Chapter 131

Yi Ousheng with some pride, "Take some back with you when you go home later."

Qing Mengzhu smelled the tea leaves. "We've already been eating and drinking for free, it's too much trouble to take more than that. I'll buy some."

Yi Ousheng: "Hey, it's just rough mountain tea, why would you charge me? You can take it back and drink it."

After saying that, Yi Ousheng added, "It's kind of you to come all this way. I wonder how much the gas money must have cost. What's a little tea?"

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected that they hadn't bought any blueberry trees, Yi Ousheng even felt a little guilty for making them come all this way for nothing.

For a moment, Qing Mengzhu felt a mix of emotions and didn't know what to say.

After a while, Qing Mengzhu said, "I'd like to see your tea trees."

Yi Ousheng: "Now?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded.

Yi Ousheng stood up. "Going for a walk would be good."

Yi Ousheng took them to see the tea trees, which were planted in a large number of abandoned fields behind their house.

Yi Ousheng introduced them to the trees, explaining which ones were planted by his great-grandfather, which by his grandfather, and which by his father; almost every tree had a history.

Qing Mengzhu originally wanted to buy two tea trees, but after hearing this introduction, she found it difficult to bring herself to say so.

Yi Ousheng, perhaps sensing his thoughts, retrieved a hoe from the ditch. "I'll dig up two for you to take home as local specialties."

Qing Mengzhu: "How can this be allowed?"

Yi Ousheng smiled and said, "Why not? I have so many tea trees at home. Next spring, I can just break off some branches, stick them to the side, and they'll grow again."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then I'll buy two."

Yi Ousheng: "No need to buy it, it's worthless, I'll give it to you."

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, I'll take it back and study it. Maybe I can develop a new variety like the one before."

Hearing this, Yi Ousheng finally agreed to sell, "I don't know how to charge you, how about you pay me the price of the blueberry seedlings?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "That's too cheap. Your blueberry seedlings only cost fifty. How about this, you dig up two slightly larger tea bushes for me, and I'll take them back to study. One thousand each?"

Yi Ousheng gasped, "That's too much!"

Zhao Hexi chimed in, "Not many. We often buy special saplings from outside; you can't even buy one for a thousand yuan."

As she spoke, Zhao Hexi looked at Yi Yanbai: "Right? Some seedlings are particularly expensive."

Yi Yanbai hesitated. "A thousand yuan a tree is still too much, a bit expensive."

Qing Mengzhu: "Your tea trees are quite special, so it's understandable that they're a bit more expensive."

After some haggling, the Yi family father and son couldn't persuade Qing Mengzhu otherwise, and finally sold him two tea trees for 1,000 yuan each.

However, Yi Ousheng specifically sought out the tea trees planted by his grandfather, selecting two of the best-growing ones to dig up.

The tea trees planted by the old man are now over fifty years old. They are quite large, with well-developed root systems.

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected to have to dig up such large tea trees, but she couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to pick up a hoe and dig up the tea trees with the Yi family father and son.

They dug for a while and then rested. In the meantime, some villagers came over to watch, inquired about their purpose, and even helped them dig up the tea trees.

Qing Mengzhu observed that those remaining in the village were mostly middle-aged and elderly people; perhaps the young people didn't come to join in the fun.

Digging trees in winter is much harder than in summer. It's cold, the ground is hard, and the wind howls, making your hands stiff. Qing Mengzhu even shows signs of catching a cold.

Four grown men worked all afternoon, almost sparking with their hoes, and finally managed to dig out the two tea trees before dark.

Yi Ousheng carefully wrapped the tree roots and crown with a snakeskin bag, both to protect the roots and crown and to prevent them from getting dirty or scratched on their car.

Qing Mengzhu watched from the side, sighing inwardly for the simple, honest old farmer.

Author's Note:

There's another update at 11:59! [Let me see!]

Chapter 131

Qing Mengzhu and the others stayed at Yi Yanbai's house too late, and the road was difficult to travel after dark. By the time they got home, it was already past seven o'clock in the evening.

