Great Imperial Merchant

This person is a bit strange recently, Yang Zhongyuan looked at Cheng Weizhe who was giving him hot water, and suddenly had this idea.

Although Cheng Weizhe had always been very kind to him, and the two of them were considerate to each other when they were together, since they came to Qumu County, Cheng Weizhe took care of him almost like taking care of a newborn.

Washing his face, washing his hands, washing his feet, and taking a bath, he did everything by himself. Even when he went out to do business together, he was careful. Not only did he bring enough fruit cakes and snacks, but even the water was warm.

The road in the tea garden was not easy to walk, so he insisted on holding hands with him before giving up. Yang Zhongyuan couldn't screw him, so he had to let him go.

Besides, there is something interesting about two people getting along like this.

"Azhe... What's the matter recently?" Yang Zhongyuan lowered his head, watching Cheng Weizhe help him take off his shoes and socks seriously, "Why do you serve me like your ancestors? Tell me, did you do it secretly? What's wrong?"

Cheng Weizhe froze, but soon came back to his senses, and put his feet into the hot water basin.

This was the third day they arrived in Qumu County, and it happened to be raining, Cheng Weizhe insisted on not letting Yang Zhongyuan go out, insisting on staying in the inn.

"What's the matter? It's hard for the two of us to come out. Although we have a serious business, the scenery here is good. We can relax and relax. Let's come and play." Cheng Weizhe washed his hands and kicked off his shoes Soak your feet with him.

"I'm not used to you like this. How many years have we known each other? It's almost enough." Yang Zhongyuan smiled and patted his hands around his waist.

Recently, Cheng Weizhe always put his arms around his waist, and put his warm hands on his lower abdomen. Although it was summer, it made Yang Zhongyuan feel comfortable and at ease.

"What are you messing with? As you wish, I've really gained weight recently." Yang Zhongyuan laughed again, stepping on Cheng Weizhe, who was soaking his feet with him, like a fool.

The two were about the same height and their feet were the same size. Cheng Weizhe let him step on them obediently, but his hands were gentle.

In his heart, he hoped that what Er Mao said was true.Seeing that Xiao Yuan's birthday is approaching, and he himself is already twenty-five, after these few years, even if Xiao Yuan wants to have a child, he will not be willing.

They are not young, if they really have a child this time, it might be the only blood.He felt distressed for Xiao Yuan to suffer once, not to mention that it was not good for his body to regenerate at the best age.

"It's good to be fat. When you go back, let Changqing cook more warm and nourishing meals, and I will feed you like a piglet." Cheng Weizhe said gently.

The two of them leaned against each other like this, with their feet stepping on their feet and their hands touching each other, neither of them thought it was too hot.

The second day was a sunny day. Yang Zhongyuan woke up very early because he wanted to get things done quickly in the tea garden. After eating, he drove to the south of the county with Cheng Weizhe. Muze Lake is located in the south of Qumu County and Quze County. , and most of the best tea gardens here are along the banks of Muze Lake.

The carriage drove slowly along the official road. Both sides of the official road were covered with endless green, and various tea trees of different heights crisscrossed one row after another, forming the most unique scenery in Qumu County.Looking further south, Muze Lake is crystal clear, and patches of pink and white lotus flowers are in full bloom, showing the most brilliant beauty of the year.

Occasionally, some thin earthen houses can be seen standing on the edge of the tea garden, which is the place where the tea farmers rest when guarding the garden.

Cheng Weizhe sat outside the carriage with Yang Zhongyuan. In order to prevent him from getting hot, Cheng Weizhe specially bought a round hat for him to wear on his head to shade him from the sun.

"It's really beautiful here." Yang Zhongyuan sighed.

"No, you see that the larger tea gardens here have all hung their names, which means they have been bought." With Cheng Weizhe's reminder, Yang Zhongyuan discovered that each tea garden had a different cloth hanging on the door. Fan, there is a name of the teahouse written on it, and there is only a single surname on it.

For example, in the family that just passed by, the huge Gu character fluttered at the door. Yang Zhongyuan pressed Cheng Weizhe's shoulder and looked over there, only to see that the tea garden of Gu's family occupies an extremely large area, which is larger than the sum of several nearby houses.

The houses in the tea garden are also solid mud-tiled houses, several of which have been repaired side by side. Obviously, there are many tea farmers looking at the garden.

"It's still the style of Boss Gu's family. You can see that his tea farmers are still working in the fields." Yang Zhongyuan said.

