White tea legend

Chapter 252 Vegetable Tea
"What's your name?"

"Lu Yuming."

"How old are you this year?"

"Three months."

"what!"

Xuanfeng and Lu Yu's ten disciples exclaimed in unison.

Everyone was looking at the chubby baby on the chair. Although he was very cute, so cute that people's hearts would melt, how could he be only three months old?

At least three years old!
How can a three-month-old baby be so big? And how can a three-month-old baby speak?

"I'm a child prodigy!" Lu Yuming said in a baby voice.

"Woo!" Everyone couldn't help but boo. They had never seen such a cocky kid.

"Uncle, you are my elder, and you are all my senior brothers and sisters. How can you bully a three-month-old child like me?"

Lu Yuming puffed out his cheeks.

"What happened to Xiao Ming?"

Lu Yu and Bai Cha are here.

Lu Yuming ran towards them aggrievedly: "Dad, Mom, they booed me!"

Seeing everyone's expressions, Lu Yu and Bai Cha were also a little confused. They walked to Lu Yuming, and Lu Yu gently picked him up and asked with concern: "Xiaoming, tell your parents, why did they boo you?"

Lu Yuming pointed at Xuanfeng and his ten disciples with grievance, and said in a baby voice: "I said I was a child prodigy, but they didn't believe me and said I was a cocky kid."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help laughing.

It turns out that this little guy is complaining!
Lu Yu smiled and patted Lu Yuming's head, saying, "Xiaoming, you are our son, of course you are a child prodigy. And you are so cute, how can you be a cocky kid?"

After hearing this, Lu Yuming's eyes lit up and he showed a smug smile. He turned his head to look at everyone and said provocatively: "See, my father said I am a child prodigy!"

Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw Lu Yuming's proud look. This little guy is so cute!
Only Bai Cha glared at Lu Yu, as if blaming Lu Yu for indulging the child. But thinking about it, this child was the reincarnation of Yu Ming. Even if he was not their child, he was still a child prodigy.

Xuan Feng came over, patted Lu Yuming on the head, and said with a smile: "Xiao Ming, you are my nephew, how could I bully you? It's just that you are too smart, which surprised us all."

The ten disciples also hurriedly echoed: "Little Junior Brother is so smart, so we are all surprised."

After hearing this, Lu Yuming's eyes flashed with cunning, and he said, "Then I forgive you!"

Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw Lu Yuming's proud look. This little guy is so cute!
Lu Yu and Bai Cha were also very pleased to see the interaction between everyone and Lu Yuming. They knew that this family would become more warm and joyful because of Lu Yuming's presence.

The Changxi County Tea Association still had many things to do, so Lu Yu and Bai Cha handed Lu Yuming over to Xuanfeng and ten disciples, and the couple went down the mountain.

The president and his wife had not seen each other for more than a year. The owners of various tea shops were very excited. They gathered at "Xiang Ming Ya Xu" and had a great time talking.

Wang Shanhe was Lu Yu's chief disciple and was also older. During the time when Lu Yu and his wife were away, he gave orders to the Changxi tea people and everyone listened to him.

Wang Shanhe reported on the operation and sales of Changxi white tea over the past year. Overall, it was good news, but...

Wang Shanhe suddenly looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

Lu Yubaicha asked with concern, and Wang Shanhe said, "A few days ago, the tea farmers in Wangshanli started to make trouble, and some of them even came to Wanghaili. Some even rushed to 'Xiangming Yaxu' to smash and destroy things, but I persuaded them to go back."

If Lu Yu and Bai Cha had come back a few days earlier, they would have seen "Xiang Ming Ya Xu" in a mess. Fortunately, Zi Yao, Gao Lou, Shan Hu, and Wang Shanhe and others restored "Xiang Ming Ya Xu" to its original state.

"What are they arguing about?"

"Master, it's your fault that you vigorously promoted white tea, which caused other teas in Changxi to have no market."

Why are they saying the same thing as the tea merchants who originally sold Bailin Gongfu black tea?

