Chapter 137

This time, Zhao Hexi looked at his expression and asked, "How is it?"

The tea is very fragrant, and it feels very comfortable to drink. The aftertaste is also quite noticeable, and the aroma lingers in the mouth for quite some time after swallowing.

If there were any more questions, Qing Mengzhu wouldn't be able to answer them. He hadn't been a tea drinker before and didn't know much about tea.

He knew from the data that this was a batch of "Good Grade+" tea.

Zhao Hexi urged her on from the side, Qing Mengzhu paused for two seconds, commenting, "It reminds me of the feeling I had after drinking lotus tea last year; it's very fragrant and comforting."

Zhao Hexi: "Yes! That's the feeling, similar to the feeling after drinking lotus tea, it's like your whole chest opens up."

Qing Mengzhu: "I think so too."

Zhao Hexi: "Wouldn't that be considered good tea?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It should be. I'll ask the Sixteenth Grandpa to taste it; he should know about tea."

Zhao Hexi: "I'll come. I'll give him a call. It's been so long since I've seen him; I really miss him."

Author's Note:

See you tomorrow!

Chapter 137

When Master Qing Guozhi heard that the Qing Mengzhu family had just started making tea, he took a taxi and came over happily.

As soon as the old man entered the courtyard, he said to Qing Mengzhu, "Your tea seeds have sprouted? Were they wild tea leaves you dug up from the mountain last year?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "It's a tea tree I bought before the New Year. I nurtured it for a while, and it sprouted leaves in the spring. The wild tea I dug up last year has only just started to grow roots; it will probably take several years for it to grow tea leaves."

The old man nodded repeatedly. "Then I'll try it."

Zhao Hexi stood up and greeted the old man, "Sixteenth Grandpa, are there any rules about drinking tea? We're not very good at brewing it."

The old man said, "First smell the dry tea leaves, then taste the tea soup. To be honest, there's not that much to it. Good tea, whether you're particular about the smell or not, you can still tell its extraordinary qualities."

Zhao Hexi: "Hey, what you said is truly eye-opening."

The three sat in the courtyard, Qing Mengzhu brought out the freshly brewed tea.

The old man took two tea leaves, smelled them, chewed them briefly, and nodded repeatedly. "Not bad, this is the aroma of tea. Just a little chewing leaves a pleasant aftertaste."

Qing Mengzhu brought up the electric kettle. "Would you like to make some tea?"

The old man took the electric kettle and patiently brewed a pot of tea.

A moment later, the aroma of tea filled the air along with the rising steam.

Even though it wasn't the first time she had smelled this fragrance, Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but take a deep breath, immersing herself in the aroma of the tea.

The old man exclaimed, "This tea is excellent; its aroma is pure and rich, with distinct layers."

Qing Mengzhu smelled it and silently agreed with him.

The old man took a sip and said, "The tea soup has a very full flavor, unlike ordinary tea soup which is bland. It has a slightly numbing sensation in the mouth, making one's mouth water."

Zhao Hexi: "And there's also bland tea?"

The old man said, "Yes, of course! You'll know once you drink some coarse tea. One sip and all you feel is bitterness and astringency. Swallowing it feels like swallowing a mouthful of plain water; there's no sweet aftertaste whatsoever."

Zhao Hexi was most concerned about the price. "So, how much do you think this tea, which is so good, could sell for?"

The old man said, "In the tea market, there's a huge difference between famous and unknown teas. This tea is of such quality that it wouldn't be difficult to sell for a thousand yuan."

Zhao Hexi was instantly disappointed. "Only a thousand or so yuan?"

The old man said, "Otherwise? Do you think just anyone would be willing to spend tens or hundreds of thousands? That's tea bought as a gift; it's all from well-known brands and has a prestigious background. It's not just about quality."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "It would be good if we could sell it for a thousand or so yuan. We only paid a thousand yuan for each tea tree when we bought them."

Now it was the old man's turn to be surprised. "So cheap? Where did you buy the tea trees? I'll go buy a couple too!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Tea trees aren't expensive, but we've put a lot of effort into managing them, including burying a lot of fertilizer. If you were to buy them, you probably wouldn't get the same results."

