Less than a month had passed, and the Ancient Tea Tree had completely transformed from its original state.
In the sunlight, each leaf shone with a layer of lustrous green, and it was thriving with many more clusters of a slightly lighter color green.
Old Huo had been watching beside it; the Huo Family father and son would come to look at it every day, feeling that they could never get enough, and every day, they were filled with joy and amazement.
However, even though the tea tree was growing so well, Chiang Xiao didn’t feel too much about it.
Because she had an even better one in her Space!
The one in her Space was truly astonishing; not only was it growing exceptionally well, but it also seemed to be sprouting a small offshoot at the side!
Can tea trees grow their own offshoots?
Chiang Xiao had no idea, but she thought it didn’t matter if she didn’t understand; as long as she knew this was definitely a good thing!
This time, the Huo Family father and son decided to harvest the tea leaves themselves.
"Old Huo, Uncle Huo, are you going to pick the tea yourselves?"
"Yes, this Ancient Tea Tree is just too precious. We don’t feel at ease letting anyone else pick it. This is the first harvest, and not a single leaf can be wasted," Old Huo said, handing a very smooth little bamboo basket to Uncle Huo.
"I’ll hold it," Chiang Xiao quickly stepped forward to take it, preparing to watch the father and son pick tea. "Do you pick the tenderest new buds?"
Upon hearing her question, Uncle Huo couldn’t help but shake his head with a chuckle, "No. I just answered your question about what kind of tea this is. This is a very precious Da Hong Pao, and when you pick Da Hong Pao, you can’t pick the ones that are too tender. The very tender buds are a bit bitter and lack fragrance. Of course, the old ones won’t do either; the aroma would not be as refreshing."
Chiang Xiao hadn’t expected to be so lucky to find a Da Hong Pao in Bai Gu Deep Mountain, and she felt that the quality of the Da Hong Pao in her Space was so high that it would be hard to find a second one in the world.
And the one in the tea garden could be ranked second.
"Look, you should pick this kind," Uncle Huo showed her about a small segment of three or four leaves: "Choose leaves that are dry on the surface, without a single blemish, and with a uniform, bright color..."
Old Huo already picked a handful and said with great happiness, "Look, you don’t even have to select, there are no bad leaves, each and every one is of premium quality!"
And indeed, every leaf was perfect.
Uncle Huo explained the process of making Da Hong Pao while picking the leaves.
According to him, the crafting of Da Hong Pao was the most complex, combining the techniques of both green and black tea production. It involved many steps, each one needing to be carried out with great attention to detail and care to not affect the subsequent quality.
And the production of this first batch of tea would be personally undertaken by Old Huo, without the help of others.
"My dad is a master at making Da Hong Pao," Uncle Huo said. "It’s just unfortunate that good Da Hong Pao leaves are hard to come by these days. Now that he’s found one, he’s probably itching to use his skills."
Old Huo laughed heartily on the side.
Although Chiang Xiao was a novice, she was easily infected by their happiness and looked forward to the completion of the Da Hong Pao production.
The days that followed were fast-paced and very fulfilling for Chiang Xiao.
Chiang Songhai and Uncle Huo were about the same age and had plenty to talk about. He was as much of a novice with tea as Chiang Xiao was, but like her, he could distinguish between good and bad tea; he was quite interested in listening to Uncle Huo and Old Huo talk about tea.