Liu Ergou chuckled twice, then respectfully said to a young man beside him:
"Brother Hongtu, this Chen Changsheng is still dreaming that your Family will buy his tea!"
The young man next to him was none other than Liu Hongtu, the eldest son of the Liu Family. He glanced at Chen Changsheng with disdain and spoke scornfully:
"Our Liu Family only buys premium tea. We don't take any rotten stuff grown by just anybody!"
At these words, Chen Chuanwen clenched his fists in anger. However, he was not Chuanwu, and his temper was not as fiery. He merely glared at these people, engraving them firmly in his memory.
"Haha, Young Master Liu, when Old Chen's tea can't be sold, you could give him a meal, buy his twenty mu of land. His Family's land isn't bad!"
A rather plump middle-aged man beside him chimed in at the right moment to curry favor. He was the landlord of Kaoshan Village, named Du Huan. Although he had some property, it was not as good as the Liu Family, who had officials in the county town and Martial Artists in their clan. Thus, he always acted as a lackey for the Liu Family, hoping for their protection.
Chen Changsheng merely chuckled at their taunts. These people looked down on others; once the tea was properly grown, they would be begging Chen Changsheng to sell it to them.
"Alright, stop disturbing his daydream. Today, we're going to hunt a fox for a fur coat for the Young Lady. Let's hurry into the mountains and not waste any time!"
Liu Hongtu had something on his mind and was unwilling to waste time chatting with a 'country bumpkin' in his eyes, so he urged everyone to quickly enter the mountains.
Everyone deferred to Liu Hongtu. Once he spoke, they no longer dawdled and all bypassed Chen Changsheng's tea plantation, heading into Jade Dragon Mountain.
After everyone left, Chuanwen glared fiercely at their retreating backs and said in a low voice:
"Father, these people are truly despicable. Not only do they say our Family's tea is no good, but they also covet our land. Let's secretly set some iron traps on their way down the mountain!"
Chen Changsheng looked at Chen Chuanwen in surprise. It was as if he was seeing his second son for the first time; at just eight years old, his eyes revealed a fierce ruthlessness hidden beneath forbearance!
Those sinister eyes were like a lone wolf, a grave tiger!
One must know that iron traps for hunting in the mountains were the most insidious method used by hunters. Even tigers couldn't break free from them. If an ordinary person stepped on one, they would either lose half their life or an entire leg!
Chen Changsheng felt Chuanwen's viciousness but did not criticize him. For the Chen Family to rise, its members could be wolves, or tigers and leopards, but never kind white sheep. The path to rising would undoubtedly be bloody, and being too kind would only harm themselves and the Chen Family.
However, Chen Changsheng wanted his second son to understand the consequences of actions, what could be done and what could not. So, he slowly said to Chuanwen:
"Chuanwen, do you think Father likes to hear them mock us? Father also wants them to pay the price!"
"But that Liu Family has someone who is a captain in the county, they can leverage the power of the yamen, and their Family also has Martial Artists, whose fists can decide your life or death!"
"We have just started to gain momentum; we must endure. Until one day, your elder brother achieves success in martial arts, and our Chen Family has wealth and power, that will be the time for our Chen Family to bare its fangs and feast!"
Chen Chuanwen pondered his father's words for a moment, then turned and said to his father:
"Father, I remember. I will endure. When our Chen Family becomes powerful, I will seek revenge on these guys! As long as your son works hard, our Chen Family will definitely be stronger than the Liu Family in the future. At that time, we will wipe out the Liu Family, leaving no chickens or dogs behind, to prevent them from having a chance to seek revenge!"
Chen Changsheng secretly clicked his tongue. This child had too much murderous intent and a too venomous personality; he wondered who he took after. He could only give a bitter smile and pat his second son's shoulder.
Afterward, Chen Changsheng and his second son descended War Horse Slope. The next day, Chen Changsheng took Chuanwen and picked out a small white dog from the market to raise at the tea plantation.
