PCJ – Chapter 399 It Turns Out to Be an Old Acquaintance

As the tiger’s mouth was about to bite Zhang Jiaohua’s hands, which were shielding him, Fat Cat and Fat Monkey suddenly rushed out from behind Zhang Jiaohua, blocking him. The tiger abruptly halted, staring blankly at Zhang Jiaohua. Zhang Jiaohua noticed that the fierce glint in the tiger’s eyes had vanished, replaced by a docile expression.

“What’s going on?” Zhang Jiaohua had narrowly escaped death, yet his heart was still filled with doubt.

“Meow! Squeak!”

The cat and monkey angrily roared at the tiger.

The tiger called out to the other four companions, and those tigers, who were facing off against the mountain dogs, relaxed instantly, no longer displaying the ferocity that suggested they wanted to eat someone.

The mountain leopard and the twenty-four mountain dogs quickly rushed to Zhang Jiaohua’s side, fearing the five tigers would launch another attack on him.

The tiger made a strange sound towards Zhang Jiaohua, as if trying to communicate something.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” The mountain leopard, still angry after being knocked around by the tiger, yelled at it furiously.

The tiger paid no mind, continuing to make odd noises at Zhang Jiaohua. Seeing that Zhang Jiaohua ignored it, it seemed a bit anxious, crouching down and rolling over to show its belly. The other four tigers surprisingly followed suit, doing the same thing.

When animals expose their bellies, it usually indicates friendliness. This left the mountain leopard, the twenty-four dogs, Fat Cat, and Fat Monkey bewildered, and Zhang Jiaohua felt a bit strange as well. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly remembered the number of tigers and froze.

“Five! Did those five tigers escape when I was at the provincial zoo? Could it be them?”

Zhang Jiaohua stepped forward, crouched down in front of the tigers, and patted the top of the nearest tiger’s head. “Did you come here?”

Hearing Zhang Jiaohua speak, the tiger gently nudged him with its head in a very docile manner. The other four tigers joyfully surrounded Zhang Jiaohua.

“It really is you! I didn’t expect you to actually escape. This is what the king of beasts should look like,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

The largest tiger crouched in front of Zhang Jiaohua, seemingly inviting him to sit on it. Zhang Jiaohua climbed on, grabbing hold of the tiger’s fur. The tiger suddenly stood up, each step powerful and strong. Fat Monkey quickly jumped onto the back of another tiger. Initially, that tiger looked very angry, wanting to throw Fat Monkey off, but it instantly became docile.

“Roar!”

The lead tiger let out a roar, but it sounded cheerful.

The tiger gradually picked up speed, and to avoid being scratched by branches, Zhang Jiaohua pressed his body closely against the tiger’s back. He could only hear the wind whistling past his ears as the dim scenery on both sides rapidly raced away behind them.

Fat Monkey kept squeaking all the way, unsure if it was excited or scared.

The mountain leopard, along with the twenty-four mountain dogs, closely followed behind, their barking seeming to stir up the entire Meishan area.

That night, Meishan boiled over like a pot of boiling water. Five tigers and twenty-four mountain dogs together could wreak havoc anywhere. Now, combined, their destructive power was even more terrifying.

The black bear, which had climbed up a tree to avoid the twenty-four dogs, hid in its cave, trembling with fear, protecting its two cubs beneath its body. It shook all over, knowing that neither the tigers nor the mountain dogs were creatures it could mess with. Previously, it had charged out to fight the mountain dogs primarily to protect its cubs.

After a while, the tiger led Zhang Jiaohua to the highest peak of Meishan. The moon in the sky seemed brighter than usual, appearing closer, as if one could pluck it from the tree.

Zhang Jiaohua jumped off the tiger’s back and climbed onto a large rock. The tiger followed him up and crouched beside him. Fat Cat quickly jumped up, sitting on Zhang Jiaohua’s other side. Fat Monkey also came up, boldly climbing onto the back of the big tiger.

The mountain leopard did not join them but stood beside the rock, looking up at the full moon in the sky.

As night deepened, Zhang Jiaohua grew a bit sleepy and leaned against the tiger, falling asleep. When morning came and the eastern sky turned white, Zhang Jiaohua opened his eyes. He realized that the surrounding mountains were all beneath him. It seemed as if he stood at the place closest to the sky. A feeling surged up inside him, elusive yet profound, but he couldn’t articulate it clearly—mysterious and unfathomable.

Suddenly, the sun leaped out from behind the clouds, its rays illuminating the earth.