The old man thought about it and agreed, "The vegetables you grow are just ordinary seeds you bought, but they turn out exceptionally well. I reckon the same thing will happen with the tea; ordinary tea trees, but extraordinary tea leaves."

The old man quite liked their tea; after finishing it, he asked for a small packet to take home and enjoy slowly.

Zhao Hexi also took a small bag home; his parents also quite like drinking tea.

Qing Mengzhu didn't care about this. Not only did she share some with them, but she also sent some extra to Zhou Yan and the others. It was all her own tea, and there would be another batch after this one was finished. It didn't matter if she shared some with her friends.

Of course, Ming Lexin also sent a batch.

Spring has arrived, and the tea tree leaves are growing very quickly.

Perhaps it's because they buried the fertilizer well, or perhaps it's because they didn't damage the roots of the tea trees when they dug them up last year, but this year the tea leaves have been bursting forth in batches. Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi have to pick a batch every day; if they don't pick them, the leaves will quickly become old and fall off.

In addition to frying green tea, Ming Chunxi also personally planned to fry a batch of black tea on Saturday.

Qing Mengzhu was greatly surprised. "How can you know everything?"

Ming Chunxi: "I took a hands-on workshop when I was pursuing my doctorate abroad."

Qing Mengzhu's ears perked up immediately, and she looked at him warily. "You went to your craft class alone?"

Ming Chunxi smiled faintly, "I went with my fellow disciples. One of my senior brothers was very interested in it and dragged us along to experience it."

Qing Mengzhu responded with "Oh, oh," and the alarm was lifted. "That was quite interesting."

Ming Chunxi: "I was a bit bored at the time, but participating in these kinds of activities is indeed quite interesting."

Qing Mengzhu didn't know how to roast black tea, so she followed Ming Chunxi around, curiously learning from him.

Black tea undergoes a fermentation process, which Qing Mengzhu had always thought took a very long time. She was quite surprised to learn today that it only takes a few hours to ferment.

Besides fermentation, this type of black tea also requires careful attention.

From harvesting to withering, then to kneading, fermentation, and drying, every step was different from what Qing Mengzhu had imagined.

Especially during fermentation, Ming Chunxi kept observing the color and aroma of the tea leaves, and would turn the leaves over from time to time to ensure they fermented fully. It seemed to be a step that relied entirely on experience.

Qing Mengzhu, smelling the aroma, exclaimed, "You're so skilled!"

When Ming Chunxi turned around, she saw Qing Mengzhu's eyes sparkling with admiration. She couldn't help but pat Qing Mengzhu's shoulder with her elbow. "This isn't particularly difficult."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's not difficult for those who know how, but it's very difficult for those who don't."

Ming Chunxi smiled slightly, "It'll be ready soon. We'll brew some and try it later."

Qing Mengzhu: "Wait a minute, I think I saw some spiritual springs for sale in the Interstellar Mall. Can I buy some?"

The current Qing Mengzhu is not the same Qing Mengzhu as before. He is a mid-level member of the Interstellar Mall, with much higher privileges than before. Many things that were previously unavailable for purchase can now be bought.

He searched in the Interstellar Mall and indeed found the Low-Grade Spirit Spring.

A can costs 59.9 Star Coins, which is nothing to them.

Qing Mengzhu decisively bought a can, then specially brought out a small charcoal stove, put fruitwood charcoal in it, and found a clean small earthenware pot to boil the Spirit Spring Water directly in the pot.

Ming Chunxi's black tea was ready, but the Spirit Spring Water in the earthenware pot hadn't boiled yet.

Qing Mengzhu realized she had made a mistake and said to Ming Chunxi in a serious tone, "Let's wait a bit. Good things always take time."

Ming Chunxi: "Let's wait under the eaves, it's about to rain."

So they moved under the eaves and waited for the earthenware pot on the small charcoal stove to boil water.

The spring rain came down quickly, fine and dense, like smoke and mist, just enough to moisten the soil.

Looking out through the rain curtain, the distant mountains are verdant, the white walls are delicate, and even the gray sky has taken on a different feel.