Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 5 Visitors from Huizhou
In front of the Sun Mansion, there were many horse-drawn carriages parked. People were unloading goods from the carriages, and bags of things were carried into the mansion by porters.

The Zhang family's father and son arrived at the door.

Zhang Yanling took a special look and found that the sacks seemed to be full of food and other things.

"Isn't this the master of the family?"

The servant of the Sun Mansion knew Zhang Luan and greeted him warmly. He then said, "I will go in and report. But my master is welcoming guests, so I am afraid I will have to be a little slow."

Zhang Luan felt very awkward.

As your father-in-law, even though he's down and out, he's come to visit you in person. It would be unacceptable for you not to go out and greet him properly.

"Then I will...wait."

In order to show his status in front of his two sons, Zhang Luan straightened his back.

Not long after, the doorman came out again and said with a smile: "My master is meeting with merchants from the south and is really unable to spare time... Please go in first and wait in the side hall. Master Zhang, please come in."

"Ah."

Zhang Luan's face was already not in a good mood, and after hearing this, he felt that the people in the Sun Mansion were neglecting him.

When Zhang Luan entered the yard with his two sons, he heard a sound coming from the main hall. He went straight to the main hall without waiting for the doorman to lead the way. It was obvious that he was an old horse who knew the way very well.

"Master Zhang... come this way..."

The doorman wanted to stop them, but Zhang Luan got there first and passed through the porch into the main courtyard, while Zhang Heling also took the lead to clear the way for his father.

Zhang Yanling was more tactful and followed slowly behind.

After all, you are here to break off the engagement, and things will soon be bad. You are not here for tea, so why should you pretend to be polite?
His old father's temperament was quite to his liking.

"Master Zhang, you can't come in." The doorman thought that Zhang Luan was frail and could easily block their way, but now he couldn't be stopped at all.

Zhang Luan said, "I heard some Wu dialect coming from inside. Could it be guests from Jiangnan? It's a good opportunity to meet them... I think your master won't mind!"

As he was talking, Zhang Luan had already walked to the main hall door. He saw a middle-aged man in his forties sitting in the main seat inside the open door, and a young woman in her twenties sitting in the guest seat next to him. Behind the woman stood a girl who looked like an accountant or a maid, who was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Who is making the noise outside?"

The woman asked first.

The person sitting in the main seat was the master of the Sun family, Sun You, Sun Bojian's father.

When Sun You saw Zhang Luan, he quickly stood up and said, "This is the local student Zhang... The Zhang family and my Sun family are close friends."

Zhang Luan greeted him with a smile: "Brother Sun, are you sorry to bother you? I haven't seen you in a few days, and I really missed you."

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but glance sideways at his old father.

Dad, why do you speak so nicely?

Sun You was embarrassed, but he had to go out to greet him. He smiled and bowed, "Brother Lai Zhan came in person. I hope I didn't welcome you. I hope you can forgive me... It's all because you have an honorable guest in your house, so I dare not neglect him."

"Brother Sun, what are you talking about? I am not a stranger, so of course I have to put guests first." Zhang Luan was polite, but his eyes did not leave the woman who came out with Sun You, "May I know who this is...?"

Sun You said, "This is the shopkeeper Qin from Huizhou."

"Manager Qin? I have long heard of your name. It is a great honor to meet you today."

Zhang Luan said flatteringly, "You can't judge a person by his appearance. He is so young and yet he manages his family business. No wonder they say that merchants from Huizhou travel all over the world and even women and children should not be looked down upon. It's true."

"Mr. Zhang, you are too kind. I have no choice but to show up in public. I am grateful for the kindness of all the wise men... Since you are an old friend of Mr. Sun, please come in."

Shopkeeper Qin seemed very polite, but even Zhang Yanling, who was lagging behind, could see the disgust on the woman's face.

They are discussing business behind closed doors here, and you, the future father-in-law of the Sun family, suddenly barge in and comment on a female guest like me. Don't you think it's rude?

……

……

The Zhang family's father and son entered the main hall of the Sun family.

Sun You continued to sit in the main seat, but there were three uninvited guests opposite Manager Qin. Zhang Luan sat in the second seat, while the brothers Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling stood behind their old father like guardians.

"Brother Sun, it seems that the business you want to discuss is not small."

Zhang Luan looked at the pile of gifts on the table next to him and joked.

In fact, there is nothing valuable at first glance, but there is a set of four treasures of the study that is very conspicuous.

Shopkeeper Qin said modestly, "Before I came to visit, I heard that Mr. Sun was quite talented in writing and painting, so I specially gave him some special products from Huizhou."