“Let’s go!” Zhang Jiaohua jumped back onto the tiger’s back.

The big tiger obediently carried Zhang Jiaohua as it ran through Meishan, bringing him back to the forest near Meizi’ao.

As Zhang Jiaohua was about to head home, the tigers seemed reluctant to part ways and wanted to follow him back.

“You belong to the forest; go back! I’ll come to see you again!” Zhang Jiaohua patted the big tiger’s head.

The five tigers turned back, taking one step at a time into the depths of the forest. Zhang Jiaohua watched them disappear into the woods before turning to head home.

“Roar!” A tiger’s roar echoed from deep within Meishan.

Zhang Jiaohua knew it was the five tigers bidding him farewell.

Zhang Jiaohua whistled and called out, “Heading home!”

The construction in Meizi’ao was in full swing, and Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye were also living in Meizi’ao during this time.

As soon as Liu Qiaoye saw Zhang Jiaohua return from the mountain, she rushed over and grabbed his ear, “You little rascal! After finally coming home, you didn’t stay put! You disappeared all night and made your mother lose sleep!”

“Mom, I went into the mountains to collect wild tea, didn’t I? I accidentally wandered a bit too far yesterday. Look, I collected a lot of tea leaves. This time I can make more Hongyu Xianyin. I saw that money was tight at home, so I wanted to earn a little more,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“You little rascal, do you know how much money you’ve made selling the tea you’ve processed these past few years?” Liu Qiaoye asked.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head, “Didn’t you tell me to save it for when I grow up to marry a wife?”

Liu Qiaoye laughed, “You little rascal, still playing dumb! Tell me, what kind of wife do you want in the future? Are you going to make one out of gold?”

“Mom, is our village really going to develop tourism?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Yes! Look how beautiful it is here; tourism will definitely succeed. This means more opportunities for people in the village to make money. Your Uncle Liu really deserves to be the county mayor; he has such great ideas!” Liu Qiaoye smiled.

“It might not necessarily be a good thing. If too many tourists come here, Meizi’ao won’t be so peaceful anymore,” Zhang Jiaohua said worriedly.

“This child, why are you afraid of noise when other kids like it? In the future, there will be tall buildings in Meizi’ao, just like in big cities. Others will come to work here in Meizi’ao. Your Uncle Liu said that Yidushui Middle School will soon build dormitories, and you’ll live in spacious and bright rooms just like the city students. Don’t think I won’t know just because I haven’t been to school with you! You little rascal, would rather suffer at Yidushui Middle School than come with us to study in the county city. The conditions at County First High are a hundred times better than at Yidushui!” Liu Qiaoye felt a bit distressed that her son was struggling at Yidushui Middle School.

“It’s fine, Mom. I’m doing quite well at Yidushui. The county middle school is definitely not as free as Yidushui. We can go out to eat every day!” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

“Alright, I can’t argue with you. Since I have to stay at home now, you can go to school wherever you want. Hurry up and change your clothes; you didn’t bathe all night, and you stink!” Liu Qiaoye looked at her son with much affection.

“Understood!” Zhang Jiaohua quickly ran off.

The construction in Meizi’ao was progressing rapidly, and it was completed one or two months before the Tea Expo.

However, plans changed, and before the Tea Expo, the Meizi’ao tourist tea garden had already come under the spotlight.

After completing a series of activities, the British Friendship Delegation visiting China specifically requested to see Meizi’ao. At this time, Biyu Xianyin had already become the royal tribute tea of the British royal family. However, due to production issues, Hongyu Xianyin had become the most expensive tea in the world. It could only be seen in top auction houses, yet European high society was flocking to get their hands on it.

Margaret Ross, who had maintained a long-standing good cooperative relationship with the Biyu Xianyin group, was also part of the delegation. Perhaps the suggestion to visit Meizi’ao came from her. After all, Zhang Jiaohua was now the number one tea master, and no one knew how much Hongyu Xianyin he could produce.

The entire village was excited, and Zhang Youping became even busier. The Li family, who had never liked Zhang Jiaohua, finally changed their attitude. They actively began to connect with him, wanting to offer him a large piece of cake.

While the delegation from the British royal family and the press were busy interacting with the villagers, Zhang Jiaohua led the tea masters into the tea garden.

They looked at the tranquil mountains, the clear water, and the peaceful atmosphere of Meizi’ao. In their eyes, it was truly the most beautiful tea garden in the world.

At this moment, Zhang Jiaohua felt a sense of fulfillment in his heart, knowing he had achieved success.