Chapter 216 (continued)

The water inside the bamboo joints is clear and transparent, looking no different from spring water at first glance. It smells of fresh bamboo and tastes quite different.

The water collected from the three bamboo stalks fills a small basin, which is just enough to fill an electric kettle.

Everyone sat down at the table and waited for the water to boil before making tea.

I'm also brewing lotus tea today.

This is the last batch of tea made from lotus flowers this year.

When the lotus is fully ripe, its fragrance becomes richer and more complex, forming a wonderful combination with the tea leaves. When brewed into tea, the various aromas are diluted, resulting in a perfectly balanced fragrance.

The tea enters the mouth, fragrant, rich, and smooth, with a unique refreshing aroma, resembling neither lotus nor bamboo, elusive and intriguing, making one want to explore it.

Qing Mengzhu took another sip, but still couldn't discern what the aroma was. He only felt that the tea was exceptionally fragrant, and that his mind became clear after drinking it.

Qing Mengzhu looked up and glanced at Ming Chunxi beside her.

Ming Chunxi was holding a teacup, lost in thought.

The two looked at each other, both knowing that the water in the bamboo was extraordinary, which was why the tea brewed from it had such an effect.

Indeed, Qing Mengzhu thought to herself, this is "Superior Grade+" bamboo-stored bamboo-based water, and the land where the bamboo is planted has also been treated with Soil Fertility Restoration Agent, so it is naturally different from other places.

This tea is so fragrant; it leaves a lingering aftertaste.

They rarely sat together, but they didn't say a word or eat any tea or snacks; each of them simply held their teacups and silently sipped their tea.

A pot of water contains only about two liters. When brewed into tea, it's enough for each person to drink two and a half cups, not enough to appreciate properly.

After finishing their drinks, everyone looked at the empty cups, which had even been quickly dried by the north wind, and couldn't help but show a sense of loss.

Qing Mengzhu perked up. "This tea is really good. Next time, let's find bamboo-joint water to brew tea again."

Zhao Hexi asked, "How far in the future is that?"

After saying that, he reached up and touched his throat. "Hey, my throat seems better, it's not hoarse anymore."

Zhou Yan listened for a moment, then spoke, his voice clear again. "My voice isn't hoarse anymore."

Zhao Hexi: "The tea brewed with bamboo joint water may also have a cooling effect. In the past, when I drank fresh bamboo juice, it took two doses to fully recover. Now I've only drunk it once, so it shouldn't be recovering so quickly."

Qing Mengzhu was very optimistic about "Superior Grade+" bamboo-joint water, and upon hearing this, she said, "Bamboo-joint water naturally has the effect of clearing heat and reducing internal fire, and you also brewed lotus tea, so it's normal that you all recovered."

Chu Yanhuan arrived late and ate relatively little of the good stuff. Hearing them switch topics, he finally came to his senses. "This tea is amazing! I've drunk tea in so many places around the world, but none of it is as good as the tea we're drinking today."

Zhao Hexi casually remarked, "Good tea with good water, that's normal."

Chu Yanhuan stroked the cup. "It smells so good. Our company produces such fragrant tea and bamboo-joint water, and we haven't even made a name for ourselves internationally yet—"

Zhao Hexi clarified. "No, we have made a name for ourselves. Look at our chili peppers, they're quite famous now. And our Rice —many international experts have come here to see the Rice grown by Mengzhu."

Chu Yanhuan: "That's not what I meant. I meant, well, I don't know how to describe it."

Chu Yanhuan's mouth started to chatter halfway through his sentence. He looked at Qing Mengzhu in front of him, trying hard to find a suitable adjective. "Brother Mengzhu, I think you're like a hidden master monk, you're so amazing."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Agricultural companies don't become famous as easily as technology companies, but we're doing quite well. This is only our second year, and it will get even better in the future."

Chu Yanhuan nodded earnestly. "Definitely. You will definitely have a place among the world's top agricultural companies."

Chu Yanhuan probably spent too much time abroad; he was particularly straightforward when praising people.

