Yunling yawned, a little confused by Gangzi's words, and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"They invited us to dinner just to win us over and build a good relationship so they can make a request next."
"So you really think they believe we're involved in the underworld?"
Gangzi was puzzled. "If they don't believe us, why are they inviting us so warmly?"
Yunling yawned repeatedly. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and replied, "Silly girl, the first time we came we only bought ten catties of cotton. This time we went for a thousand catties. What about next time? And the time after that? Even if our abilities in the underworld are just boasting, we are still their big customers."
Gangzi suddenly realized, patted his forehead twice, and praised Yunling.
Yunling laughed and said, "What you said makes sense, but even if they want to make demands, they should wait until we leave this smuggler and see our strength before they speak."
"Yes, yes, yes, my great-aunt is indeed very clever."
Yunling was increasingly pleased with her straight man, it was just a pity that her family owned little land and her business was only just starting out, otherwise she would definitely have taken him in as her assistant~
**
In the height of summer, dawn breaks exceptionally early; Yunling felt as if she had just fallen asleep when she had to get up.
The breakfast at the cotton workshop was a bowl of rice noodles for each person. As for Yunling and the others, their breakfast was served in the side room. It was still rice noodles, but with a thick layer of minced meat on top, along with a braised egg and a few pieces of roasted pork.
It was good, but the scallions and coriander were scattered everywhere. Yunling felt like crying. After picking out the scallions with her chopsticks, the noodles were cold and had absorbed a lot of soup, making the noodles a bit lumpy. This made her even more upset.
On the way to Yu Ji's shop, Gangzi noticed Yunling's expression and immediately became more reserved. As the saying goes, it's best not to say anything when a woman is angry. Just keep a straight face with her and wait for her to calm down before coaxing her.
Upon arriving at Yu's shop, Yunling's complexion noticeably improved. Gangzi, sensing the change, also became more amiable, even snatching the uneaten meat bun from the person behind him.
"Grandma, I don't know how long it will take to get to that mountain. Let's have a meat bun to fill our stomachs first, so we don't go hungry."
Yunling had been smelling the aroma of steamed buns, and now that she saw them, her stomach rumbled with hunger. "Then I'll really eat them!"
"Eat, I'll go buy a few more to keep on the road. Or how about a couple more pots of fragrant drinks?"
The fragrant drink was exactly what Yunling wanted. She nodded vigorously while biting into the bun. After Gangzi left, she hurriedly ran out again, "Gangzi, buy a few boxes of pastries, please. No, I'll go buy them myself."
Yunling thought it wouldn't be good to visit empty-handed. Knowing there must be elderly people and children at home, she bought three boxes of soft pastries and some snacks and toys from the peddler.
After the two returned from their shopping, Shopkeeper Yu had just finished dealing with his work, and the five of them got into a carriage and headed out of the city.
The journey was quite long; they set off in the morning and arrived at noon. As soon as Yunling got off the carriage, she saw the lychee groves with red fruit and green leaves on the mountaintop. In addition to the sweet aroma, there was also a hint of chicken in the air.
"When my mother-in-law learned that we were coming, she specially killed a chicken to make soup. Please don't mind that the place is simple, sir."
"We are very grateful for Grandma's kindness."
A short while later, an old woman, two middle-aged men, and several grandchildren came out. Upon seeing Yunling and the others, the two timid granddaughters immediately hid behind the middle-aged men.
After the shopkeeper Yu gave an introduction, Yunling presented the gift, and the atmosphere between the two parties became much warmer.
Lunch was the most casual, tense, and slowest meal Yunling ate.
This is unlike their home, where the whole family sits at one table to eat. Instead, each person has a large bowl filled with rice, meat, and vegetables, which they can take anywhere to eat.
“Don’t be offended, bro. These lychees have a short shelf life. My two older brothers are in a hurry to take care of their father-in-law, so we’re sharing them so they can be eaten faster.”
"Are you picking them to sell?"
"Of course, it has to be transported to the neighboring county. Fortunately, the villagers around here are nice people. With my sister-in-law and the others helping to divide the branches and pack them into baskets, I expect to be able to get several hundred catties today."
Yunling peered up the mountain, and the shopkeeper Yu, seeing this, laughed and said, "Young man, would you like to go up and take a look?"
"good."
As she walked uphill, Yunling followed Yu's example, eating as she went, while also feeling the energy feedback from the mountain.
As she took a bite of chicken breast, a bee flew to the edge of her bowl. Only then did Yunling notice the beehives hidden near the lychee trees. It seemed that this was lychee honey. She couldn't even imagine how fragrant and sweet the honey would be.
Arriving at the lychee tree, one sees three or five strong men picking lychees on the tree, while the women below take the lychees and gradually fill the baskets with branches and leaves. Everyone works together seamlessly, and the picking efficiency is very high.
Shopkeeper Yu led Yunling to a corner, where they could observe the process without disturbing her.
"Old Yu, why don't you pick some black leaves for the young man to try?" an old man said.
Black Leaf?
Yunling stared at the leaves on the branch, which appeared to be a deep green. Perhaps it was her preconceived notion of green, but no matter how she looked at them, they didn't seem black, and she couldn't grasp the feeling of black leaves.
With a bowl in one hand, Yu, the shopkeeper, broke off two leaves from the tree with the other. "Brother, come on, try them. These black leaves are sweet. If you stay until the end of the month, there will be delicious osmanthus-flavored ones. My wife loves them."
Yunling took the lychee and noticed that its surface had scaly bumps, but it wasn't prickly to the touch. The black-leaf lychee was large, and it was even larger in Yunling's hand. She quickly peeled off the skin and stuffed it into her mouth, letting the lychee flesh burst with juice in her mouth.
Although the black leaves are large, the kernels inside are also large, lacking some of the delicate and gentle nature of the leaves.
Shopkeeper Yu picked a few more and offered them to Yunling, but Yunling wasn't tempted. Although lychees are warm in nature, she has a yin deficiency and excessive internal heat constitution. One lychee can cause three fires, so she can't eat too many, otherwise she'll get burned.
"Come on, buddy, don't be shy. Once you leave here, it'll be hard to find fresh food."
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm prone to getting a sore throat and can't eat much."
"What's there to be afraid of? After eating the lychees, just drink a few sips of water boiled with lychee shells, and you'll be fine."
Yunling knew the principle of food and medicine sharing the same origin, but she also knew her own body well. However, faced with the shopkeeper Yu's enthusiasm, she hesitated, which would inevitably arouse suspicion, so she readily accepted the food.
“Gangzi likes to eat them, so I’ll save them for him. By the way, do you have dried lychee peels? I’d like to buy some to take home for my family.”
Shopkeeper Yu laughed and said, "This is the first time I've seen a young man so concerned about his family. Of course, I have dried lychee peels. By the way, how much of your sour duck do you want?"
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