PCJ – Chapter 211 Really Good Tea

“Good tea! Truly! Good tea!” Zhong Jinxiang exclaimed with admiration.

Is it really that good? The villagers were puzzled, looking at the black lump Zhang Jiaohua had produced, finding it hard to look at.

Zhang Dechun took a clay bowl and grabbed a handful of tea leaves from those fried by Zhong Jinxiang. Then he poured a bowl of water.

“I’m not talking about this; the tea leaves processed by Jiaohua are the truly good ones!” Zhong Jinxiang thought the people of Meizi’ao Village had misunderstood him.

Zhang Jiwang looked incredulously at the black lump of tea leaves processed by Zhang Jiaohua, “Is this tea? I’ve lived for decades and have never seen tea leaves like this!”

“What do you think tea leaves should look like? If you think so, tea leaves should be leaf by leaf. You really lack knowledge. I dare say this tea is much better than those so-called famous teas,” Zhong Jinxiang said.

Zhang Manyin, without hesitation, trusted his grandson and grabbed a lump of black tea. Zhong Jinxiang quickly stopped him, “Wait, you don’t need that much tea to brew a bowl. Here, just a small pinch will do!”

Zhong Jinxiang pinched a small amount of black tea, about the size of a little finger, and put it in Zhang Manyin’s clay bowl.

Zhang Dechun glanced at it and felt that the lump of tea leaves looked like something Ji Gong might have rubbed off his body. “I’ll still drink this,” he said.

Zhang Dechun blew on the tea in his bowl and took a sip. “Hmm, good tea, good tea. This is much better than our tea.”

Zhong Jinxiang smiled wryly, knowing his tea-frying skills were decent but not enough to bring out the best flavor of the tea leaves. Compared to Zhang Jiaohua’s tea, the difference was vast.

Zhang Manyin watched as the black lump in his clay bowl quickly dissolved, leaving no residue, and the water turned a dark green.

“Manyin, why are you dazing? Take a sip!” Zhang Dechun laughed.

Zhang Manyin, filled with curiosity, took a sip from his bowl. His eyes widened, feeling an indescribable comfort spread throughout his body, wiping away his fatigue and bringing a refreshing sensation.

“How is it?” Zhang Jiwang asked curiously. Zhang Manyin’s peculiar expression puzzled him. Jiaohua often did strange things, but who would have thought he could come up with such tea?

“Good, good, really good. Jiwang, you must try it. No doubt!” Zhang Manyin, being inarticulate, couldn’t describe the tea’s excellence.

Without further doubt, Zhang Jiwang also grabbed a clay bowl, ready to get some tea. Zhong Jinxiang had prepared a small pinch of tea leaves for him.

Zhang Dechun thought the tea he drank was the best in the world and believed Zhang Manyin was simply inexperienced, amazed by any flavor. But he thought his tea was the best, and Zhong Jinxiang, an old tea master, couldn’t be outdone by a child like Jiaohua.

“Manyin, my tea is the best. How could you know good tea?” Zhang Dechun said, unconvinced.

“This is the real good tea!” Zhang Manyin retorted.

Zhang Jiwang laughed, “Why argue? Just exchange your tea and see whose is better.”

Zhang Dechun agreed, “Come on, let’s swap.”

But Zhang Manyin refused, “I’m not exchanging with you. If you want to drink it, brew it yourself.”

Zhang Dechun laughed, “Look at you. Fine, I’ll brew another bowl.”

He grabbed a bowl and got a pinch of black tea processed by Jiaohua from Zhong Jinxiang.

Zhang Jiwang’s tea was ready. He took a sip and genuinely praised, “This is really good tea. Who would have thought this black lump would taste so good? Jiaohua, you’re a clever kid. How did you manage to make such good tea? I even taste a hint of medicinal flavor.”

Zhong Jinxiang, hearing this, carefully tasted the tea. Indeed, the tea’s fragrance had a subtle medicinal note, enhancing the tea’s rich flavor.

“I used the method for processing medicinal herbs, so it has a bit of medicinal flavor. These tea leaves are essentially a kind of medicinal herb,” Zhang Jiaohua explained.

At this moment, Zhang Dechun also finished brewing his tea. Looking at the jade-green tea water in his bowl, he felt it might indeed be better than the tea fried by Zhong Jinxiang. But he couldn’t tell just by the tea’s color; the best way to compare was to taste it.

He took a sip and immediately showed an incredulous expression, taking another sip in disbelief. The taste was truly remarkable!

“How is it?” Zhang Manyin asked with a smile.

“No wonder you didn’t want to share your tea with me. How could it taste this good? Master Zhong’s tea is already excellent, but this tea is even better,” Zhang Dechun said, glancing apologetically at Zhong Jinxiang.

Zhong Jinxiang didn’t mind at all and laughed, “It was worth coming here just to taste Jiaohua’s tea, even if it means losing face.”

The villagers all wanted to brew Jiaohua’s tea. But Jiaohua had only processed a few ounces of tea, and less than an ounce remained. Each person got a small pinch, leaving Zhong Jinxiang with a piece the size of a ping-pong ball. It pained him to see such exquisite tea consumed so quickly. However, tea is meant to quench thirst, and these hardworking people needed it to relieve their fatigue. Thinking this, Zhong Jinxiang smiled again.

“Jiaohua, it seems I can’t help you here,” Zhong Jinxiang said, feeling embarrassed to continue as a tea master. His tea was far inferior to Jiaohua’s.

“Master Zhong, you can’t leave. Although I can process tea leaves, I can’t handle the large volume of this horticultural field alone. Processing like this, when will I finish? The tea leaves won’t wait. In a few days, they’ll become overripe if not picked. Your frying method, although not as good, produces high yields. You can guide the villagers, ensuring the tea leaves are processed in time,” Zhang Jiaohua said with a wry smile.

Although Zhang Jiaohua could process tea leaves using the method for medicinal herbs, he could only produce a small amount at a time, not enough to meet the large-scale demand. Zhong Jinxiang’s frying method, though not as refined, ensured a sufficient yield and could be taught to the villagers for timely processing.