After being exiled, she married a rough man, and the sickly beauty was spoiled

Yang pulled A'mo aside and said, "A'mo, let Hui Ling and I pick the tea leaves. You are too strong and it is easy to damage the buds and leaves."

Song Huiling knew what Yang meant. Picking tea leaves requires skill. In ancient times, there were no machines, so the tea could only be picked by hand.

The key to picking the bud is to lift it up. Separate your thumb and index finger, insert them into the center of the top of the bud, lift it up, and pick the bud.

Tea leaves are delicate and can be crushed easily if you are not careful. Men are strong and can damage the tea leaves if they are not careful.

A'mo felt that he was of no help and stood aside in a depressed mood.

Song Huiling glanced at the hatchet on Ah-mo's waist and consoled him, "Ah-mo, let's divide the work. We'll pick the tea leaves, and you'll go wandering around the forest to see if you can try your luck and shoot some pheasants."

Knowing that there was work to do and he didn't have to sit idle, A'mo immediately became energetic, his eyes shining, he nodded vigorously, and then disappeared from the sight of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Yang took off her shoes and socks, and stepped barefoot onto one of the tea trees. Her body was nimble and steady, and she soon stopped on a branch, slightly leaning sideways to begin picking buds and leaves.

The locals are very awed by this wild tea tree, thinking it is a treasure bestowed upon them by the gods, and climbing the tree barefoot is a sign of respect for the tea spirit.

Song Huiling also followed suit, took off his shoes and socks and climbed up the tree. Although his body was not as agile as Yang's, he landed steadily on the branch, steadying his body with one hand and picking tea leaves with the other.

Yang glanced at Song Huiling and was surprised to see her deft technique. "Huiling, is this your first time picking tea? I feel like you're quite skilled."

Song Huiling carefully placed the buds and leaves she had picked in a bamboo basket, and replied calmly, "I know a lot about tea. I used to go to the tea mountains with my sisters when I was in Beijing. I can't say I know everything about it, but I know it very well."

Yang suddenly felt a little depressed. Her daughter-in-law was so outstanding and knew everything. If she hadn't fallen into trouble, she would have been a candidate for the eldest daughter-in-law of a noble family in Beijing.

Now, she is being pursued by her rough son!

They are all family now, and saying too many discouraging words will easily lead to alienation. Yang quickly suppressed this thought.

Song Huiling was not as fast as Yang. The bamboo basket around Yang's waist was already full, but she had not even picked half of the basket.

Yang got down to the ground and waved at her: "Hui Ling, it's enough, and you have to leave some for others."

Song Huiling glanced at the bamboo basket on his waist and slowly stopped.

After they picked the tea leaves, A'mo also brought back a pheasant.

With a fruitful harvest, the three of them went down the mountain and returned home.

After fresh tea leaves are picked, they must be withered and fried in time.

When she got home, Yang took out the bamboo sieve that she had used to dry tea last year and placed it in a cool place in the yard.

Song Huiling put the tea leaves into a bamboo sieve, picked them out and spread them out, removing single leaves and debris before spreading them out for an hour.

After spreading out, put the leaves in the pan and fry them. Put the fresh leaves into the pan, simmer them first and then shake them. Shake and simmer more often, combining shaking and simmering. Stir-fry with both hands flexibly, throwing them high and shaking them loosely.

The leaves must turn dark green, without being raw, yellow or burnt, and with a cooked aroma. Then lower the temperature of the pan, knead the leaves in the pan, rolling and turning them along the wall of the pan, shaking off the moisture while kneading. The leaves should be rolled into tight strips, not flat or loose. This is called kneading.

Then roll the dough into a ball and lift the hairs until the white hairs are visible, the color is bright, and the hairs are broken continuously without falling off. It feels hard, crisp and prickly to the touch, and then it is put into the drying process.

The tea leaves obtained after spreading, withering, rolling, kneading into balls and drying are in the shape of fishhook tea. The dry tea is green with yellow, the soup is green with yellow, the leaf bottom is green with yellow. After brewing with water, the aroma is fresh and tender, fresh and sweet.

The roasted tea leaves need to be left for another seven days before they can be brewed.

During the next seven days of waiting, Song Huiling's body had already recovered and he had stopped taking the medicine for several days.

During this period, Song Huiling, A'mo and Yang went to the fields to plant rice seedlings and sow melon and bean seeds in the dry fields.

He Zhan seemed to be very busy these days and only returned home once at lunch one day.

Seeing that Song Huiling was more energetic than usual, he was naturally happy and said that he would give her a surprise in a few days.

Song Huiling jokingly replied at the time: "My husband gave me a surprise, maybe I will give him a shock in the future."

She had already made up her mind at that time. If He Zhan asked her any further questions, she would tell him everything about her business.

But He Zhan thought she was just joking and just chuckled, "You've scared me enough. I can handle a few more."

……

Qingming Festival has passed and the weather is gradually clearing up. Song Huiling specially chose a sunny day to open the shop.

The farm work at home has come to a temporary halt, and Yang is also free to come and help.

Song Huiling hadn't been to Turing Pass for a long time, and he felt a little uncomfortable for a while.

When she came here to set up a stall before, the huge Turing Pass seemed to be contracted by her and Yang, and there was no competitor.

But today, the road is full of vendors carrying goods on their shoulders, and the road leading to Turing Pass is as busy as it is during the New Year.

I heard a few vendors whispering on the road.

"Now that Wu Luohai is dead, we can finally do business in peace."

"Who says it's not true? I heard that the new chieftain has a good relationship with the garrison troops. As long as he is in office, we won't have to worry anymore."

"Tell me, what is the background of this Xin Sang? Isn't the position of chieftain hereditary? I heard that he is just Wu Luohai's sworn brother, how can he be qualified to be the new chieftain?"

"It doesn't matter who he is, as long as he can help us do business safely, he is a good person."

After hearing this, A'mo clenched his fists, his joints creaked, and it took him a long while to suppress his anger.

Today is Sister Hui Ling's first day of business, and he cannot cause trouble at this critical moment.

Song Huiling couldn't help but stepped forward and said, "It may not be a good thing for Xin Sang to take office."

The two vendors turned around and saw that it was a girl, and there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.

"What do you know, little girl?"

Song Huiling spoke slowly and calmly, "I heard that when the old chieftain Wu Luohai was in office, he strictly controlled his subordinates and forbade them to harass the surrounding Han people, but his sworn brother Xin Sang did not take it seriously. In the past, all the crimes at Tuling Pass were caused by Xin Sang's subordinates. Wu Luohai only forgave Xin Sang many times because he was his sworn brother. Now that the old chieftain has passed away and Xin Sang has taken office, it may not be a good thing in the long run."

"There's no point in telling us so much. As long as we live a good life now, that's enough." The two vendors were unwilling to talk and stayed away from Song Huiling as if he were the plague.

Song Huiling walked back, and A'mo had a guilty look on her face, as if saying that she shouldn't have said those words.

He still understood the principle that people forget about you when you are gone. As long as the truth about his father's death is not made public, no one will know Xin Sang's true face.

Song Huiling didn't take the cold faces of the two people just now to heart, and looked at Yang and A'mo at the same time with a soothing look: "Although my personal power is limited, I will do my best to speak out before the truth comes out. I don't want everyone to regard Xin Sang, that despicable villain, as a hero."