Cheng Weizhe was so absorbed in driving the carriage that he didn't look over there. After listening, he just said: "One day in the future, we will be able to do the same. Alright, sit down quickly."

Yang Zhongyuan patted him on the shoulder, sat back in his seat obediently, and said nothing.

The farther you go west, the smaller the area of ​​the tea garden, and there are fewer and fewer tea gardens with obvious names. Cen Zhiqing came out much earlier than them. It happened that someone from the inn came to the south of the county to fetch tea, so he came with him.

At this time, he saw his master's carriage approaching from far to near, this time he was not the same as yesterday, instead he stood at the gate of the tea garden in a regular manner and waited.

Cheng Weizhe stopped the car in front of him, and with a wink, Cen Zhiqing hurried over to help Yang Zhongyuan, while he himself quickly jumped out of the carriage: "How is it, is the owner there?"

Cen Zhiqing nodded: "I've made a deal with him. I said that our boss will come over later and we'll talk to him."

Cheng Weizhe waited for Yang Zhongyuan to come to him before he took his hand and walked into the tea garden.

The location of this family is a bit remote, but the water and soil are good. You can tell from the tea trees in their house, all of them are very energetic, and the greenness makes people feel comfortable.The inside of the tea garden is also clean. Although it is land, it seems to have been sprinkled with water a long time ago. Walking on it is half dry and not wet, and there is no dust at all.

Yang Zhongyuan nodded to Cheng Weizhe, which means it is very good.

The two stood in the tea garden, and did not enter the house immediately. Yang Zhongyuan was looking around, and Cheng Weizhe followed him.

There is a tea garden on the left and right of this tea garden. It stands to reason that the location is similar, and the output should be similar.But the tea garden on the left doesn't look very good. The leaves of the tea trees are not plump, obviously not good seedlings.And the one on the right seems to be pretty good. After a cursory scan, it's almost the same as they came to this one.

Yang Zhongyuan tilted his head to the right with his neck held high, Cheng Weizhe immediately understood, and whispered in his ear: "I heard that I have already talked with another family, so I didn't go."

Yang Zhongyuan nodded, and pulled him to bend down into the shed.

Compared with the Gu family tea garden, the hut here is much simpler, and there is only a grass bed inside, not even a table, two stools on the ground, only one is intact, and the other is missing. lost a leg.

A farmer in his forties was lowering his head and fiddling with a shovel in his hand. When he saw the two people coming in, he glanced up and asked calmly, "Boss Cheng, long time no see."

Cheng Weizhe greeted him with a smile, then let Yang Zhongyuan sit on the only intact stool, and said to the tea farmer: "This is my partner, and he makes decisions about the family affairs, this time I will take a look at the garden. "

Yang Zhongyuan took off his hat, nodded to him, and said with a smile: "Hello, I just saw that your tea trees are all top grade, why haven't you sold them yet?"

The tea farmer didn't seem to be in a hurry to sell the tea garden, so he just snorted coldly: "The bigger tea merchants don't like my small place, and the smaller ones I'm afraid they won't let me take good care of the trees. The trees that come to my house are all good Quhong. I dare not say that they are the best in Quzhou, but it is absolutely top-grade. It is true. The top buds and leaves can be sold out every year. There will never be leftovers, and my family does not lack that money."

This tea farmer is an interesting person, he seems to like tea trees very much, and he can serve him wholeheartedly.And the tea trees in this family are really good. If you use the top leaves of his family to make purple bamboo shoots, you will definitely be able to sell them at a high price.

However, what people mean is quite clear, that is, there is no rush to sell, and there is no shortage of money.

However, farmers always rely on one acre of land. Once God does not provide food, the family will drink from the northwest wind. He knows this truth, so even if he is reluctant, he still waits for the buyer to come to his door. .

I have been here so many times before, some of them dislike the small place of his house, some want to change other tea trees when they come here, some even say that the tea trees of his house are not good, and they have to pay a few taels of silver for life and death, he is impatient He was blasted out.In the end, Boss Cheng came. Although the young man was young, he handled things quite safely, so he was willing to have a peaceful talk with him.

"Brother, your tea is really good. Ah Zhe told me that he found a very good tea when he came home. I was very happy when I heard it. Now that I came here to see it, it was exactly the same as what he said. You also know We are a newly opened tea house, and we are really short of good tea envoys. Please set a price, and no matter how much we produce every year in the future, we will pay according to that price, absolutely unambiguous."

