34 Tasting the Tea
Shopkeeper Yang ordered for tea cups and hot water to be brought in. Mei Li first brewed the Appetite Tea.
Xin Lijie and Shopkeeper Yang were captivated by the subtly flavored aroma. Upon tasting the tea, they found it mild yet refreshing, and didn't have a bitter aftertaste.
The combined scent of rhododendron flowers and holy basil was quite satisfying.
Next up was the Calming Tea.
This blend also had a nice scent and flavor, although a bit stronger and more complex. However, it did make them feel relaxed and calm in a few minutes.
Lijie and Shopkeeper Yang's eyes started shining after tasting the teas. Especially Xin Lijie who understood the health benefits of all the ingredients Mei Li listed.
He was surprised and appreciative of these combinations, especially the Calming Tea blend.
Mei Li didn't push them right away. "How about this, Young Master Xin? Why not take these tea boxes home and try them for a few days? If there are other doctors who can try, that would be great as well."
Mei Li wanted professionals to experience the effects of these teas for themselves and verify their benefits.
When it is time to sell them, the medicine hall can cater to the right customers and provide the necessary reminders and precautions based on first-hand experience and their medical knowledge.
Xin Lijie understood this well enough, and appreciated Mei Li's thoughtfulness once more. She was really thorough!
"So, how much for me to take these home?"
"No need to pay me for these, Young Master. Consider this our token for Xintang Medicine Hall in the hopes of future cooperation."
"My husbands and I will be back in town five days from now. Perhaps we can continue our discussion about the teas by then?"
Xin Lijie didn't find anything wrong with that so he readily agreed. The meeting ended amicably for both parties.
When Mei Li's group left the hall, the first thing Xin Lijie did was to instruct the punishment for the rude shop assistant. This man won't appear in this hall in the future.
The next thing he did was order one of his men to investigate Mei Li and her husbands. He was really interested about these people's backgrounds and wanted to know more, even if Shopkeeper Yang put in a good word for them.
Finally, he sent a letter to his father in the capital detailing his acquisition of the Lingzhi mushrooms and his plan to hold an auction.
He didn't talk about the teas for now. He knew how to keep leverage for himself.
Mei Li, meanwhile, was on cloud nine. She wanted to skip down the main street if she could!
Mingyu and Shufen felt inexplicable. Their wife went to town for a few hours and made 1,000 taels in one go. Too scary! But, also, too amazing!
Shufen thought that if his third brother was there, he would worship their wife even more.
"Umm, big brother Mingyu, is there a bank somewhere?" She felt suddenly insecure carrying this much money on her person.
Mingyu understood her concerns so he led them to the bank in town. They opened an account and deposited 800 taels.
When it was time to sign the name of the bank account owner, Mei Li hesitated. Mingyu didn't give her much time to think about it. "Put it under your name, you earned it."
"But…"
"You're our wife and should be in charge of the household finances. With your abilities, it makes more sense that the account is under your name."
Mei Li felt very touched. How amazing were the men in the world who won't feel insecure and demotivated when their women make more money than them. And instead would be proud of them and support them.
She managed to find such men right here and she intended to keep them!
After depositing the 800 taels of banknotes, Mei Li asked the banker to exchange the remaining notes into different silver denominations and 5 taels worth of copper coins.
Don't underestimate the weight of all this money. At this time, 1 tael of silver is equivalent to 1,000 copper coins. 5 taels means 5,000 coppers.
Shufen tucked the bulging money bag filled with copper coins inside their bamboo basket.
As for the rest of the silver, she handed them to Mingyu to guard until they got home.
The conversation in the medicine hall only took about an hour, so it was only about 10 in the morning when they finished with the bank.
Mei Li convinced her husbands to walk through the market. They thought she was going shopping, but Mei Li mostly wanted to familiarize herself with the current market conditions.
What products were available, how much, and how were they sold? What products weren't available? Were there any gaps in the market she could take advantage of?
Mei Li fully applied her analytical and scientific brain to researching the local market. She filed all the useful information away.
They soon passed by a shop selling seeds and saplings. Mei Li entered the shop excitedly.
Based on history, with Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the Silk Road was wide open and maritime trade was thriving.
She hoped there would be seeds and plants from foreign soil that she could grow. After all, her family owned over a 100 mu of farmland!
"Hello, shopkeeper, are there seeds or seedlings from foreign countries?" Mei Li asked the man inside the shop in her bright voice.
She didn't put her hopes up too much as Yingjing County was far southwest and may not receive as many products as those areas near ports or the Silk Road.
The seller looked at their clothes and made calculations in his mind, but, fortunately, he didn't chase them out.
"This Lady, these are the plants that came from overseas that I got from my merchant friend. Take a look."
Mei Li was actually looking for peppercorns, which originally came from the Indian subcontinent. After all, she was now in the Sichuan area and that means spicy and numbing Sichuan cuisine. And peppercorns were essential!
Unfortunately, she did not find peppercorns at this time.
Mei Li's luck was still not too bad though. When she looked through the germinated seedlings, she saw two plants that she was familiar with.
Strawberries and Blueberries!
