White tea legend

Chapter 278: Extra : The Tea Making Family "Gu Yulin" (Complete, Spread the Flowers)

Jingqiu always knew that Jack liked her.

Jack fell in love with Jingqiu almost at first sight.

When studying in San Francisco, Jack took great care of Jingqiu.

Jack is a gentleman.

Therefore, Jingqiu was not disgusted with Jack, and even had some good feelings towards him.

Jack is a typical American youth, tall and sleek, with brown hair, snow-white skin, and eyes as clear as the blue sky.

It is said that eyes are the windows to the soul. Through these eyes, Jingqiu instinctively felt that Jack was a kind person.

In fact, Jack did.

As one of the few Asian girls in the university, Jingqiu's beauty and intelligence always attract people's attention. She is surrounded by many suitors, both well-intentioned and malicious, while Jack is inconspicuous.

But one afternoon, Jingqiu sat in a corner of the library, buried in a thick law book, frowning slightly, as if she had encountered a barrier in understanding. Jack happened to pass by, saw this scene and walked over to ask quietly if she needed help. At first Jingqiu was a little surprised, but nodded. After Jack sat down, he patiently explained those complex legal concepts to her, even sacrificing his football training time.

After this incident, the two gradually became familiar with each other.

Jingqiu began to look forward to studying with Jack in the library every day. Once, Jingqiu did not perform well in a speech class due to a language barrier, and Jack offered to help her practice speaking. He even simulated the audience asking various questions to help Jingqiu build confidence.

Gradually, with Jack's help, Jingqiu not only made significant progress in her studies, but also began to expand her social circle. Jack's care made Jingqiu feel the warmth of a foreign country, and Jingqiu's growth also made Jack proud.

Their friendship grew quietly in the fragrance of books and ink, and even gave rise to something beyond friendship.

Jack drove Jingqiu out of the campus.

Jack's house is a white villa with a grand entrance with an exquisite porch and carved doorframes. The exterior walls are carefully built using expensive stone and bricks with relief decorations. The tall roof is copper-roofed and has multiple eye-catching chimneys and skylights. The windows are decorated with ornate floral iron railings, and there are wide courtyards and gardens with fountains and sculptures.

Such Western architecture is fresh in Jingqiu's eyes.

Because of their tea making business, the Zhuo family was also very wealthy in Wanghai.

But the Zhuo family's house is a traditional Jiangnan-style building, with white walls and red tiles, bright colors, and the surrounding greenery. The spacious courtyard and exquisite garden design make people feel like they have stepped into a quiet paradise.

Walking into Jack's house, the first thing that caught Jingqiu's eyes was the spacious and bright hall. The floor was covered with thick carpets with intricate patterns and bright colors. The walls were hung with exquisite oil paintings, framed in exquisite carved wooden frames, with landscapes or portraits as the theme. On the walls were some gold and silver utensils, such as candlesticks and mirrors, which were all beautifully carved and sparkling.

On one side of the hall, there is a fireplace, on which are placed some porcelain and copperware, which are the owner's collection. The flames of the fireplace jump, bringing warmth to the hall.

There is also a black piano in the corner of the hall with some music scores on it and an intricately carved chair next to it.

"This is where my mother plays the piano in her spare time," Jack introduced.

Jingqiu nodded, her eyes fell on the center of the hall, where there was a set of heavy mahogany furniture, including a long table and several chairs. On the long table were some porcelain, including teapots and teacups from China, which made Jingqiu's eyes light up.

"You are Chinese, so you must be familiar with Chinese tea." Jack led Jingqiu to sit down at the long table and wanted to make tea for her, but his movements were clumsy and he accidentally broke a cup.

"This is Jianzhan, what a pity."

Jingqiu looked at the fragments on the ground, a look of deep regret on her face.

"Do you know Jianzhan?" a voice came from upstairs.

Jingqiu looked up and saw a middle-aged gentleman walking down the stairs. His steps were steady and his expression revealed an aristocratic air.

Jingqiu nodded slightly and responded respectfully: "Yes, sir, I know a little about it."

Jack introduced to the gentleman: "Dad, this is my classmate Jingqiu, she is from China." Then he said to Jingqiu: "This is my father, Mr. John, he is a collector, especially likes to collect things from China."

John walked up to them, his eyes fell on the broken Jianzhan, a trace of regret flashed in his eyes. He bent down, carefully picked up a piece of the broken piece, stroked its smooth surface, and said slowly: "I bought this Jianzhan with great difficulty at the auction house. Jack, you are really clumsy."

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

John ignored Jack and smiled at Jingqiu: "Miss Jingqiu is from China. I will treat Miss Jingqiu to some Chinese tea."

