A Good Country Wife
Chapter 173: Picking Tea Leaves_1

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Picking Tea Leaves_1

"Then thank you so much! Since you said the Jiang Family’s industry is huge, I won’t be courteous with you." Lin Yue was thrilled and, knowing what kind of person Jiang Ziqi was, she did not bother with pretense and gladly accepted all the fabric without any pressure. A large box of embroidery threads also arrived, all of the finest quality. Whatever the Jiang Family treasury had, Jiang Ziqi had asked for a portion of it for her; there was no need to pick and choose, just leaving it all for Lin Yue would be fine.

Jiang Ziqi had other matters to take care of that day and did not plan to stay for lunch. He was about to leave when Lin Yue stopped him. Seeing such fine fabric, Lin Yue was so happy that she only now remembered she had another favor to ask of him, "Big Brother Jiang, wait for a moment, I have something to request from you, also related to the embroidery work."

"Oh? What is it? Do you still need some materials?" Jiang Ziqi could only think of materials in relation to the embroidery work.

"No, I would like a portrait of the Empress Dowager. Big Brother Jiang, could you help me obtain one?" Once Lin Yue confirmed the identity, she could act without reservations. Seeing Jiang Ziqi hesitate, Lin Yue did not beat around the bush; after all, Jiang Ziqi was the buyer of the embroidery work. Even if she had an idea, she had to seek his approval before proceeding.

Lin Yue shared her rough plan with Jiang Ziqi, who, upon hearing it, lit up with approval. His gaze towards Lin Yue grew even more fervent, "Yueyue is truly ingenious, thinking of such a method. I can imagine the Empress Dowager will be delighted when she sees your embroidery. Let’s do it this way. I trust Yueyue’s abilities."

"There is no need to look for it; I’ll draw it for you right now." Jiang Ziqi, as an aristocrat raised by his family from a young age, was not only skilled in medicine but also quite good at painting. Having frequented the court, he was very familiar with Empress Dowager Huici. Therefore, instead of looking elsewhere, he took paper and ink from Lin Yue and drew a portrait of Empress Dowager Huici, which he then handed over to Lin Yue. He instructed her to take good care of the portrait and to destroy it immediately after its use.

Lin Yue was well aware of the severe implications and earnestly promised to do so. It was, after all, a portrait of the current Empress Dowager Huici, drawn by Jiang Ziqi himself. If anything went wrong, she would be unable to bear the consequences.

There was no rush to embroider the Longevity Picture. Lin Yue carefully stored away the fabrics and threads Jiang Ziqi had sent. In the next few days, Lin Yue put aside other tasks and decided to first finish making the baby clothes for Zhao Xinglin’s son. Choosing an auspicious number, she made a total of eight sets in different styles, four for indoor wear and four for outdoor. Once finished, Lin Yue felt a great weight lift from her heart. With some leisure and mood over the past two days, Lin Yue was eager to take a walk in the mountains with Zhao Erhu.

The season was ripe with various game and mountain delicacies, and with Zhao Erhu present, she didn’t have to worry about safety. However, at that moment, Zhao Erhu was busy fertilizing and watering the vegetables in the field and planned to finish these tasks before heading to the mountains the next day. Lin Yue, on a whim, could hardly hold back and insisted on dragging Zhao Erhu into the mountains immediately.

"Zhao Erhu, didn’t you say you would cherish your wife? Zhao Erhu, if you don’t even agree to this small request, what can I expect from you? How can I ever trust you in the future? An old man’s words are truly unreliable." Lin Yue had now fully adapted to her new identity and, considering herself youthful, naturally thought Zhao Erhu was older. With a hint of teasing, she referred to him as "old man," which irked Zhao Erhu.

"Fine, I’ll accompany you right now, okay? Call me an old man again and see if I don’t take care of you, you little wench!" Lin Yue threw out a few heart-piercing words, and Zhao Erhu had no choice but to agree. This little ancestor! Insisting on shadowing him, he truly had no way to handle her.

Lin Yue’s trip into the mountains this time had no special purpose; it was purely because she felt stifled from embroidering indoors for too long and wanted to get some fresh air and relax her mood. Of course, she wouldn’t miss any good finds and had specially brought along a basket for each, herself and Zhao Erhu.

When Dalang and the others saw this and wanted to join in, Lin Yue agreed. Zhao Erhu, with a wave of his hand, briskly consented. After all, there was nothing much to do in the mountains, and with his protection, there was no need to worry. It was the perfect opportunity to test the skills of those two lads, Dalang and Erhu. He had them bring the small bows and arrows they used for practice, as he had been gradually transferring his skills of guarding the home to them. They couldn’t afford to waste time at home. A man ought to have some wildness about him and not be raised like a woman. He didn’t care about others, but Zhao Erhu’s sons certainly couldn’t be raised that way.

They locked the courtyard door, and the family cheerfully set out. Zhao Erhu took Dalang and Erhu hunting while Lin Yue, accompanied by Sanlang and Silang, searched nearby for any edible mushrooms or other mountain delicacies they could pick. They didn’t find those, but Lin Yue stumbled upon a small tea grove. Although the season for picking tea was almost over, because these tea plants were in the mountains where higher altitude meant lower temperature, it was actually the perfect time to pick from this small tea grove.

For Lin Yue, this was truly an unexpected windfall. At this time of year, aside from specialized tea plantations or farms that grew tea trees, no one else cultivated such crops. Even those that did were wild in the mountains and, without a fortuitous discovery, she never would have considered picking tea leaves.

Tea was considered a luxury in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Lin Yue usually drank plain water, but once, when there were guests at home and Jiang Ziqi would come daily to give acupuncture to Zhao Erhu, Lin Yue, aiming to host Ziqi properly, had bought a small box of tea from a store. It was so expensive that a small box, not even weighing one tael, cost her two taels of silver. It pained her greatly to spend that much.

What made Lin Yue even more vexed was that after trying it once, Ziqi complained about the inferior quality of the tea, though he still drank it begrudgingly since it was at least better than plain water.

Lin Yue had comforted herself with the thought that Ziqi, coming from an aristocratic family and accustomed to the finest things in life, was therefore discerning about her bought tea. But even she had tasted the brew made from that tea and found it lackluster, feeling like she had been ripped off. Lin Yue had then resolved to pick and roast her own tea when the season arrived, but later, with so many things on her mind, she simply forgot. Now, this chance encounter was indeed fortuitous.

Looking at the growth, they could harvest two or three batches. Once ready, Lin Yue had no intention of selling these leaves. Tea, as a luxury, would not fetch a good price at the market. It was better kept for hosting guests or as gifts. She planned to have a woodworker craft several exquisite small wooden boxes, fill them with tea leaves as presents, surely giving off a high-end and classy vibe.

To pick the tea leaves, Lin Yue also stopped Zhao Erhu and the boys from hunting. She summoned the father and sons to do the hard labor for her. In pursuit of refinement, Lin Yue insisted they first pick the top shoots and a single leaf separately, then pick a second time. This approach took up a lot of time, but fortunately, many hands make light work. By evening, they had finished picking the small tea grove, and it would be some time before the new tender leaves grew back for another picking.

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