Among the serious criminals in Li Country, there were many involved in human trafficking, murder, and arson. Qi Huan didn't dare to use such people.
On the other hand, she didn't want to use them either.
In her heart, none of these crimes were forgivable.
Those who murdered with malice deserved to pay with their lives.
Those who trafficked women and sold children not only ruined the lives of the victims but also destroyed entire families behind them. These criminals didn't deserve any sympathy.
She believed that good deeds should be rewarded and evil punished.
She wouldn't compromise her conscience just to save a bit of money by letting these deserving criminals work in her bright and clean garment factory, doing easier jobs.
They should be in dark, damp prisons, facing iron bars, living with rats, experiencing the suffering of their victims.
After hearing her thoughts, the system remained silent.
The room grew quiet. Qi Huan got up and opened the window, letting in sunlight and a gentle breeze.
She had closed all the doors and windows earlier to unpack her deliveries.
As she suddenly opened the window, she startled Yan Qing and Tao Su who were waiting outside.
"My lady, shall we serve the meal?"
"Yes, please."
After eating her fill, Qi Huan took out the bubble tea toppings she had just received and asked Tao Su to find some cane sugar, milk, and Zhengshan Xiaozhong (an ancient type of black tea).
By the time all the ingredients were ready, it was already late afternoon.
At this time, the cooks and servants were resting.
Qi Huan led Tao Su and Yan Qing to the back kitchen. Yan Qing put down the basket of ingredients, and Tao Su instinctively prepared to start the fire.
"Qing Qing, go guard the door first."
"Yes, my lady." Yan Qing obeyed.
One can never be too careful. Book Language and Cloud Lark were cautionary tales. Qi Huan was worried that someone might see the recipe and leak it.
Although experienced masters would eventually figure out the milk tea recipe by tasting it, she still hoped to delay that as much as possible.
Qi Huan took a ladle and added some water to the pot, cooking all the toppings one by one for later use.
While preparing the ingredients, she brewed a pot of black tea.
When everything was ready, she looked down at Tao Su in front of the stove and instructed, "Turn the fire to low."
Then, she added cane sugar to the pot, constantly stirring with the spatula until it melted into a golden-brown syrup.
As the temperature rose and steam began to rise from the pot, she poured in the milk, cooking and stirring continuously, finally adding the brewed black tea.
A sweet and rich aroma wafted up, indicating that the milk tea seemed to be ready...
However, Qi Huan wasn't confident.
In both her past and present lives combined, this was her first time making milk tea.
As the name suggests, milk tea must have milk and tea.
Additionally, it needs sugar, otherwise where would the sweetness come from?
So, she experimented with the simplest version of milk tea.
Qi Huan ladled out a bowl and nervously tasted it.
...Although it couldn't compare to the milk tea from her previous life, the taste was quite acceptable.
She poured the milk tea into a porcelain pot and placed it in a food box along with bowls of toppings.
However, the tapioca pearls still had some white spots in the center...
She scooped some up with a spoon and tasted them.
Blech, they weren't fully cooked.
Tapioca pearls were harder to cook. In the same amount of time, all the other toppings were done, but these were only half-cooked.
"Tao Su, boil another pot of water."
After cooking the tapioca pearls for the second time, instead of taking them out immediately, she covered the pot and let them steam for a while.
Sure enough, this time was much better. The pearls were clear and translucent.
She tasted them again, and they were fully cooked.
She turned around cheerfully, only to meet two pairs of eager eyes.
Tao Su's gaze was fixed on the food box. She really wanted to taste it too.
When the county magistrate's milk tea shop opened, she would definitely sneak out to support it.
Her curiosity was just that strong~
Yan Qing, while vigilantly guarding the kitchen, was sniffing the air intently.
Even if she couldn't drink it, at least she could smell it.
"Alright, you two get some bowls and help me taste it. How's the flavor?"
"Don't flatter me, be honest, okay?"
Both of them nodded in unison and quickly found porcelain bowls, offering them with both hands.
Seeing the two bowls suddenly thrust towards her, Qi Huan chuckled, realizing their movements looked like zombies begging for food...
Snapping back to reality, she asked, "These are the toppings. Take a look and tell me which ones you want?"
They replied in unison, "All of them!"
Except for the red beans, they hadn't seen any of the others before, so of course they wanted to try them all.
Qi Huan thought this made sense, so she used a spoon to add toppings for them, then slowly poured in the milk tea.
In her past life, people drank milk tea from cups, but now they were using white porcelain bowls...
At this moment, Yan Qing interrupted her thoughts.
"My lady, it's delicious!"
Yan Qing loved sweets and had absolutely no resistance to milk tea.
Seeing her finish first and give a positive review, Tao Su was instantly filled with a competitive spirit.
"My lady, it's extremely delicious!"
She added the words "extremely" to strongly express her admiration.
However, remembering what the county magistrate had said earlier about giving honest feedback, she truthfully added, "For me, it's a bit too sweet. Also, the taro balls feel like eating dough dumplings, which I personally don't like very much."
After receiving her feedback, Qi Huan furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, then mused, "I see."
"In the future, we can make milk tea with half sugar, less sugar, and other sweetness levels."
"Also, the toppings can be optional, added or not added as desired."
With that said, they carried the food box to let the Song family members taste it.
Old Lady Song already had a sweet tooth, and after drinking a bowl, she almost asked them to leave the entire pot.
In the end, Qi Huan had to persuade her:
"Grandmother, although milk tea is good, you shouldn't indulge too much."
"Controlling sugar intake can improve your skin and overall health. Although eating sugar makes you happy, it should be in moderation..."
Old Lady Song nodded, but then said, "Huan Huan, leave another bowl. When your grandfather returns, let him try it too."
Beside her, Nanny Wu saw through Old Lady Song's intentions at a glance.
The milk tea wouldn't last until Old Master Song returned.
Old Lady Song would say, "You don't like sweets, so I'll solve this 'problem' for you."
Coincidentally, Old Master Song returned early that day.
To support his granddaughter, he drank it all in one go without a word, completely ignoring Old Lady Song's meaningful glances.
"Not bad," Old Master Song said habitually. Then, dazzled by Huan Huan's smile and reminded of his daughter, his voice softened a bit more: "Very good."
"Thank you, Grandfather," Qi Huan said, her eyes crinkling with joy.
So men liked to drink milk tea too!
At Qingxi Courtyard, Elder Master Song also gulped down a large bowl.
He loved anything that tasted good!
As for Song Jingcheng, he was curious. He wondered why Young Madam Song's smile was so sweet after drinking the milk tea.
He sipped most of a bowl while watching his wife's radiant face: "It's very sweet."
After everyone in the Song family had tasted it, Qi Huan passed by Qingfeng Court, her expression slightly hesitant.
She had intended to keep her distance from Ximen Ye, but with the Song family servants watching, it would be improper to deliberately skip the second young master of the Song family.
She paused in front of the courtyard and said to Tao Su, "Take what's left for your Zhu Yan to taste."
Tao Su's cheeks flushed pink, her eyes brimming with shyness and joy, deeply moved as she said, "My lady, you're so good to me. Is this what they call... loving the house and its crow?"
Because of her, Zhu Yan could also benefit.
She picked up the food box and cheerfully knocked on the courtyard door. When she looked back, she saw that the county magistrate had already returned to Qinghuan Court.
Hearing her chattering with Zhu Yan under the corridor, Ximen Ye set aside the parrot he had been playing with and pretended to take a stroll, walking out of his room.
