Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

While others use well water or tap water that has been settled before boiling it to make milk tea, Zhang Dabiao specially ordered maifan stone and charcoal, creating a seven-layer filtration system to ensure the hygiene of the water source.

Zhang Yaoyang prepared a lot of fresh evaporated milk, black tea, fruit, tapioca pearls, taro balls, and coconut jelly.

Especially the taro balls and coconut jelly, they are made to order. The milk tea is made at the front of the counter, and the pearls, taro balls, coconut jelly, and cream are made in front of everyone at the back.

1. Pearl (Brown Sugar Flavor)

1. Combine 100g tapioca starch, 80ml boiling water, and 20g brown sugar. Pour the boiling water over the brown sugar and mix in the tapioca starch while it's still hot. Knead into a smooth dough.

2. Roll into thin strips, cut into small pieces, roll in a thin layer of flour to prevent sticking, boil in boiling water for 10 minutes, simmer for 5 minutes, and then rinse with cold water;

II. Taro Balls (Purple Sweet Potato/Taro Flavor): —

1. Steam purple sweet potato/taro until cooked and mash (100g each). Add 80g tapioca starch and a small amount of warm water to each, and knead into a non-sticky dough.

2. Roll the dough into strips, cut into small pieces, roll in rice flour, boil in boiling water until they float, simmer for 3 minutes, then rinse with cold water for a chewy texture;

III. Coconut Jelly

1. Combine 500ml coconut milk, 30g white sugar, and 8g agar. Soak the agar in cold water until softened, then simmer with the coconut milk and white sugar over low heat until the agar dissolves.

2. Pour into a food storage container and let cool and solidify. Cut into small cubes, add sugar syrup, and refrigerate to marinate and flavor.

It's not that difficult, since Zhang Dabiao's NAS has all sorts of popular online recipes.

At this time, Hong Kong-style milk tea in Hong Kong is based on the fusion of pure tea and milk. It is a classic choice in tea restaurants and ice rooms, and is only available in hot or cold versions without any added ingredients. Street-side herbal tea shops and dessert shops may make sweet soup with taro and other ingredients separately, but they will never add it to milk tea.

Where had they ever seen anything like this before?

Isn't this a heretical path?

The second floor houses the bakery and material storage area, while the third floor contains staff dormitories and a material warehouse.

The backyard houses the water filtration system and the owner, Roy Cheung's, log cabin.

It looks very high-end, but looking at the menu—it's even more damn high-end!

Extremely expensive!

Pure milk tea, 4mm medium cup! 6mm large cup. Comes with a disposable plastic cup, can be covered and has a straw for takeaway, and comes in a special plastic bag.

I didn't make chilled lemonade because it's winter now.

Jasmine Milk Green Tea - 7ml medium, 1 large;

Bubble tea - 1 yuan for a medium cup, 1 yuan for 5 large cups;

Taro ball milk tea, coconut jelly milk tea, red bean milk tea and pearl milk tea are the same price;

Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea, Cheese Milk Foam Four Seasons Spring Tea, and Snow King Snow Top Coffee are 1 yuan for a medium cup and 5 yuan for a large cup!

This price doesn't take into account what "affordable" means at all; a regular milk tea in Hong Kong costs 3 cents a cup!

Nine different milk tea flavors have been launched!

However, the cheapest pure milk tea is only 1 cent more expensive than the kind sold at tea stalls, mainly to offset the cost of the plastic cups.

You can choose between 3% or 5% sugar.

Neighbors exclaimed that Cheung Yiu-yeung was obsessed with money and that he was robbing people.

Zhang Dabiao remained silent—[I came here to rob you anyway, and I'll give you a cup of milk tea that's practically standard for today, so you can taste the sweetness and broaden your horizons—]

I'm loyal, aren't I?

Cakes – Pineapple buns, cocktail buns, sausage/ham buns, pig biscuits, dinner rolls, red bean buns, lotus seed paste buns, coconut buns, paper-wrapped cakes –

Zhang Dabiao didn't know what sold best; whatever was available on the market, he would either buy it or make it himself.

Add 2 milligrams of butter and 4 milligrams of chocolate.

Anyway, there are many varieties, and the prices are also high.

