Chapter 36: Jiang Family

Chapter 36

Jiang Family

The Jiang family’s tea plantation sprawled across almost the entire valley. Once renowned as the most distinguished tea producer in this local area, but in this past few years, the Ding family, who originally operated a tea shop in Huangjing City, began buying up surrounding tea plantations and squeezing out other producers. In the end, many plantation owners were forced to sell their lands to the Ding family at low prices. After consolidating their control over the bulk of tea production, the Ding family then slashed prices below cost, driving other tea shops out of business. Even the regular merchants who once bought tea from the Jiang family had recently closed down.

Jiang Zilu was deeply frustrated. All he had were daughters, and he didn’t know how to resist the pressure from the Ding family. He could only stare helplessly at his hundreds of mu of land. Would he, too, have to sell his tea plantation to the Ding family and switch to another line of work, just like the others before him? There was no way he could lower himself to work as a laborer on the Ding family’s plantations.

Jiang Zilu had three daughters and no sons to carry on the family name. If he had a son, he might have had the strength to keep fighting. But with only daughters, who would inherit the tea plantation? The Ding family had sent representatives to negotiate many times, but he had always refused. Perhaps the next time they came, if they offered a bit more, he might have no choice but to sell. While deep in thought, he suddenly heard his youngest daughter’s voice calling.

"Father! We have guests who wish to see you."

Hearing this, Jiang Zilu hurried toward the house. He hadn’t had any visitors in a long time. Even the merchants who used to buy his tea had stopped coming. He had heard that the Ding family had formed a tea merchant association with themselves as the head. Small traders from other cities didn’t dare cross them, and thus were forced to buy from the Ding family’s Chun Shui Shop instead of directly from the plantations. Wondering who the visitor might be, he saw a group standing and conversing with his wife in front of the house. He went to greet them and saw that among them was a young, beautiful woman, seemingly around the same age as his eldest daughter, though she carried herself with much more maturity. The young woman smiled and introduced herself.

"Jiang Patriarch, my name is Nie Shuang. I intend to do tea business in this city and would like to propose a partnership to you."

Jiang Zilu, however, glanced toward Wang Dongpo and Da Shi. He wasn’t used to negotiating business with women and was surprised to see these two men standing quietly behind this young woman named Nie Shuang.

Nie Shuang understood his reaction. It was rare for women to engage in business during this era. She took no offense at his hesitation and invited him to sit inside as if she were in her own home. Jiang Zilu, snapping out of his surprise, followed her somewhat bewilderedly.

Nie Shuang knew that the Jiang family was likely struggling financially. At this point, the Ding family’s Chun Shui Shop had almost monopolized the tea trade in the area. If the Ding family didn’t buy from them, Jiang Zilu had very few options for distributing his tea. The remaining landowners who hadn’t sold their plantations to the Ding family were likely facing the same difficulties.

"I hear the Ding family is interested in buying your tea plantation?"

Nie Shuang asked directly. Jiang Zilu nodded, not hiding the truth.

"Yes, my regular buyers have all closed down. The Ding family claims they don’t need to buy tea from me at higher prices when they already have their own plantations. Right now, it’s not just me—many other tea plantations will likely be forced to sell as well. Have you come here to buy my tea plantation?"

Nie Shuang smiled and shook her head.

"I don’t know how to manage a tea plantation as well as you do. As I mentioned earlier, I intend to collaborate with you. I plan to open a tea house in Huangjing City, and it would be wonderful to offer high-quality tea from your plantation."

When Jiang Zilu heard her mention tea, he responded enthusiastically.

"The tea from my plantation is of the best quality. Whether it’s the land, water levels, or even the climate, everything is ideal for growing tea. My family has been cultivating tea for generations. I can confidently say that if our tea isn’t the best, there’s no one better!"

"But I have one condition: all of your tea production must be sold exclusively to me. I will sell it under my own brand, but I will clearly state that it comes from the Jiang family’s plantation. If your tea is of high quality, it will command a better price than elsewhere. Do these terms sound agreeable to you?"

"But, Miss Nie, you’re planning to open a tea house in Huangjing? It’s not that I don’t believe you, but Huangjing is already full of fine tea. If you opened a tea house, who would pay to drink there?"

He cautioned her out of concern.

"I’m not just selling to the townspeople. Huangjing is a large city. Travelers who come here will naturally want to taste the finest tea available, which would be tea from the Jiang family, sold exclusively at my tea house."

Jiang Zilu still wasn’t fully convinced that her tea house plan would succeed. Sensing his doubt, Nie Shuang continued to explain.

"Huangjing is home to many scholars, isn’t it? Where else would be a better place for gatherings to discuss literature and recite poetry than a tea house? Don’t worry about the business side of things—leave that to me."

After discussing the details, Nie Shuang drafted a contract. She would purchase all of the Jiang family’s tea production for the upcoming season, providing an advance payment to seal the deal.

When Jiang Zilu saw the amount of money involved, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been worried that he wouldn’t be able to keep the plantation running for much longer...

Just then, his eldest daughter entered, carrying a tray of tea. The aroma of the tea was rich and strong, and when it was poured, the liquid was a deep red. Nie Shuang looked up, her excitement clear.

"This color! Do you know how to ferment your tea?"

Jiang Zilu smiled proudly.

"My eldest daughter, A’Ru, is quite skilled in tea production. It’s a shame she isn’t a son. She experimented with fermenting the tea before roasting it. The result is a strong flavor, but most people would probably think something was wrong with the tea, so we only ferment it for our own family."

Nie Shuang’s eyes lit up immediately. She had visited tea-producing areas before and watched demonstrations of how different types of tea were made. But if she had to figure it out on her own, it would still take considerable time. The length of the fermentation before roasting determines the color of the tea, whether green, oolong, red, or black.

"A’Ru, do you only produce this red-colored tea when you ferment it?"

Nie Shuang eagerly grabbed Jiang Ru’s hands. Jiang Ru, though startled, shook her head.

"No, the tea I ferment also has other colors depending on how long it ferments."

"Wonderful! Jiang Patriarch, your daughter is more valuable than ten sons."Jiang Zilu looked confused, as did Jiang Ru. Was fermenting tea into different colors really such a big deal?