latelenovela Chapter 308 The Quiet Rise of the Yao Family
Chapter 308 The Quiet Rise of the Yao Family
Dongfang Jin slowly opened her eyes, feeling much more relaxed: [I didn't expect to be able to improve here. Could this be enlightenment? It's amazing.]
Ruyi, do you know? I just felt like I was a tea tree.
Before Ruyi could answer, a series of exclamations came from the bamboo house on the other side, the loudest of which came from Yao Wenlan.
He exclaimed excitedly, "Excellent! Excellent tea!"
"This tea is so delicious!"
"that is……"
"This is the best tea I've ever had..."
"I can feel my tongue moving..."
“Delicious!”
……
The freshly roasted Qingming-pre-Qingming Maojian tea is emerald green and vibrant, resembling tender leaves unfurling in spring, exuding a delicate, fresh, and elegant tea aroma.
Maojian tea leaves have a tight, slender shape, with obvious white downy hairs on the surface, shimmering with a silvery-white luster, like the morning dew in the mountains.
Looking at the freshly stir-fried Maojian tea, Lu Yunqing felt that its aroma was the most exquisite gift from nature, with multiple layers of fragrance that were intoxicating.
Upon first whiff, a fresh and elegant herbal fragrance wafts over, like stepping into a mountain tea garden in the early morning, where the pure scent of tender leaves glistening with dew instantly awakens the dormant senses.
As the heat rises, the unique roasted aroma that comes from stir-frying gradually emerges—a warm and profound fragrance.
Like sunlight piercing through the clouds and shining on the tea garden, roasting every bit of the tea leaves to perfection, leaving behind a mellow and steady flavor that comes with the passage of time.
If you pick up a glass and savor it carefully, you can still detect a faint hint of fruit and floral aromas.
Their subtle presence, like the fragrance of wildflowers and wild fruits in the mountains, drifts on the wind, adding a touch of liveliness and vibrancy to this cup of Maojian tea.
These aromas intertwine and blend in the mouth, forming a unique and complex flavor system.
It is both refreshing and rich, both mellow and delicate, making one feel as if they are in a tea garden in spring, experiencing the gifts of nature and the careful processing by the tea masters.
In short, the aroma of freshly stir-fried Maojian tea is an indescribably wonderful experience.
It possesses both the purity and freshness of nature, and the richness and profundity of craftsmanship, allowing one to immerse oneself in its flavor and linger there for a long time.
"That's wonderful! Xiao Jin! Come and try it, see if it's missing anything?"
After he finished speaking, Yao Wenlan almost choked on the tea she was holding in her mouth and started coughing incessantly.
Still need more?
Isn't this tea good enough?
This……
Two other tea-frying masters, upon hearing Lu Yunqing's shout, placed their hands on the hot pan, and with a hiss, blisters appeared on their fingers shortly afterward.
However, they did not stop what they were doing.
Because they are tea masters, they are the first to smell the enticing aroma of tea.
One by one, they went from being indifferent at first to being so excited that they didn't want to stop working.
Everyone's face was filled with undisguised smiles and excitement.
The tea-making skills will be theirs from now on, and they are glad they came.
Those masters who feigned illness or made up various excuses for not coming had no idea what kind of opportunity they had missed.
After Yao Wenlan stopped coughing, she had several bamboo jars of freshly roasted tea quickly sent to the old house.
The Yao family patriarch, head of the family, and elders are also waiting over there.
He also invited everyone who hadn't cooked tea to come and taste it.
One of the tea-frying masters brought his wok over to Xia Lan, looking puzzled: "Why are all the tea leaves you fry uniform, while mine have some large circles and small clumps?"
After asking, he realized he had been too forward and smiled sheepishly. This was his family's secret recipe, and they certainly wouldn't tell him.
Her face flushed red instantly, and she kept rubbing her hands, which were covered in blood blisters.
Xia Lan tilted her head and glanced at his silly look, then laughed and said, "Don't rub the blisters until they burst, it hurts a lot."