In the days that followed, Chen Changsheng devoted all his energy to the tea plantation. He meticulously cared for the tea trees and jasmine flowers on the mountain according to the Jasmine Tea Cultivation Method.
Of the thirty mu of mountain land, he planted twenty mu with tea trees. Under his cultivation, the tea trees slowly grew and sprouted tender buds, while the remaining ten mu were planted with jasmine flowers.
Meanwhile, Chuanwu followed Master Wang Yong in martial arts training. With daily and accumulated guidance, Chuanwu did not disappoint his superior root bone and had already entered the first major stage of martial arts training – the Skin Refining Realm.
The Chen Family finally produced its first Martial Artist!
At the same time, during Chuanwu's rest periods, Chen Changsheng would bring out the terms he didn't understand from the Five Elements Origin Cultivation Art to ask Chuanwu for guidance. Chen Changsheng gradually figured out the practice methods of the Five Elements Origin Cultivation Art!
In the blink of an eye, a year passed!
This autumn, besides harvesting twenty mu of wheat, Chen Changsheng's biggest harvest was the tea leaves covering half the mountainside, and the ten mu of jasmine flowers on White Horse Slope.
Looking at the bountiful harvest brought by a year of hard work, Chen Changsheng smiled contentedly.
"I need to find people to help harvest the tea, otherwise I can't finish it alone in just a few days!"
Chen Changsheng looked at the twenty mu of tea trees and pondered. His green tea ripened once a year, and these few days around the autumnal equinox were the picking period. After this time, the tea leaves would become old.
This year, he had been frugal and still had 40 taels of silver left. Chuanwu's martial arts training expenses were not small; his tuition alone cost 100 taels.
Chen Changsheng and the others had eaten their Family's stored grain this year, rarely having meat, but none of them complained. They knew that if they persevered, their future would surely be better.
"Half a tael of Broken silver a day, hire twenty people, and try to finish picking the tea in one day!"
Chen Changsheng calculated, then returned to Kaoshan Village to gather the young people in the village.
At this time, everyone had harvested their crops, and it was the slack season. Hearing about half a tael of silver a day, they all eagerly signed up.
Soon, Chen Changsheng gathered twenty young laborers and took them up the mountain to pick tea leaves.
With many hands, the work was light. Twenty people finished picking all the tea leaves and jasmine flowers in one day, and they were laid out to dry in Chen Changsheng's courtyard.
Chen Changsheng's tea yield was average, about five catties of tea per mu. He had planted twenty mu, harvesting one hundred catties of green tea.
After drying the green tea and jasmine flowers, Chen Changsheng began to stir-fry the jasmine tea according to the techniques in the Jasmine Tea Training Method.
As the last batch of flower tea came out of the wok, Chen Chuanwen watched the tea intently, smelled a hint of fragrance, and said with a smile:
"Father, quickly brew me a cup and let me taste what our Family's tea is like!"
Chen Changsheng looked at the impatient Chuanwen, chuckled, then took out a little tea, put it in a teacup, and poured in boiling water.
Immediately, a strong, fresh aroma wafted over, mixed with the scent of jasmine, making one feel as if they were in a spring wilderness.
"This smell is truly fragrant!"
Chen Chuanwen took a deep breath of the tea aroma, then said ecstatically. When the tea water cooled slightly, he picked up the teacup and took a sip, his eyes instantly brightening.
"Father, this tea is fragrant and sweet, with a subtle floral aroma lingering. The aftertaste leaves a rich fragrance that doesn't dissipate, making one feel clear-headed and refreshed. It's definitely good tea!"
"Our Family's tea will definitely sell well in Longwei County. Our Family is going to get rich!"
Chen Changsheng chuckled, looking at his excited second son. He had absolute confidence in the techniques from the Family Treasure Trove.
However, selling tea was not that easy. As the saying goes, even good wine fears deep alleys. His Family's tea also needed a reputation to sell well.
For this, Chen Changsheng had already made plans!