Chapter 64 - Did Xiao Hanzheng know that you were such a spendthrift

Bai Xu had been sitting and waiting for a while.

“You’re finally back.”

If it weren’t for the difference between men and women, he would have taken the initiative to look for Shi Qingluo, which might cause other villagers to gossip about her.

Shi Qingluo walked over and sat down in front of him. “What’s the matter?”

Bai Xu was speechless when he saw her leaning back lazily.

This woman didn’t even ask about his sales of white sugar?

Was she too confident in it, or was she too ambitious?

However, he still took the initiative and said, “I’ve collected all the yellow sugar that I could in the past half a month and sent the white sugar that I’ve produced to the capital.

“They replied via letters that white sugar is very popular among the aristocratic families in the capital.”

Shi Qingluo looked indifferent. “That’s a must.”

Anyway, her share of the profits would only start next month.

“You raised the price and repackaged it. Other than having better taste, the most important thing for these consumers was that they were eating something scarce. This represents their status.”

Otherwise, the aristocratic families couldn’t eat white sugar for 3 meals everyday, right?

Therefore, white sugar’s quality assurance and packaging were on par with their social status.

From the very beginning, they sold white sugar at a high price to the aristocrats and did not target the commoners.

The price would only drop after the sale quantity was so huge that it became a common household item.

However, it was impossible for its price to drop in a short period of time.

Bai Xu chuckled. “As expected, you forecasted correctly.”

Xiao Hanzheng’s wife was capable and knowledgeable.

She was better than many men he knew.

Shi Qingluo went to the small red clay stove and picked up the tea set to brew Gongfu tea.

There was no Gongfu tea in this era, but she liked drinking it in modern days.

That day, she had unintentionally told her husband that she would return to the county town with a set of custom-made tea sets a few days later.

She poured a cup for Bai Xu and another for herself.

She drank it leisurely. “I’m just waiting for you to deliver my share of the profits next month.”

She would definitely not short change herself when she had the financial capabilities.

That day, after receiving a thousand taels from Bai Xu, she went to buy some good tea.

This was the first time Bai Xu had seen someone brew tea like this.

When she lifted the cup, he saw that the tea was bright, and greenish clear.

The fragrance of the tea was also strong.

He took a sip. Not only was it delicious, but it tasted better than the tea he usually drank.

It was very refreshing.

“I didn’t know that you know how to brew tea.”

He asked, “What kind of brewing method is this?”

Shi Qingluo replied, “This is called Gongfu tea.”

“Why is it called Gongfu tea?” It was the first time Bai Xu had heard of this name.

Shi Qingluo explained, “Because the way to brew this tea is very particular. It requires a certain amount of effort to brew it.”

Bai Xu nodded. “Now that you mention it, it’s true.”

Earlier on, he had seen Shi Qingluo brewing tea with ease and elegance.

If not for her unflashy attire and sallow and frail appearance, he would have thought that she was a noblewoman from the capital.

“Tell me, what are the benefits of this Gongfu tea?”

Hence, Shi Qingluo started chatting with Bai Xu about tea.

Not only was she well-versed in tea, she was also an expert in it. Bai Xu was shocked.

If this woman was so amazing, how amazing must that old immortal be!

Bai Xu smiled and said, “Can I learn how to make Gongfu tea?”

She made the tea very elegantly.

It was very suitable for him to brew tea while chatting with his friends or business partners.

Shi Qingluo smiled nonchalantly. “Sure. Go and get a special tea set. I’ll teach you now.”

Bai Xu’s interest piqued. “Thank you.”

The two of them chatted as they sipped their tea.

Bai Xu had roughly learned how to brew Gongfu tea.

He was planning to go back to the county town today and order the tea set.

He would invite his friends for a gathering in the next few days to show off.

After learning how to brew Gongfu tea, Bai Xu impatiently pointed at the three-coloured chrysanthemum in the courtyard. “Did you cultivate this?”

Previously, he didn’t believe her when she said that she could cultivate a chrysanthemum and camellia into several colours.

How could a single stalk of flower have different colours? This was simply wishful thinking.

However, reality slapped him again.

He had just exchanged information about tea with Shi Qingluo, so he didn’t dare to look down on her anymore.

Shi Qingluo chuckled. “Of course, I’m the one who cultivated it. Is your face hurting a little?”

Bai Xu was speechless. Can you be a human?

He was especially curious. “How did you cultivate this chrysanthemum?”

Shi Qingluo raised her eyebrows. “It’s a secret technique, do you understand?”

This was a skill that she used to earn a living, so she wouldn’t share it with others.

At least for now.

Bai Xu burst into laughter. “Alright, I won’t ask you how to cultivate it. I’ll just ask how you are selling it.”

Shi Qingluo poured him another cup of tea. “How much do you think it’s worth?”

Bai Xu retorted, “This isn’t the only one you can cultivate, right?”

Shi Qingluo curled her lips. “It depends on the price. If the price is good, then there’s only one, very unique when the buyer bought it.

“If the price is average, then there will be ten or a hundred stalks.”

Bai Xu wondered, her emotions were waiting for him here.

“Are you thinking too much about money?”

He added, “You are an elementary scholar’s wife. There’s a high chance that you will be a high scholar’s wife or even a higher position in the future.”

Shi Qingluo rolled her eyes at him. “Whoever’s wife also needs to eat.

“I’m in need of money. Stop beating around the bush and just give me a price.

“You can admire it yourself or send it to the capital to sell to other people. It has nothing to do with me.”

Bai Xu was speechless. “Didn’t I give you 1,000 taels of silver previously? I heard that you received 600 taels of silver from the Wu family. Isn’t that enough for you to eat and drink?”

Shi Qingluo said matter-of-factly, “Who would complain about having too much money?

“Building my new house needs hundreds to thousands of taels of silver. Besides, I still have a few workshops to build. These are all my expenditures!”

She was prepared to build her new house in one go, so she wanted a bedroom with solid wood flooring and a living room paved with marble.

Floor tiles weren’t invented yet, except for marble.

However, marble was very expensive.

If she were to lay all of it with marble, her young husband estimated that just the marble alone would cost a few hundred taels of silver.

It was easier for them to get solid wood flooring. She could just chop it up from the mountains.

Therefore, she wanted to open a floor tile factory or sell this technology.

This would lower the cost of laying the tiles, which was also more convenient than laying marble.

Bai Xu was speechless. “Why did you build such an expensive house in the village?”

The better houses in the county only cost a few hundred taels.

The Bai family’s mansion only cost over a thousand taels of silver. This woman was really ambitious.

Shi Qingluo took a sip of tea. “Of course it’s for sheer pleasure. Otherwise, why would I want to earn so much money?”

She added matter-of-factly, “I earn money to spend it.”

Bai Xu gasped, did Xiao Hanzheng know that you were such a spendthrift?

“You’re amazing.” He didn’t know what to say.

“I’m just curious. Why did you need so much money to build a house in the village?” He really couldn’t figure it out.

Shi Qingluo didn’t want to share it with him. “You’ll know it when I’m done.”

She only discussed this with her young husband. After all, it was their new home.

It was pointless to talk about it with Bai Xu.

Bai Xu looked at her. He clearly felt that she was despising her.

He pursed his lips. “Alright, I’ll wait and see what kind of house you can build.”

Shi Qingluo replied, “You’ll probably be envious, and it’ll be an eye-opener.”