"These people are so unreasonable. They don't see that your vigorous promotion of Changxi white tea has boosted the development of the entire Changxi tea industry, allowing them to benefit from it and make more money!" Wang Shanhe was indignant.

In the past, before Lu Yu made Changxi white tea bigger and stronger, there was no such thing as white tea in the great Li Dynasty. People of the Li Dynasty only knew about black tea, green tea, oolong tea, yellow tea and other types of tea. Although the Bailin Gongfu black tea brand was quite famous and the Jasmine tea green tea brand was also good, they were completely unable to compete with other black teas and green teas. What's more, the saints liked Mengding tea and the tea people of Yazhou were far ahead. How could there be a place for the Changxi tea people?
Lu Yu and his Baicha couple developed the white tea making technique based on the characteristics of Changxi tea species such as Da Baicha and Da Haocha. Changxi white tea became the leader among the six major types of tea, attracting not only the attention of the people of the Li Dynasty, but even foreign envoys came to place orders.

As the influence of Changxi white tea has greatly increased, the sales of black tea and green tea produced by Changxi tea farmers have also increased. The few tea farmers who originally caused trouble and produced Bailin Gongfu and jasmine tea have now become friends of "Xiang Ming Ya Xu" and have joined the Changxi Tea Association. Everyone understands and is grateful for Lu Yu's planning and dedication to the Changxi tea industry.

The tea lovers in Wangshan are now making a fuss again.

I don't know what they are doing specifically.

Lu Yu and Bai Cha immediately decided to go to Wangshanli. Wang Shanhe wanted to go with them, but was rejected by Lu Yu and Bai Cha.

If you walk from Wanghaili to Wangshanli, it will take three or two hours, and even taking a carriage will take one or two hours. How can it be as fast as the White Tea Fairy who can arrive in the blink of an eye by stepping on a cloud?
……

Lu Yu and his wife Bai Cha stood hand in hand above the clouds, overlooking the earth beneath their feet.

They took off from the bustling streets of Wanghaili, riding on the wind, and flew towards Wangshanli.

As the altitude increases, the view becomes wider and the sea and sky gradually fade away, replaced by rolling hills.

As the couple approached, the scenery on the ground began to change quietly. The blue ocean was replaced by lush mountains and forests, and the mountains were shrouded in clouds and mist.

The figures of the She people are jumping on the hilltops. They are dressed in colorful ethnic costumes and are busy and orderly picking new tea.

At this time, the She people were not called She people. The Li Dynasty called them together with other ethnic minorities as "barbarians", "barbarians", "Dong barbarians" or "Dong Liao". These names reflect the generalized description of non-Han groups by the Li Dynasty.

The sunlight shines through the clouds and falls on the Dongman people, creating mottled light and shadows.

Melodious songs and clear laughter can be heard from afar as the Dongman people sing and dance while working in the mountain tea gardens. Wangshanli, located at the "Eastern Gate" of Changxi County, is surrounded by mountains and the sea, and its style is different from that of Wanghaili.

Here, Han people and Dongman people live together, which is the biggest feature of Wangshanli.

Lu Yu and Bai Cha descended from the clouds and landed on the ground, only to find that the scene they saw was very different from the singing and dancing they had seen in the clouds before.

The songs of the Dongman people still echoed in the valleys, but every word seemed to carry a heavy weight, and their dancing steps were light but could not hide the sorrow between their brows. These songs and dances were no longer expressions of the joy of a good harvest, but rather expressions of a helpless struggle against fate and a way of finding joy in adversity.

The tea farmers sat together, holding the freshly picked tea leaves in their hands, their faces solemn.

The tea in their hands is called vegetable tea.

Cai tea leaves are like jasper, delicate and lustrous, like the gentle breeze of green feathers; their shape is delicate, like the eyebrows of a young girl. They are significantly different from Da Bai tea and Da Hao tea.

The leaves of Dabai tea are large and white as silver, just like frost and snow, pure and elegant.

