CH 54.1

In early July, Xu He's tea shed officially opened for business.

He couldn't read, so he thought about asking someone who could read in the village or a gentleman in the city to write for a signboard, but before he could open his mouth, Zhang Fangyuan took the signboard back and taught him to recognize the tea shed name.

"Beside the tea shed are all big banyan trees, so I chose the character banyan, but the name was not catchy with just one character. What kind of character should be combined with this banyan? Naturally, it’s easy, easy, easy."

The vertical name of the signboard on the wooden board was tied with a strong hemp rope, the signboard of the shop was hung unusually on the door. Their house’s signboard was hung vertically at the door. It was not limited to the position of the signboard, as long as it was eye-catching.

Many of the villagers couldn’t read, so they could only hear the word Yi (

易 yì: easy; amiable), and they didn't know the character of the banyan tree.

On the same day, Zhang Fangyuan specially bought a roll of firecrackers and came back. When the shops in the city opened their doors for the first business, they would set off firecrackers, and their tea shed beside the official road was not at a disadvantage.

The crackling red paper wrapped the firecrackers was exploded, and the red paper fragments flew in a cloud of white smoke, which was very festive to watch.

The shop on the road side was not like in the city, and people would come to support the door when the shop opening the door. A tea shed like them was a business for people with predestined relationship. Today, apart from their own family, there were also some village children who came to see the excitement. The fact that their family opened a tea shed here caused a lot of noise in the village and the village next to it. It was a strange thing to see.

eventhough only a few little ones came to see it, the whole village would know about it after a while.

Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He also let others to watch, no matter if they were from Jijiu Village or from Zaojiao Village next door, they all were called in to drink tea and eat melon seeds. The villagers loved to talk about the excitement, so they needed to say a couple of nice words.

Many people in Zaojiao Village also knew Zhang Fangyuan. The butchers often came to the village to slaughter animals, and they would become familiar after seeing him a few times.

Zhang Fangyuan didn't go to the city to set up a stall today, but drank tea and cracked melon seeds with the villagers on the table outside the tea shed.

"In the future, if you want to slaughter pigs, you don't have to go to the city to inform me. Just come here and tell my fulang, I'll come and see the pigs when I'm free."

The villager said cheerfully, "Nowadays the tea shed is open, butcher Zhang, do you want to buy some other livestock?"

Zhang Fangyuan said, "What is it?"

"Big pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese... ..."

"This little one still has to ask my fulang. Anyway, if there is something, it's always good to come and ask if it wil be accepted."

The villagers were very happy when they heard the words, and it was much more convenient than before.

There were two tables full of people outside, which made people thought that the teahouse business was very good.

"When did the tea shed open here?"

A carriage came slowly from the official road a few meters away. Hearing the noisy voice, the owner in the carriage lifted a corner of the window curtain and glanced at the newly built tea shed in the distance. Then, the owner said to the servant who was following the carriage: "Go and see if we can have a rest and drink some tea." 

The servant took his master’s order and ran over. Xu He didn’t join the group of men who were bragging and chatting there, and peeled garlic with Zhang Shiyue at the tea shed porch, and noticed the carriage from a long distance away.

"Brother, do you want to have a rest and eat something, or do you need some food?"

"Our master is going to the Guanyin Temple and wants to rest here, is there any good tea?"

Xu He said, "There is no such thing as excellent tea, but there is good common tea in the market. "

The servant didn't say anything, turned around and went back to report. He didn't know what was the servant said in front of the window curtain of the carriage, and what was the master's family said back, the servant's face was slightly gray, and the carriage drove again.

Xu He thought that there was nothing to do with his small business, but he never thought that the carriage would go out of the official road and stop in the open space not far from the tea shed. A woman in brocade clothes got out from the carriage, followed by two maids, and another young woman.

Seeing that the posture was that of a wealthy family, Xu He and Zhang Shiyue hurriedly got up and went to ask people when they approached.

"There are many tables inside, Madam can choose as much as she likes. The trees cover the sky and the sun so it doesn't feel hot inside. Of course, there is also a place outside."

"Just sit inside ." The woman replied to Xu He's words, and then she looked at the young woman beside her.

"Listen to mother-in-law."

Seeing such a family, Xu He didn't ask how much tea they wanted, and asked Zhang Shiyue to make a pot of the best tea available in the shop.

After the tea was delivered, Xu He went to ask if he wanted something to eat.

It was still early and it was not time for dinner. The woman asked the young woman, but both masters didn't want it. Xu He didn't force it, and since today was the first opening, he gave some melon seeds and peanuts for free.

"Is it small ball tea (

小团茶)?" Although the woman was slightly hesitant about the pottery teacup, she saw that it was very clean, so she didn't say anything more. After taking a sip of tea, she looked at Xu He who was wiping the table aside.

"Exactly." Xu He did not hide it: "It’s the tea from the Longxin tea farm in the west side of the official road."

The Longxin tea farm had a huge tea garden. Although there was no famous tea in the world, the tea’s quality was very good. They didn't know much about tea. They only heard that the tea from the tea garden was extremely good. Many shops in the city bought the tea here.

When he went to get the tea, because he used to help the owner of the tea garden to pick the tea almost every year, and picked the tea faster than ordinary people's hands each time. The owner of the tea garden was quite familiar with him, knowing that he opened a tea shed on the official road, the tea that the owner sold to them was very affordable.

For this reason, he didn't mind promoting the tea garden.

The woman laughed: "The tea in our shop is also taken from the Longxin Tea Farm."

Xu He thought: Sure enough.

The woman said to the young woman again: "I should take you to the tea garden when I'm free. The tea garden is wide and beautiful."

Xu He saw that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were chatting, so he went outside to welcome the customers.