vrcanaries Chapter 225 Opening a Teahouse in Chizhou
Chapter 225 Opening a Teahouse in Chizhou
So as soon as they entered Chizhou, they were welcomed into the residence of the prefect who had rushed over.
After they had rested and settled their belongings at the prefectural government office, Ye Yuwu, along with Huaping, inquired about the exact location of the teahouse that Manager Gao had opened in Chizhou.
The two of them secretly ran away from the prefectural office and headed towards the more bustling streets of Chizhou.
Today marks ten days since the opening of Chayunhe.
Although Chizhou is not as prosperous as Bianjing and its population is only slightly more than half that of Bianjing, its tea culture is truly exceptional!
Because Chizhou is close to the border, it is very desolate and bleak, and there are not many places for entertainment. There are many brothels, but no proper places. Not to mention teahouses, even the storytellers were found by Manager Gao from the neighboring prefecture.
Chayunhe was the first teahouse to open in Chizhou.
In the days leading up to the teahouse's opening, they had been laying the groundwork by hiring many street urchins to spread the word that their newly opened teahouse was a branch of Bianjing (Kaifeng).
Upon hearing the words "Bianjing," people instantly became somewhat interested.
Later, it was said that there were storytellers in the teahouse, and the stories they told were all popular in Bianjing (Kaifeng) and were very popular among the noble ladies of Bianjing.
This alone attracted some young ladies from prominent families and wealthy households in Chizhou.
Moreover, I've heard that the tea ceremony and storytelling are based on stories written by Mr. Wuming.
Because Chizhou is located in a relatively remote area, these people had never heard of Wuming and were naturally not interested in him.
What they are interested in is "Bianjing"!
For these ladies and young women, Bianjing was the capital and the most prosperous place in Jin Kingdom. Many ladies and young women wanted to live in Bianjing, where there were many high-ranking officials and nobles.
As soon as someone gets involved with Bianjing, people naturally want to see what's going on there. These ladies and young women love to learn about the latest trends in Bianjing.
Some people have also heard that the tea and food served in the teahouses were popular in Bianjing at that time.
There was none anywhere else, not even in the wealthier neighboring prefecture, which made the group even more curious.
Everyone wanted to try out the new and exciting things in Bianjing.
With such promotion, the tea shop became a hit even before it opened.
Riding this wave of opportunity, Chayunhe has opened for business!
Land rent is cheap in Chizhou, and the Tea Rhyme Restaurant in Chizhou is actually bigger than the Tea Rhyme Restaurant in Bianjing.
Chizhou Tea Rhyme and Tea House is large, but in the few days since its opening, it has been packed with people, with the private rooms on the second and third floors all occupied.
Even the prefect personally visited Chayunhe on the fourth day after its opening.
This has boosted the tea's popularity and appeal.
However, the first day was packed with people. Just like the tea culture and pricing in Bianjing, the first floor, despite having open seating, was crowded with people.
Simply ordering a pot of tea allows one to stay and listen to storytelling, which satisfies the simple entertainment needs of most ordinary people.
On the first day of opening, many people came just to join in the fun, so it was very crowded.
In addition, there are very few entertainment events in Chizhou, and there are usually no major events in Chizhou. Suddenly, a teahouse opened in Chizhou and had a great influence in Chizhou, so many people learned about it.
As these people entered the teahouse, they saw the signboard displaying tea snacks and food they had never seen before, and their eyes lit up with curiosity.
Most people will try ordering a pot of milk tea. Milk tea is inexpensive, although there are also cheaper, lower-quality teas. People who have never heard of milk tea before are willing to try something new.
Moreover, they heard from the staff at Cha Yun He that this milk tea was popular in Bianjing (Kaifeng), and almost everyone had one.
This completely piqued their curiosity and whetted their appetite.
Therefore, most people will order milk tea to try it out.
They wanted to try what the locals in Bianjing (Kaifeng) drank. Although they couldn't go to Bianjing, they still got to taste its "specialties," so the trip wasn't in vain.
When the milk tea was served, the shopkeeper noticed a different aroma from the tea leaves; the milk tea seemed to have a milky fragrance wafting from it.
Although the color looked strange, they took a sip of the milk tea, believing that anything that people in Bianjing loved to drink must taste good.
"!" As expected, the people of Bianjing are truly exceptional.
Everyone who drank the milk tea was amazed by its taste.
“Delicious!”
Some people were even moved to tears, exclaiming, "Is this the milk tea that everyone in Bianjing drinks? It's so delicious!"
The people of Chizhou live a hard life, and most of them can't even afford to eat sweet soup.
In remote Chizhou, even sugar cane is much more expensive than in other places.
Refined sugar is not yet widely available here.
Because cane sugar is generally produced in the south, transportation is slow and costs are high.
However, the imperial court is already working on a solution regarding refined sugar, and it will surely be able to ensure that every citizen of Jin Kingdom can buy and enjoy pure white refined sugar!
It's only a matter of time.
However, for the people of Chizhou now, being able to taste sweetness is already a great blessing.
The white sugar needed for the teahouse was also sent by someone sent by Ye Yuwu.
Surprisingly, the first item to sell out on the opening day was milk tea.
Besides milk tea, the most shocking thing is the Wen Ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel).
The people of Chizhou had never seen a Wen Ding before, and they were greatly shocked when they first saw this way of eating it.
No one expected that such a square-shaped cauldron would hold so many mysteries.
It can actually cook and eat right on the table.
Moreover, the soup base in this cauldron is something I've never seen before.
"Choose any two soup bases: spicy, clear, tomato, or mushroom!"
"I heard that the tomato base is a limited edition."
"What is the spicy base? What is the tomato?"
"I heard that tomatoes were just becoming popular in Bianjing (Kaifeng)."
The people of Chizhou had never heard of a place where they could choose between two soup bases, because they had never heard of chili peppers and tomatoes before, so it was quite novel. However, they did know what the clear soup and mushroom soup were made of.
Therefore, most people choose between spicy and tomato-based broths, and between clear broth and mushroom broth.
Choosing the spicy or tomato base is just to try something new. If you don't like the taste, there are also clear broth and mushroom broth options!
Many customers who ordered hot pot in the private rooms were persuaded by this remark from the teahouse waiter and decided to try something they had never heard of.
However, they were even more surprised when the dishes were served. They didn't expect that the meat and vegetables could be eaten after just a short time of blanching, and the taste was quite good.
Many customers who ordered the spicy soup were initially overwhelmed by its intense spiciness, but later became completely addicted to its flavor.
The tomato base is suitable for all ages, with a sweet and sour flavor, and surprisingly, it received pretty good reviews.
Not only were they amazed by the delicious food, but they were also quite impressed by the storytelling performance, which was a first for them.
Because there are no teahouses in Chizhou, the people of Chizhou usually go to the neighboring prefecture to listen to storytelling.
But the storytellers only told a few old, tired stories.