The white tea tree exuded a faint and refreshing fragrance. The countdown on the treetop, which was only half a head shorter than Zhao Xiaoyang, was on, with only ten minutes left.
For a moment, Zhao Xiaoyang, who was waiting nearby with a bamboo basket in his hand, was ready to go and felt a little excited for some reason.
“10!”
“9!”
“8!”
…
“1!”
"Ding! Nanshan White Tea, the fish leaves have grown! It's time to harvest!"
The tenderest and thinnest green fish leaves gradually change from the size of a needle tip to the size of a rice grain, and are then quickly stacked into layers, as beautiful as fish scales.
Zhao Xiaoyang, who had already prepared everything, immediately started to "pick up the harvest".
The first batch of tea is picked not only for tasting the fresh tea, but also to leave room for the second and third spring teas.
Fortunately, Nanshan Village has been a major tea-growing village since ancient times, and Zhao Xiaoyang's work with his grandfather since he was a child was not in vain.
Now he was familiar with the process. He carried a bamboo basket, stepped on a bench, and started from the crown.
His hands were like a dragonfly skimming the water.
With your palm facing down, pinch the tenderest stem of the fish leaf with your thumb and index finger, lift it up slightly, and the buds and leaves will fall into your palm.
Then he handed it into the bamboo basket slung over his arm.
The movements seemed quick but delicate, without hurting the growing parts at all.
In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour had passed.
"bite!"
"Nanshan White Tea, fish leaf harvest completed! Experience +10!"
Zhao Xiaoyang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
To be honest, this is not a heavy job, but it does not save any energy.
There is only one tea tree. If there were a few more, we wouldn’t be able to finish them even after dark!
Of course, looking at the half basket of tender sprouts at this moment, Zhao Xiaoyang was satisfied and a little amazed.
This tea was freshly picked and still has the scent of tea tree juice, but without any astringency.
On the contrary, I can still faintly smell the rich tea aroma that often emanated from the tea factory when I was a child.
"Tsk tsk, this new tea hasn't even been air-dried yet, and it's already reached this level. Once the previous process is completed and the stir-frying begins, won't it be so fragrant that it will kill you!"
Zhao Xiaoyang picked up one and put it to his nose.
hiss!
When Zhao Xiaoyang smelled this, his cheeks felt sore and he actually started drooling.
I've never seen quality this good.
Even though the tea had not been processed at all, it made him feel hungry and thirsty.
Carrying the bamboo basket back to the house, Zhao Xiaoyang spread the tender green fish leaves on the bamboo strips that his grandfather often used, slowly dispersing the moisture.
Then he rolled his eyes and brought out a small tea stove from the corner.
There was also an old purple clay teapot in the cupboard. Zhao Xiaoyang took it out immediately and then went to look for charcoal.
But after searching around, I found that there was no charcoal left here because no one had lived here for a long time.
In desperation, I could only go to the woodshed to get some dry firewood.
…
A small fire started in the yard.
The charcoal stove was temporarily out of use, so an unused bracket was used to hang a kettle over the dancing flames.
Crackling... crackling...
The flames from the fire were getting brighter and brighter, and the fragrance from the teapot was accompanied by heat, which directly warmed Zhao Xiaoyang's body.
The chills caused by the cold air that hit us in the evening seemed to have never appeared again.
What is being cooked in the teapot at this time is the tender fish leaves that have been simply processed, although this method does not go through the professional process of dehydration, frying, and fermentation.
However, as long as the fish leaves are the tenderest, the tea brewed from them will be just as sweet and fragrant.
At this time, the teapot is still a while away from boiling water.
Zhao Xiaoyang suddenly slapped his thigh. He almost forgot that the tea trees had been harvested but not watered yet.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he hurried to the tea tree, bought a bottle of growth agent and watered it.
The countdown reappeared on the tea tree.
"Nanshan White Tea Tree [One Star], Second Spring Tea Maturity Countdown, 5 Hours!"
It’s okay. We can pick the second spring tea again in five hours, and the quantity will definitely be much larger.
Although only half a basket of fish leaves were picked in the first spring, Zhao Xiaoyang knew that it would be considered good if they could produce two or three taels of fish leaves after processing.
Even if calculated based on the price of the most expensive new tea tree, it is only a few hundred yuan.
It can be said that at present not even a fraction of the cost has been recovered.
This tea tree grows fast, but the yield is currently a bit low and the investment is relatively high.
If he wanted to make money from this, Zhao Xiaoyang would probably become a negative asset before he even started to make a profit.
Therefore, we can only be self-sufficient.
However, the white tea tree has such perfect qualities that Zhao Xiaoyang is even more looking forward to what the cherry blossoms and fruits will look like.
It will definitely not be bad!
When he thought of this, he suddenly became motivated and his confidence almost overflowed.
Then he simply moved the rattan couch over and placed it next to the fire.
Zhao Xiaoyang lay peacefully on the rattan couch, smelling the tea fragrance that gradually boiled away the originally slight astringency and became rich and pure.
At this moment, I don’t feel the coldness at all that I felt at seven or eight o’clock in the evening.
Nanshan Village has a long history of tea cultivation, so it also has a tea culture.
Zhao Xiaoyang has heard that drinking tea is good for health since he was a child, and he has been drinking it for more than ten years.
To be honest, he thought it was just a gimmick.
But now he really believes it.
At least the small pot of white tea soup waiting for him to taste at this moment really made him feel that the coldness he had suffered last night had been dispelled.
Maybe the drinks I had before weren't high-end enough.
After all, those who are dressed in silk and satin are not silkworm farmers.
The best tea is never enjoyed by the tea farmers themselves.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
