Chapter 27

The old man readily agreed to his request. "All right. Give me two days. Once I find some puppies, I'll bring them over."

Qing Mengzhu said, "I'll look around too. I might find some suitable puppies first."

"Sure," the old man said. "Then we'll split up and search."

After finishing his tea, the old man left the tea leaves and went home with the vegetables Qing Mengzhu had insisted on giving him.

Now that he had the tea leaves, it would be a shame not to make lotus tea.

The day before, Qing Mengzhu had asked Tan Wenlei to help pick and sell the vegetables he was supposed to sell the next day. He got up especially early the next morning and went to the ponds before sunrise to look for lotus flowers that hadn't yet opened.

His lotuses were blooming nicely, with about ten flowers in each pond.

Unlike the usual pink or white lotuses, his were all fiery red, double-petaled lotuses. Their red was a little dark, yet vibrant, and their flowers had graceful, flowing shapes. They were beautiful.

Looking at his lotuses, he thought the stupid thief had some taste after all. No wonder he'd come to steal them.

The flowers would eventually turn into lotus pods. Looking at the tender yellow receptacles at their centers, Qing Mengzhu couldn't bear to pick too many, so he picked only twenty-five buds from each pond.

He picked the prettiest ones and didn't linger outside afterward. Instead, he took them straight home, stuffed the tea leaves into the buds, and tied each bud shut with cotton thread.

To make lotus tea, he could either dry the buds together with the tea leaves inside or roast them directly.

He chose to roast them over charcoal.

Roasted buds had a brighter color, a stronger fragrance, and higher quality, but the method was more demanding of the tea maker's skill.

Qing Mengzhu scorched the outer petals of two buds before he gradually got the hang of it and became fairly adept at roasting them over a low fire.

Qing Mengzhu spent most of the day at home roasting those fifty buds, finishing them all in the afternoon.

After a late lunch, he set out a table and chairs under the eaves and brewed some lotus tea with the bottled water he'd bought.

The tea had a delicate, distinctive fragrance that lingered. It tasted excellent, better than ordinary tea.

Qing Mengzhu leaned back in his chair with his eyes narrowed, feeling that drinking tea like this was a real pleasure.

After drinking tea for half the afternoon, he went online and bought decorative food boxes, then packed the roasted lotus tea into them.

He gave ten flowers to Qing Guozhi, ten to Ming Chunxi and Ming Lexin, and five to Zhao Hexi. After some thought, he also sent five to Professor Nian Xinfei, who had given him the chili seeds. He kept the remaining nineteen to drink at his leisure, and couldn't bear to waste the two slightly scorched ones either.

Qing Mengzhu specifically chose the fastest courier to deliver them. For Professor Nian Xinfei's tea, he contacted the professor's student, Jing Chi.

He sent the packages in the morning, and by the afternoon everyone had replied to say they'd received them and thank him for the flower tea.

Qing Mengzhu replied to Ming Chunxi first: [I don't know if you'll like this flower tea. If you do, I'll make some more next time.]

Ming Chunxi: [Ms. Ming Lexin smelled it and said it was very fragrant, but it's too late today, so she'll drink it tomorrow morning.]

Qing Mengzhu: [Have you tried it?]

Ming Chunxi: [Not yet.]

Ming Chunxi sent another message: [We've agreed to drink tea and work from home tomorrow.]

Qing Mengzhu: [Is it all right to change your schedule on a whim?]

Ming Chunxi: [The boss can.]

Qing Mengzhu sent him a "lemon" sticker.

After chatting for a bit, Qing Mengzhu went to answer the messages from Qing Guozhi and the others.

Qing Guozhi and Zhao Hexi were both close friends, so it was enough to know they'd received their packages.

Professor Nian Xinfei's student Jing Chi replied more formally, thanking him for the tea and saying the professor liked it very much.

Qing Mengzhu replied just as politely that it was homegrown, and he was glad the professor liked it.

