PCJ – Chapter 400 Scenery Like an Immortal Realm, Tea Like Divine Nectar

“Brother Jiaohua!” Standing in the crowd, Ji Jiaxin kept waving at Zhang Jiaohua. Although Zhang Jiaohua had grown quite a bit taller, his appearance hadn’t changed much from a few years ago, allowing Ji Jiaxin to recognize him at a glance. Ji Jiaxin had changed significantly; as the saying goes, a girl transforms every eighteen years. Her face was slightly thinner than before, no longer the somewhat round apple face she used to have, but elongated into an oval shape, giving her a star-like appearance one might only see on television.

Zhang Jiaohua also recognized Ji Jiaxin. Despite her considerable changes, her basic features were still quite similar, especially her large eyes, which remained clear and bright.

Interacting with a girl made Zhang Jiaohua feel somewhat awkward. Since they weren’t familiar with each other, he didn’t know what to say. Thus, when talking with Ji Jiaxin, she took the initiative the whole time.

Margaret was very pleased with the environment in Meizi’ao, saying, “No wonder it produces the best tea in the world; it’s because of the beautiful mountains and clear waters here. I’d like to ask, is the tea named ‘Jade Immortal Drink’ because it’s produced in the fairyland-like beauty of Meizi’ao?”

“That’s correct. Xintian County is an agricultural county, and there’s no pollution for hundreds of miles around Meizi’ao. The tea cultivation process strictly uses organic fertilizers and avoids chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It’s this rigorous cultivation system that produces the highest quality tea,” Zhao Jinyuan proudly explained.

“We came here mainly to confirm the growing environment of the Jade Immortal Drink. Additionally, I’m very eager to see the production process of the Jade Immortal Drink,” Margaret casually mentioned.

“I’m afraid that can’t be arranged. The production process of the Jade Immortal Drink is likely inconvenient to demonstrate to the guests. However, the processing of ordinary tea from the Jade Immortal Drink should be open for viewing, and you can even participate in the experience. More than half of the tea plantations in Meizi’ao have turned into open tourist tea fields, where visitors can take part in the tea-making process,” Zhao Jinyuan introduced.

The refusal to show the processing of the Jade Immortal Drink was actually expected by Margaret, as it is the core technology of the drink and naturally not something they would show to outsiders. Nevertheless, she still felt a bit disappointed. However, hearing that she could participate in the processing of ordinary tea made her very happy.

“That’s great! Although it’s just the ordinary tea from the Jade Immortal Drink, it still has excellent quality compared to regular tea,” a smile appeared on Margaret’s face.

Zhang Dayun’s tea plantation was the first in Meizi’ao to be transformed into a scenic tea field, due to a very inspiring story. A devoted son from an originally unfortunate family, now has become a model of a happy home in Meizi’ao.

Although the villagers had been warned not to crowd around the foreigners, when Margaret and her group arrived in Meizi’ao, they were still inevitably surrounded. This was unavoidable. The people of Meizi’ao had an irresistible curiosity about the foreigners with golden hair, blue eyes, and white skin from across the ocean, especially the children, who were very curious about the foreigners.

Zhang Jiaohua noticed Zhang Yuanbao and the mute boy in the crowd. They were very curious and envious of Zhang Jiaohua for being able to get closer to the foreigners.

“Behind every leaf of the Jade Immortal Drink is a touching story,” this was what Zhang Youping wanted to convey to outsiders.

“Mr. Zhang Dayun, your filial piety is admirable. I’m very happy to hear such a touching story in such a beautiful place. I’ve heard that your father is a very experienced tea-making master. I’d love to see the tea-making process myself,” Margaret was astonished by Zhang Dayun’s story.

Zhang Wanlai had some difficulty walking due to a slight limp. Although his leg had improved significantly after Zhang Jiaohua’s treatment, he still wasn’t as mobile as a normal person. For the past few days, he had been learning to roast tea from the factory’s masters and had become quite skilled. Thus, he had a tea processing demonstration workshop at home.

“Brother Jiaohua, can you really make tea too?” Ji Jiaxin asked softly.

“Yes,” Zhang Jiaohua nodded.

“Then will you teach me how to make tea later?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“The way I make tea is different from theirs. Even if I wanted to teach you, I wouldn’t be able to,” Zhang Jiaohua felt a bit troubled, stating a hard truth.

“Then can you teach me to make it the same way as they do?” Ji Jiaxin looked a bit disappointed.

