Chapter 70: The Ice‑Felling House, No Cattle or Sheep

70. Chapter 70: The Ice‑Felling House, No Cattle or Sheep

A great lady has the virtues of a great lady, and naturally also her flaws.

The simplest matters—what trades on the streets make money, what don't, which districts are profitable, which aren't—are basically beyond the great lady's understanding.

Even if she knows a bit, it's all hearsay.

Shen Yunyao is very clear about herself; she comes from a small place, with limited experience, so the shortcomings she should expose can be displayed openly and boldly.

You want to laugh at me?

Then go ahead and laugh!

That doesn't prove how noble you are; it only shows your character is lacking.

Fine, you can say I'm self‑praising.

But I truly think so!

On the second day after moving into Qinyuan Ju, Shen Yunyao took Cuiyu out for a stroll, led by Grandma Shen and Grandma Ma.

The purpose of the trip was to get a feel for Jingcheng's commerce.

A targeted approach!

The ancient sages said, "One tends horses and mounts, but does not concern oneself with chickens and pigs." The House that Fells Ice does not keep cattle or sheep.

In Dayong, this point is also observed with great care when needed.

The principle boils down to a single maxim: do not compete with the people for profit.

Shen Yunyao's current situation is somewhat unusual.

But as the future wife of the Imperial Uncle, she still needs to guard against the Censors' eloquence.

Rumors in the court grant the Censors the privilege of opening their mouths without thinking, so each of those Censors can truly spew a lot.

And for those who become Censor officials, achieving results is difficult; what they can do is observe minutiae.

Even the tiniest matter, if they notice it, they can certainly pick a bone out of an egg for you.

"Miss, it seems there isn't much we can do, does it?"

After a day of wandering, Cuiyu felt a bit discouraged.

In this vast Jingcheng, she found no shortcomings that the lady herself mentioned. Everything that should be there is present, and the number of shops isn't small either.

"Who says there isn't?"

Before Shen Yunyao went out, she had already guessed that finding an untouched niche in such a mature metropolis would be difficult.

But she still wanted to make the trip, just to see how homogenized similar products are in Dayong Jingcheng.

Sometimes, the entry point can be the differentiation of some best‑selling items.

Or, in other words, striving to create a distinct packaging for the product!

"Let's go, let's head back!"

Shen Yunyao has been looking for so long; she's already seen what needed to be seen.

What remains is the concrete execution.

"Miss, are you satisfied with what you've seen?"

"Shall we look around a bit more?"

"No need, we've seen everything we needed!"

Shen Yunyao tapped Cuiyu's forehead and said, "Aren't you worried about your father, mother, and brothers' assignments in Jingcheng?"

"Now, they're all busy!"

It is a scorching summer now.

Jingcheng does have cold‑drink shops.

But these shops only serve iced water or chilled fruit, and even so, they remain in short supply.

Even a cup of iced water for a copper coin requires a long queue to buy.

Yet even so, these items are still in short supply.

Because the ice cubes were stored from last winter; if not used sparingly, they'll be exhausted quickly.

When Cuiyu and the others heard that Shen Yunyao intended to start a cold‑drink business, they were quite surprised.

"Miss, we don't have any ice here either!"

"Who says there isn't?"

Shen Yunyao chuckled lightly, "Below the courtyard of Qinyuan Ju we dug a massive ice cellar; the stored ice inside is more than enough for us!"

Hearing Shen Yunyao's words, Grandma Shen and Grandma Ma recalled that Qinyuan Ju once belonged to the Imperial Family; even if the emperor seldom visited, everything that needed preparation would have been made.

Otherwise, if the emperor came here in summer, he couldn't possibly bring ice from the palace, could he!

Back at Qinyuan Ju, the group quickly went to see the huge ice cellar and the seemingly endless ice stored within.

"So comfortable!"

"If only we could stay in here forever!"

Cuiyu felt the sudden coolness and couldn't help exclaiming.

In response, Shen Yunyao gave a sharp tap on her head.

"What nonsense are you saying?"

"It's so cold here; in at most fifteen minutes you'll be frozen solid!"

From the scorching summer outside, it does feel refreshing, but staying too long in this low temperature will almost freeze a person to death.

After Shen Yunyao's tap, Cuiyu finally realized what nonsense she'd spoken and, annoyed, hung her head.

After leaving the ice cellar, Shen Yunyao summoned Cuiyu's father Zhao Fugui and her two brothers Zhao Ji and Zhao Xiang.

She instructed them to go to the market and purchase a variety of fruits.

Shen Yunyao prepares to make fruit smoothies for sale.

As for the machine that blends fruit and smoothies, it's not very hard to make either.

Shen Yunyao has once seen a kind of hand‑cranked juicer blender; that thing, as long as an experienced blacksmith works on it, is not difficult to forge.

"The price can be set a bit higher!"

If the price is high, then those who can afford it won't be ordinary commoners.

In Jingcheng, the thing that never lacks is all kinds of nobles.

"Young Lady, doesn't this matter need to be reported to His Majesty?"

Shen Mama is a bit worried, "After all, that stored ice belongs to the Imperial Family."

"No problem, when Princess Huanxi arrives, I'll talk to her!"

"I never intended to run this business alone!"

Eating alone isn't a good habit.

Moreover, she is a newcomer to Jingcheng; if others try to trouble her, she'll be a real hassle.

Calling Princess Huanxi along changes everything.

This younger sister is someone no one dares to pick on.

Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives!

Just as Shen Yunyao mentions Princess Huanxi, Princess Huanxi arrives.

And she's not coming empty‑handed.

She had someone bring two large watermelons that were chilled.

"Qi Jiejie, look, what good thing did I bring you?"

"These were offered from the Western Regions!"

"Offered?"

Shen Yunyao stared in astonishment at the two watermelons, recalling her previous life's memories; indeed, her former self had never seen a watermelon.

"Right, these are tribute from the Western Regions, sent every year, and they're delicious!"

"I've been grinding for my imperial brother for a long time, and he only gave me two—so stingy!"

"No, it's not my imperial brother who's stingy; it's those Western Region people—each tribute brings only a hundred or so watermelons, never enough to share!"

"If you ask me, we should send troops to occupy the Western Regions, so we can eat watermelons whenever we want, and cantaloupes whenever we want!"

Hearing Princess Huanxi's off‑the‑cuff remark, Shen Yunyao felt she might have solved the case.

Historically, the ancestors conquered the Western Regions, perhaps truly just for a bite to eat.

After all, our people are hereditary gourmands.

For a gourmand, nothing is more depressing than having delicacies ahead but being unable to indulge.

Thus, attacking the Western Regions for food is actually quite possible.