John asked Jingqiu to drink Baihao Yinzhen.

Jingqiu gently took the teapot and said to John with a smile, "This tea has extremely high nutritional value, but you need to pay special attention to the brewing method." She calmly began to demonstrate the correct brewing method, explaining in detail as she went along.

Jingqiu took out a proper amount of Baihao Yinzhen tea leaves and gently placed them in the teapot, letting John feel the fragrance of the tea leaves. She heated the hot water to about 85 degrees and slowly poured it into the teapot, allowing the tea leaves to expand at just the right temperature. Jingqiu explained: "Aged Baihao Yinzhen tea needs to be awakened with warm water, so that its nutrients can be better preserved."

Jingqiu operated skillfully, and she told John how to control the brewing time to keep the tea soup fresh and refreshing. The fragrance of tea gradually filled the whole room, and John was amazed by Jingqiu's calm attitude and professional tea-brewing skills.

The tea was ready. Jingqiu poured a cup for John. The golden tea soup in the cup shone with an attractive luster.

Jingqiu shook the teacup and showed it to John: "Mr. John, did you see that? The first brew of the best Baihao Yinzhen tea has a gelatinous texture, like it has been thickened with starch..."

Jingqiu said, and asked Jack to fetch a flashlight, turned it on, and shone the light on one side of the glass teapot: "Mr. John, look..."

John's eyes suddenly lit up, and he saw countless snow-white fluff floating in the transparent water, like a magical underwater world.

"Amazing! Amazing!" John clapped his hands in amazement.

At Jingqiu's suggestion, John took a sip of the tea and felt a sense of physical and mental relaxation that he had never experienced before.

John couldn't help but admire, "Ms. Jingqiu, your tea art is really amazing. The taste of the Baihao Yinzhen tea you brewed is really unique. Miss Jingqiu, in your China, is everyone so knowledgeable about tea?"

"Not really." Jingqiu said.

John agreed: "I also met a great Chinese tea expert last time, that was many years ago. Since the last century, European aristocrats have regarded drinking white tea as a fashion, and the Baihao Silver Needle developed by this Chinese tea expert won the gold medal at the World Expo and has also gained a reputation in America. I hope he will not return to China, but stay in the United States to grow and make white tea, cooperate with me, and expand the white tea business in Europe and the United States. I guarantee that he will make a fortune. It's a pity that he is ignorant of the times..."

John's words made Miss Jingqiu's face freeze instantly.

"Miss Jingqiu, Miss Jingqiu..."

Jingqiu came back to her senses.

"What happened to Miss Jingqiu?"

"It's nothing. I'm just curious that there are such ignorant people in the world who would pass up such a good opportunity to make money. Such fools are indeed not worthy of cooperating with Mr. John." Jingqiu gave Mr. John a smile.

John nodded with great satisfaction: "Miss Jingqiu is right. If that person had the same awareness as Miss Jingqiu, he would not..."

I won't return home dead.

John swallowed the rest of the sentence.

Jingqiu dug her fingernails into her palms, but she kept smiling.

Boss Wu told her at her grandfather's funeral that the man who killed her grandfather was called John.

She thought she would never meet the enemy who killed her grandfather in her lifetime, but she didn't expect to meet him in a narrow road.

"Mr. John, do you still plan to do white tea business?" Miss Jingqiu asked with a smile. "Miss Jingqiu, do you have any channels? I heard that the production of Chinese white tea is small and it is difficult to get orders. If I want to drink some Chinese white tea, I have to go through the European embassy."

"What a coincidence! My hometown Wanghaili is rich in white tea. In our Wanghaili, every household grows white tea, makes white tea and sells white tea. If Mr. John can come to China, I will definitely get the most sufficient supply of Chinese white tea for Mr. John and ensure that Mr. John's white tea business in America will grow bigger and stronger."

John clapped his hands immediately. "If that's true, that's great. Miss Jingqiu, you don't know that Chinese white tea has extremely high health value. It's anti-oxidant and anti-aging, and is highly sought after by European aristocrats. It's really hard to get. If I want to drink white tea, I have to ask for help from the European embassy to get some. Now I have Miss Jingqiu as a channel, that's great."

My father had a very pleasant conversation with the girl he liked.

Jack was so happy.

Jack was still immersed in joy when he saw Jingqiu off from home.

"Jingqiu, are you going back to China soon?"

"This semester's classes are over."

Just now at the dinner table, Jingqiu and John had already made an appointment to go to China.

“I wish I could go to China with my father.”

"If your father agrees."

