On the rugged mountain road, Su Ling, holding a black plastic bag in his hand, walked towards the village cemetery.

Shixi Village is remote, cremation is not yet popular, and people still practice burial. The cemetery is on the north side of Phoenix Mountain. As soon as he stepped into the cemetery, a gloomy aura hit him in the face, and Su Ling couldn't help but shudder.

Unlike cemeteries in the city, most of the tombs here are chair tombs. One of the new tombs even has a yard, a stone table, and some unfamiliar stone sculptures.

That is the second grandfather’s tomb.

Standing in front of the tombstone, Su Ling bowed reverently and stated his identity: "Second Master, I am Su Ling, your designated heir. I came to visit you today."

Judging from the photo, the old man had a kind face and must have been an amiable person when he was alive.

With awe in his heart, Su Ling took out the paper money, incense and red candles bought from the convenience store from the plastic bag and began to go to the grave according to the steps explained by Aunt Zhang.

After burning the paper money and watching the fire go out, he clasped his hands together and bowed again.

After descending the mountain, Su Ling was not in a hurry to go home. He put his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker and strolled in the fields along the gravel road.

In the morning in the countryside, the air is fresh, the sun is bright, and the breeze caresses your face, bringing a hint of the fragrance of earth.

When the people working in the fields saw Su Ling, they all raised their heads and looked over curiously.

Su Ling was calm and composed, standing on the bridge over the stream, admiring the unique rural scenery.

Blue sky, white clouds, spring ploughing and farming, what a vibrant picture. The inspiration that had disappeared for a long time seemed to awaken at this moment.

He raised his hand, pretending to hold a paintbrush, and drew empty lines in the air. His beautiful peach blossom eyes were as clear as a pool of water.

I was enjoying painting when I heard Li Dahai's call from a distance.

"Brother Su, Brother Su——"

Su Ling stopped and turned to look at the young man who was running towards him.

"Good morning, sea." Su Ling said with a smile.

"Good morning." Li Dahai ran up to him, panting and begging, "Brother Su... the village chief wants you to go to the village committee."

"Village Committee?" Su Ling asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Li Dahai wiped the sweat off his face and said, "A few people came from the town, and the village chief had an argument with them. I think he mentioned the death of Grandpa Su."

When Su Ling heard that it was related to the second grandfather, he immediately asked Li Dahai to lead the way.

In the village committee office, three middle-aged men surrounded a tall, thin and strong old man and kept persuading him.

"Village Chief Jin, think carefully. Master Su is gone, but the tea leaves on the mountain have not been picked yet. If we wait until May, the tea leaves will get old and the price won't go up."

"Zhang Zhong is right. The tea tastes bad and has a bad reputation. I feel sorry for Master Su."

"No!" Village Chief Jin frowned and sternly refused, "The price you offer is too low. I can't sell it at a loss against my conscience."

"How can you say that you are going against your conscience?" The man in a suit with a slicked-back hair said with a smile, "Erye Su has passed away, but you, the village chief, still have the final say over the tea mountain? Erye Su invested the initial cost, and you helped collect the profits in the later period and use them to build the village. Isn't that a great merit?"

Su Ling just arrived at the door and couldn't help but frown when he heard the words of the man in the suit. Is this uncle with a greasy voice encouraging the village chief to be corrupt?

Fortunately, Village Chief Jin was indifferent to his words. When he saw Li Dahai coming with his men, he waved.

"I know how to pick tea leaves, but I don't know how to sell them. If you want to lower the price, talk to Old Man Su's grandson."

"Grandson of Master Su?"

The three men turned around and looked at the young man who walked into the office, and they all showed surprised expressions.

This is a handsome and heroic young man, with delicate eyebrows of appropriate thickness, bright peach blossom eyes, a high nose bridge, and pink lips, which together form a flawless face.

He had slightly curly shoulder-length hair, and wore a black casual jacket with a white round-neck T-shirt underneath, light blue jeans, and white sneakers. He looked fashionable and energetic, exuding the elegance and dignity of a prince. Standing in the simple village committee office, he seemed out of place with the others.

Su Ling had long been accustomed to the various looks people gave him, so he calmly said to the tall and thin old man, "Hello, village chief, I'm Su Ling."

Village Chief Jin stroked his goatee and looked at Su Ling with his sunken eyes. Before his death, Old Man Su asked a lawyer to write a will and designated an heir. After two months of waiting, he finally got the heir. "The boy looks good, a bit like Old Man Su when he was young."

Being praised, Su Ling kept a perfect smile on his face. "I wonder if the village chief wants me to come here for something important?"

Just now he was standing at the door and heard something in the mist. He only knew that tea trees were planted on the mountain contracted by the second grandfather, and these three middle-aged men shamelessly advised the village chief to lower the price. Fortunately, the village chief was determined and was not tempted by money.

Village Chief Jin introduced them: "They are the bosses of the tea purchasing company and are long-term partners of your grandfather."

