Master Fuli was squatting on the seat of the electric scooter, following Old Chen to the tea-making workshop in the ancestral hall.
What should have been an exhibition, the tea-making tools museum that marked the prosperous history of Changxi Town, has now become Master Fuli's secret base for clandestine tea production.
Master Fuli signed up for the fragrant oolong tea category. With Old Chen's assistance, the green tea from the ancestral hall's tea factory was undergoing pre-treatment according to the parameters given by Master Fuli.
Ansheng climbed onto the shelf and inspected each item one by one.
"Bang, bang, bang——"
As Ansheng was busy working, there was a knocking at the door of the ancestral hall. Lin Bingyun's voice gradually reached inside. Ansheng, who was sorting tea leaves on the shelf, looked at Old Chen and said, "Open the door for me. The additive personally made by Master Fuli is here."
"Master Fuli, can we really do it like this legally?" Old Chen shook his head in exasperation and walked to the door of the ancestral hall.
When it came to tea-making skills, Old Chen couldn't find any fault in Master Fuli's techniques, rigorous enough to seem like a professionally trained blender. But his strategic planning in the tea competition was unexpectedly wild to anyone's guess.
For competition tea, besides submitting a certificate of qualification and soil test report, the most important point is that all the raw materials used in making this commercial tea must come from the contestant's own tea garden. Otherwise, it's considered a violation.
In the latter half of the tea competition, apart from having strong abilities, it was more about backdoor maneuvers and mutual slander.
It was acceptable in the industry to blend in another type of foreign tea leaves into the tea leaves.
But in the tea competition, that's not okay. It goes against the principles of the official organized tea competition.
"Creak——"
While persuading Master Fuli, Old Chen opened the back door of the ancestral hall, and a bald sapling came into his sight, with a palm-sized black cockroach hanging on the branches.
Upon seeing this, Old Chen's breath stopped, instinctively fearing the black cockroach might jump on his face.
American cockroaches are notoriously troublesome and like to dart at faces.
"Good afternoon, Chief."
Holding the flowerpot with both arms, Lin Bingyun showed a slight smile to the village chief, nodded gently, and greeted.
"Oh, Old Chen!"
"Who do you think I am? No one knows the rules of the tea competition better than I do..."
On the shelf, Master Fuli picked some non-standard green tea leaves and threw them into a plastic sheet on the ground, turning around with a proud expression and said:
"I understand the tea competition fines start at 100,000 better than anyone else. Let's give our little village chief a show with the small tea tree!"
In Old Chen's shocked gaze, the branches of the tea tree in the earthenware pot retracted, its roots extending to firmly grasp the edge of the pot, then the small tea tree performed a Thomas twist on its clay pot straight up in the sky right in the ancestral hall.
"Thump——"
The small tea tree flipped in mid-air, landing firmly with its pot in the center of the hall.
"I... what the heck!"
Old Chen felt the world spinning around him, plopping onto the ground, eyes wide open, shakily pointing at the small tea tree:
"The... the tea tree became a spirit?"
"Not just a spirit, but with a companion spirit beast too!" Seeing Old Chen's stunned expression, Ansheng laughed heartily and said confidently, "The trees can grow legs and run, I say my tea is all from my own tea garden, what problem would the official judges have?"
"Not convinced? If you're not convinced, fight the small tea tree."
As Master Fuli spoke, he seemed a bit sentimental, standing upright, his face full of smugness, with his little paws on his waist, looking blatantly cocky.
Last life, I was fined half a million, I still remember it to this day.
Are you kidding me? You think I'll give you the chance to fine me?
"... Ridiculous."
Old Chen, with his mouth ajar, swallowed, full of shock, as his forehead lined with black lines, not knowing how to describe the matter despite racking his brains.
Could be...
Just like Master Fuli said, not convinced? Go fight the small tea tree!
This is like a scholar meeting a soldier, who wins is who gets the reasoning.
