Luna de Luzhou

Capítulo 20

Is this still the same old-fashioned, feudal Granny Sun?! This is blatant discrimination!!

She remembered that last time she had just accidentally bumped into the grandson of an old woman who was visiting the Tang Mother's Hospital. The two exchanged brief greetings and introductions, and when she returned, she was lectured all night by Granny Sun, who had received the information.

"How could a girl like you talk to a boy without being introduced by anyone?! What if word gets out and it damages your reputation?!" —Completely ignoring He Suchen's cold sweat...

As soon as He Su Chen stepped into the side hall, he heard the sounds of discussion inside: "If we're going to build a teahouse, we should naturally use a log cabin-style building; otherwise, how will we insulate it from the heat and keep it warm?"

Cui Shiran retorted, "The gardens on the back of Tiger Hill are built in a log cabin style because they are built on flat hillsides and there is plenty of timber. Our garden is in the mountains, so if we used a mortise and tenon style, it would save timber and be more wind-resistant."

"No, although we are short of wood, we are not short of money. Since we want to make good tea, we must use a good environment."

"Although we're not short of money, we still try to save where we can. We're using our own money, so every penny we spend is a penny less. We can renovate it again when we earn more money."

"Build what?" He Suchen asked curiously, watching the two arguing heatedly.

"The melon seeds are here?" He Su Shi then noticed someone standing behind him. "It's nothing. Your brother Zhi Ran and I were just discussing using our private savings to buy a tea garden for fun. Don't tell Granny."

"Tea garden?" He Suchen was puzzled. Why would anyone buy a tea garden? This is not something you can do well just by wanting to. You need to find skilled tea workers, have connections with the government, and know which tea garden to contract. It's extremely troublesome.

Tea leaves grown on different mountains can vary in quality by several grades. Furthermore, tea-making skills are often passed down through families, and some skilled craftsmen are already employed by others. For example, the veteran tea worker in the He family's tea garden earns the same wage as the second-class steward within the household, and his family has been contracted to the He family for generations. Judging from their secretive demeanor, they certainly don't intend to use their family's resources; if they do, it's no wonder they encounter setbacks and might even lose their personal savings.

Chapter Thirty-One, The Tea Garden

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now! He Su nodded. "Good tea has always been profitable. Zhi Ran and I want to earn some money for later." He turned to Cui Shi Ran and said, "Gua Zi is different from others. We don't need to hide our business from her."

Cui Shiran nodded and smiled, "Sister Su Chen is naturally different." His words gave people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze, making the listener feel that he was paying attention to you, only you, and not someone else.

He Su Shi felt awkward listening to this, and his teeth ached. "Just call me Su Chen, or Little Melon Seed is fine too. Don't call me 'sister,' it gives me goosebumps. Also," he looked at Cui Shi Ran seriously, "don't do this when you come to my house in the future. It's fine with my sister, but if other people hear you talking like that, they'll think you're interested in them."

Cui Shiran chuckled softly, his features instantly becoming more expressive. He was merely handsome, but perhaps due to his time practicing Taoism with his maternal grandfather, he possessed a transcendent quality that made him appear exceptionally handsome.

He Suchen stared blankly for a moment, then came to his senses and frowned, asking, "Brother, are you really going to set up a tea plantation? Are you going to sell raw tea or finished tea? What grade? Top grade or lower-middle grade?"

“Naturally, we sell top-grade finished tea. How can we make a lot of money selling mid- to low-grade tea?” He Su replied confidently.

He Suchen was speechless. "Brother, are you sure you're ready? The tea industry isn't that easy to get into. If it were that easy, wouldn't everyone be doing it? Think about it, the best tea-producing areas have already been booked. Where are you going to find them? Not to mention that, even the simplest green tea requires at least several processes: withering, rolling, spreading, and drying. Even if you have the money, where are you going to find so many skilled workers?"

She calmed herself down and couldn't help but say again, "If you want to make flower tea, it will be even more troublesome. You also need to scent the tea leaves. Whether it's steaming and pressing, finding the best flowers, or how long to scent them, these are all things that you can't know without long-term experience. If you really lose money, what will your brothers do?"

He Su Shi smiled enigmatically, "I didn't expect you to know so much about melon seeds."

He Su Chen said indignantly, "Of course, please respect professionals!" Only after she finished speaking did she remember there was another person in the room, and she quickly added, "Brother Zhi Ran, please forgive me, because I've always enjoyed drinking tea, I pay close attention to books on this subject, I..."

“I know,” Cui Shiran said before she could finish, seemingly unsurprised by her knowledge of the tea industry.

He Suchen was a little embarrassed. She claimed to be a professional, which was actually a huge exaggeration. Her knowledge of tea was nothing more than a tiny bit of information she happened to have from a few books she had stayed up all night studying for exams. It might fool those who weren't knowledgeable, but anyone with even a little bit of knowledge would be completely stumped if asked a slightly profound question.

