Chapter 383: Secret Recipe

Yang Xun repeatedly adjusted and tasted every beverage, ensuring its medicinal efficacy while also considering its flavor.

In addition to the drinks, he had also designed traditional Chinese medicine sachets and bracelets. He took ingredients that served as both medicine and food, sorted them by their effects, and sewed them into plain cloth bags decorated with delicate tassels and lanyards.

There were ones for calming the nerves and aiding sleep, repelling mosquitoes and bugs, refreshing the mind, and soothing the liver and relieving depression… Each type came with corresponding instructions and precautions.

Additionally, there was a batch of medicated pillows and foot bath packets, also formulated according to various health conditioning needs.

In front of Yang Xun lay an open notebook. Its pages were densely packed with recipe records, and its edges were slightly curled from being flipped through so often.

He picked up a freshly prepared drink in front of him. Through the amber liquid, one could see a few tiny rose petals and goji berries floating inside.

“Hmm, the taste is okay, but the aftertaste is a bit lacking.”

He put down the cup, quickly jotted down a few notes in the notebook, and then took a small porcelain jar from the nearby medicine shelf. He pinched a small amount of licorice root with his fingertips, gently sprinkled it into the cup, added a little honey, and stirred it again.

When Sun Rao pushed the door open and came in, she said somewhat helplessly, “You’ve been in the R&D room for hours. Take a break.”

“We’re opening soon. The taste must be perfect.”

Yang Xun picked up the reformulated drink and took a sip. A hint of satisfaction showed in his eyes and brows. “Hmm, it’s right this time.”

Sun Rao walked up behind him and glanced at the open notebook.

Yang Xun’s handwriting wasn’t beautiful, but it was neat. The name, dosage, and compatibility sequence of each medicinal herb were written clearly.

“How many of these recipes do you have in total?”

“There are currently twenty-four finalized recipes, six for each of the four seasons, categorized based on their different effects.”

Yang Xun put down his cup, picked up the notebook, turned a few pages, and pointed them out to her one by one.

“Besides these eight signature drinks, there are sixteen daily conditioning ones, such as An Meng for sleep, Qingshen for refreshing the mind, and Henuan for nourishing the stomach.”

Although Sun Rao didn’t understand pharmacology, she could tell that the ingredients used in these recipes were quite exquisite and definitely not something thrown together to fool people.

“There are twenty-four kinds of drinks alone, plus the sachets and bracelets. We’ll definitely need to prepare a lot of medicinal herbs. We should contact suppliers in advance to avoid stock shortages.”

“You’re right to remind me. I’ve partnered with Xinglin Hall and will purchase the herbs from them.”

Yang Xun closed the notebook, stood up, and stretched. “I’ve also finalized the recipes for the sachets. There are eight types in total: calming, mosquito repelling, refreshing, dampness removing, nasal clearing, womb warming, stress relieving, and sleep aiding. Each has a specific proportion of traditional Chinese herbs.

“As for the bracelets, I plan to use materials like agarwood, sandalwood, cliff cypress, and lakawood, crafted in a minimalist neo-Chinese style. We’ll display them on the counter to sell as souvenirs.”

He walked over to the nearby display rack and picked up a ready-made sample sachet.

The sachet was the size of a palm, made of plain cotton and linen fabric with shallow bamboo leaf patterns embroidered on it. It felt warm and smooth to the touch.

Leaning in close, one could smell a faint herbal scent—not overpowering, yet inexplicably comforting.

Sun Rao took the sachet and turned it over in her hands. “This smells really nice. Do the medicated pillows use the same ingredients?”

“I’ve designed two types of medicated pillows. One is for calming the nerves and aiding sleep, mainly using Hehuan Flower, Jujube Seed, and lavender. The other is for relieving cervical fatigue, using Mugwort, red flowers, and Chuanxiong.”

Yang Xun’s tone carried a sense of ease and confidence. “However, the shop is just opening, and I’m worried we’ll be too busy. I plan to launch the medicated pillows after the business stabilizes. In the early stages, we’ll focus on sachets and bracelets, which are lighter and easier to handle.”

Sun Rao nodded. Looking at his focused profile, she felt very reassured.

Initially, when Yang Xun asked her to manage the shop, she was somewhat resistant. After all, she was used to a cutthroat life of bloodshed. Suddenly switching careers to shop management was inevitably a bit of an adjustment. Now, watching Yang Xun methodically plan everything with such calm and certainty, she felt she hadn’t chosen the wrong path.

“By the way, help me test the effects of these drinks too.”

Yang Xun turned around and picked up a few small porcelain cups from the table, each containing liquid of a different color. He lined them up in front of Sun Rao. “Haven’t you been complaining about poor sleep lately? Try this cup of An Meng.”

Sun Rao picked up the porcelain cup painted with light cyan patterns and lowered her head to sniff it. A faint scent carrying notes of licorice root and longan drifted up. She took a sip. The warm liquid slid down her throat with a uniquely soothing and moistening sensation. It wasn’t overly sweet, just very comforting.

“How is it?” Yang Xun looked at her, his eyes filled with a bit of anticipation.

“It’s quite delicious. It doesn’t have that heavy traditional Chinese medicine taste. Instead, it’s like a special herbal tea.” Sun Rao took another sip, feeling the warmth slowly sinking down her esophagus, making her relax unconsciously. “And after drinking it, I really feel my whole body loosen up a bit.”

“That’s good.” Yang Xun added another stroke to his notebook, a satisfied smile on his lips. “I’ve adjusted this An Meng recipe seven times, and it’s finally achieved the effect I wanted.”

He took out a printed document from the drawer. It listed the detailed recipes for all the drinks and sachets, including the origin requirements, dosage ratios, production processes, and precautions for every medicinal herb. Everything was written out crystal clear.

“I’ve organized these recipes. We can start training the staff to make the drinks, bracelets, and sachets soon.” He handed the document to Sun Rao, his tone turning a bit more serious. “Depending on their performance, everyone will be assigned a different division of labor to prevent mass recipe leaks. Keep this notebook safe.”

Hearing this, Sun Rao nodded and carefully tucked the notebook into her bag. “Rest assured. I’ll carry it with me. I won’t let anyone touch it.”

“I’ve always been at ease with the way you handle things.” Yang Xun smiled. He picked up his cup of Wen Yan and took a sip. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked, “By the way, how is the training for the newly recruited staff going?”

“It’s already underway. I’ll have them officially start trial operations tomorrow. If you’re not busy, you should meet everyone first. You’re the boss, after all; we can’t have the staff not knowing you on opening day.”

“Alright, then let’s have a brief meeting right now.”

Yang Xun nodded and followed Sun Rao downstairs.

Down in the first-floor lobby of Yangyuan Residence, the eight new employees stood in a row, their eyes uniformly fixed on Yang Xun as he walked down the stairs.

They were all young women in their early twenties, wearing uniform light apricot outfits with their hair neatly tied back. Everyone’s eyes were filled with curiosity and nervousness.

“This is the boss of Yangyuan Residence, Yang Xun,” Sun Rao introduced.

“Hello, Boss!” the eight of them greeted in unison, their voices crisp and synchronized.