Su Ling looked at the three middle-aged men, and the three men stretched out their right hands towards him at the same time.

"Hello, hello, I'm Qi Yue."

"I am Huang Xing."

"I'm Zhang Zhong."

Su Ling put his hands in his coat pockets, stood still, and just nodded at them. "Hello, I'm Su Ling, I just arrived in Shixi Village yesterday."

Even if a beautiful person is impolite, it is not possible to make people angry. The three greasy middle-aged uncles withdrew their hands indifferently, but they were a little confused in their hearts.

Isn't Mr. Su unmarried? Where did this grandson come from? They have known Mr. Su for more than ten years and have never heard that he has any other relatives. Moreover, this young man is dressed fashionably and has an elegant temperament. At first glance, he is a rich young man from the city.

Seeing the doubts in the eyes of the three bosses, Su Ling explained: "My grandfather is the eldest brother of the second grandfather. He moved to S City many years ago. A few days ago, I received a call from my lawyer. The second grandfather made a will and designated me as the heir."

"Ah? So that's how it is!" Qi Yue suddenly realized. No wonder everyone in Shixi Village called Su Lan "Second Master Su", it turns out he has an older brother.

Zhang Zhong looked at Huang Xing, who flashed his eyes and said to Su Ling: "We came here today mainly to discuss the purchase of tea leaves."

The village chief said to Su Ling, "Your grandfather has contracted Phoenix Mountain for seventy years and planted tea trees on the mountain. In previous years when your grandfather was here, you negotiated the price with them. This year, your grandfather is gone, and they want to lower the price."

Qi Yue said in embarrassment: "The quality of the Yu Lu tea produced in Shixi Village is indeed good, and it sells well, but——"

Zhang Zhong continued, "But this year is different from previous years. The overall market price of tea has dropped. We, as acquirers, are at the bottom of the market. We have no choice but to lower our costs."

Huang Xing sighed: "The economy is in recession now, and it's not easy for everyone to do business."

The three of them sang and shouted, and Su Ling finally understood.

Although he did not like the intrigues in the business world and studied fine arts in college, he had been influenced by the Su family since he was a child and knew a little about business practices.

These three black-hearted tea buyers, seeing that the second grandfather had passed away, wanted to take advantage of the situation and took advantage of the village chief's ignorance of the market to maliciously lower the price to buy tea!

If they were buying other crops today, Su Ling might not have an idea, but for tea leaves… He smiled faintly, looked at the pot-bellied Qi Yue and said, “If I remember correctly, the rain and dew tea you just mentioned, the market price is more than 3,000 yuan per catty of ordinary quality? At the beginning of the year, my family bought a can of premium quality for more than 10,000 yuan, and it tastes good.”

Qi Yue almost lost his smile after hearing what he said. "Mr. Su... Mr. Su knows about tea?"

Su Ling nodded: "I don't know much about growing tea, but I'm okay at tasting tea. My elders love to drink tea, and I've been drinking it for more than ten years. I can tell the quality of tea by its aroma, taste, and color."

In fact, Su Ling himself loves tea and is very picky about the quality of tea. He won't drink anything other than premium grade tea. Coincidentally, he drinks Yulu tea frequently and knows its price very well.

Huang Xing and Zhang Zhong looked at each other and knew that today's plan was going to fail. They had planned everything, but they had never expected that the grandson of Master Su was an expert in tea tasting!

Qi Yue coughed a few times to cover up and said, "The price of tea leaves fluctuates from time to time. It's different every month. At the beginning of the year, there are more gifts, so it's normal for the price to be a bit higher. Now it's April, and the price has already dropped."

Zhang Zhong said: "There is a difference of tens of yuan between last month and this month!"

Huang Xing rubbed his hands and said, "It takes time to pick tea leaves and make tea. The tea will not be available until June or July. By then, I don't know how much the price will drop."

Village Chief Jin snorted: "No matter how much you lower the price, it can't be lowered below cost, right? The price set by Old Man Su is already very affordable. A pound of fresh tea leaves is only 100 yuan. You can calculate how much profit he made."

Qi Yue said anxiously, "Village Chief Jin, the cost is not calculated like this! Four or five kilograms of fresh leaves produce one kilogram of dry tea. If the water content is high, more fresh leaves are needed. Add in labor costs, transportation costs, packaging costs, advertising costs, etc., and the cost can only be higher, not lower."

Village Chief Jin said, "Didn't Xiao Su just say that? The price of ordinary quality tea is more than 3,000 yuan per kilogram. Even if your cost is 1,000 yuan, you still made more than 2,000 yuan. Besides, the quality of the rain and dew tea produced in our Phoenix Mountain is above grade one. Your selling price will definitely be higher, and you will make more money!"

"No..." Qi Yue smiled bitterly, "Village Chief Jin, you don't understand the market, so you don't understand..."

"Why don't I understand?" Village Chief Jin glared and blew his beard. "Old Man Su entrusted me with this before he died. One pound of fresh leaves costs one hundred yuan. I won't sell it for less than that!"

