PCJ – Chapter 212 The Magical Uses of Bamboo Tubes

“Jiaohua, how do you plan to sell these tea leaves? It would be a pity to sell such good tea leaves cheaply,” Zhong Jinxiang noted, though he had no solution.

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head and honestly said, “I don’t know either.”

Zhong Jinxiang laughed; in his eyes, Zhang Jiaohua was too much of a prodigy. Seeing him this way made him seem a bit more normal.

“This isn’t urgent. First, think about how to package the tea leaves. As for sales, I suggest you ask my former leader. He has many connections and might have a good idea,” Zhong Jinxiang suggested, seeing Zhang Jiaohua scratching his head.

“Right,” Zhang Jiaohua chuckled.

“Jiaohua, packaging the tea leaves in bamboo tubes would be good. If you carve some patterns on the bamboo, it would look very elegant. There are many people in our village who can do this,” Zhang Jiwang also suggested.

“Right,” Zhang Jiaohua said, looking at the bamboo tube he used to store the black tea. What he had done casually turned out to be the most suitable packaging. There were many basket weavers in the village, and a large bamboo forest nearby. Every adult man in the village knew some basket weaving, and carving patterns was something they could handle.

“This is indeed good, very unique,” Zhong Jinxiang nodded. The villagers smiled, having worried that once the tea leaves were harvested, they wouldn’t have a way to sell them. But now they saw a new opportunity. They gratefully looked at Zhang Jiwang for his suggestion. For someone with his skills, using bamboo tubes for tea didn’t matter much, but for the villagers, it provided a rare earning opportunity. Though they didn’t expect Zhang Jiaohua to pay them for picking tea now, he would certainly pay for carving bamboo tubes in the future as part of his business.

“Dechun, I’ll need your help with this,” Zhang Manyin pulled Zhang Dechun aside.

“You mean the bamboo tube carving? Don’t worry, I’ll organize everyone. But we’ll need to pay for carving the bamboo tubes. It’s a long-term business, and without some benefits, it can’t last,” Zhang Dechun feared Zhang Manyin would want him to lead the villagers in working for Zhang Jiaohua for free, which would upset everyone.

“How could we not pay? Although Jiaohua is a child, he understands the importance. I’ll talk to him about it later. This is good for everyone. If the tea business takes off, everyone will have more work,” Zhang Manyin, a fair person, didn’t intend to exploit others.

Using bamboo tubes for packaging wasn’t simple, as the bamboo tubes needed to be consistent in size, requiring a standard. Ordinary people couldn’t manage this, but Zhang Jiwang could. Just like carpentry, where each piece must meet a standard for assembly, bamboo tubes needed uniformity.

Despite increasing the amount processed each time, Zhang Jiaohua could only produce a few ounces per batch. Working non-stop, he could produce about ten pounds of black tea in bamboo tubes a day, and the picking season lasted only three to five days. Thus, he could produce only about thirty pounds of tea. With school and other obligations, he couldn’t spend all day at the tea farm, so his tea was destined to be a premium product.

Zhang Xianglin, the best basket weaver in the village, was known for making a bamboo butterfly that could fly half a mile, all bamboo construction with a bamboo mechanism. Although Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t seen it himself, he had heard of it.

Zhang Dechun found Zhang Xianglin that day to make some templates, especially for carving, which was Zhang Xianglin’s specialty. Zhang Jiaohua had seen Zhang Xianglin carve lifelike figures, flowers, birds, and fish on bamboo with just a basket knife. Having him design the tea bamboo tubes was perfect.

However, a new problem arose: what if the tea leaves in bamboo tubes attracted bugs or got moldy during the rainy season? Incomplete drying could lead to mold.

Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t worried; he planned to use a few symbols on the bamboo tubes. With these talismans drawing on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, not even a hundred years would cause mold or pests, and not even rats would dare touch the tea.

In a few days, over two hundred acres of tea fields yielded over a thousand pounds of tea leaves. Zhong Jinxiang and the villagers fried over four hundred pounds of tea. Following Zhong Jinxiang’s suggestion, they packed the tea into bamboo tubes, each containing about six ounces, for a total of over seven hundred tubes. But selling so much tea became a problem. Zhong Jinxiang was satisfied with the quality, comparable to famous teas, but Zhang Jiaohua’s tea farm had no reputation. Selling it at a good price wasn’t easy.

On Sunday, Zhang Jiaohua took his tea to town, naturally seeking Luo Yongming.

Luo Yongming was shocked after tasting Zhang Jiaohua’s tea. He hadn’t expected such a significant result from Zhang Jiaohua’s casual efforts.

“Such good tea, but without a good channel, it’s a pity. Don’t worry, ask Changjun first if he has any connections. With the right channel, this tea will definitely be a hit,” Luo Yongming said.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t expect instant fame, just wanted to sell the tea for money. He had invested all his money into this and still owed wages and bamboo tube costs.

After receiving Luo Yongming’s call, Luo Changjun, who was extremely busy, made a special trip back. He had a problem and was at a loss, but hearing about Zhang Jiaohua from his father, he immediately rushed back.

“Don’t worry about the tea. I have an old classmate in the provincial capital doing well. I’ll ask him if he has any good connections. Meanwhile, help me out. We’ve got a case with no leads. Bring your Shanbao and come to the county with me to see if we can find the culprit,” Luo Changjun said.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t refuse Luo Changjun’s request. The two quickly went to Meizi’ao Village, bringing Zuan Shanbao to the county.