Chapter 136 (continued)

All the vegetables and meat are organic, and to avoid any hassle, they cook the hot pot right there in the field.

Add the hot pot broth and mineral water, and you can start cooking your food. Cook whatever you want without worrying about it not suiting your taste.

Everyone brought out outdoor chairs and sat in front of the big pot, enjoying the steaming aroma of the hot pot and feeling extremely happy.

Some members even started singing.

One person started singing, which inspired others to join in, and eventually everyone in the field inexplicably started a grand chorus.

Qing Mengzhu and the others also ate with the members. Surrounded by a group of cheerful and outgoing members, not to mention Qing Mengzhu, even Zhao Hexi seemed a bit introverted.

The members didn't need to be invited at all; they managed to eat, sing, and arrange everything perfectly on their own.

At first, Qing Mengzhu was quite proactive and tried to do something, but later he realized that he wasn't needed in the situation, so he just sat aside and stared blankly.

Zhao Hexi moved a chair and sat down next to him, taking a couple of sips of soy milk. "You look really happy!"

Qing Mengzhu: "The hot pot was delicious too. Brother Zhou's hot pot broth is really good, I'll buy it from him again next time."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay, I'll go buy it wholesale from him later. Should we continue to treat members this way when they come over? Just bring them to the fields and let them do it themselves; they seem to be having a lot of fun."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "Next time let's take it to the riverbank. Picnicking in the fields too often is affecting the soil."

Zhao Hexi: "That works too. I'll also arrange a wild vegetable digging project for everyone. Dandelions, lamb's quarters, and wild garlic are all available now. If you like houttuynia cordata, you might even be able to pick some to take home."

Qing Mengzhu gave a thumbs up. "That's a good idea."

After everyone finished eating and drinking, they played in the fields for more than two hours. Around 3 p. m., the members gathered up the firewood and kitchen scraps from the fields and headed home.

Almost every member told them they had a great time and would like to come back again when they have time.

Qing Mengzhu could tell from the members' subsequent posts on social media that these members were telling the truth.

Most members didn't block him; he posted one thing after another on his WeChat Moments, mostly about debunking unhealthy products, sharing scientific information, eating hot pot, and singing.

Many members even cited the paper, praising their use of parasitic wasps to control pests as very reliable. They also said that their plant-based and microbial insecticides were very conscientious, and specifically stated that if everyone grew vegetables this way, they wouldn't mind receiving vegetables that had been bitten by insects in the future.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the academic papers and silently withdrew her comment.

The members are too high-class; he'd better not interact with them.

When Ming Chunxi returned, he was sleeping in the courtyard.

Ming Chunxi came over and touched his cheek with her palm, then pressed it against his forehead. "Are you feeling unwell? Why don't you go inside and sleep?"

Qing Mengzhu yawned. "I wasn't planning on sleeping, I was going to read some papers, but I ended up falling asleep while I was reading."

Ming Chunxi: "Were you tired from entertaining the members today?"

Qing Mengzhu reached out and hugged Ming Chunxi's waist. "I'm not tired. The members are almost completely self-service. I just had a little to drink and am a bit sleepy."

After a pause, Qing Mengzhu exclaimed, "Our members are really great. Let me show you their WeChat Moments."

Ming Chunxi sat down beside him. "Let me see."

The two browsed the members' WeChat Moments for a while, Ming Chunxi recognized many of them. She briefly Qing Mengzhu, explaining which schools they attended and which fields they worked in.

Qing Mengzhu listened with great interest; getting to know people this way was quite fun.

For dinner, they had a simple egg fried rice. The two dogs ate the same food as them, but with less seasoning.

After dinner, Qing Mengzhu wanted to make some tea, but considering it was too late and she was afraid that drinking too much tea would keep her awake at night, she didn't make any. Instead, she and Ming Chunxi drank some fresh bamboo juice as a beverage.

The next day, Qing Mengzhu went to the backyard to check on the tea trees.