Seeing that they were about to argue, Su Ling took out his cell phone from his pocket and suggested slowly, "I have a friend in the tea business. I'll call him and ask him."

Zhang Zhong secretly tugged at the corner of Qi Yue's clothes and winked at him.

Qi Yue gritted his teeth and said, "Eighty! Eighty yuan a pound, we'll take it!"

Zhang Zhong agreed: "The roads in Shixi Village are difficult to travel on, and trucks can't get in. We have to bear a lot of labor and transportation costs every year."

Su Ling put down his phone and asked the village chief, "Does the Second Master have a contract with them?"

"Yes." Village Chief Jin took out a stack of papers from the drawer of his desk and handed it to Su Ling. "The road from Shixi Village to the town is indeed difficult to travel, but the price you set does not include their labor and transportation costs."

Su Ling took the contract and glanced at it quickly. He saw that the price did not include the transportation cost out of the village. Moreover, there was room for price increase. In other words, one hundred yuan per catty was the bottom price, and it could be sold at a higher price depending on market conditions.

Putting down the contract, Su Ling looked at the three middle-aged uncles and said with a smile: "In my opinion, one hundred yuan per catty of fresh leaves is too cheap. Two hundred yuan is not too expensive. Since you and my grandfather are long-term partners, I will do you a favor and charge one hundred and eighty yuan per catty, including the transportation fee out of the village. What do you think?"

One hundred and eighty yuan?

Why didn't the price go down but went up instead?

The three tea buyers' eyes almost popped out after hearing what Su Ling said.

"I'm not saying this... When Second Master Su was here, the price wasn't raised this much. One hundred and fifty yuan was the maximum. And Mr. Su raised it to one hundred and eighty yuan in one breath. Isn't this... isn't this a rip-off?" Zhang Zhong said with a frown, aggrieved.

"One hundred and fifty yuan is the maximum? It doesn't include the transportation fee out of the village, right?" Su Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, his peach blossom eyes bright, "If the shipping fee is included, it may be more than one hundred and eighty yuan. In comparison, one hundred and eighty yuan including the shipping fee is already a discount for you."

Huang Xing was dumbfounded. How did they get so confused that the price was raised to 180 yuan? When they came here, the three of them had clearly agreed to lower the price to less than 80 yuan!

Seeing them hesitate, Su Ling said regretfully: "You have cooperated with my second grandfather for more than ten years. Although you have the right of first refusal, there is no stipulation in the contract that you cannot sell to other tea buyers. There are many people who sell high-quality Yu Lu tea for three or four hundred yuan per kilogram of fresh leaves, so I think... if you don't buy it..."

"Don't think about it! We'll take it! One hundred and eighty yuan, we'll take it!" Qi Yue interrupted him and spoke first. It was because the quality of the rain and dew tea produced in Fenghuang Mountain was good that they had cooperated with Su Erye for more than ten years. The price of the first and second grade teas was very different. If they were packaged as special products, they would make a lot of money. They had made a lot of money over the years, so how could they bear to give up this piece of fat meat?

Huang Xing and Zhang Zhong saw that Qi Yue had given in, so they gritted their teeth and agreed.

Su Ling pursed his lips and sighed, "One hundred and eighty yuan including the shipping fee, it seems that I am still at a loss."

"Not at all!" Qi Yue was afraid that he would not sell, so he said with a smile, "It's settled. Let's draft the contract now, and the day after tomorrow... no, tomorrow I will send someone to pick tea. What do you think, Mr. Su?"

Su Ling was not in a hurry to answer him, but asked the village chief: "What do you think?"

After all, the tea mountain business was entrusted to the village chief by the second grandfather, so he had to ask the village chief's opinion.

The village chief stroked his goatee seriously and nodded slowly: "It's up to you."

This guy looks young, but he has a sharp mind. He can trick people with just a few words. He is quite capable.

With the approval of the village chief, Su Ling said without any embarrassment: "Okay, let's draft the contract."

He didn't know the market price of fresh leaves, but he knew the price of finished products. Compared with the finished products, fresh leaves at 180 yuan per kilogram were really cheap. However, Lu Feng once said that business negotiations are psychological warfare, and one must know how to read the other party's words and extract useful information from their words.

If they dared to lower the price to 80 yuan per kilogram, he dared to raise it to 180 yuan. Including the shipping cost was a psychological suggestion to make the other party feel that they were getting a good deal. Sure enough, after hearing the price, the other party blurted out the high price of 150 yuan in a hurry.

Su Ling knew the price and felt confident, which gave him more bargaining chips.

Of course, the most important point is that these three tea merchants are willing to cooperate with the Second Master for more than ten years, which shows that the quality of Phoenix Mountain's Rain and Dew Tea is guaranteed and the finished product can be sold at a high price. As long as it is profitable, they will definitely not give up easily.

He was still too conservative and didn't dare to raise the price to two or three hundred yuan per kilogram. It turned out that he was not cut out for business.