TATSD Chapter 37

Ji Wei wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about tea. In his previous life, most of the tea he drank was gifted by others.

When he got home, he opened the paper package and poured out the tea leaves, which were quite dark in color. The leaves were small and tightly rolled, with a golden fuzz visible when held up to the light. After tinkering with it for a while, he realized it was a rare black tea.

Ji Wei was more accustomed to drinking foreign black teas, as people generally drank green tea in the country. However, he had been gifted domestic black tea before—premium Jin Jun Mei, known for its sweet and refreshing taste, quite different from foreign black teas.

Casually, Ji Wei brewed a pot of tea and wandered around the bustling courtyard, holding a cup in hand.

The work in the courtyard had become quite steady. A group worked in the morning, and a second group in the afternoon, each shift lasting about an hour and a half, after which they would go home to rest.

After several days of labor, everyone had become skilled at their tasks, performing them with ease, and the efficiency had improved significantly. The workers had become familiar with one another, fostering a camaraderie akin to that of soldiers. As they worked, they would chat, making the atmosphere lively.

Compared to the early days, when they were only allowed to focus on their tasks, Ji Wei had relaxed the rules now that they had gained experience, ensuring they didn’t grow too bored with their work.

Satisfied with what he saw, Ji Wei strolled around the yard. As it was nearing lunchtime, he figured the workers must be getting hungry and decided to make something for them as a reward.

From under the eaves, he grabbed a large jar of goat milk and headed to the kitchen.

There was some glutinous rice at home, rarely used, but kept on hand just in case. Ji Wei measured out a cupful, washed it, and placed it in a pot with some cold water to cook.

Once the water came to a boil, he wrapped half a pack of tea leaves in cheesecloth and tossed it into the pot.

Ji Wei wasn’t a tea connoisseur and had no idea how valuable this tea was—worth hundreds of taels per pound. Just the small amount he was using was worth over ten taels, and it wasn’t easy to come by.

But Ji Wei didn’t care. He used it freely, with no sense of loss.

After boiling for about fifteen minutes, the water had turned a deep red. He then poured the entire jar of goat milk into the pot. The quantity was substantial, so it took a while to heat up.

Of course, no milk tea would be complete without sugar.

Ji Wei, who often made pastries, bought sugar in bulk, ten pounds at a time. After making cookies recently, he hadn’t had a chance to restock, so he emptied the remaining small jar of sugar into the pot.

He waited until the glutinous rice had cooked through and the goat milk began to simmer again. Once the firewood in the stove burned out, Ji Wei fished out the tea bag and tasted the tea. It wasn’t particularly sweet, maybe just half as sweet as usual.

With the addition of a little more water, the flavor of the milk tea was mild but not bland—much better than plain water.

Seeing Liu Yimian busy helping out in the yard, Ji Wei called out for him to take a break and poured him a bowl of milk tea.

As soon as Liu Yimian caught the scent of milk, he frowned. “Brother Ji, didn’t I already have some this morning? Isn’t it just one bowl a day?”

“Try this. If you like it, you can drink milk tea from now on. No more plain goat milk.”

Liu Yimian’s face lit up, and he eagerly accepted the bowl of milk tea.

The tea had a pale red color, steaming hot, and the tea’s fragrance was more prominent than the milk’s, making it much more pleasant to Liu Yimian.

He had planned to hold his nose and drink it, but curiosity got the better of him. He cautiously took a small sip, and his eyes lit up.

The milk’s gamey taste was faint, overshadowed by the tea’s fragrance and sweetness. The milk flavor was well-balanced with the tea, and there was a subtle, familiar taste he couldn’t quite place.

As he drank more, he found small, chewy grains—glutinous rice. With a puzzled look, he asked, “Is this sticky rice?”

Ji Wei praised his keen taste. “Just drinking doesn’t add much fun. You need something to chew on.”

“Go call everyone in from outside to have a bowl if they’re tired or thirsty.”

Hearing that there was food, the workers who had been toiling all morning quickly put down their tools and lined up with their bowls.

The bowls and utensils they had bought previously were far from enough.

In addition to purchasing more, Ji Wei had borrowed quite a few from Aunt Zhou and other neighbors, just barely managing to have enough.

Once everyone had a bowl, they finally realized that it was made with milk.

“Ji Wei is generous, cooking up a big pot of this stuff. How much milk did he use?”

“Yeah, and the wages he pays us are already pretty high.”

“I wonder if he’s making or losing money. He sure spends like water!”

“If it were me, I’d never be this generous. But hey, let’s drink first and worry later.”

With food in their bellies, the workers were even more motivated.

Ji Wei understood the importance of taking care of his workers. He had a good grasp of that concept.

By the time night fell, Ji Wei had even joined in to help with the remaining tasks. After taking care of the goat milk reserves, paying the wages, and sending everyone home with their money, he realized there was nothing left to eat at home.

There weren’t many ingredients left, so Aunt Zhou invited him to her house.

Aunt Zhou had been busy at home while Zhao Hu was out working. She had bought quite a bit of good food to help him regain his strength. As they had mentioned completing all the work that day, she had prepared six dishes to celebrate.