Qing Mengzhu was almost embarrassed by his praise. It seems they need to work harder, otherwise it will be difficult to live up to Chu Yanhuan's praise.

Bamboo-infused water is indeed delicious, but there's just too little of it.

After confirming that the water from the bamboo joints was drinkable, Qing Mengzhu would always take his wood-chopping knife and tap the bamboo joints every time he went up the mountain to see if there was any water inside.

Some bamboo nodes contain water, while others do not. Some originally had water, but it was gradually absorbed by the bamboo. Others did not originally have water, but one day it appeared.

As Qing Mengzhu tapped the bamboo, she gradually figured out the pattern.

That day, Zhao Hexi brought Qing Mengzhu the tomato and pepper seeds that Li Ba and the others had selected.

The two types of seeds look somewhat alike. The specially selected seeds are plump, uniform, heavy, and golden, making them particularly beautiful.

Zhao Hexi couldn't resist reaching out and grabbing a handful of seeds from the bag, letting them fall freely into her palm.

Zhao Hexi: "These seeds are so beautiful, why are you still choosing?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Since I'm free anyway, I'll check it over."

Zhao Hexi sat down opposite him and remembered, "Didn't you say before that you were going to coat the seeds with a coating? Did you coat them now? I don't think so; the seeds seem quite dry."

Qing Mengzhu: "Wrap it up when it's time to plant."

Zhao Hexi: "I said, so it's confirmed that it's ten mu of each type? And we'll be using greenhouses for seedling cultivation?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, we need to pack the seedling bags in the next few days. This batch of tomatoes and peppers is relatively frost-resistant, so we can start seedlings now and transplant them to the ground in March."

Zhao Hexi: "Planting it in a seedling cup for two whole months?"

Qing Mengzhu laughed, "It's not like any plant will sprout immediately. The weather is so cold now, it will probably take some time for it to sprout."

Zhao Hexi: "Then I'll arrange for people to build greenhouses in the field."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "You can make the arrangements. Two greenhouses should be enough for me."

Zhao Hexi: "After harvesting tomatoes and peppers, should we plant anything else in the field? Or should we just wait until April or May next year to plant Rice?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's plant radishes. Radishes are in the cruciferous family, while tomatoes and peppers are in the nightshade family, so planting radishes shouldn't be a problem. Radishes can also be made into preserved radish, so we won't have to worry about not being able to use them all."

Zhao Hexi readily agreed, "I'll arrange for people to plow the land within the next couple of days."

Another year is approaching, and there's a lot of work to do in the fields and many things to arrange at the company.

For example, their community-supported agriculture projects.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the documents and said, "We did quite well this year. I don't think there were any major problems. We can recruit more members next year."

Zhao Hexi perked up and sat up straight. "I've already had someone estimate the maximum number of members. With our current planting scale, we can supply fruits and vegetables to 80,000 members."

Qing Mengzhu carefully reviewed the company's estimated documents. "Eighty thousand copies is too many; it's basically reached our limit. Let's leave some margin; seventy thousand copies should be about right."

Zhao Hexi: "The number of people who want to sign up for our membership is far more than 70,000. What about those who can't register?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's draw lots; that's fairer. Also, I'll talk to Chunxi and ask her company to ensure the fairness of the data."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay! Do we need to rent more land? With our current scale, we can manage even if we rent more land."

Qing Mengzhu tapped the chair with her finger, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "I won't rent it anymore. More and more people are coming back to farm these days, let's give others a little bit of the land. If we still need land, I'm thinking, why don't we just open a branch in the border region?"

Zhao Hexi: "Have you decided?"

Qing Mengzhu: "The planting conditions in the border areas are good, we also have policy support, and Boss Duan and his team will also help. I feel it's alright."

Zhao Hexi muttered, "It's quite far, so transporting the vegetables back here won't be easy."

Qing Mengzhu: "We can choose vegetables that are relatively easy to transport, such as peppers, potatoes, radishes, onions, and cabbage. For vegetables that are not so easy to transport, we can grow them nearby."