Dahao tea is more unrestrained, with slightly curled leaf edges and exposed white hairs, like the beard of an immortal, elegant and otherworldly.

Although all three are Changxi tea varieties, they each have their own style: Caicha is delicate and reserved, Dabaicha is elegant and timeless, and Dahaocha is bold and unrestrained.

Nowadays, Changxi white tea is very popular. White tea varieties such as Baihao Yinzhen, Bai Mudan, Shoumei, etc., which are processed with Dabaicha and Dahaocha as raw materials, have become the darlings of the market. However, Caicha, as one of the Changxi tea tree species, has been ignored and cannot be classified into these popular varieties.

Seeing Lu Yu and his wife asking, an old tea farmer looked at the tea in his hand and sighed, "My dear, my dear, look at this tea. Although it is not as luxurious as Baihao Yinzhen, it can absorb the spiritual energy of the mountains and release a unique fragrance in our land in Wangshan. However, it is so cruel. Without the favor of tea people, these tea leaves can only rot in our hands and become a pain in our hearts."

"Is there no one who appreciates such good tea?"

"We have tried many methods, including improving the process, adjusting the taste, and even trying to develop our own sales channels. But every time we failed in the face of reality. Tea merchants from other places come to Changxi to place orders just for our Changxi white tea. Baihao Yinzhen, Bai Mudan, and Shoumei all have a market, so who would want our vegetable tea?"

Tea farmers complained bitterly.

Lu Yu and Bai Cha looked at each other, both feeling heavy-hearted.

At this time, some tea farmers began to curse Lu Yu:

"It's all the fault of Chairman Lu Yu of the Tea Industry Association. He is the chairman, but he doesn't care about the Changxi tea farmers. He only seeks personal gain. He has a large tea garden in Taimu Mountain, where he grows Dabai tea and Dahao tea. He uses his position to vigorously promote Changxi white tea, regardless of the lives of us tea farmers who grow vegetable tea!"

"Don't let us run into this Lu Yu. If we do, we'll beat him up!"

The tea farmers cursed and when they looked up, the couple who had asked questions just now had disappeared.

How could two good people disappear without a trace in an instant?

Lu Yu was dragged back to Taimu Mountain by Bai Cha's magic power.

"Madam, are you afraid that I will be beaten by the tea farmers?"

"In addition to the Han people, the tea farmers in Wangshan also include the She people among the Dongman people. Do you know that their ancestors were martial artists? I'm afraid that you are powerless now, and if you are really beaten by them, you will just be beaten in vain..."

Lu Yu thought of the tea farmers wearing phoenix costumes that he had seen in Wangshan, so he asked, "Is the ancestor of the She people the phoenix?"

"It's Panhu. The Phoenix is ​​the god worshipped by the She people."

The phoenix, as the totem of the She people, originated from a mountain.

This mountain, towering into the clouds, is shaped like a phoenix's crown, so it is called "Phoenix Bun". Because the main and secondary peaks are connected, and three parallel geological fractures form a unique landform feature, the mountain visually presents a vivid phoenix shape, so it is called "Phoenix Mountain".

Phoenix Mountain is located in the mountainous area in the north of Baiyue. According to legend, a long time ago, a golden phoenix descended from the sky and settled on this mountain. At that time, Panhu, the ancestor of the She people, and his wife, the Third Princess, lived on this mountain.

Who is Panhu?
Panhu was originally a dragon dog.

Legend has it that Emperor Gao Xin ruled the land of China. He had a beautiful daughter, known as the Third Princess. At that time, the border was in turmoil, and the rebellion of General Rong Wu became a major concern for the court. Emperor Gao Xin had no choice but to make a promise: whoever could cut off General Wu's head would receive a generous fief and reward, and could marry the beautiful Third Princess.

However, the soldiers were all terrified by General Wu's reputation, and no one dared to stand up. There was a dead silence in the court, and Emperor Gao Xin frowned, feeling anxious.

