PCJ – Chapter 231 Won an Award

“Hello, is this Mr. Zhang Jiaohua?” He Donglin approached Zhang Manyin.

Zhang Manyin didn’t respond, so Zhao Jinyuan quickly said, “Host, you made a mistake. This is Mr. Zhang Manyin, and this is Zhang Jiaohua, but he’s still a child.”

“Yes, yes, I’m Zhang Manyin.” Zhang Manyin spoke with a bit of a stutter.

“I’m looking for the owner of the bamboo tube black tea. It should be you, sir. Our staff must have mistakenly recorded your name. I apologize for that,” He Donglin said.

“But the black tea isn’t mine; it’s actually made by my grandson. Here, it’s him.” Zhang Manyin didn’t understand why the host made a mistake.

“Mr. Zhang, you must be joking. How could a child possibly make bamboo tube black tea?” He Donglin was bewildered but remained polite to Zhang Manyin.

“Yes, Brother Zhang, you shouldn’t joke about such matters. Your grandson is so young, how could he make tea? No one would believe it. I know you don’t care for fame and fortune, but your grandson is too young to attend such a formal occasion.” Zhao Jinyuan was very envious of the bamboo tube black tea, and now he knew that what Zhang Manyin and his grandson said was true. Since they were all from Zijiang, he felt the need to help them out. Hence, he tried to persuade Zhang Manyin.

“I’m telling the truth. I don’t know how to make tea. Jiaohua learned from a tea master in town, and then he used traditional herbal processing techniques to make the tea. It turned out to be quite good, so we asked a relative to bring it to Sanxiang City. Not long after, we received an invitation.” Zhang Manyin, being an honest man, quickly revealed everything. He even explained the key techniques of Zhang Jiaohua’s bamboo tube black tea.

Zhao Jinyuan hurriedly stopped him, “Brother Zhang, don’t reveal the technical details to others.”

Fortunately, Zhang Manyin spoke in a local dialect, so only Zhao Jinyuan and Zhang Jiaohua understood. He Donglin was confused but caught the key information: the creator of the bamboo tube black tea was indeed Zhang Jiaohua.

“Is it true that you made this bamboo tube black tea?” He Donglin asked Zhang Jiaohua with a suspicious look.

“Of course, it’s mine,” Zhang Jiaohua pouted. He had been excited earlier, but now his enthusiasm was gone due to the doubts and questions, leaving him only with anger.

“Sorry, sorry. It seems I made a mistake. I didn’t expect the inventor of the bamboo tube black tea to be a child. Zhang Jiaohua, the expert group would like you to introduce your bamboo tube black tea. Can you and your grandfather come over?” He Donglin looked at Zhang Jiaohua with a pleading gaze.

“Okay.” Zhang Jiaohua nodded. Despite being a bit angry, he agreed. He was thinking about how to sell the tea quickly to secure a stable income. That windfall of money, although substantial, came from an illegitimate source. Zhang Jiaohua needed a legitimate source of income.

Zhang Manyin, feeling nervous, stood up with his legs shaking. It was Zhang Jiaohua who supported him as they walked to the stage.

“Grandpa, are you okay?” Zhang Jiaohua asked worriedly.

“I’m okay, okay.” Zhang Manyin’s voice was still trembling.

He Donglin had already explained the situation to Ling Yushu. Ling Yushu was so surprised that he couldn’t speak for a while. Finally, he said, “Such talent in youth is truly admirable!”

As soon as Zhang Jiaohua and Zhang Manyin got on stage, Ling Yushu stood up and walked over, warmly greeting them, “Brother Zhang, hello, hello. I’m so envious that you have such a capable grandson.”

Zhang Manyin, feeling flattered, stuttered, “Thank the People’s Government, thank the Party!”

When Zhang Manyin said this, the judges on stage couldn’t help but smile at such a distant remark. However, their laughter was subtle.

Ling Yushu also smiled slightly, “Brother Zhang, please sit down. Zhang Jiaohua, come here.”

As he spoke, Ling Yushu beckoned Zhang Jiaohua over.

“I never expected such excellent bamboo tube black tea to come from your hands.” Ling Yushu, although curious about Zhang Jiaohua’s method of making bamboo tube black tea, knew it was inappropriate to ask about someone else’s trade secrets.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t know how to respond to Ling Yushu, so he stood there like a shy little kid.

“This batch of spring tea, I made a total of about thirty pounds. I gave some to the villagers, so there are about twenty to thirty pounds left.” Zhang Jiaohua calculated and said.

“Twenty to thirty pounds? What price are you planning to sell it at?” Ling Yushu asked.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head, “I haven’t found a way to sell it yet, and I don’t know how to price it.”

Ling Yushu couldn’t believe such good tea had no market. He quickly said, “Don’t sell this excellent tea cheaply. Your bamboo tube black tea can definitely fetch a very good price. So, I suggest you wait until after this tea evaluation meeting before considering selling it.”

Although Ling Yushu craved Zhang Jiaohua’s bamboo tube black tea, he gave him the most reasonable advice.

“Okay.” Zhang Jiaohua nodded. He understood that this time, his tea had gained fame and could be sold at a good price. Participating in the evaluation was like advertising on TV. Once it became a well-known brand, there would be no worries about sales. He suspected that even before the evaluation ended, someone would come to discuss sales with him.

Ling Yushu found it strange that Zhang Jiaohua, despite his young age, was much more mature than his peers. The saying “farm kids grow up early” was indeed true.

Besides the bamboo tube black tea, there were many other teas participating in the evaluation. However, compared to the bamboo tube black tea, they were far inferior. The bamboo tube black tea became the undisputed gold award winner of this “Xiang Tea Cup.” Zhao Jinyuan’s “Meishan Maofeng” also luckily won the gold award of the “Xiang Tea Cup.” Zhao Jinyuan was overjoyed. He knew that winning was partly due to the quality of his product but also significantly benefited from the association with the bamboo tube black tea. Being from the same region as the bamboo tube black tea added a lot of points to “Meishan Maofeng.”

“Brother Zhang, Jiaohua, I owe you a lot today. Let’s have lunch together. It’s a rare opportunity for us fellow townsmen to gather in Sanxiang City,” Zhao Jinyuan said as he found Zhang Jiaohua and Zhang Manyin after the meeting.

“We can’t. We already promised Grandpa Ling.” Zhang Jiaohua said apologetically.

“Ah?” Zhao Jinyuan was disappointed but quickly recovered, “Then let’s save it for when we return to Zijiang. I must visit your Xintian County to learn from you. Maybe we can have a chance to cooperate in the future.”