Chapter 124: The Ice Workshop

"Am I hearing you correctly, Miss? Do you have any idea how high the price of ice has soared? I am counting on it to make a profit; I cannot possibly sell it all to you." The merchant shook his head immediately, refusing to agree.

"Sir, you cannot look at it that way. Cold, hard cash in hand is what matters most. Besides, the price of ice is already at its peak; if I buy it all at once, you won't have to worry about it anymore," Su Liluo urged. The merchant still shook his head. "Miss, you don't need to try and hoodwink me. The price of ice will certainly go even higher. If I truly cannot sell it, I will just keep it stored in the ice cellar and sell it next year all the same."

The merchant's crafty, calculating gaze amused Su Liluo. Knowing the man was weighing his options, she softened her tone and pleaded, "Sir, why not earn the money when you can? Just sell that ice to me at the current market price. What do you think?"

"No... How about this? I will sell you half, but you must pay me the full amount in silver upfront. What do you say? Otherwise, there is nothing to discuss." After pondering for a long time, the merchant took a step back, his eyes showing a trace of heartache, as if Su Liluo were stripping him of his livelihood.

Su Liluo had spent ages wearing him down to reach this result. Thinking that half was better than nothing, she nodded in agreement. "Fine, half it is. However, I cannot pay the money right now. Prepare the ice, and I will pay you in full when I come to collect it. How does that sound?"

"Agreed. It’s settled then. I have business to attend to in the shop, so I must be off. Just send someone to collect the ice when the time comes." As the merchant hurried back to his store, Su Liluo realized that the money she had on hand was nowhere near enough to buy half the supply. She needed to find someone to put up the capital for her.

"Who can I turn to for a loan? Yun Yanyi? No, I cannot let him get involved... Jiang Nan! Yes, how could I have forgotten him?" Su Liluo stood up, pleasantly surprised. Eager to settle the matter, she immediately sent someone to invite Jiang Nan over.

Jiang Nan arrived at the private room shortly. Seeing Su Liluo’s urgent expression, he asked with a relaxed air, "Manager Su, why the rush to see me today? Is there some good news?"

"Naturally, it is good news. Manager Jiang, I wish to open a shop that serves ice, but I lack the capital to purchase the stock. I was wondering if I could borrow some from you. What do you think?" Su Liluo laid out her entire plan; since she was asking for a loan, she had to be transparent.

"You can eat ice directly? Manager Su truly has many ingenious ideas. I can lend you the money, but I require a share of the profits from the ice shop." Jiang Nan was certainly not one to stand on ceremony. Su Liluo watched as he took advantage of her predicament; she did not want anyone else involved in this shop.

Su Liluo shook her head and said firmly, "No. If you are unwilling to lend it, I will find another way. This shop must belong solely to me; I do not want anyone else holding a stake in it."

Su Liluo spoke with confidence, though she felt a bit panicked inside. Aside from Jiang Nan, she had no idea who else she could turn to—and she would never go to Yun Yanyi.

Seeing that she was not going to budge, Jiang Nan took a step back and changed his tune. "Very well. I will lend you the money, but you must teach me the entire technique for preparing the ice. I will not harm your business; I will open shops outside the capital, using the same model as Xuexiu. What do you think?"

Seeing Su Liluo hesitate, Jiang Nan added, "If you cannot even agree to this, then there is truly no room for negotiation."

Su Liluo struggled for a moment, but eventually gritted her teeth and agreed. "Fine, let it be as you say." After all, she did not have enough capital to open branches across the country anyway, so she might as well do Jiang Nan a favor.

"Manager Su is truly straightforward. Don't worry about the shop; leave it to me. You will only need to give the final approval when the time comes." Jiang Nan gave his word. This saved Su Liluo a great deal of trouble, and she thanked him, "Then I shall have to trouble you, Manager Jiang."

Jiang Nan smiled. "Since when did you start being so polite with me, Manager Su?"

