to charge for a cup of milk tea.

At this time, due to the difficulty of preserving dairy products, goat’s milk was very expensive, and sugar wasn’t cheap either.

These two ingredients were out of reach for ordinary people, meaning her target customers would inevitably be wealthy individuals.

After calculating, she figured the cost of a cup of milk tea was about 300 wen, and selling it for 500 wen seemed reasonable, though the profit would not be substantial.

To set a higher price, she would have to come up with a plan.

At this moment, Mo Yu hurriedly walked in. “Miss, the shopkeepers from Jinxiufang and Liuxiage are here.”

Li Zhiyue was taken aback. “Why are they here?”

“They’ve brought the clothes and jewelry you ordered last time,” Mo Yu said, lowering her head. “The payment is due.”

Li Zhiyue immediately remembered.

In a few days, she was attending a banquet at the Princess’s residence.

Besides palace banquets, it was considered a high-class event.

To prepare for it, the original owner had ordered new clothes and jewelry a month in advance.

Jinxiufang and Liuxiage were the most expensive and luxurious shops in the capital, places where other young ladies would only buy such expensive items for their weddings.

The original owner bought something new every time she attended a banquet.

Li Zhiyue asked, “How much silver is required?”

“420 taels in total,” Mo Yu replied. “One hundred taels were paid as a deposit, so 320 taels remain.”

Li Zhiyue winced.

For just a few pieces of clothing and jewelry, it cost this much—equivalent to the price of a car worth over 200,000 in modern times.

Her milk tea could not be sold cheaply. At least, it should cost one tael of silver per cup!

Since she was going to the Princess’s residence, why not…

Li Zhiyue’s eyes lit up.

She had spent the whole day in the kitchen, conducting various experiments and comparisons.

Finally, she had perfected the recipe for the milk tea.

It was just about time for dinner, so after the family had eaten, Li Zhiyue asked Mo Yu to bring up the milk tea.

She smiled and said, “Grandfather, Father, Big Brother, you work so hard every day. I’ve made some sweet treats for you to try.”

The old marquis was very surprised.

His granddaughter had been raised in luxury, her fingers never touching water, so when had she learned to make sweets?

He stirred the drink with a spoon and saw that there were small black pearls inside.

What was this?

Could it be eaten?

He quietly pushed the cup in front of Li Suifeng. “I don’t like sweet things. You drink it.”

Li Suifeng sniffed it. It seemed to be a mix of Longjing tea and goat’s milk.

Could these two things be combined?

He coughed and said, “Yun, try your sister’s handiwork.”

Li Muyun smiled and said, “I’m the younger generation. Grandfather and Father should try it first.”

Seeing the three of them hesitating, Bai Ruzhu rolled her eyes.

Was she afraid that Yue Niang’s food would poison them?

She took a sip from the cup.

Once the milk tea touched her lips, she froze.

The Longjing tea and goat’s milk blended perfectly, the tea was rich, and the milk flavor was strong.

It was a delightful experience.

There were even ice cubes in it, like a sudden summer rain cooling down the heat, refreshing her and making her take another big sip.

The soft, chewy pearls followed.

The sweet, round pearls brought an unparalleled sensation.

Bai Ruzhu finished the whole cup in one go.

“Husband?”

Li Suifeng was a little dumbfounded.

His wife, who had always been elegant, never rushed in anything.

This was the first time he had seen her drink so eagerly.

Bai Ruzhu sighed in satisfaction. “What is this? It’s so delicious.”

As soon as she spoke, the three men quickly picked up their cups and tried it.

The rich milk tea.

The soft, chewy pearls.

The refreshing coolness.

It was like a feast on the tip of the tongue.

Li Zhiyue was very satisfied with their reactions and asked, “This is called pearl milk tea. If the price is one tael of silver per cup, would you pay for it?”

The old marquis widened his eyes. “Something made by Yue Niang herself, one tael of silver is too cheap.”

Li Suifeng, chewing on pearls, said, “I wouldn’t mind paying ten taels.”

Li Muyun was surprised. “Yue Niang, are you thinking of starting this business?”

Li Zhiyue nodded. “We have a teahouse at home, but it’s losing money. I’ll see if I can turn things around.”

“My Yue Niang has really grown up, becoming sensible.” Bai Ruzhu’s eyes reddened. “You’re already thinking about earning silver for the family, that’s so hard for you.”

Li Suifeng hurriedly said, “Yue Niang, I’ll make sure your good reputation as a capable housekeeper spreads. Don’t worry about all this.”

Li Zhiyue rubbed her forehead.

Apparently, her family thought she was doing all this to gain a good reputation as a housekeeper?

“Isn’t it because you’re useless!” Bai Ruzhu glared at her husband. “If you could earn some silver, would Yue Niang have to go through all this trouble?”

Li Suifeng felt stunned.

How did this turn into a complaint against him?

He quickly stood up. “I suddenly remembered, I have something to do. I’ll step out for a moment.”

He rushed to the door of the manor, and as he was about to step out, a figure came toward him.

It was the Madam Zhen.

She was wearing a moon-white dress, standing out in the evening light.

She approached and gracefully bowed. “Marquis.”

Upon seeing her, Li Suifeng immediately thought of what happened that day and quickly took a step back. “Oh, it’s you, sister-in-law. Is there something you need? My wife is free, let me have someone take you inside.”

Madam Zhen’s face stiffened.