Hongmi replied, "I came up the mountain to deliver some things and to visit Sister Run. I'll come back down the mountain to the inn later."
"Sit down and rest for a while," Mu Run said, then asked Cai to fetch the dry food and fruit they had brought up the mountain. "You haven't had lunch yet, have you? Just have a little something to eat, and we'll have a proper meal after we finish picking the tea leaves."
"Thank you, Sister Run. Let me help you pick tea leaves too."
"Okay, they charge five copper coins a pound of fresh tea, and you pay the same?"
"Sure, sure!" Redmi's eyes lit up when she heard there was money to be made.
"Then hurry up and eat something, then rest a bit before getting back to work."
"Yeah."
As long as there's money to be made, no matter how much or how little, Redmi is incredibly enthusiastic. Moreover, it picks tea leaves exceptionally quickly and is very good at climbing trees, as agile as a little monkey.
The girls followed Hongmi's example, climbing the tree to pick tea leaves, chatting and laughing, making it a lively scene.
Mu Run felt as if she had returned to the past, when she followed her older sisters and sisters-in-law to pick tea leaves on the mountain. The group of people chatted about this and that, and didn't feel that picking tea leaves was tiring at all.
Madam Cai handed Mu Run a clean, plain handkerchief. "Madam, give me the basket and quickly wipe your sweat."
Mu Run looked at her basket, which was almost full, and handed it to Cai Shi. Looking at the wild tea trees and tender, lush branches around her, she asked, "Sister Cai, are there any women in the village who are idle at home?"
"Does Madam wish to invite them to help pick tea leaves?"
"Yes, we're afraid we won't be able to pick enough. Spring tea is all about timing; once it's over, it's just grass and leaves."
"No problem, I'll go back and find someone."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Sister Cai."
"Madam, you're too kind. It's all what I should do."
...
The council chamber of Chongyi Hall.
Fu Yunchen sat in the head seat of the golden chair, staring blankly toward the door.
The other ten leaders of Bianyun Village sat upright in two rows on the left and right, also remaining silent.
Among these ten hall masters, one female hall master was particularly eye-catching. She wore a fiery red dress, flamboyant and striking, yet her expression was cold and unapproachable. Especially her eyes, which were like a pair of ice that had never melted for a thousand years. The contrast between cold and hot created a visually stimulating effect that was hard to ignore. She was Xue Niang, the wife of the former chieftain Mai Jichang.
Xue Niang picked up her teacup and took a small sip, glancing at Fu Yunchen, who was at the head of the group, through the cover of the teacup lid.
Sitting opposite Xue Niang was Bai Shalu, the leader of Yunlong Hall, who was playing with his golden flute that he never parted with. "Chief, I just heard something interesting about the chief's wife."
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him, which shows how attractive this topic was.
Qiao Dongzi seemed to know what he was going to say, and looked at Fu Yunchen again.
Fu Yunchen tapped the golden beast-head armrest lightly with the tip of his slender index finger. "My wife is not here for you all to gossip about."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell into an instant of silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Bai Shalu's expression froze, and he immediately stood up and bowed to Fu Yunchen, saying, "This subordinate has been impolite, please forgive me, Chieftain."
"This will not happen again." Fu Yunchen closed his eyes slightly.
Liu Lao Er gave Bai Sha Lu a wink, warning him never to mention the chieftain's wife in front of the chieftain.
Bai Shalu gave Liu Lao Er an innocent look. Little did he know that the chieftain cared so much about that woman.
"I heard that the chieftain's wife has hired many women from the village to pick tea leaves on Chongyi Peak, and they pay five coins a pound. When did Chongyi Peak become so accessible, where can anyone go as they please? Where is the dignity and prestige of Chongyi Hall?" Xue Niang said what Bai Shalu hadn't said.
However, Bai Shalu hadn't considered the latter part. And that's why Bai Shalu cast an even more admiring glance at Xue Niang; it was a blatant criticism of the chieftain's wife.
Fu Yunchen's strange eyes flickered as he looked at Xue Niang, "She has always acted with my permission."
Ha! This one is even more ruthless, taking all the blame upon himself with a single sentence, leaving everyone speechless.
Bai Shalu looked at Fu Yunchen with even greater awe. He was truly formidable!
"Does the chieftain just let her do whatever she wants?" Xue Niang asked sternly.
Fu Yunchen replied with ease, "She is the chieftain's wife of Bianyun Village. The man is in charge of external affairs while the woman manages the household. She has the final say in matters within Bianyun Village. As long as she doesn't betray me, she can do whatever she wants."
This gives everyone an explanation: Mu Run is his woman!
Qiao Dongzi coughed softly, "Actually, no one has anything bad to say about what my sister-in-law did. Originally, they were all women who were idle at home. They would just go hiking and pick tea leaves, and they could earn money. It was a win-win situation, so everyone was quite happy. Yesterday, my two younger sisters-in-law earned half a string of cash, which made my wife, who was in postpartum confinement, so envious that she wanted to leave her child and go with them."
Yan Zhengkun, the headmaster of Qingxuetang, wiped his mustache and said, "The school is on holiday these days, and many students have gone up the mountain to pick tea leaves. This has not only trained their bodies but also taught them that it is not easy to earn money and that they can reap the rewards of their own labor. Well done, well done."
Upon hearing Yan Zhengkun's words, Fu Yunchen's expression softened considerably. "Although we in Bianyun Village live a life of hardship, there will always be generations who don't want to eat that kind of food. Therefore, we must teach them proper livelihoods down the mountain. This all requires guidance and instruction from Qingxuetang. I thank Hall Master Yan for his trouble."
Yan Zhengkun immediately stood up and said to Fu Yunchen, "Your subordinate will certainly live up to the chieftain's trust."
Steward Yang hurriedly entered the hall and said, "Reporting to the chieftain, Zhong Jiu has arrived."
Everyone's expression was solemn.
Fu Yunchen said solemnly, "Please."
A person, completely enveloped from head to toe in a grey cloak, entered from outside.
He knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse like a broken gong, "Greetings, Chieftain."
"Rise." Fu Yunchen raised his hand.
"Thank you, Chief." Zhong Jiu raised his head, his face covered by a mask, only his long, narrow, fox-like eyes were exposed. "The Wu Kingdom invaded the Northern Jin, the Northern Jin was defeated, General Li Yu was killed, and Prince Zhou, the younger brother of Emperor Xiaozhi, was captured. Emperor Xiaozhi sued for peace, and the Wu Emperor demanded the territory of the Northern Jin, including Chongyang Mountain, Chongcheng, Yuancheng, Xiliang City, and even the border city of Feicheng of the Wu Kingdom, two million taels of gold, and Princess Xiaoyu."
Everyone was stunned into silence. This was utterly humiliating and a betrayal of national sovereignty; no one with a backbone would agree to such terms. Especially since Chongyang Mountain was adjacent to the Yingjiang Grand Canal, the lifeblood of the Northern Jin Dynasty. If the Wu Kingdom were to capture it, the Northern Jin Dynasty would truly be in grave danger.
Zhong Jiu continued, "Emperor Xiaozhi agreed."
"A tyrannical ruler!"
"waste!"
"idiot!"
"You spineless dog who can't even have a son."
“Saying all this is useless. The key question is, what will happen to our Bianyun Village? If the people from Wu come, can we continue to stay here?” Qiao Dongzi said.
With a flick of his golden flute, Bai Shalu commanded like a general surveying the land, shouting, "Attack!"
Xue Niang said, "We are bandits, and they are the army. Fighting them is like twisting a thigh with an arm, or throwing an egg against a rock."
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