At this moment, the Yinshan Mountains in the micro-world are shrouded in clouds and mist, with the mist rising as the morning light shines through.
Xing Tu carried a bamboo basket and went out, walking through the mountains.
The morning air was a bit chilly, but Xing Tu didn't care. Although he was old, he was in good health and walked briskly on the mountain path.
"The spiritual energy in this micro-realm is truly amazing. Before, I had to rest after walking for an hour, but now I don't need to at all," Xing Tu thought.
The location of the white tea trees was not suitable for living, and it was inconvenient to dry and process the tea. So they set up their home in an open space some distance away.
For Xing Tu, getting up early to pick tea with a bamboo basket on his back was a regular occurrence. The journey to the tea plantation was like a pilgrimage, every step taken with firm footing.
He can pick tea by himself. He picks tea every year, from morning till night, and can pick two or three catties of tea leaves.
The tea trees were scattered and their growth varied. He already knew the condition of each tea tree, which buds were too old to be picked immediately, and which buds had just sprouted and needed more time.
He knew the correct order of picking, and he only picked the tender buds, omitting any excess branches and leaves.
The harvesting period is about ten days. After each day's picking, the tea leaves need to be dried, roasted, and then roasted to remove moisture and enhance the aroma. It's estimated that these ten days will yield about thirty kilograms of tea leaves, and after roasting, there should still be about twenty kilograms remaining. The processing method for white tea differs from that of Pu'er tea; the fermentation level is not as high.
The twenty-odd kilograms of tea leaves are enough for all the inhabitants of the region, and some can even be processed into aged white tea and stored in the accelerated time zone. Like ripe Pu'er tea, the price of aged white tea increases exponentially with time.
The locals also have Pu'er tea to drink, and some girls often drink fruit tea and flower tea, so there is more than enough tea.
The quality of this batch of white tea in the micro-world is considered good, but it's not the best, so Xing Tu didn't want Chen Yang to take it out of the micro-world.
However, tea in the micro-world has advantages that it absolutely does not have in reality.
That is cleanliness.
It seems like a very simple word, but in reality it is almost impossible to do.
Air, wind, soil, rainwater—all of these factors subtly influence plant growth, albeit imperceptibly, but they do have a gradual impact.
In reality, air quality has been affected globally, only to varying degrees.
Some places are still a clear blue sky, while others are like a fairyland shrouded in mist.
Compared to the microcosm, real-world plants are heavily polluted and have many unpleasant odors. These odors are subtle and have little impact, and normal people would never be able to detect them, but Xing Tu can.
He is very fond of the micro-world. As a pure tea lover, his love for tea and nature is beyond that of ordinary people.
Strolling through the mountains, Xing Tu's steps were not like those of an old man; he was incredibly light and quick, and soon arrived at the tea plantation.
He took some miscellaneous items out of the bamboo basket, placed them aside, and stepped into the tea plantation.
Xing Tu reached out, pinched the bud root between her thumb and forefinger, and gently twisted it, producing a light and crisp sound. Then, she released her fingers, and the tea bud tip slipped into her palm.
The movement was seamless and incredibly fast, a simple pinch and turn, remarkably fluid.
Among white teas, the most famous is Baihao Yinzhen, also known as Baimaozhen. Its plump buds are covered with downy hairs, and only the tea buds are used, not the leaves. It is the best of the best white teas.
Xing Tu picks tea leaves very quickly and methodically, using both hands simultaneously. Once ten buds are gathered in her palm, she throws them into her bamboo basket.
Watching him pick tea leaves, you are unconsciously drawn into his rhythm, as if you are enjoying a performance rather than watching an old man picking tea.
At this moment, there was no one around except Xing Tu. This was a solo concert without an audience. The splendor existed only in Xing Tu's mind. The surroundings were still filled with a gentle breeze and lush greenery.
At noon, Xing Tu placed the bamboo basket among the tea bushes, went to the place where he had just piled up miscellaneous items, and took out flatbread, dried meat, a teapot, and a red clay stove.
He used a hand-operated fire drill, along with dry wood and tinder he had brought, to ignite a flame in about ten minutes.
The stove was filled with firewood, and the water was quickly boiled.
Xing Tu calmly placed the teapot aside and began to eat the flatbread and dried meat.
After taking a few sips, the water temperature dropped a little. He took out his tea set: a gaiwan, a fairness cup, and a tasting cup. There were already three or four scoops of tea leaves in the gaiwan, which was ripe Pu'er tea.
After quickly rinsing the tea leaves for the first three infusions, you can start drinking the tea.
Taking a few bites of flatbread and dried meat, followed by a sip of tea, has become his habit, though it's not exactly a good one.
It is not advisable to drink tea before or after meals, as it does not help with nutrient absorption.
However, Xing Tu never cared about such things; as long as things went his way, he didn't give them much thought.
It is the ability to enjoy thousand-year-old Pu'er tea as a meal, rather than taking a bath, changing clothes, burning incense, or calming the mind to savor it in the best possible state.
This was an immense luxury for Xing Tu.
Guo Zifeng and his team went to take charge of the Pu'er tea trees, so Xing Tu can handle the white tea situation all by himself.
Because Xing Tu was only active in coastal areas, although he had some knowledge of tea from all over the country and had been to all of them, he only truly understood a few types of tea. Longjing, Biluochun, and Wuyi rock tea were the teas he was most familiar with, while white tea, oolong, and other inland teas, such as Pu'er tea, Junshan Yinzhen, and Houkui, were only known to him, not truly understood.
In the world of tea, there are many serious practitioners, and Xing Tu has always looked down on some tea merchants, including Guo Zifeng. However, Guo Zifeng is still happy to associate with him and treats him with respect, as are most other tea merchants.
Xing Tu never cares about other people's opinions or their feelings. If his tea is good, it's almost certainly good and worth buying. However, 80-90% of the time it's bad.
Later, as his fame grew, people gradually learned how to analyze his comments.
If you drink it and leave immediately, it's not worth buying at all.
I drank two cups, and it was hard to swallow. People with limited financial means might consider buying it.
Teas that are barely palatable are considered high-quality teas by ordinary people, and those that receive his evaluation can command a significantly higher price.
If the tea is good enough for him to sit down and savor it, then it must be top-quality tea, easily costing over ten thousand yuan per kilogram. It can easily reach twenty or thirty thousand yuan, and if the price is driven up, it could potentially reach one or two hundred thousand yuan.
The tea that Xing Tu truly valued and praised was something that no ordinary person, no matter how rich, could possibly buy; it was a famous tea that could be given as a national gift.
Xing Tu was invited by many people to evaluate tea, and he also picked and processed tea leaves himself, but he never sold tea, at most giving some to his closest friends.
After finishing lunch and tea, Xing Tu gazed at the distance with satisfaction for a while before getting up to continue picking tea leaves.
The sun was shining warmly, but the early spring in the Yinshan Mountains was still a little chilly, with a faint coolness in the wind, just like Xing Tu's mood.
This can be considered a side story. Some readers donated money, but I didn't have time for the first two chapters and still owe them. I'll add more chapters tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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