Spring has arrived, and the tea leaves have sprouted. Qing Mengzhu asked an experienced person, who said that the tea leaves are now ready to be picked and processed.

As the first batch of tea leaves of spring, this tea should taste good whether it's roasted or sun-dried.

Qing Mengzhu had tried sun-dried bamboo leaf tea before and found the taste rather ordinary. He preferred roasted tea, which had a stronger flavor.

Therefore, after picking the leaves from the two tea trees in the backyard and letting them dry slightly, he started frying the tea leaves in a dry, oil-free pot in the yard.

When Zhao Hexi arrived, he was busy frying tea, and the whole courtyard was filled with the aroma of tea.

Zhao Hexi was very surprised. "You can do this too?"

Qing Mengzhu said nonchalantly, "It's just tea leaves for our own consumption anyway, so I can just stir-fry them casually. Please have a seat, it'll be ready soon."

Zhao Hexi asked curiously, "It smells so good! What will it taste like after it's stir-fried? Can we drink it now?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It can be drunk now. Go boil some water and brew it right here."

Zhao Hexi immediately dropped what she was doing and went into the kitchen to boil water.

A moment later, he came out carrying a kettle of boiled water. "How should I make this?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Bring out two cups, I'll put some tea leaves in them for you."

Zhao Hexi ran into the house and brought out two large glasses. Qing Mengzhu used a wooden spatula to scoop out two handfuls of tea leaves and put them into the two glasses, then gestured for him to add water.

Zhao Hexi was a little incredulous. "You're just going to soak like this?"

Qing Mengzhu in confusion, "How else do you want it brewed? The tea leaves are freshly roasted by me, they're very clean, you can just brew them directly."

Zhao Hexi: "I thought you specially bought these tea leaves to use a different brewing method, like 'awakening' the tea leaves or steeping them, and that there would be requirements regarding temperature."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "We're not particularly skilled tea connoisseurs. We just brew a little tea casually for private drinking."

Zhao Hexi then poured boiling water into the two cups and waited quietly for the tea leaves to steep.

Perhaps because this batch of tea was freshly roasted, it brewed quite quickly; in just a few seconds, the tea in the glass had turned golden yellow, and the aroma of tea wafted out.

This tea aroma is slightly different from ordinary tea aromas; it's particularly soothing to the lungs when inhaled.

Zhao Hexi took a deep breath. "It smells so good! It even smells better than the tea I had at Yi Yanbai's house before the New Year!"

Qing Mengzhu thought to herself, "That's right. I used Inducing Agent and so much fertilizer. It would be strange if it didn't smell good." But she said aloud, "Spring tea leaves are definitely different from tea leaves in other seasons. Besides, we've taken great care of them. Haven't you noticed that the tea trees have more leaves?"

Zhao Hexi: "That's true. Those two tea trees in your backyard are growing really well. The leaves are tender and green. If I didn't know they were tea leaves, I think they would be nice as potted plants."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's ready to drink now, quickly try it and see what it tastes like."

The tea leaves in the pot weren't ready yet, and Qing Mengzhu was afraid of burning them, so she didn't dare to take a break to drink the tea and could only urge him to drink it first.

Zhao Hexi said, "It's still hot, we can drink it later."

He had already picked up the teacup, blew on the tea, and took a small sip.

Qing Mengzhu looked at him expectantly. "What does it taste like?"

Zhao Hexi hesitated and took another sip. "I can't say."

Qing Mengzhu was getting a little anxious. She was stir-frying the tea leaves with a wooden spatula in her hand, and every now and then she would use her gloved hands to rub a handful of the scalding hot tea leaves. "How can you not describe it? Just tell me how you feel."

Zhao Hexi: "It smells very good, and the aftertaste is quite pleasant. It makes me feel very comfortable. I don't know much about tea, so I don't know how good it is, but if you offered to sell it to me for several hundred yuan per kilogram, I would definitely be willing to buy it."

Qing Mengzhu: "Wait a moment, let me try it myself."

During a break from frying the tea, Qing Mengzhu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and continued frying the tea with a clanging sound.