"Set the pot and light the fire?"
The plump cat lying in its nest, upon hearing Master Fuli's gentle whimper, was startled, muttering with a hint of puzzlement:
"Starting a fire and using generous oil in the middle of the night... I've never seen Master Fuli cook a midnight snack. He wouldn't directly tie up the troublemaking students from the afternoon and use them as kindling to cleanse the campus of wicked influences, would he?"
The plump cat muttered to itself, but quickly moved its rear out of the nest and ran outside to check the situation.
As soon as it stepped outside, the plump cat saw Master Fuli holding a red plastic bag in his left hand and an exceptionally heavy cast iron pot in his right hand, walking towards the back of the nest.
"Master Fuli, what is this..." The plump cat's cheeks were filled with deep confusion.
"Making tea."
Ansheng shook the half-pound of fresh tea leaves in his hand and said, "But when it comes to making tea, you can't help me. Later, go prepare some charcoal for me and select some odorless wood."
Tea leaves, according to their processing techniques, can be divided into seven categories, commonly known as red, yellow, green, blue, white, and flower tea.
The small tea tree named [Tulipwood], with tea leaves harvested in spring, is suitable for making red and green teas. However, those harvested in autumn are perfect for making blue tea, such as oolong tea and Tieguanyin, which are rich in aroma.
But Ansheng wasn't planning to make blue tea; the process is simply too complex. Just the green process alone requires half a day, and for the withering part, specialized temperature-controlled rooms and constant human attention are needed.
For tasting, green tea is sufficient.
The preparation process is quick, and you can taste its flavor.
Although it can't fully showcase the flavor of the tea leaves, it's more than enough for Ansheng.
While the plump cat was riding the electric scooter to the teachers to ask for some quality charcoal,
Ansheng first poured out the tea leaves to continue drying, letting some moisture evaporate, and then carried the big pot back to the nest, using a steel ball and laundry detergent to scrub the pot clean inside and out.
This big iron pot belonging to Liu Lingyu's family usually handled heavy work, covered in soot and grease, but the entire tea-making process must be oil-free.
Once everything was ready.
Ansheng threw the big iron pot into the charcoal fire, waiting for the charcoal to heat the five-centimeter-thick pot.
The plump cat looked on in amazement, seeing Master Fuli waiting nearby, taking the pot out once it was ready, then tossing a handful of leaves into the pot, moving his arms to stir them, occasionally picking them up for a glance and tossing them back in to continue the stir-fry.
"Plump cat, go boil water, use distilled water." Master Fuli called out to the plump cat as he washed his hands.
While Master Fuli was making tea, pandas and some small animals wandering around the Agricultural Research Institute gathered behind the cafeteria, all staring wide-eyed at the big pot where the tea was being dried.
Fragrant.
A mysterious elegant orchid fragrance, with a hint of fresh chestnut aroma, wafted around the cafeteria as the moisture in the green tea gradually evaporated, mixed with a slight smoky scent from the charcoal fire, forever tugging at the hearts of the bears.
"Wow?"
Treasure Tree came seeking the aroma, just to see Master Fuli sitting on the pavement, staring at the big pot before him. Treasure Tree, slightly hungry, opened his mouth to ask Master Fuli.
Can... you share a bit with me? I'm hungry.
"What are you doing here? But you've come at the right time, give me a section of your roots."
Ansheng glanced at the pot, took the tea close to drying from the rack, and extended his paw to Treasure Tree.
"Wow?"
Treasure Tree was a bit puzzled, but smelling the aroma resisted nothing, applied force, and detached an arm to throw to Master Fuli.
"?"
Ansheng was startled, catching the arm, which gradually took on the shape of a branch in his hand.
At the gap where Treasure Tree's arm was, numerous vines grew, intertwining to form a hand.
"Don't give me a fright late at night." Ansheng complained, looking at the branch in his hand, breaking off the tender buds and throwing them into the pot to stir-fry.
To see what aroma the buds of Treasure Tree reveal once dried.
However.
The bud had just entered the pot when two small tendrils extended from its body, propping against the pot in alternating leaps, the buds even breaking out in a sweat.
"Whoa-oh-oh—"
Although the buds didn't scream, seeing this, the voice of Tom from Ansheng's mind gradually emerged.
Ansheng's face was lined as he watched the buds grow legs in the pot and take off.
It sprinted rapidly towards the lake, diving headfirst into the water, bobbing to the surface, and rubbing its freshly burned tendrils vigorously.
"What... for?"
Treasure Tree shook its whole body, stretched out a hand, scratching under its arm, looking at Fuli with a face full of confusion.
Master Treasure Tree's ability is [Regeneration], absorbing all the nutrients available to strengthen its roots.
The towering tree hundreds of meters high was the result of Treasure Tree absorbing the grave goods from the City of the Dead and the land's nutrients for half a year.
Even though the branch was detached, it was born from Treasure Tree, maintaining a subtly traceable bond with him.
Master Fuli burned its butt; naturally, the branch ran.
"Can you grow leaves?" Ansheng's mouth slightly twitched as he returned his gaze, looking at Treasure Tree beside him and asking.
"I can, but I don't need to right now." Treasure Tree answered confidently.
Growing by photosynthesis is different from the explosive regeneration when one is full and satisfied.
If the day truly comes when the leaves must be grown, it would mean the Overlord of Qinling, Treasure Tree, has fallen, out to beg.
"It's nothing, I was just wondering how to harvest your leaves to stir-fry a batch of tea."
Ansheng opened his mouth to complain, already imagining picking a basketful of Treasure Tree leaves, putting them into the pot, just about to start frying after lighting the fire, and the leaves fluttering up like cockroaches, spreading throughout the room...