After hearing what he said, Yang Zhongyuan didn't think about it at all, and answered directly.

Seeing the sincere words of the two of them, the tea farmer said that he felt relieved, and the expression on his face eased: "My surname is Sun, and the two bosses just call me Lao Sun. You have also seen my tea trees. The place is different. It's too big, and it's only two acres of land, but I guarantee that the trees are good seedlings. Now all the trees are planted with Quhong. There were few people there, so it was changed to Qu Hong later. The skill of serving tea has been passed down from my ancestors, so you don’t have to worry, my son is also a good one.”

When he said this, he paused, and seeing that the two young men on the opposite side didn't look surprised, he gritted his teeth and said, "40 taels a year, no less."

When he used to grow it by himself, if he made green and purple bamboo shoots, he would only produce thirty to forty catties a year, but if he made ordinary red bamboo shoots, it would weigh two to three hundred catties.After all, there are only a few buds on the top leaves and top buds, which can produce thirty to forty catties. It is still Lao Sun's level, and the tea trees he planted have lush branches and leaves.Even the green and purple bamboo shoots have been made as tribute tea before. Since the Gu family’s Chongling Xueya made a good reputation, even the green and purple bamboo shoots have been picked and fried in Quzhou.

At that time, Han Shiqian came to see the tea garden, and he immediately fell in love with the top leaves of his family. If you make green and purple bamboo shoots, it is quite good.

However, the dry leaves are not as good as the dry leaves after all, and the tea farmers do not have the frying skills and business contacts. The dried leaves of thirty to forty catties can only be sold for more than 30 taels of silver, and the big leaves below are Quhong. If you play a full year, it will be 40 taels.This is still in good weather.Moreover, for the 40 taels, the farmland tax has to be paid, and the family has to pay for food and clothing. After a year of hard work, there is not much money left.

It seems that growing tea is more profitable than farming, but it is also more laborious. You have to watch the tea garden every day. Even if a tea tree is broken, you will die of heartache and dare not leave.

Both Cheng Weizhe and Yang Zhongyuan knew about this. Even if they didn't know it before, they learned from Han Shiqian every day, and they learned seven or eight points in the end.

Cheng Weizhe had inquired with him earlier when he came here, and now he asked again, Lao Sun still gave the price truthfully, he is a real person.

He thought for a while, glanced at Yang Zhongyuan, and said, "I can't decide this, Xiao Yuan?"

Yang Zhongyuan squeezed his hand in a funny way, then turned his head and said to Lao Sun: "Brother Sun, 40 taels is only 40 taels. Azhe and I also appreciate your skill in tea tree cultivation, and hope to have a happy cooperation in the future. Well... As for As for the field mu tax, we just pay for it ourselves, and all the 40 taels will be given to you, and it will be given at the beginning of the festival every year, and you will not lose half a cent, how about it?"

Old Sun obviously didn't expect him to be so happy, and Dang even agreed: "You guys are already giving too much, how could I not agree, don't worry, I will take good care of it in the future, and I will guarantee to produce good tea every year."

After Yang Zhongyuan got his letter of approval, he knew that it would be a success. The reason why he gave more was because he valued Lao Sun's care for the tea trees.Besides, it is not easy for a farmer to work hard for a year. It is not a loss if the old grandson is as serious as taking care of his own tea garden with only this little money a year.

The three of them settled the matter with smiles on their faces. Cheng Weizhe called Cen Zhiqing to fetch hot water from the carriage, and turned to Lao Sun, "I wonder what's going on around your house?"

"The one on the left, hmph, I don't mind mentioning it, but the old Zhang on the right is also very good at craftsmanship, but I heard that the owner's family has already gone to talk to him, and he said that his surname is Cai. We are not very familiar with the tea merchant from the north. .”

Surname Cai?Or from the north?Yang Zhongyuan and Cheng Weizhe looked at each other, and they both thought of a family.

Today's Beicha Cai's family.

Cheng Weizhe felt very unhappy when he thought of his family's name... He frowned and didn't continue to talk.

The Cai family caused his master's family to be ruined, and the foundation of the ancestors was destroyed, but now it is so nourishing, how can it make people comfortable.

Yang Zhongyuan knew what he was thinking. He rolled his eyes, turned his head, and asked Lao Sun in a warm voice: "Brother Sun, I wonder if you are familiar with Zhang's family? I just saw that his tea garden is not bad, how about you help us ask?" ask?"