Chapter 864: Everything was Ready Except the Crucial Element

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

It was said that Manager Ren was Eldest Madam Xie’s maidservant in the past and had an extraordinary relationship with the Young Miss. It was obvious that they really took the Young Miss seriously.

Later on, when the Xie Residence was about to leave Quanzhou, Bai Kui and Qing Xiu were the first to come over like them.

They were in charge of repairing the courtyard in the residence.

Bai Kui and Qing Xiu were outside the residence, busy preparing the incense.

The two of them became true managers.

The status of Bai Kui and Qing Xiu couldn’t compare to that of Head Steward Jiang and Manager Wan. However, in terms of their relationship, only Dong Mei and Chun Xiao, who lived with the Eldest Miss, could compare to Bai Kui and Qing Xiu.

At the thought of this, Butler Jiang smiled and greeted, “Miss Bai Kui, aren’t you busy today? Why are you free to return to the residence?”

Young Miss wanted to expand the business of the Jade Pavilion throughout the country and even overseas. She opened an incense shop in Xiangping and planned to supply the needs of incense medicine in the country.

Bai Kui was in charge of the preparation and operation of the incense shop.

Qing Xiu was in charge of recruitment and teaching the knowledge of incense.

The two of them were extremely busy.

Bai Kui said politely, “Young Miss has been in Xiangping for a few days. I specially came to visit you today and report to you about the incense business.”

Manager Wan hurriedly said, “In that case, I won’t delay Miss Bai Kui’s business.”

When Yu Youyao was young, Bai Kui and Qing Xiu had been serving her grandmother. Other than Nanny Liu, Bai Kui and Qing Xiu took the most care of her.

Yu Youyao was very happy as she had not seen Bai Kui for a long time. Before Bai Kui could bow, she had already stepped forward and held her hand. “Sister Bai Kui is here. Sit down and talk.”

“I thought that since you’ve settled down, I’d have to come over and disturb your peace.” Bai Kui smiled and helped Yu Youyao to a low table at the side.

It wasn’t until Yu Youyao was settled that she sat down beside her.

Bai Kui picked up the tea tray and picked up a few pieces of lychee wood charcoal from the small yellow clay stove. She placed them on the tea tray. Then, she took out tea leaves from the tea box. She sprinkled them on the bowl above the charcoal fire before covering the tea and charcoal with a teacup.

Then, she picked up the teapot and slowly poured hot water.

The hot water was absorbed by the charcoal tea in the bowl, and the bowl boiled. Golden tea seeped out along the edge of the cup, and the strong fragrance of tea filled the air with the unique fragrance of roasted tea.

Roasting tea seemed simple, but it tested one’s skills.

Preserving the original mellowness of the tea leaves under the charcoal fire and integrating it with the unique fragrance of the charcoal fire was usually very difficult to do without a few years of effort.

Bai Kui picked up the tea tray with one hand and pressed the bottom of the bowl with the other. She slowly poured the roasted tea into the cup and handed it to Young Miss respectfully. “Young Miss, please have some tea.”

Yu Youyao took the teacup. The charcoal tea had absorbed the astringency of the tea leaves and looked even more mellow. “Why didn’t Sister Qing Xiu come over too?”

Bai Kui was holding a small pair of tongs and peeling pine nuts. “The incense shop is about to start operations. Qing Xiu is in charge of recruiting workers, as well as teaching the rules and some common knowledge about incense medicine. She’s so busy that her feet don’t touch the ground. She wants to come, but she can’t leave. She plans to come and greet you when the incense shop is open.”

Yu Youyao smiled as she ate the pine nuts. “It’s been difficult for you to set up such a big stall.” In the past, when they were in the An Shou Hall, Bai Kui was in charge of the management, while Qing Xiu was in charge of the people. The two of them had been taught by Nanny Liu. “By the way, you’ve been in Xiangping City for more than three months. Are you used to it?”

After her grandmother pa.s.sed away, Bai Kui and Qing Xiu did not want to get married. They wanted to comb their hair. They also wanted to stay in the residence to be the mother in charge and continue to serve her.

Personally, Yu Youyao did not want them to keep serving others.

Coincidentally, she wanted to do the incense business, so she asked them for their opinions. Naturally, the two of them took on the responsibility.

At the mention of this, Bai Kui also smiled. “We’ve never done anything outside in the past, so we have a lot of ideas. However, when we do it, we’re gaining experience by actually doing the job. Fortunately, Madam Xie and Third Madam Xie helped. Butler Wen also helped a lot. The incense shop has only been perfected day by day. Although it’s been a little tiring, we’ve learned a lot. It’s not as comfortable as before, but we’re much more at ease.”

They were able to continue serving Young Miss and exhibit their value to the greatest extent. She and Qing Xiu were both very satisfied with their current lives.

Next, she mentioned the incense shop.

The incense shop was built. Yu Youyao was in a manor in the south of Xiangping City, close to Anshan.

Currently, there were about 300 people. In the future, there would be more and more. According to Eldest Miss’s request, the families of the martyrs would take priority, followed by the orphans and widows.

Everyone was introduced by Butler Wen. After Qing Xiu’s guidance and observation, they were screened twice. Those who were suitable were left to sign a contract with the incense shop.

Those who had signed an indenture would definitely have to be investigated carefully. If they had the ability, they would also be placed in an important position. Those who had signed a work contract would only do some incense-making work.

The incense recipe was in her and Qing Xiu’s hands.

The incense masters were also maidservants who had served the Young Miss in the past. They had learned a lot from her, so there was naturally no need to mention their loyalty.

In terms of spices and medicinal herbs, not only were they in agreement with the largest spices and medicinal herb businesses in Xiangping, but they were also supplied by the Lin and Yan families and the escort business. Naturally, they were not lacking.

Now, everything was ready except for the crucial element.

“We bought a shop in the best part of Xiangping and took the main shop of the Jade Pavilion. The layout of the shop is all renovated according to the Jade Pavilion in Quanzhou, and the operation is similar to that place. As the customs of the north and south are different, the two places are the same but not the same. The incense shop is expected to start operating at the beginning of April, and the shops will also open one after another…”

Yu Youyao listened to her until she finished speaking. Then, she knocked on her teacup and said with a serious expression, “Let’s put aside the matter of the incense shop. Since ancient times, there have been ten disasters and nine plagues. Many refugees have surged into the North, so we have to be on guard as soon as possible. Next, the incense shop has to do its best to make all kinds of incense medicine to avoid the plague.”

Hearing Bai Kui say that the incense shop was already operational, Yu Youyao heaved a sigh of relief.

Only with a well-equipped incense shop could they quickly avoid the plague and incense medicine in the most efficient way.

Bai Kui’s expression also became much more serious. “I’ll contact the merchants who supply spices and medicinal herbs later and get them to supply a large number of spices and medicinal herbs to make the incense medicine shop. We’ll start making the incense medicine tonight.”

Hearing Bai Kui’s certainty, Yu Youyao felt relieved again. “Three hundred people are still too few. In my name, hire more temporary workers to speed up the production. It’s not difficult to make incense medicine to avoid the plague, and the requirements aren’t high. Considering that the incense making process is more complicated, we can separate the steps to make incense. We can deal with the medicinal herbs, grind them, sieve the powder, match them, and so on. We can hand the tasks over to different people to be in charge. Let them focus on only one task and not divert their attention. Then, we can form a large-scale production line and speed up the production.”

Bai Kui thought for a moment and felt that this method was feasible. “I’ll contact Butler Wen again and ask him to help hire a group of people. I’ll discuss in detail with Qing Xiu and the incense masters from the incense shop later.”