Fifth Uncle had always been meticulous about caring for the tea trees, and since Mingqian tea was naturally scarce, not many fresh leaves were picked in the end. Fans had even started a spontaneous bidding war for this batch, as everyone understood its quality was exceptional.

To be honest, the fans had hyped the price of the tea to a dizzying figure, but Tan You remained unmoved. "Our tea is excellent, but at the end of the day, it’s still just tea, not a luxury item."

"I’ll discuss the final price with the village. It will definitely be higher than the autumn tea, but it won’t be outrageous. The prices the fans are suggesting are too high. If I really dared to charge that much, I’d be accused of fleecing my own followers."

Tan You’s words calmed down both the fans and the villagers. She wasn’t wrong. Tea was just tea—a consumable, not a luxury good. A price of ten or twenty thousand was, frankly, far too expensive.

Of course, the fans were even happier to hear her say this. After all, no one’s money grows on trees. A streamer who wasn’t trying to fleece her fans was already a gem, wasn’t she?

Although very little Mingqian tea was picked, the sheer number of trees in the tea garden made up for it. Besides, they were soon busy picking Yuqian tea, working nonstop until late April, when the first batch of Mingqian tea was finally listed for sale.

The Shen family’s old residence was especially lively today. People from nearly every household had come, wanting to see how the spring tea would sell. Tan You posted the link for the Mingqian tea, and in less than five minutes, the entire batch was sold out.

A look at the group chat revealed a wave of anguished cries, mostly from people who hadn’t managed to get any tea. Of course, there were also those who had succeeded and were now showing off.

Third Grand-uncle squinted. "It’s all sold out already?"

Tan You nodded. "Mhm. How much Mingqian tea is left?"

Fifth Uncle did a quick calculation. "We put them in small packages this time. Based on the amount we listed tonight, we have enough for two more sales."

Tan You replied, "Then let’s post the link again in a couple of days. We’ll see what the fans’ feedback is. I’m very confident in the quality of this batch."

Xu Liang said, "They’re going to be waiting anxiously, then."

Anxiously? The fans were beyond anxious; you could say they were burning with impatience. This was especially true because the ones who had managed to buy the tea were all flaunting it in the group chat. They praised everything from the tea leaves to the color of the brew to the flavor, and in no time, this batch of Mingqian tea was being lauded to the high heavens.

And this was all purely organic hype. The fans who hadn’t gotten any tea grew even more frantic. Some suggested that Tan You open a pre-sale channel, even though they might not be able to snag any then, either. But at least it would be some comfort, right?

Tan You didn’t listen to the fans and stuck to her plan of releasing the product in batches. Soon, the entire supply of Mingqian tea, which the villagers had placed such high hopes on, was sold out. Of course, the villagers had no time to be idle. The Yuqian tea harvest was still in full swing, and the tea factory was a hive of activity. Almost everyone was so busy they could barely keep up.

In comparison, Tan You’s life was much more relaxed. She and Xu Liang spent their days exploring the mountains, and today, they came down with a full basket of bamboo fungus.

On the way, they ran into Fifth Uncle. When he saw the snow-white bamboo fungus, he had a sudden realization. "I forgot to arrange for people to go into the mountains to gather bamboo fungus."

"Everyone’s been too busy."

Tan You smiled. "Which means we got lucky. Besides, the tea factory is more important."

After a brief chat with Fifth Uncle, Tan You went home and got busy while Xu Liang filmed a video. The so-called life of "poetry and distant lands" has to be built on a full stomach, and today, Tan You planned to make a feature out of this bamboo fungus.

Watching Tan You busying herself on camera, Xu Liang suddenly remarked, "Your fans say you’re the most capable woman on any platform."

Tan You chuckled. "How am I so capable? I’m just trying my best to live my life well. Everyone is capable; everyone is striving to build a good life for themselves. I really don’t deserve to be called ’the most’ of anything."

Xu Liang shrugged. "I’m really curious. You’re always so humble. Have you ever had a moment where you were proud and flamboyant?"

"No," Tan You said, her spatula pausing for a moment. "When you have no one to rely on, feelings like pride and arrogance become luxuries. People with no one to fall back on don’t have the luxury of such emotions."

’Neither Ji Li nor I ever had a time like that.’

Xu Liang mulled it over and had to admit that Tan You was right.

Tan You continued, "That kind of pride and flamboyance only appears when life is going well. When survival is your primary goal, it’s hard to have any other emotions."

"But once you’ve experienced the struggle for survival, even if life gets better later on, it’s probably hard to get carried away by success, right? The past hardships are still vivid in your memory. At least, I wouldn’t become arrogant or conceited because of it."

Xu Liang nodded. "That’s true. Sigh, to be honest, I think you’ve really had a tough time."

Tan You shot him a glance. "Most happy lives in this world are similar, but everyone’s suffering is different. It’s hard for others to truly empathize, and I have no intention of playing the victim."

"Honestly, for all I know, the people who think my life is miserable aren’t living as well as I am right now."

Xu Liang laughed too. "You’re right. For all we know, they aren’t living as well as you."

The spring tea harvest finally came to an end, and it was time for the tea garden to rest and recover. Now, the village had something more important to attend to: distributing the profits. After all, everyone had been working hard for months just for this moment.

Watching the accountant transfer money to the villagers one by one, seeing their joyful, smiling faces, a faint smile touched Tan You’s lips. No matter how many conflicts or disappointments there had been in the past, she ultimately hoped that everyone’s lives would get better and better.

At that exact moment, Tan You suddenly raised an eyebrow. ’Ji Li has actually woken up now of all times?’ She had been wondering why Ji Li hadn’t woken up yet. ’I can’t believe it’s happening right now.’

’Come to think of it, Ji Li must be the fastest client to awaken so far, right? In Han Tingting’s world, it took me five years. In Chi Mo and Yi Ru’s world, I think it took two years.’

’But for Ji Li, it hasn’t even been a full year, all told, has it?’

’The awakening time for these clients really is unpredictable. But no matter what, Ji Li’s current situation is worlds apart from her previous life.’

Ji Li was also in a daze. "I’m a big-shot influencer now? Youyou, you’re so capable, but I don’t know how to do anything!"

"I can’t dance, I can’t make clothes... I can barely cook... And I’m completely clueless about roasting and processing tea! There’s no way I can handle all this now!"

Tan You replied expressionlessly, "If you don’t know how, then learn. I’m sure you’re willing to learn a few more things."

"Yes, I’m willing, but that takes time," Ji Li said, finally revealing her true intention. "So, Youyou, could you stay a little longer and teach me more... Please..."

Ji Li found it hard to humble herself before others, but with Tan You, she could switch to wheedling in an instant, stopping just short of meowing. She was terrified that Tan You would leave right away. What would she do if her cover was blown?