Chapter 511. Iced Desserts in the Heat of Summer (2/2)
The structure of this shop was similar to Zhenxiu Restaurant and it had three stories in total. The cold storage was placed in the inner courtyard, while the first floor was the front of the shop and the main hall. It was renovated to look simple yet elegant, and the tables were all simple, rectangular tables made for pairs and groups of four, six and eight people. Intricate wooden carvings were hung on the snow-white walls and elegance exuded from the simplicity of the design.
The second and third floors consisted only of private rooms, all decorated either lavishly, elegantly, simply or fancily. Ice basins were placed in every private room and it felt as though an air-conditioner was placed in the room. It was a different kind of pleasure that was felt, to be in a cool room during a hot summer’s day.
At this moment, in the ‘Tall Mountain Flowing River’ private room on the third floor, a special customer had ordered three scoops of ice cream—herbal, strawberry and milk flavored respectively. Using a small, wooden spoon, he dug into the ice cream and sighed in praise, “Xiaocao, that little lass, she really doesn’t let go of any opportunity to make a profit. She actually made ice cream! Not to mention, the taste is actually quite good!”
“Your Imperial Majesty, your digestion has not been good lately, so you should eat less of these cold foods.” Although Su Ran was advising others to eat less, he did not follow his own advice at all. A big bowl of ice porridge was placed in front of him. It had peach flavored shaved ice at the bottom while a large amount of honey beans were layered on top, making the dish extremely flavorful and extravagant.
That was right, this mysterious customer was the emperor who had come out in plain clothes. Zhu Junfan dug into the strawberry flavored ice cream and savored the smooth texture of the cold ice cream melting in his mouth. Then, he shot a side-glance at Su Ran, “Chief Steward Su, since when have you become an old mother? So naggy, it really makes people feel fed up! We don’t have digestive problems; it’s just the summer heat! The weather is too hot, having some ice would help cool down the body and work up an appetite. It’s such a pleasure…”
Seeing the emperor enjoying himself, Su Ran shouted out of the room, “Waiter, bring me another set of ice cream. Three scoops of it!”
Downstairs, Yangliu stopped a sweaty Yu Xiaocao the moment she stepped into the shop. Yangliu personally managed this iced desserts shop at the western side of the city that was the largest among all the branches. She also personally made the desserts while a few other servants watched and learned from the side while assisting her.
Yangliu, who was panic-stricken, seemed to have found her pillar of strength once she saw her mistress, and said, “Young Miss, there are two customers on the third floor. I think it’s the one from the imperial palace.”
Yu Xiaocao had her describe the appearance of the two customers. Yangliu thought about it, then said, “The two of them looked to be in their late twenties, and they look extremely handsome! One of them looked very dignified, while the other was ethereal, a little like a wise and virtuous person…”
Yu Xiaocao confirmed the identity of these two customers after hearing Yangliu's description, and she couldn't help but scrunch up her brows, thinking, 'It's such a hot day, why is the emperor parading around outside instead of hiding in his palace? Even more so, he's eating ice! Who would be responsible if he got a stomach ache? This cannot do, I must personally make a special ice cream with added secret ingredients for him.’
She was currently making a sundae. It had snow-white sweet cream flavored ice cream drizzled with strawberry, nectarine and blueberry syrup. The most important part was, the ice cream was made using mystic-stone water. Not only did it improve the texture of the ice cream, but it was also now beneficial to the body instead of being harmful!
Just as she finished crafting it, a waiter from upstairs hopped over, “Head Manager, the esteemed customers on the third floor ordered another set of three scoops of ice cream.”
Yu Xiaocao replied in place of Yangliu, “Alright, we got it! You can head up first; we’ll send it up immediately!”
The waiter was a clever one. Although he had never met the owner before, he could somewhat take a guess from the way Head Manager Yangliu treated Xiaocao, and smiled, “Yes, it’s been hard on you!”
“Not bad! Yangliu, you have quite an eye for people. You should train these girls, soon, they’ll become our dessert shop’s core patissieres. And this waiter, he’s clever and seems genuine.” The frozen dessert shops were established in a flurry, and during those days, Yangliu was at the shop almost every hour of the day. She had lost a few pounds during that period of time.
Yangliu smiled sweetly when she heard her mistress’s praise, “This is because Young Miss has taught me well. You’ve said before, our customers are the Jade Emperor, so we need to treat them with the same respect we give to the gods. This servant only passed on this concept to all our staff in the shop.”
“Well done! No matter what, our customers are our ‘parents’ that feed and clothe us, so we must not slight them in any way. We must let them feel as though they are returning to the comforts of their own homes. Alright, I’ll serve these sundaes to our esteemed customers!” Yu Xiaocao patted Yangliu’s shoulder and exited the production room.
Behind her, Wutong carried the tray and followed her up the stairs to the third floor. Seeing the waiter gesture to the private room labelled ‘Tall Mountain Flowing River’, Yu Xiaocao knocked on the door and said, “Esteemed customers, I’ve come to serve you the iced desserts you’ve ordered!”