Chapter 18 Discovering the Tea Tree
A shimmering ripple appeared in the distance, and the lake slowly emerged from the woods.
The sunset, stars, catalpa trees, and fallen petals used it as a canvas, leaving their own marks on it.
He Jing felt like she had opened the door to a new world, and she suddenly wanted to stay here.
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He Jing found a flat area under a tree not far from the lake. The grass there was fertile and lying on it was like lying on a plush carpet.
Here you can see the lake without being disturbed by the cold water.
She lay there for a while, the stars falling into her eyes through the leaves above her head, and her blue eyes sparkled with little lights.
Gu Zheng quietly accompanied her by the side. He felt that He Jing had a kind of magic that made everything around her come alive.
The sky was getting darker and darker. Gu Zheng stood up and asked, "Do you want to learn how to catch fish?"
"Yeah!" He Jing nodded frantically!
He Jing followed Gu Zheng and lay in a patch of fern leaves by the lake. The tall fern leaves covered their figures, leaving only a pair of eyes staring at the quiet lake.
Waiting quietly, the surface of the lake moved from time to time, creating ripples.
A fish quietly popped its head out, looked around, and then swam towards the lake without anyone noticing.
The tiger's pupils gradually shrank into thin lines, the muscles of its hind legs were visibly tensed, and He Jing also lay down nervously.
In an instant, the tiger leaped out, bit the fish by the scruff of the neck, turned around and dragged it up!
The fish flapped wildly in its mouth, but the tiger just exerted force with its mouth and soon it stopped moving.
"Have you learned it?" Gu Zheng asked after letting go of the fish in his mouth and throwing it on the ground.
He Jing's eyes lit up! Tiger's movements were so fast! Before she could react, Gu Zheng had already caught the fish!
"Yeah! Got it!"
"It's too late today. If the hair is wet, it won't dry easily. Let's try again tomorrow."
He Jing nodded and squatted beside to continue observing.
Gu Zheng caught one fish at a time without any pressure. This small lake had become his fish-catching machine.
Finally, they caught a big one and stopped at three small ones.
But even the small one is about the same size as He Jing.
The two found some branches nearby, and Gu Zheng prepared the fish and started grilling it.
He Jing was playing around nearby, and she seemed to smell something in a bush.
The sky was completely dark, and her eyes were as bright as stars.
She followed the smell and stopped in front of a shrub. The shrub was very tall, like a small tree.
It is covered with fresh and tender leaves, which emit a sweet fragrance.
This is... a tea tree? A shrub-type tea tree!
He Jing walked around it for a long time, observed it carefully, and sniffed it hard. It was a tea tree!
There are actually tea trees here!
He Jing immediately plucked a piece of tender sprout and put it in his mouth. It was sweet and refreshing!
The fragrance of the tea tree spreads on the tip of the tongue, a slight bitterness passes through, and a sweetness rises in the throat in an instant!
She ate a few more slices and felt alive again!
She happily ran back to the tree, dragged the kitten's schoolbag over, picked a handful of tender sprouts and put them in, then ran to Gu Zheng.
"Look what I found?!" She held a piece of tender sprout in her hands as if she were presenting a treasure.
"Leaves?"
"No! It's not just any leaf! It's a tea tree leaf!"
"tea tree?"
"Yes!! It tastes delicious! Would you like to try it?"
Gu Zheng took the small leaf from He Jing's hand, put it in his mouth without hesitation, chewed it gently, and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"How is it? Isn't it delicious?"
"It's really good." Gu Zheng tasted it carefully and found it was not poisonous.
He Jing handed over another piece and stuffed one into his own mouth, his face full of happiness.
"Do you know this kind of tree?"
"I don't know. This is the first time I've heard of it."
"Where's the tea?"
"No. No one eats this kind of leaves in daily life. Maybe some high-level herbivores have eaten it when they transformed into beast form."
He Jing nodded and asked curiously, "What kind of drinks do you usually drink? Like milk tea, coffee, etc.?"
"Never heard of it." Gu Zheng answered slowly with his eyes lowered.
"So what are you drinking?"
"The juice, milk, and various supplements produced by scientific research institutes that you drank before."
"Okay," He Jing pursed his lips, looking a little unhappy. "In our place, tea leaves can be steeped in water and drunk. It's delicious. Tea trees grown at different altitudes and in different regions, with leaves from different locations, are processed in different ways, and the resulting tea tastes different."
"It can also be made into milk tea and fruit tea by mixing it with some dairy products and fruit juice. It is a favorite of young people!"
"Sounds good." Gu Zheng looked at the lost kitten.
"Hmm... It's a pity that I can't drink it, but it's good to be able to eat it to satisfy my craving."
Gu Zheng nodded, picked up another piece and put it in his mouth. It was indeed very special. It didn’t taste like juice or a developed reagent. Its taste was full of the vitality of nature.
The two of them ate a few more slices, and He Jing put away his schoolbag, "You can't eat anymore."
"If you're taking tea leaves for the first time, you'll get tea drunk if you take too much."
"Drunk tea?"
"Yes, you may feel dizzy, anxious, or chest tightness, because it contains some substances that your body may not be able to tolerate when it first comes into contact with it."
He Jing nodded, "But do you feel that your mind becomes clearer after eating it?"
Gu Zheng felt it and found that it was indeed true, it was magical.
The aroma of the fish slowly emerged, covering the fragrance of the surrounding tea leaves. Gu Zheng cut the grilled fish into slices and handed them to He Jing, then grilled the rest of the fish.
He Jing thought he would not be able to finish all the fish, but in the end he ate them all.
Why does it feel like my appetite has grown this time? she asked curiously.
Gu Zheng nodded: "You need to take in more energy now to have enough energy for conversion. You may not have noticed that your body size has also increased."
She really didn't notice! He Jing lowered his head in surprise and looked at his paws, but didn't feel anything different.
Gu Zheng stood up and sat up next to He Jing.
"Look, you're here now." Gu Zheng raised his hand and touched the top of the kitten's head, then slid parallel to the middle of his front legs.
The kitten exclaimed, "I've really grown! At first I wasn't even as big as your paw!"
Gu Zheng nodded. "You're growing fast. If you feel uncomfortable, remember to tell me."
"Okay!" He Jing happily circled around Gu Zheng, repeatedly comparing his height.
In the endless darkness, there was the rustling of wind through the trees, the singing of birds, and occasionally the croaking of frogs, but the kitten's cheering penetrated all of this and reached deep into Gu Zheng's mind.
The kitten's emotions are simple. She will feel depressed because she can't drink milk tea, and she will also cheer because she grows taller.
I don’t know where the person from many years ago slipped out of my memory, and it seemed that he had once been so simple and happy.
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