The key to frying tea is the strength in your hands; it can't be too fast or too slow, and you can't use brute force when kneading it.
We practiced a lot at home, and at the beginning, our hands were so burned we couldn't even touch them.
So you still need to practice. This can't be rushed; you need to be calm and focused, and you absolutely cannot use force. You need to use your mind to feel the movement, and the force should be even.
The man was surprised that she actually told him the truth. He immediately took a step back, cupped his hands, and bowed to Xia Lan to express his gratitude: "I am Wei Qi, I have learned a lot."
"No need to thank me. Let me get the pot. I'll be a little slower for the next batch, so watch carefully."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Wei Qi said excitedly.
Xia Lan quickly lifted the pot and spread the tea leaves out.
Then she added tea leaves to the pot, and she didn't stop what she was doing the whole time.
She stood beside the blazing fire, her figure appearing exceptionally resolute in the leaping flames.
With her left hand firmly holding the edge of the wok, she moved the tea leaves in the wok with fluid, effortless movements.
Her fingers were nimble and strong, and with each stir-fry, she made the tea leaves jump and tumble in the air, and then fall evenly back to the bottom of the pot.
Her gaze was focused and deep, as if it could penetrate the flames and observe the changes in every tea leaf at the bottom of the pot.
As the temperature of the wok rises, the tea leaves begin to make a rustling sound, which is the sound of moisture evaporating and the aroma of tea gradually escaping.
Wei Qi and the two men who had just arrived stood there watching her skillful movements, their ears seemingly able to catch the subtle sounds.
Xia Lan's technique became increasingly delicate and precise.
During the stir-frying process, she would occasionally touch the tea leaves with her fingertips to feel their moisture and temperature, thereby adjusting the heat and the frequency of stir-frying.
Every movement she made was so calm and unhurried, yet perfectly timed, as if she had become one with the pot of tea leaves, experiencing the transformation from green to mellow.
As the tea leaves released their enticing aroma, the two people standing nearby who were frying the tea leaves wore satisfied smiles.
They not only witnessed a unique technique, but also a display of superb skill, and were deeply moved by her profound love and unique understanding of tea.
Watching her lift the stir-fried tea leaves from the pot and let them dry, I realized that every batch of tea she stir-fried embodied a perfect combination of craftsmanship and nature.
……
Dongfang Jin stayed with Lu Yunqing at the Yao family tea garden for three days, then spent two more days in Guanglin Prefecture, sending many tea seedlings and flower seedlings into her spatial storage before returning to Ling'an County.
Xia Lan and the others stayed at the Yao family's house to continue teaching the tea-making process.
Because the emperor's men and the Crown Prince's men had already separated and taken away all the tea-frying masters from that day.
There weren't many tea masters at the Yao family tea garden to begin with, and this time when the Yao family asked them to learn tea making from Dongfang Jin, not a single one stepped forward.
The few people who usually fight each other in secret have now joined forces.
In a fit of anger, Yao Wenlan kicked those tea-frying masters out of the Yao family home.
When they left, they even gave the entire family a contract of indenture, and only then did those people realize that they had completely offended the Yao family.
Although they were dissatisfied, no one dared to refute them, because the Yao family had indeed treated them well over the years.
On the contrary, they, relying on their skills, have become increasingly privileged in the Yao family, and have even forgotten their own status.
Unbeknownst to them, their actions had made life extremely difficult in the past, but that's another story.
Yao Wenlan plans to learn tea-making from Xia Lan and the other tea-making students, and she will be working with her own family's younger members.
Both men and women are included; we won't force anyone. We'll just call everyone together and let them make their own decisions.
He also planned to stop using the household servants; one lesson was enough.
Yao Wenlan explained his plans to his father, who was also the head of the Yao family, and the clan elders.
Unexpectedly, it received unanimous approval.
The Yao family also attaches great importance to this opportunity; the rise of the Yao family depends on these younger generations.