After dinner, the five of them sat around the table chatting.

“Da Lang, I’ve heard people talking—how can you hold back so much?” Aunt Zhou was anxious as if she were the one whose business had been stolen, not Ji Wei.

“You mean the Bun Beauty?”

“Exactly. Whenever I go out to buy vegetables, I hear people talking about her.” Since Aunt Zhou and Ji Wei were close, some well-meaning folks had been urging her to remind him.

“You young people are so easygoing, but you don’t realize how important a good craft can be. It could be something you rely on for life. Do you know Jiu Li Xiang on North Street?”

Ji Wei wasn’t too familiar with the north and south streets, but he had brothers from that area. Sometimes, they would go out to eat together, and Jiu Li Xiang was a well-known tavern.

Of course, he knew it.

“The owner of Jiu Li Xiang isn’t great at many things, but he’s a master at brewing wine. If you compare the food, other places are just as good, if not better. But why is his business thriving? Because his wine is unmatched!”

Seeing that Ji Wei remained calm, Aunt Zhou turned her attention to Liu Yimian, hoping to persuade him.

But no matter what she said, it was useless.

Ji Wei was the decision-maker, and Liu Yimian had complete faith in him.

“Aunt Zhou, don’t worry. I’ve got this. You know I’ve been working on something else recently, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“I’m not planning to make flatbreads anymore.”

At this, everyone at the table turned to look at him.

He hadn’t given any warning—Liu Yimian hadn’t even considered it.

He had made dozens of taels selling those flatbreads, and now he was just giving it up?

Sure, the cookies were profitable, but the investment was huge as well.

Even Zhao Hu, who was normally quiet, couldn’t help but speak up. “You should reconsider.”

“I’ve thought it through. Flatbreads are easy to make, and anyone can learn. If it’s not the Bun Beauty, it’ll be someone else. Auntie, if you’re interested, I can teach you how to make them and sell them yourself.”

Aunt Zhou was stunned. So were Zhao Hu, Zhao Dalong, and Liu Yimian.

“It’s not hard. With me teaching you, don’t worry about not being able to learn.”

Aunt Zhou was tempted, but she held back. She tried to persuade Ji Wei a little more, but Ji Wei just laughed and said, “If Aunt Zhou doesn’t want to learn, I’ll just have to teach someone else.”

“Will having this skill weigh you down or bite you?” Zhao Dalong asked incredulously.

“The skill won’t, but people will,” Ji Wei chuckled, not bothering to explain further. “I see we have some free time now. How about you come to the kitchen with me, Aunt Zhou? I’ll teach you. It’s simple—just flour, oil, and eggs, and that’s it.”

Ji Wei stood up and took a few steps. Seeing that Aunt Zhou hadn’t moved from her seat, he raised an eyebrow. “Auntie, why aren’t you coming?”

“Oh, oh, Dalang, you better think this through,” Aunt Zhou sighed as she stood up and followed Ji Wei, still trying to persuade him.

But Ji Wei had made up his mind, and no one could change it.

In the kitchen, Ji Wei demonstrated once, and then Aunt Zhou followed his example. Whenever she made a mistake, Ji Wei pointed it out, and she would redo it. After repeating the process several times, they made five crispy stuffed pancakes, which finally looked pretty decent.

“They look good. If you’re planning to sell them, Auntie, I can lend you my cart to use for now,” Ji Wei had thought everything through for Aunt Zhou, making her feel a bit embarrassed.

When she brought out a plate of pancakes, she was unusually quiet, not nagging Ji Wei like she usually did.

“I’m heading back with Mianmian now. If you need anything, just come find me,” Ji Wei grabbed the still-dazed Liu Yimian and quickly left.

“Why do I feel like something’s off?” Zhao Hu mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

“It’s not just you; I feel the same way,” Zhao Dalong said, pulling out a tobacco pipe, lighting it, and taking a drag, his face deep in thought.

“Forget it, let’s not overthink. We’ve watched Dalang grow up; he wouldn’t hurt us.” After a while, Aunt Zhou finally let it go and urged everyone to taste the pancakes.

As Ji Wei left Aunt Zhou’s house, he noticed Liu Yimian holding back some thoughts. Ji Wei laughed, “If you have questions, just ask. Why hold it in?”

“You know exactly what I want to ask,” Liu Yimian muttered, clearly upset with Ji Wei’s decision.

“I told you before, these pancakes are simple. Sooner or later, someone would figure out how to make them. When that happens, business will drop, and we’ll be at a disadvantage. It’s better to bow out at our peak and find another way to make a living.”

“But what if—” Liu Yimian started anxiously.

“I know what you’re worried about. It’ll be tough at first, but we’ve made good progress in opening new sales channels. Based on my calculations, once things are on track, we’ll make more in five days than we used to in ten.”

“Really?”

Ji Wei flicked his fingers and knocked Liu Yimian on the head. Liu Yimian yelped in pain, clutching his head and shrinking back, glaring warily at Ji Wei.

“Ji-ge, why did you hit me?”