Cui Shiran moved a bowl of red rice, wheat and barley porridge to the table in front of her, along with a small piece of dried plum cake, and said casually, "I've learned a little about tea, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

"When Zhi Ran lived with Master Zhang, she was in charge of managing his tea." He Su Shi smiled brightly, his phoenix eyes slanting upwards, their destructive power reaching a hundred meters in diameter.

“Because my grandfather has very high standards for tea, I have no choice but to start controlling the process from the tea plantation stage. Otherwise, he will get angry if he doesn’t get a satisfactory cup of tea.” Cui Shiran set out the bowls and chopsticks for her and took a piece of cake for herself.

...

...

What an unlovable child... People should be more ordinary to be more endearing... He Su Chen thought helplessly. It's best not to mess with the mysterious, strange, and peculiar Taoist clan.

She picked up the bowl to drink the porridge, but suddenly remembered that Cui Shiran had made it for her. She quickly thanked him, but He Su stopped her and said, "He likes to make this. Don't worry about it. We can take advantage of this kind of thing as long as we can."

Speechless... Are you guys that close? It feels weird to treat someone from the Song Dynasty with such a casual attitude.

The He family rules dictate that one should not speak while eating or sleeping. After finally finishing breakfast, she finally had the chance to voice the question that had been weighing on her mind for so long, "Brother, are you planning to keep this a secret from the family? I don't think Grandma and Granny Cui know about your affair. It will be discovered soon. What will you do if it is discovered?"

“I never intended to hide it from Grandma and the others,” He Su explained. “Things that happen in the manor can’t be kept secret forever. I’m just pretending that I don’t want people to know. Besides, if I don’t reveal my identity when the tea leaves come out, I’ll definitely be watched, and that will be very troublesome.”

Since you can't hide it anymore, what's the point of putting on a show? She was helpless and speechless, but still asked, "Where will the garden be located? How many people do you plan to hire? Where will you hire them? You're all going to school, so who will take care of the garden on a regular basis?"

Cui Shiran said, "I saw a nice hill near Tiger Hill that's perfect for growing tea. It's because it looked so good that I decided to set up a tea garden there. As for hiring people, I've already sent someone to arrange it."

He Su hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What kind of tea are you... planning to make?"

"What do you mean?" Cui Shiran tilted his head.

He Suchen frowned again. As far as she knew, tea was divided into six categories according to commercial practice: green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, compressed tea, and flower tea. Green tea should be the simplest to make. Suzhou's tea was generally green tea. Black tea was also developed by Emperor Huizong of Song several hundred years earlier, but the production process was now a secret. Even if she knew how to make it, she wouldn't dare let anyone else do it. Judging from Huizong's attitude, he wanted to make money from it. Who would dare to compete with him? Besides, she didn't even know how to make it.

She thought for a moment and decided not to flaunt her limited knowledge. Even if she did, she wouldn't be able to explain it clearly. The tea industry is highly technical, and it's not something she could learn by simply reading a few superficial books. So, she ignored the classifications and asked directly, "Brothers, are you planning to make flower tea or green tea? Or both?"

Cui Shiran immediately said they would do it together. He then smiled and said, "Su Chen, don't worry, there are already experienced people handling this. You won't lose money no matter what."

He Suchen awkwardly said that he didn't mean it that way, while He Sushi said smugly, "She's still my own sister after all."

They spoke for a few more moments when someone from the Cui family came looking for the young master. Cui Shiran then took his leave. Seeing that she finally had some free time, He Suchen dragged her older brother to the study. Not only did she lock the door, but she also closed all the windows. She solemnly dragged out a chair, poured tea, and then asked, "What exactly happened?"

Chapter Thirty-Two, Once Upon a Time

The "Propaganda Officer" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! "What's going on? The tea plantation? I just wanted to do it, it's not a big deal, is it?" He Su Shi said nonchalantly.

“That’s not what I meant,” He Suchen stared at him intently. “I meant, what’s going on with He Suchen?”

He Su looked up in surprise, seemingly not understanding what she was talking about.

"What exactly is going on with the third aunt of the third branch? Why did He Suchen fall into the water? Why does Liu Jinshan want to marry into our second branch? Is it the third aunt's idea? What is the third aunt's identity?" She rattled off a bunch of questions, then stared at him, waiting for his answers.

He Su Shi held the teacup in a daze, staring at his sister's face. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally said, "These questions are difficult to explain."

“Our father, He Ziyuan, once served as a privy councilor and an envoy to collect folk songs. He made several voyages to the Western Ocean and participated in organizing the fleet. He was a remarkable man,” He Su said with admiration. “I admire him greatly. Although I have never met him, the notes in his study and the accounts of others are enough for me to look up to him with respect.”