Chapter 284: I don't like it, sober up
Deep in the farm, the wooden cooking shed was brightly lit.
Gu Xixi threw two handfuls of mosquito repellent herbs into the stove, tilted her head to look back, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
I originally thought that I could finally come back and have a full night's sleep after finishing the work, but it ended up being a night watch for everyone.
What a sin this is!
The water in the big pot began to boil. Gu Xixi put in a handful of loose tea, scooped hot water to shake the jar, and poured out the remaining water from washing the tea.
Because it is this year's spring tea, the boiling water is allowed to cool slightly before being poured into the jar.
He Jinglan came over and picked up a stack of stoneware bowls and rinsed them with clean water. She was in high spirits and did not seem to be sleepy at all.
Gu Xixi squinted and said, "You haven't slept well for two days, aren't you sleepy?"
He Jinglan replied cheerfully, "I'm not sleepy, it's rare to encounter such an interesting thing. If Mu Nanzhao were here, it would be even more fun!"
She spoke these words from the bottom of her heart, and even laughed a few times after she finished speaking.
He Jinglan continued to wash the dishes when she suddenly felt the air around her was a little cold. When she looked up, she saw Gu Xixi looking at her quietly.
Gu Xixi raised her cherry lips and smiled very gently, "It's fun, isn't it?"
He Jinglan's face tightened and she shook her head like a rattle, "No, no, I wanted to say, I wanted to say... Ridiculous!"
"That's ridiculous! Why are you sitting outside drinking tea in the middle of the night?"
Gu Xixi casually opened a bag of pine nut candy and asked nonchalantly, "You seem to have written more letters to Meng Chengping recently?"
"I read the contents of General Meng's letter and he is still infatuated and unwilling to give up. But the elders of the He family want you to marry into a wealthy family. The blind date list is ready. Are they waiting for you to return?"
"I should have countless fun when I see General Meng again in the future."
"How should we play?"
He Jinglan was horrified and begged for mercy decisively, "I was wrong!"
Gu Xixi glanced sideways, "Do you still want to play now?"
He Jinglan said obediently, "I don't want to!"
She smiled again and said, "Actually, I just felt that these two people were interested in you, so I wanted to help you test them."
"Aren't you curious about what they think of you?"
Gu Xixi replied with a wooden face, "I'm not curious."
She paused, sighed and looked at He Jinglan, "An Qinghe has never seen someone like me. There is an impulsive element in me."
"Gradually he will understand that even if he doesn't marry me, he can still work with me on business for a long time. In fact, the latter is a better choice."
"I don't know whether he will stick to his current ideas by then."
"As for Lord Jiang, today is only the second time I have met him."
"If I have to say what he has towards me, it's just a little admiration at best."
He Jinglan asked, "What if Lord Jiang falls in love with you at first sight?"
Gu Xixi said, "But I don't believe in love at first sight."
He Jinglan was silent for a moment, "You are not shy about your feelings at all, and you are very clear-headed."
She suddenly realized something and smiled, "I understand. The reason you are sober is because you have no interest in them."
What about Mu Nanzhao? Why are you always so shy about him? He Jinglan thought to herself.
Thinking in reverse, Mu Nanzhao might have more hope than the two people in front of him.
The two women were whispering in secret beside the stove, while An Qinghe and Jiang Mingyuan were sitting opposite each other at the table, also not idle.
As their eyes crossed, there seemed to be crackling of electric sparks in the air.
An Qinghe: "I am half a year older than you. You are Xixi's elder brother. I wonder if I should call you Brother Jiang or Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Mingyuan smiled and said, "My nickname is Zichu. Boss An, you can just call me by my nickname like everyone else."
An Qinghe: "You Daye people get married early, why haven't you married yet at your age?"
Jiang Mingyuan said indifferently: "A real man should build a career first and then start a family. Boss An is older than me, but he is not married yet."
An Qinghe: "I heard that you are going to the capital to take the imperial examination. You may not be able to return to Qingtian County after you become an official. Xixi has her own career and it is impossible for her to be led by a man."
Jiang Mingyuan: "It's great that Boss An, a stranger, has this self-knowledge. I admire Xixi, and I don't want her to give up her persistence for someone in the future."
The two fell silent again, their eyes locked.
At this time, a pot of hot tea was gently placed on the table.
The two looked up at the same time. Gu Xixi put down another small plate of pine nut candy and said with a smile, "It's late at night and you must be hungry. It's a pity that there is nothing else to eat but this."
I came here in a hurry and only brought a bag of candy.
I thought it would be convenient to carry with me, and in an emergency where I couldn't eat, I could just eat two pieces of candy a day and it would help me get through the day a little longer.
Now that the crisis was over, Gu Xixi took out the bag of candy as a snack for the guests.
Jiang Mingyuan said gently, "Please."
Gu Xixi placed two more mosquito repellent sachets on the table before sitting down.
He Jinglan used a wooden spoon to serve tea to everyone.
Jiang Mingyuan held the bowl and looked at the tea soup, slightly surprised, "Is this freshly brewed loose tea? It smells very special."
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "This is this year's spring tea. We don't have the right tea set, so we'll just drink it as it is."
An Qinghe now found an opportunity to show off, "Xixi planted the tea trees herself, and I roasted the tea leaves. Brother Zichu, you should drink more."
Jiang Mingyuan glanced at him calmly, lowered his eyes and smelled the fragrance, "The tea fragrance is leisurely and light, it is not only the spring tea of that year, but also should be picked before the Qingming Festival."
Gu Xixi nodded, "Indeed, I don't grow many tea trees, and I only got two jars of Mingqian tea in total."
Jiang Mingyuan blew on the edge of the bowl and sipped gently, his manners elegant and not artificial.
When he tasted tea, he could appreciate the fragrance, flavor and aftertaste very well, and he was actually an expert in tea drinking.
As a tea tree cultivator, Gu Xixi wants to hear such user feedback.
Moreover, the tea industry in the Daye Dynasty was openly monopolized by the government, and most transactions had to go through government documents.
Gu Xixi also wanted to hear more about the industry from Jiang Mingyuan.
So it became her asking and Jiang Mingyuan answering.
Seeing that Gu Xixi was interested in this, Jiang Mingyuan naturally told her everything he knew.
For example, there are still no registered tea merchants and tea farmers in the Northwest.
In addition, the tea trade is prosperous in the Jiangnan area. In recent years, part of the mountain land has been reclaimed by the government and handed over to local tea merchants.
After the tea garden was built, the tea produced would naturally be official tea, and there was no need to wait for the government to approve the tea permit.
The final profits were shared between the government and tea merchants according to the contract, and tea tax was exempted.
As well as the time and standards for selecting tribute tea for the imperial court every year.
An Qinghe was left out, but he was not angry.
As long as the topic is related to doing business and making money, he can listen with great interest.
Seeing that the atmosphere had calmed down, He Jinglan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It would be bad if the Shura situation she started tonight on a whim was not resolved.
Because they were so engrossed in the conversation, it was not until Jiang Mingyuan stood up to say goodbye that Gu Xixi looked up and realized that it was already dawn.
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