“That’s for doubting your Ji-ge. You deserved it.”

After returning home, Ji Wei took some time to bake a few batches of cookies. Once they had cooled, he stored them away.

There was some leftover sticky rice milk tea from earlier, and Ji Wei didn’t want it to go to waste. He drank the whole bowl, took a quick shower, and prepared to go to bed.

Liu Yimian had already gone to bed early, wrapped up in a thin blanket, sleeping on the inside of the bed.

The recent days had been exhausting. Even someone as strong as Ji Wei was feeling the strain. Not to mention that Liu Yimian, being smaller and weaker, often fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, curling up into a little ball, looking fragile and pitiful.

Ji Wei blew out the candle and lifted the blanket to get into bed.

He lay on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the canopy of the bed in the dark. It’s not like he could see anything, but his mind just wouldn’t settle down.

He thought about many things.

First, he remembered the humiliation he had endured from Liu Qing and his gang. Then, he thought about how the “Bun Beauty” openly stole his business by selling the same pancakes. And then he recalled how even the servant at the Zhang family’s place dared to give him attitude.

Ji Wei had lived for 31 years. After going abroad to study and enduring all sorts of contempt, he’d eventually earned a living with his skills, winning countless trophies and making a name for himself.

He never expected that after all these years of hard work, he’d have to start all over again.

Ji Wei sighed, deciding to stop thinking about it, and closed his eyes to sleep. But no matter how long he lay there, sleep wouldn’t come. Eventually, he opened his eyes again.

This was bad. He’d had too much tea today.

Some people aren’t affected by tea, but for others, it works instantly.

Ji Wei was the latter.

Whenever he drank tea, it kept him wide awake, and if he drank it in the afternoon or evening, he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

Ji Wei had been like this in his previous life. He never imagined that switching bodies wouldn’t change that. He instantly regretted drinking the tea.

If he didn’t get enough sleep, how would he have the energy to work tomorrow?

He forced himself to close his eyes and started counting sheep in his head. But after several tries, he still couldn’t fall asleep and began tossing and turning in frustration.

His movements grew larger, disturbing Liu Yimian in his sleep. Liu mumbled, turned over, and tugged at the corner of the blanket, sleeping peacefully again.

After turning, his face was now very close to Ji Wei’s—less than an arm’s length away.

Ji Wei quietly stared at his face, studying Liu Yimian by the moonlight streaming through the window.

Being a “ge’er,” Liu Yimian naturally had softer features than a typical man.

When his eyes were open, he looked gentle, and with his eyes closed, he resembled a sleeping child, with long eyelashes, a delicate nose, and slightly parted lips, looking incredibly pitiful and adorable.

“Still thinking…” he mumbled something incoherent, smacking his lips as if he were chewing something in his dream, perhaps dreaming of something delicious.

Ji Wei couldn’t help but chuckle, the sound breaking the silence of the night. He reached out and traced the soft contours of Liu Yimian’s face, finally resting his fingers on his pink lips.

Maybe it was the darkness that made even the smallest thoughts seem larger.

Ji Wei, as if enchanted, gently rubbed Liu Yimian’s lips. Liu seemed to sense something, sticking out his tongue to lick them. Ji Wei instantly pulled his hand back as if shocked, feeling guilty like a thief caught red-handed. He turned over and refused to look again.

What was he doing? Teasing Mianmian?

How could he act like a pervert and do something like that?

Didn’t he despise people like the original owner of his body?

Ji Wei silently cursed himself, scolding himself as a beast. He forced himself to stop thinking about what had just happened and closed his eyes again.

Maybe his desire to sleep was too strong because soon after, he finally drifted off. But the worries he had before bed made his sleep restless.

As they say, “What you think about during the day, you dream about at night.”

Thinking too much inevitably leads to dreaming.

The next morning, Ji Wei climbed out of bed with a dark expression.

Liu Yimian had already woken up, confusedly looking at him.

“Ji-ge, are you feeling alright?” Liu Yimian asked, his voice still hoarse from just waking up. Paired with his messy hair, he had an innocent, boyish charm.

Ji Wei glanced at him, then quickly looked away. He grabbed an outer robe from the rack, pulling it on as he explained, “I just remembered something I need to do. Better to get up early and prepare.”

He hurriedly combed through his hair, ready to rush out the door. But before leaving, he hesitated and came back to say, “Mianmian, with this hot weather, it’s not comfortable for the two of us to squeeze onto one bed. How about tonight, I sleep on the floor? It’s cooler down there, and I’ll be more comfortable.”

Without waiting for a response, Ji Wei left in a hurry, forgetting to close the door behind him.

If Liu Yimian had still been sleepy, that statement would have woken him up completely.

Being sensitive and fragile by nature, it didn’t take much to unsettle him.

Usually, Ji Wei would be careful to watch what he said, but in his current emotional state, he wasn’t thinking clearly and ended up making Liu Yimian anxious.

He racked his brain but couldn’t figure out what had upset Ji Wei. Quickly, he threw off the blanket, put on his shoes, and chased after him without even bothering to comb his hair.