Zhang Luan was surprised when he heard this. He stood up and walked to the table to examine it carefully: "Could this be the legendary Four Treasures of Huizhou?"

Sun You had no choice but to get up and walk to Zhang Luan to carefully examine the four treasures of the study.

"Exactly."

Shopkeeper Qin slowly stood up, walked lightly to the table, and introduced in a soft voice, "This is Hui ink, She inkstone, Chengxintang paper, and Wang Boli brush."

"Good stuff, good stuff."

Zhang Luan couldn't help but want to reach out and touch it, but he was too embarrassed to do so.

Because even someone as ignorant as Zhang Luan knew that such a set of things would be worth at least ten taels of silver on the market, and it was truly a precious item that not ordinary people could afford.

Shopkeeper Qin smiled again and said, "I also brought tea from my hometown, especially for Master Sun to taste... This is Huangshan Yunwu."

"Over the years, I have often heard people mention Huangshan Cloud Tea, saying that its buds are plump, hairs are visible, and it is fragrant and sweet. It is indeed the best tea. I have long wanted to taste it, but unfortunately I have never been able to buy the authentic one."

Sun You's eyes sparkled and his face was full of joy.

Originally, the other party sent me gifts, and I was too embarrassed to ask what they were, but unexpectedly, Zhang Luan's arrival broke the silence.

"Really? If it is really Huangshan Cloud Tea, it is indeed a rare treasure!" Zhang Luan was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. Everything he saw was new and new. At this moment, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

Zhang Yanling really wanted to remind his old father that even if our family has fallen on hard times, you cannot act greedy in front of others. Where is that indomitable spirit you had just now?

Seeing that Zhang Luan's emotions were somewhat out of control, Zhang Yanling quickly stepped out to smooth things over: "I heard that Huangshan Yunwu is a famous tea of ​​the time, and Huangshan's tea production began in the Jiayou period of the Song Dynasty, which is more than 400 years ago. It has been popular for a long time and is the best tea."

Originally, Shopkeeper Qin just wanted to show off how valuable the gift he sent was. Hearing this, he looked over with a smile and said, "Young Master, you know a lot about the history of Huangshan tea."

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, isn't this a coincidence? I happened to come across this subject when I was studying medical books. The "Huizzhou Prefecture Records" compiled during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in later generations recorded in detail: "Tea production in Huangshan began in the Jiayou period of the Song Dynasty and flourished in the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty." Now the tea produced in your Huangshan has not yet reached the level of tribute tea, but it has been widely circulated. I know it is not surprising.

Huangshan Yunwu is a famous tea of ​​the Ming Dynasty, but unfortunately the production process has been lost. Some people say that it has an inheritance relationship with the later Huangshan Maofeng, but there is a lack of verification. After all, Huangshan Maofeng was developed during the Guangxu period; others say that Huangshan Tangkou tea inherited the mantle of Yunwu tea, but in fact the later Tangkou tea was passed down from the Dai family in the early Qing Dynasty, which is different from the Yunwu tea of ​​the Song and Ming dynasties.

Both Huangshan Maofeng and Tangkou Green Tea are regarded as intangible cultural heritage of mankind and are widely praised by later generations.

But since you like to hear nice things, I might as well say a few more words.

"I also heard that Huangshan tea is a magical medicine for health preservation and a magic way to prolong life. I wonder if it's true or not?" Zhang Yanling added. Shopkeeper Qin nodded with interest, "Young Master, you are so sure, I admire you very much. There are indeed such sayings about Yunwu Tea among the people, but no one has ever summarized it like you did... I wonder where did you hear it from? Or in which book did you see it?"

After gradually gaining control of the economic base in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Huizhou merchants, also known as Huishang, began to trace the roots of their hometown culture and promote it.

Since what Zhang Yanling said seemed to meet their needs, they naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

If this was said by ordinary people, Shopkeeper Qin might not care, but the problem is that Zhang Yanling is the son of a scholar, so this is something that needs to be explained.

Zhang Yanling smiled and shook his head: "I don't remember where I saw it, but I have seen it before."

"Young Master, you might as well think about it carefully." Shopkeeper Qin was a little anxious.

Zhang Yanling continued to shake his head: "I really can't remember."

Shopkeeper Qin was very disappointed and couldn't help but glance at Zhang Luan.

She probably understood that she had previously looked down on the child's father, and as a son she was filled with righteous indignation, so how could she possibly tell the truth?
In fact, the truth is not that complicated, because Zhang Yanling's words come from "The Book of Tea for Health Preservation" written by the Japanese monk Eisai. Although Eisai lived in the twelfth century, the content of this book was not spread to China until the advent of the information society.

