Chapter Fifty-Nine: Summer Refreshments

Don’t be fooled by how highly regarded the two young maids were in the courtyard; within the entire Zhen household, many people dismissed them as mere bed-warming girls, and not even particularly attractive ones at that. No one truly took them seriously. So when Zhen Qian suggested that Xiao Mei confront Steward Xing, she was immediately overcome with dread and hesitation.

Zhen Qian grinned and said, “It’s fine if you don’t dare.”

Xiao Mei’s face flushed with embarrassment. In the past, she’d never have dared act so boldly under Zhen Qian’s watch. But now that he was clearly regarding her and Xiao Zhu as his concubines, she felt a simmering resentment. “Why wouldn’t I dare? Tomorrow I’ll go argue with Steward Xing!”

It was less persuasion, more provocation.

Since her last run-in with Steward Xing over daily expenses, Xiao Mei had kept her distance. Yet now he was causing trouble again. If she didn’t react, it would seem suspicious.

Of course, Xiao Mei had no idea that Zhen Qian wanted her to make a fuss. As long as he himself didn’t step in, things wouldn’t escalate. This wasn’t the time for him to act directly; by sending Xiao Mei, he’d let Steward Xing believe he was out of options and nothing to worry about.

At that moment, Xiao Zhu returned from the storeroom with the ice chest. It was a large wooden box, two feet square and double-layered. The outer layer held ice, while the inner layer kept fruits and drinks cool—essentially, it worked on the same principle as an icebox from later centuries.

“So big?” Zhen Qian was startled by the size.

Xiao Zhu shrugged. “This is the smallest one. The Xing family’s is twice as large and takes four strong men to carry.”

Zhen Qian recalled seeing a wooden ice chest from the Qing dynasty in a museum—a primitive refrigerator, the guide had called it, used for storing wine and food. He’d wanted to examine its inner workings but couldn’t see clearly from afar. Now, seeing a Tang dynasty ice chest up close, he couldn’t help marveling at the ingenuity of the ancients.

“Fetch several buckets of water and a copper basin. I’ll show you two a magic trick.”

The two young maids had no idea what Zhen Qian was up to. Their curiosity was piqued, but they knew better than to ask; this wasn’t the first time he’d pulled such mysterious antics.

When saltpeter dissolves in water, it absorbs a great deal of heat, lowering the water’s temperature—sometimes even freezing it. It’s said that late in the Tang dynasty, researchers experimenting with gunpowder noticed this phenomenon. By the Song dynasty, merchants were using it to make ice and frozen desserts in summer, even adding fruit, milk, and sugar to create a simple form of ancient ice cream.

Sugar in the Tang era was a luxury, dull and yellowish rather than sparkling white. Frosted sugar was even more precious, seldom seen even in wealthy homes like the Zhen’s. Zhen Qian had hoped to make a fortune by refining sugar, but when Wang Qun investigated, he discovered there were scarcely more than a dozen piculs of sugar for sale in the entire city—so little Zhen Qian could barely believe it.

As it turned out, sugar wasn’t in high demand in Hebei, and most came from southern regions, making transportation difficult. Merchants preferred selling it in the imperial capitals rather than bringing it north, so the market in Hebei never developed, and few were willing to sell sugar there.

In the Tang dynasty, the main beverages weren’t tea, but dairy—cow, goat, and horse milk were abundant. Households like the Zhen’s drank fresh goat and horse milk daily and occasionally cow’s milk as well.

The two maids watched, thunderstruck, as a basin of cool well water gradually froze under Zhen Qian’s hands. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they’d have screamed in disbelief.

“It’s really freezing!” Xiao Zhu dipped her fingers into the forming ice crystals, her face full of wonder. “So cold! It’s really freezing!”

Xiao Mei scooped half a bowl of the icy water and tasted it. Her eyes blazed with excitement. “Master, you can make ice in summer—did you learn some immortal art in your dreams?”

“Shh!” Zhen Qian quickly gestured for silence. He had no wish to be mistaken for a charlatan. “This is a secret, just between the three of us. No one else must know.”

