Deep into the night, when all was silent, the only sounds in the mountain cave were the crackling of burning wood and the intermittent snoring.
Occasionally, a hunter who hadn’t fallen asleep would whisper secrets.
In Loo Xiaoshan’s family cave, the couple lay on the heated kang bed, discussing who in the family should be sent to learn the art of tea-frying.
Loo Xiaoshan’s Wife naturally hoped her own man would go since he was not too old yet. By the end of the year, after dividing the silver, they could build a house and still have money to spare every year.
If her man learned this craft, even if they didn’t live as well as others for ten years, at least he would be safe. She wouldn’t have to be scared every time he went into the mountains, afraid that he wouldn’t return or that he would come back maimed, wondering how the whole family would survive then.
"Head of the household, it’s only right that you learn the skill! If Boss Zhang really gives us that much silver every year, we can live thriftily and get by. Once you master it, Eldest Brother will have grown up. You could secretly pass the tea-frying skill to him. When he’s learned it, let Eldest Brother fry tea for another family. Wouldn’t our life be better then?" Loo Xiaoshan’s Wife had her plans all figured out.
Loo Xiaoshan flatly refused, "That won’t do at all! What kind of people would we be then? Would that be fair to Scholar’s Lady? Would that be fair to Boss Zhang? You see those people outside, how many years they’ve suffered to learn a skill, how much silver they’ve poured into their training, and after more than a decade, they might not learn anything."
"Boss Zhang is kind-hearted, and the Scholar’s Lady must have said many good words on our behalf to fight for this opportunity for us. We mountain-folk can’t be ungrateful, we can’t do something so treacherous! Let’s not discuss who from our family should go learn. Even if one of us goes, we can’t spread this skill without the boss’s permission!"
"Who in the outside world would teach you a skill, and on top of that, provide food and clothing, and some pocket money? Although we people from Yingzi Gully are poor, we can’t do such a thing! Don’t you ever bring this up again! Or I won’t let it slide! Don’t even mention it in front of the kids, understand?"
Loo Xiaoshan’s Wife agreed sheepishly, "Alright, alright, I understand! So, are you going to learn it or not?"
Loo Xiaoshan pondered for a moment before responding, "I won’t go. Let Eldest Brother go. Start his learning young, and he’ll have a reliable skill for the future. I’ve thought it through. Despite getting so much silver from Boss Zhang every year, if we don’t manage it carefully and run through our resources, what will we do when there’s no more silver from the boss after ten years and our skills have rusted? How will we get by then?"
"We’re not like the families outside the mountain; they have land, so they won’t starve! We need to buy everything with money, and how much silver do we have to spend?"
"I’m thinking, let Eldest Brother learn the craft for just ten years, saving household expenses. Once he masters it, even if he’s a bit older, his skill will ensure he doesn’t have trouble finding a wife. For the second and third sons, let’s make an extra effort while we’re still young and can go into the mountains, to save up enough for their marriages. That way, in our lifetime, we can be sure we’ve done right by the three brothers!"
After hearing her husband’s words, Loo Xiaoshan’s Wife was silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Head of the household, we’ll do as you say! But you must be careful when you go into the mountains from now on. Our days will get better and better; you must not risk your life anymore! You have to see our three sons wed and hold our grandchildren in our arms!"
In the Yang family’s cave, Yang Zhaodi’s sister had already left. If she didn’t return soon, she’d likely be met with a torrent of scolding and beating.
Yang Zhaodi, feeling sorry for her sister, secretly stuffed half a bag of food into her arms, all saved up from her usual rations, so Yang Zaizhao could have something to show when she got back.
Now in the cave, only the young couple were together, whispering sweet nothings with their heads touching and legs intertwined as they lay side by side.
"Zhaodi, if I go off to learn a trade, what will you and the baby in your belly do?" Li Dashan worried as he touched Yang Zhaodi’s stomach. Some days earlier, when Yang Zhaodi’s clothes were not changed, they asked the experienced elders in the cave, who all said she was pregnant.
Li Dashan’s parents had passed away early, leaving him as the sole seedling. After much difficulty, he had married a wife, finally securing a home for himself.
Now that his wife was about to give him a child, Li Dashan couldn’t bear to leave the warm coziness of a wife and child.
Yang Zhaodi pushed Li Dashan away, "Big Brother Dashan, you go with peace of mind! I’ve secretly asked the Scholar’s Lady, and she said that you all won’t be sent to learn the trades this year. We have to wait until next spring before you can start learning! Moreover, we might even be learning right at our own doorsteps! What’s there to worry about?"
"The Scholar’s Lady also said that after the tea frying is over, they’ll give you time to come back to build our house! With a boss as kind-hearted as him, we can’t let him down! Big Brother Dashan, I will take good care of myself and the child! We’re not just two people now, we have to think about the child. I was actually worried that if you still went to the mountains, what would happen to me and the baby in my belly if something were to happen to you?"
"Now it’s great, we have Boss Zhang, a great benefactor, giving us this opportunity. Won’t have to endure the wind or the rain, and even if it’s a bit tough, what’s there to fear? People from the mountains don’t have much, but strength is the cheapest thing we have. Use it up today, rest overnight, and have it back by tomorrow."
"Big Brother Dashan, if you truly care about the two of us, then go without worries! Not to mention anything else, we’ve received such a big favor from him. Learn the skill well, and we can repay a little in the future, making our conscience clear, right?"
Li Dashan nodded gloomily, "If it’s next year, and the baby in your belly is born, then I can rest easy! Then you don’t do anything else, just stay at home and look after the child! Your man can support you!"
With that, the couple cuddled up together lovingly.
In the tea-frying cave, Wang Yongzhu heard that everything outside had quieted down, with no one moving around in the cave anymore.
Only then did she confidently throw the remaining basket of tea leaves into the upscale tea-frying machine, set the controls, and not even half an hour later, the tea leaves were processed.
Wang Yongzhu spread the tea leaves on the bamboo mat, stretched languidly, leaned against the stone wall, and placed her hands on her knees, tapping them unconsciously.
In fact, she was communicating with Xiao Tiantian in her mind: "Xiao Tiantian, my reputation task should be completed now, right? The contract is signed, and no matter what, at least for the next ten years, the people of Yingzi Gully shouldn’t worry about food and clothing, right? I see that the people of Yingzi Gully seem quite grateful to me; all these conditions are met, right?"
Xiao Tiantian answered carefully, "Dear, your calculation is not quite right, dear~~ Although the people of Yingzi Gully are grateful to you and have signed a contract with Zhang Yinbao, they haven’t received the silver yet, nor have they started living better lives. The hunters of Yingzi Gully do feel grateful to you, but not all of them are truly thankful to you, so the task is not considered complete—"