Qing Mengzhu had already told Ming Chunxi on WeChat that she would be back late today, but Ming Chunxi was worried and waited for them at home.

Upon hearing the car, Ming Chunxi immediately came out to greet them.

The two tea trees were quite large, and the trunk couldn't be closed completely; it had to be left partially open.

Now that they're home, the first thing Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi want to do is take the tea tree out of the trunk.

Ming Chunxi came over and helped move the tea bushes. "What did you buy? Blueberry seedlings?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Tea tree."

Ming Chunxi looked at the tea tree. "Is it a special kind of tea tree? Is it different from the ones we grow?"

Zhao Hexi laughed heartily beside him, "No, Mengzhu came with me to look at blueberry seedlings, but we didn't buy any because the quality wasn't good. He felt sorry for them and couldn't bear to disappoint them, so he insisted on buying two tea trees instead."

Qing Mengzhu felt embarrassed by what was said, "What sympathy? I only bought it because the tea trees here are better."

Zhao Hexi: "Come on, it's not like this is my first time coming back to farm. The tea trees you grow are clearly better than these, but you never say anything about it."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's different; this tea tree has a unique fragrance."

Zhao Hexi clicked her tongue. "You're just being stubborn."

Qing Mengzhu was too lazy to talk to him, and only said to Ming Chunxi, "It's definitely different, it'll be useful after we buy it."

Ming Chunxi smiled and said, "I know."

It's cold, so it doesn't matter if the tea trees aren't planted right away. They moved the wrapped tea trees into the yard, then went inside to wash their hands and prepare for dinner.

The two dogs hadn't seen Qing Mengzhu all day, and now that he was finally back, they were very enthusiastic, nuzzling and rubbing against him.

The Dharma Protector even stood up on its hind legs, placed its two front paws on Qing Mengzhu's chest, and grinned as if trying to lick him.

Qing Mengzhu glanced down, and the Dharma Protector cleverly shut his mouth, not licking her lips, but only nuzzling Qing Mengzhu's chin with his furry head.

Qing Mengzhu smiled and grabbed the Dharma Protector by the scruff of his neck, rubbing the thick-furred dog before giving the Guard a gentle rub.

After calming the dog down, Qing Mengzhu washed her hands before coming out to eat.

Zhao Hexi was already seated at the table. "It smells delicious! Chunxi, your cooking is getting better and better!"

Ming Chunxi handed chopsticks to Qing Mengzhu and then served him a bowl of soup. "The main thing is that the ingredients are good; a sip of soup will warm you up."

Qing Mengzhu: "Polygonatum and pork rib soup? Delicious."

After finishing his meal, Zhao Hexi went back inside. It was dark and cold outside, and he didn't want to stay out any longer.

Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu tidied up the kitchen briefly and went inside to discuss the tea tree.

Qing Mengzhu said to Ming Chunxi, "This tea really has a unique aroma. I'm thinking of using the aroma enhancer I won in the lottery on the tea trees to see if it can bring out an even more pronounced aroma."

They've been participating in quite a few lotteries lately, and they've won all sorts of items. Most of the items weren't very interesting, but a few were quite intriguing, with the Inducing Agent being one of them.

Although the Inducing Agent and the Luring Grass have similar names, they are not the same thing.

Luring Grass are a product of the cultivation world, primarily consisting of natural plants. Inducing Agent, however, are a product of the technological world, likely the result of technological synthesis.

The profile states that Inducing Agent can trigger beneficial mutations in plants. While the quality grade is unlikely to improve, they can produce products with more unique flavors.

Qing Mengzhu initially intended to use it on mulberry trees, but now she thinks it could be used on tea trees instead.

Comparatively speaking, tea has much higher requirements for flavor than mulberry.

Using Inducing Agent on tea plants is a minor matter, and Ming Chunxi had no objection whatsoever. "Go ahead and use them."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then I'll use it tomorrow and see if I can grow tea with an even better flavor. If I can, I'll promote this tea."