Chen Changsheng sealed the roasted jasmine tea in paper bags, then took out a celadon bottle and filled it with tea leaves.
He intended to use this jar of tea, along with a bit of knowledge from his past life, to build a reputation for his Family's tea.
The next day, he set off early as usual and entered the county seat.
Chen Changsheng waited patiently outside Tingyun Pavilion, the largest teahouse in the county seat.
Before long, a young man wearing a somewhat worn scholar's robe approached.
This person's name was Ling Wuning. His ancestors had been officials, but by his generation, the Family fortune had been exhausted. He lived a very shabby life; it could be said that aside from his ancestral scholar's title, he had nothing.
"Brother Ling, come over here!"
Chen Changsheng waved to him quietly from behind the teahouse. Ling Wuning spotted Chen Changsheng, looked around to ensure no one was watching, and then walked over stealthily.
"Brother Ling, look, this is the jasmine tea I mentioned!"
Chen Changsheng handed the porcelain bottle to Ling Wuning with a chuckle. The other man took it, tucked it into his sleeve, and asked somewhat skeptically.
"As long as I recite a poem at the Poetry and Tea Gathering and promote this tea, you'll give me twenty taels of silver?"
Chen Changsheng laughed, pulled a sheet of white paper covered in writing from his robes, and said with a smile:
"Brother Ling, the poem I'm giving you is definitely a masterpiece that will help you make a name for yourself. As for the twenty taels, I can give them to you right now!"
Chen Changsheng handed him the paper, then took out twenty taels of silver and placed them in his hand.
"Fine! I've been entrusted with a task and shall see it through. Since Brother Chen trusts me, I will certainly get this done for you!"
Having received the silver, Ling Wuning no longer had any doubts and made his promise to Chen Changsheng.
He then memorized the lines on the paper, full of praise for the literary talent displayed!
Chen Changsheng thought to himself, "This is a classic tea poem from the Chinese Legacy; its literary merit is undeniable. Using it to make a name for yourself is a huge bargain!"
If it weren't for the fact that a farmer like him who scratched a living from the fields couldn't break into the scholar circles, he would have definitely signed his own name as the author!
Once everything was ready, Chen Changsheng followed Ling Wuning into the teahouse.
Inside the teahouse, a group of young men from official families were sipping tea and discussing the Dao, looking quite leisurely.
Ling Wuning quietly walked to a table by the window, took out the porcelain bottle, and asked the waiter to brew a pot of jasmine tea.
As soon as the hot water hit the leaves, the fragrance of the jasmine tea spread, instantly catching the attention of everyone in the pavilion.
Ling Wuning feigned a calm and composed air, took a small sip, and softly recited:
"Bamboo shadows slant as tea fragrance drifts, surpassing the drunken immortals with their flowing mists."
"The worldly heart is washed clean yet the mood lingers; cicadas buzz in the trees as shadows tilt."
With the tea fragrance accompanying the poetic rhythm and sunlight streaming through the window onto his lean Face, he looked every bit the learned and noble scholar.
Chen Changsheng silently gave him a thumbs-up. "His ancestors were definitely officials; he really knows how to put on a show. I could never have achieved this effect myself. Those twenty taels were well spent!"
"What brilliant poetic talent, and what a wonderful tea fragrance! May I ask what the name of this poem is, and what this tea is called?"
Ling Wuning's performance was a great success, quickly drawing the crowd's attention. A man who appeared to be a leader stepped forward and asked with a smile.
Next, Ling Wuning skillfully struck up a conversation with them. Although most of it was spent boasting about his own literary talent, he still mentioned the key points Chen Changsheng had instructed him to say.
"This tea is called jasmine tea, produced in Kaoshan Village of our county. Everyone, please feel free to have a taste!"
Once the conversation had reached its peak, Ling Wuning seized the opportunity to share the tea with everyone. They all praised the jasmine tea incessantly and asked where it could be purchased.
Chen Changsheng saw that his goal had been achieved and quietly left the teahouse.