However, this also shows that overseas countries have already developed a great interest in China's health culture hundreds of years ago.

……

……

Both sides sat down again.

Shopkeeper Qin's attitude towards the Zhang family's two sons changed greatly. He asked several questions in succession, all directed at Zhang Luan.

"Has Master Zhang ever been to Huizhou?"

Shopkeeper Qin found an opportunity to ask.

Zhang Luan shook his head: "I have never had the opportunity to visit."

Shopkeeper Qin originally thought that what a child said must have been taught by his elders.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Luan poured a basin of cold water on her as soon as he came up.

Sun You glanced at the disappointed face of Shopkeeper Qin, and couldn't help but want to help him. He asked, "Brother Lai Zhan, it seems that you are quite knowledgeable about health preservation techniques, but have you ever heard of Huangshan tea before? Well, thanks to Shopkeeper Qin for the gift, I just happen to have some Huangshan tea at home, so I'd like to ask you to take some back when you leave."

"Thank you very much."

Of course Zhang Luan would not refuse.

I have the honor of tasting this famous tea, which is rarely seen even by wealthy men like Sun You. I think I have made a fortune today.

Sun You said: "Then you..."

"I really don't know."

Zhang Luan did not hide it and smiled, "I just heard that Huizhou is a good place, especially Huangshan, which is a place where immortals keep healthy. There are countless anecdotes and legends. I think it must be unique... Shopkeeper Qin, is that right?"

"hehe."

When Shopkeeper Qin heard his nonsense, he could only smile bitterly.

Zhang Yanling saw that Manager Qin's eyes were dim, and felt that the woman in front of him began to not regard his father as a person, and determined that there was no investment value, so he immediately smiled and said:

"Father, didn't you say that Huangshan has five unique features: strange pines, strange rocks, sea of ​​clouds, hot springs, and winter snow? And that the tea produced in such a scenic spot must have the effect of prolonging life? You also said that you have a friend who recorded a lot of things there, and listed them all in an article, but it has not been published yet."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan frowned and looked at his son.

Of course he knew that his son was talking nonsense, but when he saw the woman's eyes opposite him becoming warm again, he immediately understood why his son said that.

"That's true, but... Oh! Let's not talk about it." Zhang Luan waved his hand.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to mention it, but there’s really nothing to mention.

He himself did not want to brag, but his son did it for him.

The key is that he knows nothing. He only heard about Huizhou and Huangshan from others.

Sun You tried to smooth things over: "That's fine, I'll definitely invite Brother Zhan's friends to a banquet and have a good chat when we have the chance. Why don't we talk at another time?"

"Alright."

Zhang Luan was naturally happy to accept it.

Shopkeeper Qin stood up and said, "I have just finished discussing business with Mr. Sun today, so I will leave now. I dare not bother you any more."

"How dare I?"

Zhang Luan stood up and was about to see him off, but Sun You hurriedly stopped him, "Brother Laizhan, please sit down. I'll just take Manager Qin off and I'll treat you properly when I come back."

"You're so polite."

Zhang Luan did not refuse. He sat down leisurely, crossed his legs, and all his scholarly demeanor disappeared.

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but shake his head. His old father was indeed unreliable. He couldn't even pretend to be awesome. It was a waste of the road your son had paved for you.

……

……

"Go find out later what the origins of this Mr. Zhang are and why he knows so much about Huizhou." Shopkeeper Qin was about to get on the carriage when he suddenly remembered something and instructed the little maid beside him.

The maid pouted and said unhappily, "From what I heard from that boy, it's clearly far-fetched. The fairy tea that can prolong life may be just a fabrication on the spur of the moment."

Shopkeeper Qin asked, "Then do you know where the tea production in Huangshan started?"

"Isn't it the Song Dynasty?"

The maid thought for a moment and widened her eyes. "I heard him say it was during the Jiayou era. When was that?"

Shopkeeper Qin sighed, "That's the problem... I have visited many famous people recently and have roughly determined the time limit. I never thought that he would just casually say it, and he could tell the time so accurately. Moreover, young people usually don't cover up. It can be seen that Mr. Zhang is a master at pretending to be confused."

If Zhang Luan heard this, he would definitely sneer.

What a master at pretending to be confused, I am really confused, okay?

"I never thought that this small place of Xingji is also full of hidden talents. It seems that I really need to stay here for a few more days." Shopkeeper Qin said, "I won't go to Bazhou. Let Lao Song and the others go over to say hello and tell them that I have something to delay me and will head south back to Huizhou."

"Miss……"

"Stop talking. I've been traveling a lot lately. It's time for me to take a break. I can stay here and see the local customs and practices of Xingji."

(End of this chapter)