However, Mixue Ice Cream also offers set meals, such as the Pure Milk Tea + Pineapple Bun Set Meal No. 1, which costs only 7 cents, no different from the tea stall; the Jasmine Milk Green Tea + Pineapple Bun Set Meal No. 2, which costs only 1 yuan; and the Pearl Milk Tea + Chocolate/Creamy Pineapple Bun Set Meal No. 3, which costs 1.5 yuan...

There are cheap ways to eat it and expensive ways to eat it; the main focus is on a variety of choices and free combination.

Some neighbors did give it a try. It was a bit expensive, but not outrageously so. It was about the same price as a bakery, and it looked more modern.

Once you pay, the cashier will announce, "One set meal, number 1," and then give you a slip with a stamp. You then use the slip to queue up and collect your meal.

The other server also has a slip of paper. If it matches yours, they will pack it up for you or give you a plate, or even deliver it to your seat. You can dine in or order takeout.

You can watch the operators making milk tea right in front of you from the counter, while the bread is brought down from upstairs, and butter is added on the spot if you need it.

There's also a hand-pressing machine. It presses the tea leaves in a single-use plastic seal. If you don't want that, you can choose a lid. Then they'll hand you a straw. Use a thin straw for pure milk tea and a thick straw for drinks with pearls, taro balls, or coconut jelly. They also remind you that they use 60-degree water, which is neither too hot nor too cold, so you can drink it directly.

Anyway...

Putting aside how delicious the drinks and food were, their attitude alone was something they had never seen before.

Streamlined, efficient, clean, with smiling service and thoughtful touches.

In a daze, I completed the order, paid, and picked up the goods in less than a minute.

The neighbors tried it, and the milk tea and bread were indeed quite good.

It's not exactly high-end, but the whole purchase process was still very pleasant.

Police officer Ah Long, gangster Xiao Huangmao, and Lou Yufan and others also came to the scene, watched for a long time, and estimated the turnover.

A typical tea stall should sell around 2-300 cups of milk tea a day. Even though Zhang Yaoyang's stall is so big, and the customer flow seems high in the morning, it's only about 300 cups, so it's only 6-800 cups a day.

But compared to the investment he made in "Mixue Ice Cream"... he couldn't even recoup his costs.

Everyone shook their heads, bought a few things as a token of their support, and then went about their own business.

Patrolman Ah Long brought back several cups of brown sugar pearl milk tea, cheese milk foam Four Seasons Spring tea, and medium-sized Snow King coffee with snow topping to the police station. Their superior, the Englishman from Sai Wan, was drinking coffee and wanted to take some back to try. It was also his turn to bring something back to share with his colleagues today, as is the rule at the police station. Fortunately, although the prices were high, Zhang Yaoyang, Ah Xiang, and the others knew him and didn't charge him; it was a free gift.

As Ah Long walked, he calculated how much tribute he would have to collect from them.

The shop is about the size of two ice cream parlors. An ice cream parlor should charge 300 yuan a month, but "Mixue Ice Cream" will charge 1000 yuan a month.

Who told them to overestimate their abilities?

Let's collect as much as possible before the company goes bankrupt, and then use the excuse of a surprise inspection to collect another sum. That's how we'll do it.

The British sheriff took a sip of a Snow King coffee with a snow-topped cap, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Not bad."

That's all. What hasn't he drunk?

Lou Yufan was drinking and chatting with Zhang Yaoyang in the store, saying that this wouldn't work, the prices were too high, and it would only be slightly better for the first few days after opening, but it would not work again after a few days.

The elders of Agongyan Village also advised Zhang Yaoyang that he should focus on small profits and quick turnover, and that it would be best to do some promotions a week before the opening.

Zhang Yaoyang (Zhang Dabiao) also had a headache. "I'm here to make money. If I'm going to run a roadside stall, why would I bother with such a big shop?"

In the end, Roy Cheung compromised: "Let's open for three days first and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, we can do some promotions or lower prices."

In fact, it is a big no-no to lower prices and promote sales after opening for business, as that is tantamount to admitting defeat.

But Mixue Ice Cream has already opened, so we have to grit our teeth and keep going.

Could it be true, as the old almanac says, that today is an inauspicious day for everything?

Roy Cheung was having a bit of a headache.