Whether the girls believed he was a disciple of the immortals, only they knew. Such wild stories might fool these innocent girls, but in the Tang dynasty, Taoism was the state religion and the pursuit of immortality an obsession. Many emperors died from consuming longevity elixirs. If anyone suspected Zhen Qian of sorcery and word reached the emperor, he might soar to power overnight—but when the ruse was exposed, his entire family would be implicated.

The girls nodded fervently, their hearts burning with excitement. Seeing Zhen Qian conjure up new marvels time and again, they grew ever more convinced his supposed memory loss hid something mystical.

Watching Xiao Mei happily drinking the ice water, Zhen Qian thought of the cold drinks of later times. He had the girls fetch sugar and milk, then ordered someone to cook mung beans and red beans, and gathered fresh fruit. In short order, they had two large basins of chilled beverages. Lacking proper molds, they simply used an ice pick to break up the frozen drinks, then had the girls share them with others in the courtyard.

As expected, it wasn’t long before Wang Qun and several old retainers arrived, their faces a mix of astonishment and disbelief.

“Master, did you really make this cold drink?” Wang Qun asked.

Since Zhen Qian had sent the girls to share the drinks, he knew they’d come to inquire. He replied solemnly, “While searching for the ice chest with Xiao Zhu and Xiao Mei, I noticed that pouring saltpeter into water caused it to freeze. That gave me the idea to make ice. Since you’re here, what do you think of the taste?”

All eyes fixed on Zhen Qian, the atmosphere growing subtle. Fooling them once or twice was one thing, but three or four times? Wang Qun and the others weren’t fools. Finally, Wang Qun coughed quietly and said, “Let’s keep this to ourselves. Master, it’s best not to let the main house know; I’ll tell the others not to spread it around.”

Wang Qun was at a loss for words. First, Zhen Qian had suddenly mastered cookery and invented new techniques, then brewing, now making ice with saltpeter—who knew what would come next.

Chrysanthemum, clutching a large bowl of ice, crunched away as her eyes darted mischievously at Zhen Qian. “Master, you didn’t do all this just for a bit of fun, did you? If you deny it, we won’t believe you in future.”

Wang Qun and the others didn’t believe Zhen Qian invented this for amusement. “It’s a fine thing, but surely you’re not planning to sell it?”

“What if we did? How do you think it would sell?” Zhen Qian didn’t deny it. As Wang Qun had pointed out, if word spread within the Zhen household, it could be problematic, but outside was a different matter.

“Are you planning to sell this at Drunken Immortal Restaurant?”

“That’s my idea, but I’m not sure if people will accept it,” Zhen Qian admitted.

Wang Qun’s expression grew serious. “Master, what about the cost? If it’s expensive, few will buy it.”

Saltpeter itself was costly, and storing ice from winter to summer even more so. If it was expensive and complicated to make, high profits wouldn’t matter.

Since those present were trusted, Zhen Qian spoke openly. “If we look only at the ice-making, saltpeter seems expensive, but it’s reusable and costs little. Add milk, sugar, fruit, and so on, and the cost rises, but spread over a large basin of drinks, it’s less than fifty or sixty coins—maybe even lower. Each basin makes fifty or sixty bowls, so even at three or five coins a bowl, that’s three to five times the cost. What do you think?”

“The price is that low?” Chrysanthemum asked in disbelief.

“Don’t believe me?”

Chrysanthemum shot him a look. “You’re not lying?”

Zhen Qian spread his hands, feigning innocence. “Believe what you want. I have no reason to lie.”

She huffed, rolling up her sleeves in mock threat. “Of course I don’t believe you! Who would believe you can make ice in summer with saltpeter? Why don’t you show me again?”

“Forget it—your provocation is too obvious. I won’t fall for it.” Zhen Qian saw through her ploy—she just wanted more cold drinks. Turning to Old Wang, he said, “These drinks aren’t just for Drunken Immortal Restaurant. We can sell them in bamboo tubes for passersby to take home, making our name even better known. I also thought we could offer take-out dishes; anyone hosting guests could order from us and have food delivered. That way, even if the restaurant is small and can’t seat many, it won’t matter. What do you think?”