In Jack's eyes, Miss Jingqiu's smile was extremely bright, but he always felt that this smile was different from before.

……

……

Jack couldn't go to China with John because his mother wouldn't let him.

John and Miss Jingqiu's ship left the harbor.

Jack stood on the dock, watching the ship sailing away on the sea, as if he was going on a date.

Jack didn't know that his father John was going on a date with death.

He waved at Jingqiu and John, but Jingqiu didn't respond.

The boat must have been going too fast, Jingqiu couldn't see him.

……

……

John has always been yearning for Eastern culture, especially China's profound traditions and natural landscapes. When he followed Jingqiu to Wanghaili, Changxi County, southeast Fujian, he was full of expectations. The beautiful scenery of Taimu Mountain and the rolling tea plantations along the way made John excited.

Taimu Mountain is full of strange rocks that look like animals and flowers, as if they are spiritual. Eroded by wind and rain, and polished by the hands of time, each stone contains a thousand-year story and tells the silence of prehistory.

John followed Miss Jingqiu to visit the site, the scenery changed with each step, and he listened to Miss Jingqiu's introduction, his heart changing with the stones. The stones of Taimu were either steep and tall, or gentle and graceful, just like the emotions of nature, with ups and downs and exciting.

John exclaimed all the way: China is truly a treasure trove.

After visiting Mount Taimu, Jingqiu told John that they would go to a special place - Tianzhu Village, to visit the "Ancient Imperial Forest" high mountain white tea organic tea garden there.

That was the tea garden cultivated by their Zhuo family, and it was the tea garden cultivated by her grandfather.

Finally arriving at the high mountain of Tianzhu Village, John saw patches of emerald green tea plantations spreading out along the mountain, like green waves, which was refreshing.

Entering the tea garden, John was deeply attracted by the scene before him: the tea trees were neatly arranged, and the green leaves were shining in the sun.

"These tea trees were planted and managed by my grandfather himself, without using any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They grew completely in a natural way, so the white tea grown here has a pure taste and unique aroma."

John asked, "Miss Jingqiu's grandfather must be a master tea maker. I wonder if Miss Jingqiu can take me to meet him?"

"it is good."

Jingqiu agreed readily.

……

……

Half an hour later, John was standing in front of a tomb. On the tombstone was written: Tomb of Mr. Zhuo.

"Ms. Jingqiu, I'm sorry, I didn't know your grandfather had passed away." John felt very sorry.

Miss Jingqiu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Birth, aging, illness and death are normal. But my grandfather died in San Francisco, at the hands of a man called Wolf and Ambitious..."

John felt something was wrong. He restrained his expression and looked at Miss Jingqiu. He didn't know when, behind Miss Jingqiu, strictly speaking, there were dozens of tea farmers standing around them, surrounding them tightly...

The setting sun was like blood, but Mr. Zhuo's tombstone was sprinkled with real blood, bright red, even redder than the setting sun.

……

……

When Miss Jingqiu visited San Francisco again, her hair was already gray.

She is no longer Miss Jingqiu, but Old Lady Jingqiu.

That was in the 1980s.

The country is no longer in turmoil, the people are in charge, and those who do not want to be slaves have stood up.

The time-honored "Gu Yulin" white tea family has had four generations living together.

Changxi white tea has a growing influence overseas and has become an important part of China's tea exports. As global consumers pursue healthy diets, white tea has gained popularity for its unique taste and health benefits. Its export volume has increased year by year and has been exported to Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other regions. In particular, it has been recognized by the international market for its quality and taste, and its brand influence has continued to increase.

"Gu Yulin" white tea was invited to participate in the tea fair in San Francisco, and old lady Jingqiu brought along little Jingqiu from the Zhuo family.

On the vast Pacific Ocean, a ship slowly sails by carrying the dreams and expectations of different people. At the stern, the figures of an old man and a young girl are particularly eye-catching. The old man, with wrinkles depicting the traces of time, has a firmness and calmness in his eyes that young people do not have; the little girl, with eyes full of curiosity, has a passion for this unknown world like the rising sun.

They stood quietly on the deck, gazing at the boundless ocean, as if reading a thick history scroll.

Old lady Jingqiu's mood rises and falls with the waves. Back in 1915, when her grandfather, Master Zhuo, was on a ship in the Pacific Ocean, looking out at the ocean, did he have the determination to die?
As a Chinese tea lover, as long as Chinese tea can go global, he will never regret it, right?

And old lady Jingqiu holding little Jingqiu's hand, standing on the ship and looking out at the ocean, was a journey towards a new life.

end.

Sprinkle flowers.

See you in the new book, friends.