At a glance, there were around a dozen or so caves on this mountain cliff that were inhabited.
Some caves were very close to each other, while others were farther apart, but from each one, you could see the whole area upon stepping out.
Visitors were a rarity in these caves, and the children, upon seeing someone arrive, stopped playing and gathered around, watching from a comfortable distance.
Yang Zhaodi led Wang Yongzhu and Jinhoo into the cave they lived in.
Their home was chosen to be a bit farther away from the others; not only was there a stone wall about one person tall at the entrance, but as they turned to enter, they also saw a thick curtain made from the hide of some wild beast hanging at the cave opening.
After lifting the curtain to enter, there was a small chamber with three or four surrounding caverns.
From the top of the chamber, light streamed in at an angle, making it comparatively bright.
The interior was arranged according to the natural layout of the cave. Against one wall, a large rock served as a table, accompanied by several wooden stools.
In the middle of the cavern was a large fire basin, with several stones piled beside it, upon which sat a clay pot.
Yang Zhaodi invited the two to sit down, then poked at the fire basin, adding a few pieces of firewood. Soon, the fire blazed vigorously, and in no time, the water in the clay pot started to boil with a burble.
Yang Zhaodi fetched a few earthenware bowls, arranged them in a row, and then took an earthenware jar from the side. She reached in, grabbed a handful of tea leaves, and tossed them into the clay pot.
As the tea leaves touched the water, they quickly spread out, and a faint fragrance filled the room, invigorating the spirit.
Wang Yongzhu immediately knew from the smell that this was that wild tea.
Guan Yifei treated it as a treasure, scarcely willing to add more than a leaf or two at a time. Yet here, in the hunter’s home, it was hardly considered special. With that handful, there must have been an ounce at least.
Wang Yongzhu watched, her heart aching, her eyes twitching in distress, but it was not her place to speak.
Seeing the generous amount of leaves thrown into the pot to brew, she took a deep breath and held her tongue.
Ordinarily, once tea leaves are steeped in boiling water, you’d take the pot off the heat, then pour the tea out.
But Yang Zhaodi continued to boil them, and Wang Yongzhu couldn’t hold back any longer, "Elder Sister Yang, do we need to keep boiling this? It smells wonderful already."
Yang Zhaodi, with a carefree tone, said, "While these leaves smell nice, their flavor is too mild. They need to be boiled longer to get a good strong taste."
Wang Yongzhu covered her heart, barely restraining herself from weeping for the fate of the wild tea.
Finally, after the full pot of tea had been reduced to about half a pot, Yang Zhaodi poured a bowl for everyone of the brew, now concentrated to an amber-brown color. She then went to a corner and rustled around for a while, eventually bringing out a half bag of chestnuts and hazelnuts to offer their guests.
This intensely boiled tea was extremely bitter to taste.
Jinhoo had heard from an old aunt that this wild tea had caught the eye of Chief Steward Guan and that people in the city, especially the wealthy, seemed to enjoy it immensely—the richer they were, the more they craved it.
He had thought it was some delicacy and eagerly took a sip, only to find it both scalding and bitter. He barely stopped himself from spitting it out, contorting his face as he forced it down, then pushed it aside, refusing to touch it again.
This concoction, no better than bitter medicine, was actually treasured by some?
City folks must be crazy, right? Isn’t this just paying money to suffer?
Jinhoo simply couldn’t understand!
Wang Yongzhu had never tasted such bitter tea before, and with just one sip, she doubted her entire existence due to the bitterness.
Is this some kind of herbal medicine?
Using tremendous self-control to keep her expression natural, she swallowed it down, feeling her entire being invigorated by the bitterness.
Seeing the expressions on the faces of her two guests, Yang Zhaodi couldn’t help but laugh, "This tree leaf soup, if you’re not used to it at first, it’s like drinking medicine. When I first married and came here, it was the same for me. But now that I’m used to it, I feel strange if I don’t drink a little every day! Once you get used to it, it’s quite nice. After the bitterness, there’s a sweetness in the throat—it clears greasiness and fishiness! It’s something every hunter’s family here has on hand!"
Indeed, after that extreme bitterness, a faint sweetness emerged from deep within her throat, which was very refreshing.
It made her unwittingly forget the initial bitterness and crave another sip.
After drinking a few sips of tea and eating a few nuts, Yang Zhaodi asked, "Elder Sister, is there something you needed from my husband or me? My man has gone hunting and won’t be back until evening, but you can tell me anything, and it will be the same."
Ever since she entered, Wang Yongzhu noticed that Yang Zhaodi was a very forthright girl who said whatever was on her mind.
So she got straight to the point, "I came here exactly for these tree leaves."
Yang Zhaodi was taken aback, "For this tree leaf soup?"
Wang Yongzhu patiently explained to her, "These tree leaves are known as tea leaves outside, and the water infused with these leaves is called tea. City folks and the wealthy like it very much. The last time you went back to your parents’ home, you brought back a pack of tea leaves, and just then my nephew went to buy mountain goods, and your younger brother from your parents’ home sold it to my nephew."
"When my nephew resold it, a merchant who buys mountain goods took a liking to it and wanted to buy more of this wild tea. He also wanted to see if the production of this wild tea was plentiful?"
Yang Zhaodi could hardly believe her ears, "City people actually tree leaf soup? That’s quite a strong preference!"
Looking at her own bowl of tea soup again, she said, "And someone would actually buy this? You’re not fooling me, are you? This stuff is everywhere on the mountains; can it really bring in money?"
Wang Yongzhu nodded, "Of course, but the way you process it is wrong, which is why the tea leaves have lost half their flavor. If properly roasted, the tea leaves should be of a green color, producing a tea that’s emerald green with an aroma that’s enticing."
After pondering for a moment, Yang Zhaodi went inside and brought out a jar, setting it in front of Wang Yongzhu, "This jar contains last year’s harvest of our family’s tea, about fourteen or fifteen pounds. We don’t want any money for it, so we’ll give it to you, Elder Sister, as a thank-you gift for saving my sister. We hunters don’t have many valuable things, if you don’t mind, just take this with you!"
Wang Yongzhu was stunned, looking at Yang Zhaodi for a long while before she said, "Do you realize, this jar of tea could sell for how much if I resold it?"
Yang Zhaodi waved her hand dismissively, "However much money it sells for, that will be due to your skill, Elder Sister! In our hunter’s home, this is just tree leaf soup; I worry that no one would buy it if we took it out, and even if someone did buy it, it probably wouldn’t fetch much money! If you can sell it for more, I’ll be happy for you. Otherwise, I would feel guilty, as this small thing could not compensate for the life you saved."
Wang Yongzhu truly saw Yang Zhaodi in a new light, not expecting to find such a magnanimous woman in these deep mountains.
She didn’t discuss whether or not to accept the thank-you gift but instead just chatted idly with Yang Zhaodi, asking her to take her for a tour around, expressing curious interest in the cave.
Yang Zhaodi readily got up, leading the way out and began explaining about the cave.
Inside this large cave, they had discovered dozens of smaller caves leading off from it.