The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 780 - 719: Choice

Seeing Zhang Yinbao and Wang Yongzhu with their companions, and spotting two familiar figures behind them, he was so excited he almost wept openly, relieved that someone had finally come to take over.

If he continued frying tea like this for another two days, he feared his arms would give out! After all, age doesn’t spare anyone!

Zhang Yinbao had been reminded by Guan Yifei and overnight, they had managed to hire two renowned tea-frying masters at a high price.

They also brought their own tea-frying tools and ceramic jars for storing the tea leaves, having prepared everything perfectly.

This secretly impressed Wang Yongzhu greatly; Zhang Yinbao’s status today was inseparable from his cautiousness and meticulousness.

As soon as those two tea-frying masters entered the cave and smelled the fragrance of the tea leaves, their eyes lit up.

Without much talk, they had people set up the kettles on the big stove that were washed clean, and after washing their own hands, the masters began frying the tea leaves without another word.

Zhang Yinbao hurried forward to give Master Qi a deep bow, "Thank you for your hard work, Master Qi! You’ve worked hard! Please take a rest!"

Master Qi, who had been holding his breath, felt it escape as he saw Zhang Yinbao and his group, and he started to feel weak.

His hands trembled, and his movements slowed down.

Wang Yongzhu noticed this and hurriedly went to the side, scooped some water to wash his hands, shook them dry, and approached Master Qi, "I’ll take care of the rest!"

Master Qi’s face was flush with exertion, knowing that he had to step aside or the batch of tea would be ruined because his hands were no longer responding. It was a crucial moment for kneading and shaping, and if he continued, the tea would likely burn.

The other two tea-frying masters had already started, and it was also critical; not a moment to be careless.

Master Qi gritted his teeth, moved aside decisively, and let Wang Yongzhu take his place.

Wang Yongzhu silently recited the accelerated tea-frying handbook, memorizing the tricks several times in her head and recalling Master Qi’s movements before starting her own.

Everyone then saw the green tea leaves contrasting with a pair of delicate white hands moving through them, making the leaves appear even greener as her fingers seemed to take on a gleaming green hue.

Master Qi’s previously furrowed brows gradually relaxed upon witnessing Wang Yongzhu’s skillful movements.

Although her movements were initially stiff, she quickly loosened up and her technique became skilled.

Especially impressive was her speed and dexterity; her hands swam through the leaves gracefully, with great ease.

Master Qi relaxed seeing Wang Yongzhu’s hands coaxing the tea leaves into obedient strands.

When the tea was finally out of the kettle, Wang Yongzhu quickly spread the leaves out on a bamboo mat to cool.

Master Qi rushed over, not minding the heat, grabbed a small pinch of the newly fried leaves, sniffed them, and chewed a few before declaring with a stern face, "It’s an improvement."

Then he couldn’t help but mutter, "With such talent, why bother with business? Such a waste!"

Zhang Yinbao smiled wryly, knowing that Master Qi had devoted his life to frying tea and really didn’t understand worldly matters. He kindly persuaded him to take a rest, assisted by the shop assistant.

Only then did he invite Wang Yongzhu to lead the way to meet the hunters, especially Loo Xiaoshan.

Wang Yongzhu patted her hands, leaving her spot reserved for when she returned from the meeting to continue frying tea.

The shop assistants, knowing all too well that Lady Wang was greatly esteemed by their employer, naturally agreed without hesitation.

Loo Xiaoshan and the hunters had been waiting for Zhang Yinbao and Wang Yongzhu for some time already.

After the introductions and brief pleasantries, they got down to business.

The hunters had heard that for the next ten years, they would be able to earn Silver every year from the tea business, which would improve their living conditions. Once the tea was sold this year, they would settle accounts with them at the end of the year, ensuring a prosperous season.

They might even be able to build new houses for everyone next year.

Immediately, they were all thrilled.

Learning that they only needed to maintain the hillside tea plantation each year and pick the tea leaves at this time of year, not one of them refused the offer.

As for learning how to roast tea mentioned later, very few took it to heart.

Everyone was thinking, why learn to roast tea if they will have the Silver provided by the big boss?

Hadn’t they seen how exhausted Master Qi was from roasting tea these past few days, looking like he was about to collapse?

Especially since Master Qi said that at this time of the year in the past, he would roast tea almost around the clock for a month.

Roasting tea was a lifelong hardship!

During the busy season, one worked twelve hours a day and, including time to eat and sleep, rested no more than two hours.

Even a body of iron couldn’t withstand it.

Then a hunter declared on the spot, "Roasting tea is too arduous. Besides, I can’t manage such meticulous work. I’d rather continue hunting! Besides, once I have a house and enough for the children’s marriages in the future, why suffer like that?"

Many agreed, saying that with shiny Silver delivered every year for the next decade, there was no need to suffer by roasting tea.

Loo Xiaoshan looked anxious, "You’re being foolish! These ten years might seem long, but they’ll pass in a flash. What will you do for a living after the Silver runs out if you haven’t learned a skill? This is a clear path that Lady Wang has pointed out to us. If we learn the skill of tea roasting, even if we’re not given Silver in the future, as long as we know how to roast tea, we don’t have to worry about starving, do we?"

"If everyone thinks like you do, that we have Silver now and don’t need to learn anything, are we just going to loaf around and wait to die?" ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Some hunters looked contemplative.

Others, entirely carefree, laughed and waved their hands dismissively, "I’ve suffered half a lifetime already. Now that I have finally encountered a great benefactor and can enjoy ten years of good fortune, why worry about more than that?"

"Exactly, by the end of ten years, my boy will have grown up, and it’ll be his turn to support me!"

...

Zhang Yinbao couldn’t help but look at Wang Yongzhu when he heard this.

Wang Yongzhu appeared indifferent, not a hint of sadness or anger on her face.

Loo Xiaoshan wanted to say more, but those hunters were laughing and kidding, already dazzled by the prospect of Silver, their minds clearly elsewhere.

Loo Xiaoshan, out of options, checked and found that only about five or six households of hunters had decided to learn the art of tea roasting.

He stood sheepishly in front of Wang Yongzhu, his rough black face flushing a dark red, "Scholar’s Lady, I am truly sorry. Your kindness is met with this—"

Wang Yongzhu waved her hand dismissively, "No matter! Everyone has their own choices to make! One must do what makes oneself happy. So it’s settled then?"

Loo Xiaoshan nodded.

Wang Yongzhu looked at Zhang Yinbao, who immediately understood and had his Shop Assistants prepare the contracts, requiring all the present hunters to leave their thumbprints.

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