Chapter 284: Only by not liking does one become clear-headed

Deep in the farmstead, the lamps inside the wooden shed where meals were prepared burned brightly.

Gu Xixi tossed two handfuls of mosquito-repelling herbs into the stove, glanced back, and couldn't help sighing in her heart.

I had thought I could finally get a full night's sleep after finishing work, but instead it turned into everyone keeping watch together.

What sin have we brought upon ourselves!

The water in the big pot came to a boil; Gu Xixi added a pinch of loose tea, scooped hot water to swirl the jar, then poured out the rinsing water.

Because it was this year's spring tea, she let the boiling water cool slightly before pouring it into the jar.

He Jinglan came over, picked up a stack of coarse pottery bowls, rinsed them with clean water, she was full of enthusiasm, showing no sign of sleepiness.

Gu Xixi gave her a sideways look and said, 'You haven't slept well for two days—aren't you tired?'

He Jinglan laughed and replied, 'Not tired at all—it's rare to encounter such fun; if Mu Nan Zhao were here too, it would be even better!'

These words came from her heart, spoken spontaneously; after saying them she even laughed a few times.

He Jinglan continued washing the bowls, suddenly feeling a chill in the air; she lifted her head and saw Gu Xixi quietly gazing at her.

Gu Xixi's cherry lips curved into a gentle smile as she asked, 'Is it fun?'

He Jinglan's face tightened; she shook her head like a rattle-drum, saying, 'No, no, I was going to say, I was going to say… how ridiculous!'

'How ridiculous! Staying up past midnight not sleeping, sitting outside drinking what tea?'

Gu Xixi casually tore open a packet of pine-nut candy and, seeming offhand, asked, 'Lately the letters you've been sending to General Meng seem to have increased?'

'I've seen the content of General Meng's letters; to this day they're still full of deep affection, unwilling to give up. Yet the elders of the He family want you to marry into a high-ranking household, the matchmaking list is all ready, just waiting for you to return, right?'

'From now on, whenever I see General Meng again, I'll have endless amusement.'

'How should we play then?'

He Jinglan turned pale with fright, hastily begged for mercy, 'I was wrong!'

Gu Xixi glanced sideways, 'Do you still want to play now?'

He Jinglan obediently replied, 'No!'

She put on a smile again and said, 'Actually I think both of them have feelings for you, so I wanted to test them for you.'

'Aren't you curious what exactly they think of you?'

Gu Xixi answered with a wooden face, 'Not curious.'

She paused, sighed, and looked at He Jinglan, 'An Qinghe has never seen someone like me before; there's an impulsive element in him.'

'Gradually he'll understand that even if we don't marry, we can still cooperate long-term in our endeavors; in fact, compared to marriage, the latter is the better choice.'

'By then I won't know whether he'll still hold onto his current idea.'

'As for Lord Jiang, today is only the second time I've met him.'

'If I had to say what he feels for me, it's at most a bit of admiration.'

He Jinglan asked, 'What if Lord Jiang actually fell in love with you at first sight?'

Gu Xixi replied, 'But I don't believe in love at first sight.'

He Jinglan pondered, 'In matters of the heart you're actually not shy at all, and you're very clear-headed.'

She suddenly understood something, laughed with an enlightened expression, 'I get it—you're so clear-headed because you have no feelings for them.'

'What about Mu Nan Zhao? Why do you always avoid him more?' He Jinglan thought to herself.

Thinking about it in reverse, Mu Nan Zhao perhaps has more hope than the two before him.

The two women whispered secrets beside the stove, while An Qinghe and Jiang Mingyuan sat opposite each other at the table, also not idle.

As their gazes crossed, the air seemed to crackle with electric sparks.

An Qinghe said, 'I'm half a year older than you; you're Gu Xixi's older brother—should I call you Elder Brother Jiang or Younger Brother Jiang?'

Jiang Mingyuan smiled, 'I am Jiang, courtesy name Zi Chu; Boss An, you may address me by my courtesy name just like anyone else.'

An Qinghe said, 'People from your great enterprise usually marry early; why are you still unmarried at this age?'

Jiang Mingyuan replied evenly, 'A true man should establish his career before starting a family; Boss An, you're older than me and yet you're not married either.'

An Qinghe said, 'I heard you're going to the capital to take the Top Scholar exam; even if you become an official you might not return to Qing Tian County. Gu Xixi has her own career; she couldn't be led around by a man.'

Jiang Mingyuan said, 'For an outsider like Boss An to have such self-awareness is best; I admire Miss Gu Xixi, and I also don't want her to give up her principles for someone in the future.'

The two fell silent again, their eyes locking.

At that moment, a jar of hot tea was gently set on the table.

Both looked up at once; Gu Xixi set down a small dish of pine-nut candy and smiled, 'It's late, you must all be hungry—too bad there's nothing else to eat, only this.'

In the earlier rush, she had brought only one packet of sugar.

She had originally thought carrying it would be convenient; in an emergency, when she couldn't get a meal, eating two pieces a day would let her last longer.

Now that the crisis is over, Gu Xixi took out this packet of sugar to serve as a tea snack for the guests.

Jiang Mingyuan said softly, 'Thank you for the trouble.'

Gu Xixi then placed two mosquito-repelling sachets on the table before sitting down.

He Jinglan used a wooden spoon to ladle out tea for everyone.

Jiang Mingyuan lifted his bowl to examine the tea, slightly surprised, 'Is this freshly brewed loose tea? It smells uniquely fragrant.'

Gu Xixi laughed, 'This is this year's spring tea; we lack proper teaware, so we're making do.'

An Qinghe seized the chance to show off, 'Gu Xixi grew these tea trees herself, I pan-fried the leaves—Brother Zi Chu, please drink a bit more.'

Jiang Mingyuan gave him a faint glance, lowered his eyes to smell the aroma, 'The tea scent is lingering, the fragrance light and floating; not only is it this year's spring tea, it should also be picked before the Qingming Festival.'

Gu Xixi nodded, 'Indeed, I don't have many tea trees; the pre-Qingming tea yielded only two jars in total.'

Jiang Mingyuan blew gently on the rim of his bowl, took a delicate sip, his manner elegant yet unpretentious.

When he tasted the tea, he evaluated its fragrance, flavor, and aftertaste thoroughly—he was clearly a connoisseur of tea.

As the cultivator of these tea trees, Gu Xixi just wanted to hear such user feedback.

Moreover, the tea trade in the Great Undertaking Dynasty is monopolized by the government on the surface, and most transactions must be carried out with documents issued by the government.

Gu Xixi also wanted to hear more about the industry from Jiang Mingyuan.

Thus she asked, and Jiang Mingyuan answered.

Seeing Gu Xixi's interest, Jiang Mingyuan naturally told her everything he knew.

For example, there are still no registered tea merchants or tea farmers in the Northwest.

Furthermore, the tea trade in the Jiangnan region is prosperous; in recent years, part of it consists of mountain land opened up by the government itself, which is then contracted to local tea merchants.

Once the tea plantation is built, the tea it produces is naturally government tea, requiring no additional approval of tea permits from the office.

The final profits are divided between the government and the tea merchants according to contract, and no tea tax is levied.

As well as the timing and standards for the imperial court's annual tribute tea selection, and so on.

An Qinghe was left to the side, but he wasn't angry.

As long as the topic was related to business and making money, he could listen with great relish.

Seeing the atmosphere ease, He Jinglan also secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Tonight, because of the shura field she stirred up on a whim, it would be bad if it weren't resolved.

Because they were engrossed in conversation, it wasn't until Jiang Mingyuan rose to say his goodbyes that Gu Xixi looked up and realized it was already dawn.