"Master Fuli, the water is here!"
The fat cat, who had long been licking its lips in anticipation, ran out carrying a tea tray with one hand and holding a pot of hot water in the other, stopping in front of Master Fuli and began fiddling with the tea set.
"Let me do it! Don't break my tea set."
Ansheng first opened the kettle, letting the steam inside disperse, the tea prepared from half a pound of green tea leaves, sieved from the broken pieces, weighed only forty grams.
Pouring hot water into the teacup, the strips of tea leaves gradually unfurled, and the tea soup displayed a yellow-green, clear color. The color is not important, as the clarity of the tea soup already largely indicates whether the tea-making process was qualified.
Seeing the tea soup clear indicates the tea is ready and can be tasted.
"Sip——"
Ansheng lightly blew on the surface of the tea, sipped a mouthful of tea, but he didn't swallow. Instead, he swirled it in his mouth like rinsing, finally spitting it onto the grass with a "phew," showing a contemplative expression.
The aroma of the tea soup was rich, with a mellow texture in the mouth. The so-called mellow texture refers to the feeling of "resistance" in the mouth; conversely, a lack of it would be bland and tasteless.
After spitting out the tea soup, he continued to savor it. In the mouth, the tea soup combined with saliva to produce a sweet and refreshing aftertaste, and the fragrance wafting out carried hints of orchid fragrance, fresh chestnut aroma, and earthy flavor.
"Wow, did the tea rhyme get stirred up?" Ansheng was taken aback, tasting the flavor of oolong within the green tea.
The small tea tree's quality is rather dominant. Because it is autumn tea, even with a different preparation method, it forcefully exhibits a trace of Dancong tea rhyme.
Its quality is high, even top-grade. The reason Ansheng spat out the tea soup was to focus his senses on the mouth.
Otherwise, part of his attention would be distracted by the sensations arising in his throat.
"So refreshing! I finally understand why those big setups love drinking tea. Damn, it can be delightful from the throat down to the stomach....."
"Master Fuli, how much is this stuff sold for?" The fat cat, having tasted Master Fuli's tea, had eyes that lit up. Although it did not taste Spiritual Particles, the lingering aroma in the mouth was unmistakably genuine.
The lingering aroma, during a kiss, could definitely add significant appeal.
"The flavor is probably similar to Huangshan Maofeng." Ansheng thought for a moment, then said: "Gift box packaging, a pound should sell for around nine to twelve thousand, this bit in the cup, a little over eight grams, is about two hundred yuan, enough to brew five hundred milliliters of tea."
"Gram?" The fat cat once doubted its ears, thinking it misunderstood Master Fuli's description. Master, are you selling fruitcake?
"Isn't that obvious? High-end teas aren't priced by the ton, but by the gram." Ansheng rolled his eyes and said:
"Like Moutai, drinkable ones; most don't need to buy it themselves. Most of those who buy don't enjoy it alone."
"Don't get any ideas, or else Leopard Head might come over to pull your ears off and severely downsize you. Then, the old ox on the mountain might come down and kill you."
The fat cat pouted, waved its bear paw, and said: "Master Fuli, you're overestimating me. Who would ask a cat to handle serious matters? We can't accept such gifts."
Treasure Tree widened his eyes as he watched the duo, lifting the cup, gently sipping the tea soup, his eyes smiling brightly.
Sweet water.....
The green tea produced is of exceptional taste, perfectly aligning with Ansheng's definition of an "additive." However, what will be made next isn't green tea, but belongs to the oolong category.
Ansheng, carrying twenty grams of tea leaves in his mouth, went home, ready to let Ah Qing try the green tea he personally fried.
After Master Fuli left, the fat cat, looking around furtively behind the cafeteria, with a mischievous smile on its face, picked up the frying pan Master Fuli had just used, climbed up the tree to pick similar leaves, and imitated Master Fuli, squatting behind the cafeteria to start frying tea.
Moments later.
The smell of burnt protein and the scent of roasted meat filled the air around the cafeteria.
Green tea preparation seems simple, but it is precisely the one that values the right temperature the most among the seven major tea categories.
Master Fuli can fry while smelling the aroma because of his skilled technique, making the operation smooth and easy.
The fat cat, rushing over to fry tea, nearly had all its winter fur burned off by the high temperature of the charcoal and iron pot.
The next day.
Under Ansheng's astonished gaze, the fur on its chest and a pair of bear paws, the bald fat cat, rode an electric scooter towards the principal's office.
As time passed day by day.
The small tea tree's leaves, under the picking by Master Fuli, gradually turned into just branches.
While the weight of "additive" kept increasing.
"Instructor! I need to take a leave to go home!" Ah Qing knocked on the office door, poking her head along with a little fox's head into the office, looking at the advisor.
"Hmm? You need a leave? For how long..." The advisor looked up, smiling while holding a teacup, asking Ah Qing.
Due to Ah Qing's family customs, she takes leave several times a year, as long as two to three days, sometimes only a day trip, something the advisor wasn't surprised by.
Ah Qing's grades, although not top-tier, generally hovered around the upper-level.
"Maybe a week, plus three to four days?" Ah Qing said, with a tinge of embarrassment.
Ah Qing received an official invitation for the Tea Contest, needing to serve as the network promotion ambassador during the competition, which might require over a week.
Ah Qing had to attend both the opening and closing ceremonies.
Therefore, she estimated needing about a week, participating in the opening ceremony broadcast, live streaming for a week, then returning for the closing ceremony.
"How long?!"
The advisor suddenly widened his eyes, almost crushing the 316 stainless steel thermos cup in his hand.
A week's leave?!
This leave, I'd love to grant, but the deputy secretary and director won't approve it for me!
: