By supporting the Wang family, they, as fellow villagers and clansmen, will surely benefit to some extent.
That day, Zhou Yi's mother came to visit. Chen Hong happened to be home. The old lady hadn't come for several days and knew that Chen Hong had guests at home and hadn't had a moment's rest.
"Chen Hong, I've come to thank you and say goodbye. We're heading back to Beijing tomorrow morning."
Chen Hong was quite surprised: "Didn't you say you would go back after summer? The temperature is so high now, it won't be easy to make the trip."
Zhou Yi's mother smiled, took Chen Hong's hand and patted it, "It's alright, after staying here for more than a month, the three of us feel much better."
Yujia Village is a wonderful place, and the people at your hotel are all incredibly warm and hospitable.
We had some business to attend to in Beijing this time, otherwise I really wouldn't want to leave. We'll be back in a while.
We'll need to ask you to reserve a nice room for us then. Your village's residential land isn't for sale, otherwise I'd be thinking of buying a plot to build a house and retire in your village.
As she spoke, the old lady took out a red brocade box from her pocket, opened it in front of Chen Hong, and found a ruby necklace inside.
The chain is gold, and the pendant is set in a gold setting with rubies. This piece of jewelry is very well preserved; the gold chain glitters, and the rubies sparkle.
This pendant isn't very big; it's shaped like a pomegranate. It doesn't look like a modern item; it must be an antique.
The ruby in this pendant is quite clear. Although Chen Hong doesn't understand gemstones, she knows this gift is quite valuable.
Chen Hong quickly waved her hand in refusal, "Aunt Zhou, I dare not accept your gifts again."
I haven't had a chance to reciprocate the gift you gave me last time.
The gift you gave me is too valuable; I can't accept it anymore. Besides, I don't usually wear jewelry.
Look at me, all I do every day is fishing and housework. I wear long pants, shirts, and vests every day. Wearing such precious jewelry just doesn't suit me.
It's such a waste that you gave me such a wonderful gift. I already have quite a lot of jewelry, but I don't usually wear it.
In the countryside, there's no occasion for me to wear my jewelry, so I lock it away and store it away in a trunk!
The old lady pushed the brocade box back, saying, "Chen Hong, you must accept this. It's a gift from your Uncle Zhou."
For the past month or so, we've enjoyed plenty of your good food. It's helped us take good care of our health, and we know you've put in a lot of effort.
We'd like to stay here longer in the future, so please accept this gift. Otherwise, we'll feel too embarrassed to come back again.
At our age, we no longer value these material possessions. Your Uncle Zhou is even more so; he has so many good things he wants to give away, but he can't find anyone to give them away.
He said he gets along well with you and that giving you something makes him happy too. You absolutely mustn't refuse, otherwise he won't feel comfortable coming to stay and eat here with you anymore.
There's something else I need to ask you: do you still have any of that cloud and mist tea?
We're leaving tomorrow. There's not much tea left from the last time you gave us. If there's any left, we'll chip in and buy some more.
If I get used to that tea, I'll definitely miss it terribly if I can't get it when I go back to Beijing.
No matter the cost, you must find a way to buy some. This cloud and mist tea is top-quality and must contain many beneficial ingredients.
Anyway, after drinking it, we all felt our appetites improved, we slept better, and we felt lighter.
Seeing Zhou Yi's mother's eager eyes, Chen Hong understood. This ruby necklace wasn't a free gift; the Zhou family elders had their eyes on her Yunwu tea.
Chen Hong could accept the gift with a clear conscience. In exchange for a pound of Yunwu tea, the Zhou family would definitely not lose out.
Now Chen Hong is at ease. It's a transaction of interests, which she likes best. What she fears most now is talking about feelings with her.
She really can't afford to talk about relationships right now; it's really expensive!
Talking about money makes things much easier; we'll develop a strong bond when we talk about money!
Chen Hong pretended to be embarrassed: "This tea is not mine either. I got it from someone else."
This tea is extremely rare; it is made by hand from ancient tea trees that have been harvested for thousands of years by local mountain people.
There's really not much produced each year, not enough to get it to the market. I only got a few pounds of tea by chance; I rescued his child when I went into the mountains.
Since you all enjoy drinking it, and I still have two jin (1 kg) at home, I'll give you another jin (0.5 kg)!
To avoid being exposed, Chen Hong began to use her deceptive tactics. The elders of the Zhou family were all shrewd and capable people, so she dared not give them too much tea.
With such a large quantity, she couldn't really explain the origin of the tea leaves, and could only try to deceive people with vague and ambiguous statements.
There was only a pound or two of this tea, and there were no similar products on the market. No matter how hard they racked their brains, they would never find out where this tea came from.
The more mysterious and rarer something is, the safer Chen Hong will be. The Laoshan mountain range is so vast, filled with countless strange and wondrous tales; if someone were to say it contains a blessed land, perhaps some would believe it!
Anyway, Chen Hong is in charge of this matter, so she just fooled us. What can you do about it? No one can expose her anyway; she's just that shameless!
When Zhou Yi's mother heard that Chen Hong only had two jin, she was very happy. The old lady thought that if there was one, there would be two. If there was one this year, there would be one next year!
"Then hurry up and give it to me, I'll hide it when I get home and drink it slowly."
Chen Hong, if you have the chance, try to buy some more. No matter how much, our family will cover it all.
The price is up to them; as long as it's not too outrageous, we'll lease the entire orchard to them every year.
Chen Hong was amused by Grandma Zhou. "Auntie, they don't sell this tea."
I only produce about ten kilograms a year, which isn't enough to share with relatives and friends, let alone enough for myself!
Besides, this tea is of such high quality but lacks a reputation, so no price would be appropriate.
If word gets out, it will cause trouble. These are families that have been passed down for generations, and they don't care about this little bit of money.
No amount of money can buy health. People who sell tea might as well keep it for themselves. Only very close friends can give away a very small amount as a gift.
This year won't work, let's see how it goes next year. One or two kilograms a year should be fine, given our friendship. Any more than that really won't work.
Let's not talk about money. I'll accept this necklace, and consider this pound of tea a return gift.
After finishing her sentence, Chen Hong went upstairs to the master bedroom, entered the space through the bathroom, took a pound of tea leaves, and quickly went downstairs back to the living room.
“Aunt Zhou, please take this pound of tea home and drink it first. I’ll find a chance to ask if there’s any left for this year.”
Zhou Yi's mother, who was downstairs, had also figured it out: the owner of the tea must also know about the health benefits of Yunwu tea.
However, this type of tea is not well-known and is difficult to price. Moreover, if it is truly from an ancient tea tree that is thousands of years old, the ownership of the tree after its demise would be a troublesome matter.
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