The main reason Qing Mengzhu had sent Professor Nian tea was that his chili plants had begun to bear fruit. They were growing very well, and barring any mishaps, he was sure to make a good deal of money from them that year. After all, he'd planted a full five mu of chili peppers.

Seeing the peppers every day reminded Qing Mengzhu of where they'd come from, and he was deeply grateful for the seeds Professor Nian had given him.

Although he knew Professor Nian had given him the seeds because Ming Chunxi had asked, and that some exchange of favors must have been involved, he still wanted to thank him.

A couple of days after he sent out the lotus tea, Qing Guozhi showed up with two puppies. "See if you like them. I asked a friend for these purebred local wolfdogs!"

Qing Mengzhu asked, "Purebred wolfdogs from around here?"

"That's right! They're excellent at guarding a home. If I hadn't gone to see him myself, my friend wouldn't have been willing to part with them."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the two little black puppies. Both were female.

He picked one up and stroked her head, then her cheeks.

The puppy sniffed his fingertips with her wet nose and even stuck out her tongue to lick them. She didn't seem afraid of strangers at all, and her dark eyes were full of curiosity.

Qing Mengzhu picked up the other one. She was a little shyer, but just as well-behaved. She sat with her little bottom on his arm, motionless, and simply stared at him.

He stroked her too and scratched her chin.

After checking them over, Qing Mengzhu put both puppies on the ground and nudged them.

The puppies looked up at Qing Mengzhu and barked, then trotted off to the side on their short little legs.

They looked quite agile.

Seeing the smile all over Qing Mengzhu's face, Qing Guozhi asked with a laugh, "Well? If they won't do, I'll take them back to my old friend."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the puppies. "They're perfect! Leave them with me. How much are they?"

Qing Guozhi said, "My friend said if you want them, a thousand apiece will do. They're his own dogs, so he's not making a profit. What do you think?"

Qing Mengzhu readily agreed. "I'll transfer the money to you."

Good wolfdogs were hard to find, and the price really wasn't high.

Qing Guozhi was in no hurry. He looked at the two puppies and asked, "How about giving them names?"

The puppies stood on the ground and looked up at Qing Mengzhu, as if they understood that their new owner was about to name them.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the two little creatures and thought for a moment. "How about Dharma Protector and Guard?"

He squatted down and touched the livelier puppy on the nose. "You're Dharma Protector."

Dharma Protector gently nibbled his finger. He rested a hand on little Dharma Protector's neck and stroked the other puppy. "You're Guard."

Qing Guozhi chuckled. "Those are the names you're giving them?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and scratched the puppy's chin. "Yes. They sound impressive."

Qing Guozhi thought about it. "Whatever else you might say, they probably won't share names with any other dogs."

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Chapter 27

It had been nearly ten days since the tomato seeds were planted. That morning, after selling his vegetables, Qing Mengzhu went to check on the tomato field and immediately saw tender green seedlings growing in the seedling cups.

The newly sprouted tomato seedlings were tiny. Qing Mengzhu felt their stems were only as thick as hairs, as though the slightest puff could break them.

They would probably need another five or six days of growth before they were a little safer.

Qing Mengzhu examined them carefully, then brought over a spray bottle to water them.

He watered them especially gently today, afraid he might break the seedlings.

The two puppies ran back and forth through the vegetable field on their short little legs, chasing bugs and butterflies, their little tails wagging wildly.

Perhaps noticing the sudden change in Qing Mengzhu's movements, the puppy called Dharma Protector came over curiously and poked her head out from beside his foot, watching him spray water. When Guard saw her, she came over too.

Qing Mengzhu had been with the puppies all morning and had brought them to the field specifically to familiarize them with their territory, so they could develop an awareness of protecting it later on.

Now that the puppies were curious, he didn't chase them away. He even raised his arm a little higher to avoid bumping into them while he watered.

The two puppies held their heads and chests high and pressed even closer against his legs.