Su Liluo chuckled. "Manager Jiang, you are becoming more and more..." She didn't know how to describe it, but Jiang Nan, not the least bit embarrassed, finished her sentence: "Are you trying to say 'shameless'?"

"That’s not it. I just think you are much more cunning than you used to be." Su Liluo touched her chin, realizing her words might have been inappropriate, and laughed awkwardly. The atmosphere became slightly strained.

Jiang Nan did not expect her to be so blunt; instead of getting angry, he laughed. "My thanks for the compliment, Manager Su. Being 'cunning' just means my image as a businessman has truly left an impression on you."

Seeing that he did not take offense, Su Liluo felt at ease enough to banter with him. They spent a long time discussing their plans, refining the details of the ice shop before they eventually parted ways.

Su Liluo immediately had the money borrowed from Jiang Nan delivered to the ice merchant. Jiang Nan handled the shop's setup single-handedly, and Su Liluo would occasionally receive reports from his staff—the location was secured, the craftsmen were hired. When the decorations were nearly finished, Su Liluo went to take a look and gave Jiang Nan a thumbs-up. "Manager Jiang, you are truly amazing."

Jiang Nan shook his head, modestly replying, "It is but a small matter; it hardly warrants such praise from Manager Su."

Su Liluo’s admiration for him flowed like a mighty river. With all the staff gathered and everything prepared, she chose an auspicious day to open the shop.

At first, nobody knew what the shop was for. When the waiter introduced it as a place to eat ice, people were skeptical, but out of curiosity, they came in to try it, and were instantly hooked.

News spread quickly, and the ice shop soon became famous among the people of the capital. When the nobility heard the news, they too came to sample it. Because ice was so scarce, a bowl of shaved ice was quite expensive, but customers came in an endless stream every day. Checking the shop's accounts, Su Liluo could not stop grinning.

When Princess Anping heard from her maid about a new shop in the capital that sold ice, she found the idea novel and invited Su Liluo to go see it with her. When they met, Su Liluo saw the Princess’s eager expression and asked curiously, "Why does Your Highness look so happy?"

"I have never eaten ice directly before. I've heard others speak of it as something magical, and I've been wanting to see it for myself. Let's go try it and see what it's like," the Princess said, looking at Su Liluo with anticipation.

Su Liluo nodded. "Very well, as you wish, Your Highness." She was secretly delighted; seeing the Princess so enthusiastic, it seemed business was indeed doing well.

The carriage stopped in front of the shop, and the two were assisted down by their maids. The shop was bustling with people, mostly young gentlemen in silk robes and young ladies in fine brocade. Given the high price of ice, only the wealthy could afford such treats.

A curtain hung over the entrance. Once inside, they found it remarkably cool. Most of the tables were occupied, and the waiters darted between them. Seeing the Princess and Su Liluo, a waiter immediately ushered them to a table in the back.

"What would you like to have, guests?" the waiter asked with his head bowed, waiting for their orders.

Looking at the decor, the Princess said directly, "Bring us two servings of your specialty."

"Right away, coming right up!" The waiter hurried to the back kitchen. The Princess admired the interior and whispered to Su Liluo, "Sister Liluo, the owner of this shop is truly brilliant. To come up with such a wonderful idea—I really admire them."

Su Liluo smiled faintly. The Princess was only making idle conversation and did not expect an answer.

The shaved ice was served quickly. After one bite, the Princess exclaimed, "It truly is delicious! It seems the rumors were true; no wonder business is so good. I must pack a few servings to take home so the Princess Mother and the others can try it too."

After they finished, the Princess had the waiter pack a few more servings to take to the carriage. After dropping Su Liluo off at the Prime Minister’s residence and bidding her farewell, she headed toward the Prince of Annan's estate.

The Princess personally delivered a serving to the heir of Annan. After tasting it, he nodded happily, "This is truly excellent. Where did you find this shop, sister?"