The bait had been set; now he just had to wait for the fish to bite!
Chen Changsheng waited at home for three days. During this time, Chuanwen wanted to go out and promote their tea several times, but Chen Changsheng held him back.
Sure enough, someone came knocking on the third day!
The visitor was none other than the most powerful figure in Kaoshan Village, the head of the Liu Family, Liu Jinshan.
"Haha, Brother Chen, how can you sit here so calmly? Your Family's tea is now famous throughout Longkou County! Quite a few people have asked me to buy tea from you on their behalf!"
As soon as Liu Jinshan entered, he got straight to the point. Usually, his Family held themselves above others and had no dealings with Chen Changsheng, so his directness now made him seem candid rather than hypocritical.
"Master Liu, I only know how to grow tea. I haven't the slightest clue how to sell it. I'm still worrying about not being able to find buyers!"
Chen Changsheng smiled politely and had Chuanwen brew a cup of jasmine tea for Headman Liu to taste.
Chen Changsheng had known all along that the tea sales would have to go through the Liu Family.
The Liu Family was the local bully of Kaoshan Village and had long considered themselves the masters of the entire village. In the past, whether it was selling grain, game from the mountains, or harvested herbs, the Liu Family had to have a hand in it.
One had to sell to the Liu Family first, allowing them to buy low and sell high, for things to go smoothly; otherwise, one would surely Face retaliation from that old fox.
Although what the Liu Family did was immoral, they had the backing of the County Lieutenant and had Martial Artists in their Family, so they never faced any trouble and instead made a fortune.
Chen Changsheng was unwilling to offend the Liu Family at this time, so he could only follow their rules and wait to sell the tea to them.
"Haha, Brother Chen, your tea is so good, yet you're worrying about finding a market? Why not sell it to my Liu Family?"
Liu Jinshan took a sip of the tea, praised it, and then revealed his intention to Chen Changsheng.
"If Master Liu wants to buy my tea, it gives me great Face, but as for the price...?"
Chen Changsheng beamed, neither accepting nor declining Liu Jinshan's proposal, but subtly brought up the crucial matter of price.
"The tea at Tingyun Pavilion in our county goes for one tael of silver for half a catty. How about we sell it at the market price?"
A sharp glint flashed in Liu Jinshan's eyes. He was an expert at buying low and selling high, but since the quality of Chen Changsheng's tea was so high, he couldn't suppress the price too much.
"But... Master Liu, a scholar told me the other day that my tea is top-tier in the entire Annan Prefecture. He said it wouldn't be surprising if one tael of my tea could fetch five taels of silver!"
Chen Changsheng had already looked into the tea market. He knew that while the price Liu Jinshan offered wasn't the absolute bottom, it was certainly very low, so he wanted to bluff him.
"Sigh, what do scholars know? After all, we're in a county seat, not the Prefecture City. How could it sell for such a high price here..."
Liu Jinshan's expression changed immediately upon hearing that someone had contacted Chen Changsheng. This batch of tea was a prize he had his eye on; he couldn't let anyone else interfere.
"How about this? The price for top-tier tea in our county is one tael of silver per tael of tea. I'm not cheating you; we'll go with that price. What do you think?"
Liu Jinshan's tone was firm. Chen Changsheng knew he was likely approaching Liu Jinshan's limit. To prevent him from resorting to underhanded tactics if he couldn't force a sale, Chen Changsheng went along with it.
Either way, one tael of silver for one tael of tea was still a huge profit for Chen Changsheng. He had a full hundred catties of tea, which would translate to a thousand taels of silver!
And renting the mountain only cost a hundred taels—that's a tenfold profit!
"Deal. Since Master Liu has spoken, it's not for me to say more. I'll leave everything to your arrangement!"
Chen Changsheng smilingly signed the contract with Liu Jinshan, agreeing to conduct the transaction at his house tomorrow!
Liu Jinshan left with a chuckle, feeling he had gotten a bargain, while Chen Changsheng watched his retreating figure, lost in thought!