Having learned from the previous experience, the coachman was worried that the carriage would sink into the mud again, so he walked very slowly. This walk took half an hour, plus the delay in pushing the cart in front, and by the time everyone arrived at the Zhong Family Tea Garden in Songluo Mountain, the sky had already darkened.

This tea garden in the Zhong family's big house, called Gardenia Garden, was given by Mrs. Zhong. From the Book of Tea. In the "Source of One", its trees are like melons and reeds, the leaves are like gardenias, the flowers are like white roses, the trees are like palmettos, the pedicles are like cloves, and the roots are like walnuts. And because the use of tea in the world is mainly in the leaves, it is called "gardenia". The old lady Zhong, who has a habit of naming, naturally refused to let go of such things, so she gave this tea garden this name.

As soon as Zhong Lingyu's carriage stopped, Shengyue ran over again: "Miss, it's hard to walk when it's dark, Sun Gongzi asked the little one to ask you, is there any spare room in the garden?" If so, can you keep the two sons here for one night? ”

"Yes, there are several guest rooms in the front yard, you ask Steward Li to clean it up, get some wine and food, and let the young master entertain them well." Zhong Lingyu said.

When picking tea in every season, Zhong Deping always has to take Zhong Lingyu to live on the mountain for a while, so this tea garden has also built a courtyard and divided the front and back yards. There are five rooms in a row in the front yard, with three wings on the left and right, which is enough for so many people.

Watching Shengyue leave, Su Yuwan instructed Yuan Haokang: "Uncle Yuan, drive the carriage directly to the backyard." ”

"Okay." Yuan Haokang agreed, flicked the horsewhip, and drove the carriage to the fork next to it.

Because the people in the tea garden are mixed, there are often tea pickers coming in and out, worried that his daughter will be hit, Zhong Deping deliberately built a road to lead directly to the backyard when he built this yard. Every time Su Yuwan came to the tea garden, he got off directly in the backyard.

But after a few steps, a person came in front of him, stopped by the carriage, and shouted: "Miss, the villain has something to look for you." ”

Zhong Lingyu lifted the curtain and saw that it was Li Zuqing, the steward of the tea garden, who quickly asked Yuan Haokang to stop the car and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

"Miss, since noon today, a large group of tea farmers have arrived at our tea garden, saying that the master is gone......" Speaking of this, Steward Li paused and glanced at Zhong Lingyu with some concern.

At the mention of his father, Zhong Lingyu's heart was sour. She suppressed the sadness in her heart and waved her hand for Steward Li to continue.

“…… I'm worried that the Mao tea we originally ordered is gone, so I'm here to ask for an explanation. Steward Li continued.

"Noon?" A touch of coldness flashed in Zhong Lingyu's eyes.

Zhong Deqing proposed to take care of the tea garden, Zhong Lingyu did not agree, and the two sides had a quarrel, wasn't it just before noon?

She raised a pair of dark jade-like eyes and looked at Steward Li: "You didn't explain it to them?" ”

"Explained, I told them that we made a contract last year, and we didn't say that we wanted to change it, so naturally it was according to the original agreement. But they didn't listen, they kept making trouble, talking...... said that even if the master is gone, he must ask the second or third master to give an explanation. ”

"Oh?" Zhong Lingyu raised her eyebrows, and looked at Steward Li's gaze with some meaning.

"Miss, these words were not said by villains, but by those tea farmers." Seeing her strange eyes, Steward Li hurriedly explained, "Their worries can also be understood, after all, a family still has to have an adult man come out to speak in order to be convincing, this is the case in this world." ”

Zhong Lingyu nodded, there was still no expression on her face, so that people couldn't tell what she was thinking: "I know." ”

As she spoke, she turned her face to Lichun, who was sitting at the door of the car, and said, "Let's get off here." ”

Chunli got out of the car first and took the little vulture and put it at the door, and then helped Zhong Lingyu get out of the carriage.

"Sister, why are you ...... here" Over there, Zhong Lingming also got out of the carriage with Sun Xuewen, and was about to go to the garden, when he saw that Zhong Lingyu also got off here, he hurriedly ran over.

"The tea farmers are making trouble, I'm going to deal with it." Zhong Lingyu said as he walked forward.

Zhong Lingming was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly chased after him: "I'll go too." ”

Zhong Lingyu slowed down, and waited for his younger brother to catch up before continuing to walk.