"Chief, are you alright?"
Seeing the situation, Lin Bingyun stepped forward to help Old Chen who sat on the ground up, took a palm-sized oiled paper bag from her handbag and handed it to Old Chen, smiling as she said:
"I was just busy putting away the luggage, this is a special-grade Spiritual Tree Oolong Master Fuli specially brought for you..."
"Oolong tea?"
Old Chen looked at the lightweight paper bag in his hand, weighing it and feeling it hardly weighed an ounce.
"Don't ask, just drink it when you get back." Ansheng, full of smiles, said to Old Chen, without describing the taste of this tea.
Old Chen was someone who understood the art of tea tasting.
Some things, you only can taste the surprise and lingering flavors yourself, knowing the taste and aroma ahead of time can diminish the sense of exploration for them.
"Alright! Thank you, Master Fuli." Old Chen felt a sense of anticipation for the mysterious ways of Master Fuli.
"Enough talking, hurry and come help! Go fetch me a vacuum machine, we're out of time to ferment, let's use some high-tech..."
Ansheng spoke with seriousness etched on his face.
Though both teas are green tea, and the processes might be consistent, there are differences in the tea tree varieties, leading to some differences in aroma.
Ansheng had thought about these things in advance, so in the preprocessing he set the drying parameters borrowing from floral tea fermentation processes.
Mix them first, then through manually controlling temperature and humidity to promote aroma release and uniform absorption of the fragrance from the green tea.
The vacuum used by Master Fuli is not a standard fermentation process.
But being a technology-savvy tea owner, a bit of fancy operation was within the norm.
After all... previously there was no vacuum sealing, how can you say my craft goes against ancestral teachings?
The mischief of the ancestors can't even be imagined, they'd even mix tea leaves, fruit peels, and seeds to make tea cakes for export to foreigners.
Foreigners, ecstatic, would add dye and sell it at high prices to the nobility in their own country.
"Master Fuli, Miss Lin has returned to Changxi and says there's a small gift for you. Would you please step outside to the ancestral hall to receive the gift..."
As Ansheng directed Old Chen in blending the tea leaves, Lin Bingyun stepped forward and told Master Fuli.
"Hmm? A gift for me?" Ansheng was taken aback, showing some surprise on his face: "It couldn't be that they dressed me up in gold and silver again, ah? Taking private jets out makes Ah Qing feel like they're trying to take her kidneys."
"I'm not sure, Miss Lin said it was a small surprise, so she didn't reveal too much to me." Lin Bingyun shook her head.
"Mysterious...." Ansheng grumbled, hopping onto Housekeeper Lin's shoulder: "Shall we go have a look?"
Lin Bingyun obliged, leading Master Fuli outside to the main gate of the ancestral hall, where a convoy of three black cars was visible driving toward the hall's entrance on the plaza.
But just then.
A deep buzzing sounded from above in the sky.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz——"
A white figure zipped past above the road beside the ancestral hall, Lin Ying, with long black hair cascading to her waist and fox ears atop her head, stood on a flying device, leaning one side as she operated the aircraft to create a large arc in the sky.
"Master Fuli——"
Lin Ying, standing on the rear pedal of the flying device, maneuvered it like a stunt bicycle, altering the aircraft's posture, lowered the rear seat, and gently descended onto the plaza of the ancestral hall.
Today's Lin Ying wasn't dressed formally like the stereotypical image of a businesswoman.
Lin Ying wore equestrian attire, with black riding boots and tight breeches, the top was a slightly loose softshell jacket zipped up to the neck.
Landing, Lin Ying raised her arms, smiling broadly, her ears atop her head twitching.
"It's been too long....."
"The winter Master Fuli is just too beautiful, the words 'Master Fuli' practically seem like the standard set by your appearance..."
"???"
Ansheng looked at Lin Ying then at the parked aircraft nearby, his mind full of questions.
"This thing of yours... is it even street-legal?"