At this time, Panhu, the divine dog in the palace, stood up. His fur was colorful and his eyes were shining with extraordinary light. He quietly rushed to the battlefield with Emperor Gao Xin's promise. On a dark and windy night, Panhu sneaked into the enemy camp alone. He was like a flash of lightning, shuttling through the night and nimbly avoiding the enemy's sight. His steps were light and swift, as if he merged into the night.

Panhu found General Wu's tent with his keen sense of smell and vision. He approached quietly, observing the surroundings vigilantly. Suddenly, he pounced on General Wu who was sleeping in the tent, his sharp teeth flashing coldly. General Wu was awakened and drew his sword to fight back, but Panhu had already bitten his throat. General Wu struggled a few times and then died.

Panhu finally returned victorious with the head of General Wu.

Emperor Gao Xin was in a dilemma when faced with this loyal and brave dragon dog. He was amazed at Panhu's bravery, but how could he marry his daughter to a dog? The beautiful third princess persuaded her father to fulfill his promise, because a king's words are not jokes, and because the dragon dog's bravery is better than any man in the world, and it is worthy of the third princess's entrustment for life. So Emperor Gao Xin betrothed the third princess to Panhu and let them fly away to live in seclusion in Phoenix Mountain on the coast of the South China Sea.

In that secret place surrounded by nature, Panhu and the third princess started a new life. They cleared the land, cut down trees, and built simple houses. However, the land was barren and crops were difficult to grow, so their lives were extremely difficult. Every day, they were struggling with the harsh environment, and every meal was full of hardship and difficulty, until one day, a phoenix flew here.

The phoenix flew over their heads, spitting out magical flames that burned all the weeds and cleared a fertile land for them. Then, she spurted clear, sweet spring water from her mouth, which fell on the dry earth like strings of pearls. The spring water seemed to have magical power, moistening the long-dry land and making all things revive and full of vitality.

Later, on the hillside of Phoenix Mountain, there was a natural spring called "Niangquan". It is said that it was formed by the spring water from Phoenix's mouth. The spring water here is clear and sweet all year round, and is known as the "Sheshan Holy Water".

The "Wenlongjing" at the foot of the mountain is said to be the place where the Phoenix God talked to the Dragon King to ask for rain in the year of drought. With the help of the Phoenix, Panhu and his wife worked hard, the man farmed and the woman wove, and they used their hands and sweat to turn the originally desolate hillside into a beautiful home with abundant crops, fragrant flowers and fruits. They first gave birth to three sons and one daughter, and these children were given the surnames Pan, Lan, Lei, and Zhong, which is the origin of the four major surnames of the She ethnic group. Later, they gave birth to more children...

These children inherited their parents' diligence and wisdom and continued to work hard on this land.

Panhu and his wife and their children were amazed and grateful for the miraculous phoenix. They began to worship the phoenix and regarded it as a patron saint and totem. Under the protection of the phoenix, their lives gradually improved. Crops were abundant, and life became rich and peaceful. They were grateful for the gift of the phoenix, regarded it as a sacred bird, and respectfully called it "Phoenix God". They named this land Phoenix Mountain. From then on, the phoenix became the eternal symbol of the She people.

"General Panhu was so brave that he could even chop off the head of General Rong Wu. How difficult would it be for his descendants to kill a tea master like you?"

Lu Yu couldn't help but feel scared after hearing what Bai Cha said, but he said, "Don't I have my wife to protect me? Although I am just an ordinary man, my wife is the Fairy Bai Cha..."

Lu Yu was just acting coquettishly when he heard Bai Cha say, "Look, sir!"

Following the direction of Baicha's finger, Lu Yu saw a lot of wild tea on the roadside.

"Isn't this the vegetable tea from Wangshan?"

It turns out that there are so many tea plants growing on Mount Taimu. There are shrub-type, tree-type, and semi-tree-type tea plants growing next to the rocks beside Baiyun Temple, in the valleys, stream banks, woods and grass of Tianmen Temple, and next to Moxiao Temple.