At this time, Sun Xuewen and his friends were standing in front of the carriage, chatting and watching the people unload their luggage, and giving time for the Zhong family to arrange guest rooms. At this time, seeing Zhong Lingyu's sister and brother walking over slowly, he hurriedly stopped his mouth, greeted him here, and said to Zhong Lingyu: "Cousin, let me introduce you, this is a friend of mine in Fuling County, He Daoan, his family also has several tea gardens, in Jiangyang and Nanxuan. ”

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man wearing a sky blue collared robe arched his hand towards Zhong Lingyu with a smile, and said, "I was going to Songluo Nunnery, but the road was delayed, and it was dark and the road was not easy to walk, so I had to bother in the house tonight." ”

"He Gongzi is polite." Zhong Lingyufu returned the salute, "The humble house is simple, if there is anything inconsiderate, please also ask Gongzi Haihan." ”

Sun Xuewen pointed to another man who was wearing an evergreen cloud robe and was about the same age as He Daoan and said, "This is the son of Yi Yan, he came from Kyoto to Fuling to play, and he is a close friend of Brother He. ”

Zhong Lingyu and Yi Yan greeted each other again.

"Cousin, the name is still young, so the two sons will trouble you to take care of it more." Zhong Lingyu said politely, nodded with a smile at the two sons, and walked straight inside.

"Miss, go slowly, I'll go and see first, lest these rough men rush into you." Steward Li said, taking a few steps ahead.

And around Zhong Lingyu, the four nursing homes were also scattered around her. Zhong Lingming originally looked relaxed, but when he saw this style, his heart suddenly became nervous, and he looked at his sister and opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask something but didn't dare to ask.

He Daoan noticed this situation and asked in a low voice, "Sun Gongzi, is there something wrong with your cousin here?" ”

"Huh?" Sun Xuewen was talking to Yi Yan with his head down just now, and he didn't pay attention to this. At this time, he raised his head and looked at He Daoan blankly.

He Daoan raised his chin and nodded towards Zhong Lingyu.

Sun Xuewen looked at Zhong Lingyu, blinked, and looked at He Daoan with some puzzlement; Yi Yan's brows furrowed, and he turned his head and asked He Daoan, "Do you want to go and have a look?" ”

He Daoan saw that Sun Xuewen didn't have any ideas, so he nodded and said, "Let's go, let's take a look." ”

When the two groups entered the gate of the tea garden one after the other, they saw twenty or thirty people sitting or standing in the garden, talking about something in a noisy manner. Seeing a few people dressed in brocade forging come in, everyone gradually stopped talking, staring at this side and no longer talking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you don't believe what I say. Now that my eldest lady and second young master are here, you should believe what they say, right? Steward Li said loudly.

"The eldest lady and the second young master?" A slightly mocking voice rang out. Zhong Lingyu looked up, but this person was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a dark face and an old face. He wore a bamboo hat with a rain hat, a shabby coat on his body, and a pair of black boots under his feet, although they were already dyed with mud and were about to turn yellow, but the careful Zhong Lingyu could still see that it was a pair of leather boots.

Fuling is located in the south, and the price of leather is on the high side, and the average tea farmer can not afford to wear leather boots.

The man didn't know that a pair of leather boots had leaked his bottom, and he was still there shouting: "Except for the deceased eldest lord of your Zhong family, don't you have any other men?" Sending a little girl and a child to take charge of the matter, is this looking down on us? ”

"Yes, call your family." Others chimed in.

Zhong Lingyu let go of his brother's hand, walked a few steps, stood in front of the man, looked at him fixedly, then lowered his head, took a good look at his boots, and chuckled: "These leather boots are quite waterproof, they are suitable for wearing in this rainy early spring, I don't know how much my uncle spent when he bought them?" ”

Only then did the tea farmers notice the boots under the man's feet, and the clever ones suddenly felt a sigh in their hearts.

This man's name is Chengyuan, is a tea farmer at the foot of Songluo Mountain, although the ancestors have passed down three or four acres of mountainous land, and now it has been changed to a tea garden, but his family has many children, the old lady is sick in bed all the year round, and the tea garden has only been planted with tea trees for two years, the output is small and the income is not much, and the family is not rich. He usually doesn't even have a decent dress, where does he get the money to buy leather boots?