“Alright. After they’re done, I’ll teach you,” Zhang Jiaohua felt reluctant to let the pretty girl down.

Margaret followed Zhang Wanlai’s steps to make some tea and then brewed a cup to taste. Although the flavor was much inferior to that of Zhang Wanlai’s tea, she was still excited. “It tastes really good. I’m doing great!”

Seeing Margaret and the others making tea, Ji Jiaxin was incredibly excited and hurriedly urged Zhang Jiaohua to teach her how to make tea.

In addition to touring the tea fields, they could also check out the scenery on the edge of Meishan. However, when they reached Luoa Ridge, they found an area surrounded by bamboo fences.

“What is that place? The scenery is so beautiful; why can’t we go in and take a look?” Margaret asked curiously.

“That area is very dangerous. For safety reasons, we fenced it off,” Zhang Youping explained.

“Very dangerous? Why? Are there wild animals?” Margaret inquired.

Zhang Youping nodded, “Yes, there are dangerous animals active in that area.”

“No wonder,” Margaret nodded in understanding.

The accompanying reporter snapped a series of photos of Luoa Ridge with a camera, but no one paid much attention. The danger at Luoa Ridge was relatively speaking. Although Luoa Pond was very dangerous, as long as people kept their distance from the pond, there would never be any danger. After the accidents in the past, people from Meizi’ao rarely went near Luoa Pond. The fence was mainly built to prevent tourists from wandering there out of curiosity.

No one knew that these photos would bring some changes to Meizi’ao.

Margaret’s main purpose for coming to Meizi’ao was to investigate the growing environment of the Jade Immortal Drink. Another goal was to acquire some Hongyu Immortal Drink. Although the Jade Immortal Drink is expensive, green tea doesn’t align with the drinking habits of people in Europe and America. They prefer black tea. The Hongyu Immortal Drink not only suits their preferences but also has superior taste and quality. The sales of Hongyu Immortal Drink have been very low, and its auction price has continued to rise in recent years, making it still hard to obtain. Although the Jade Immortal Drink is not produced in large quantities, its annual sales remain stable. In contrast, the annual sales of Hongyu Immortal Drink have always fluctuated, with the total far below market demand. Regardless of the type of tea, the processing techniques seem very transparent. The difference between black tea and green tea lies in subtle processing differences. Margaret wondered why the production of the Jade Immortal Drink could maintain a certain level, while that of Hongyu Immortal Drink could not increase.

The raw tea for Hongyu Immortal Drink comes from unknown wild tea plants on Meishan. To maintain the quality of Hongyu Immortal Drink, we haven’t domesticated this tea variety but continued to keep it in its wild state. The yield of the tea is affected by annual weather changes, so production has been fluctuating. Normally, tea production can have bumper and poor years. This is something we cannot change.

“Then if the production of the Jade Immortal Drink is much higher than that of the Hongyu Immortal Drink, why not change the processing of the Jade Immortal Drink to directly produce Hongyu Immortal Drink? I think that even if it’s just slightly inferior to the current Hongyu Immortal Drink, there would still be people willing to pay a high price for it,” Margaret said.

“Although different processing techniques determine whether we produce black or green tea, for each type of tea, there may be a processing type that suits it best. The quality of the tea from Meizi’ao, when processed into green tea, brings out all its potential. However, if processed into black tea, the quality would suffer somewhat. Perhaps this slight reduction wouldn’t be detected by regular customers, but for our tea tasters, this is a serious issue,” Shen Jinmao shook his head.

Margaret nodded, “Perhaps the Jade Immortal Drink could change the drinking habits of Europeans. Anyway, I already like this vibrant green tea drink very much.”

Margaret was a significant figure, and after spending a day in Meizi’ao, she had to hurry back to join her friendly visiting delegation to return to England. Ji Jiaxin also left with Shen Bing.

A few days later, news about Meizi’ao appeared in the domestic newspapers and on television. Although the Jade Immortal Drink had become a famous tea both nationally and internationally, few people in the country paid attention to the village of Meizi’ao that produced the Jade Immortal Drink. After all, for ordinary people, the prices of both Hongyu Immortal Drink and Jade Immortal Drink’s high-end series, as well as its ordinary tea, exceeded what the average person could afford. Thus, the general public was not interested in the place that produced the Jade Immortal Drink. Additionally, the domestic promotion of the Jade Immortal Drink Group was not extensive.

Photos of Luoa Ridge appeared in the Huaxia Daily, with a striking headline: “Scenery Like a Fairyland, Tea Like Divine Nectar.”