Chapter 254 Specialization in Art
The misty mountains and antique buildings are solemn and quiet, not like the world.
Song Qingyou and the others followed the villagers, passed through the archway with the words 'White Tea Village' written on it, and stopped in front of an old woman with gray hair.
The villager who was arranged by the village chief to lead the way for outsiders waved to Song Qingyou and asked her to come forward.
Song Qingyou asked: "This is—?"
When the villagers opened their mouths to answer, she would translate a sentence for the people behind her.
"This is the oldest old man in the village. He is ninety-one years old this year. He was carried up the mountain in the morning."
"When worshiping ancestors, young people will be blessed by the oldest old man in the village."
After finishing speaking, the old man took Song Qingyou's hands holding the fragrance.
Grandma's hands are very dark, covered with wrinkles and calluses.
She smiled at Song Qingyou, said a long series of words of blessing, then dipped the talisman water next to her, and tapped her forehead.
The same is true for the next few people.
This is the elder's heartfelt wishes to the younger generation, and all of them looked very serious.
After receiving the blessing, they followed the team into the ancestral hall.
The layout inside is similar to that of a temple, except that instead of statues of Buddha, there are memorial tablets. Next to the table where the food is enshrined, there is also the genealogy of Baicha Village.
Afterwards, a group of people put incense into the incense burner, and followed the villagers to worship the tablets.
Song Qingyou learned after asking the villagers that Baicha Village does not worship any gods and Buddhas, but only worships ancestors, so those tablets represent their ancestors.
After coming out of the ancestral hall, a group of people walked around the ancestral hall and walked to the back.
A few people found out that there is actually a small lake behind the ancestral hall.
There is a stone tablet in front of the lake, with the word "Heaven and Earth" engraved on it in local characters.
The surface of the lake is like a mirror in the mountains, clearly reflecting the blue sky, white clouds and green mountains, which is not inferior to the legendary "sky realm".
There is also a table for offerings in front of the lake, with chicken, duck, fish, and fruits on it.
Song Qingyou didn't need to ask this time, the villagers who led them took the initiative to introduce:
"The 'heaven and earth' on the stele represents nature. Every year when we worship our ancestors, we are actually thanking our ancestors and nature."
"Without them, there would be no ten thousand mu tea garden in our Baicha Village."
His tone is casual, but to outsiders like Song Qingyou, this kind of cultural inheritance is very moving.
After the ancestor worship ceremony, the villagers beat gongs and drums by the lake, and others danced as if around a bonfire.
The seven people held hands, and glanced at the lush greenery not far away from time to time, forgetting the "pain" of getting up early.
After going down the mountain, under the arrangement of the program group, several people will learn how to make tea with the villagers who lead the way.
The first step is, of course, picking tea leaves.
What the villagers took a few people to was not the tea garden on the mountain where their homestay is located.
There are some newly planted tea trees in the tea garden, which are relatively short and easy to pick.
But the real ancient tea trees are relatively tall and need to climb up to pick them.
The ancient tea trees are well protected by the villagers, and they naturally don't want to be ruined by outsiders.
So after deciding to develop the scenic spot, they discussed opening the homestay where the new tea garden is located.
After climbing the mountain, several people have to climb the tree again, and their eyes are full of love.
There is only Song Qingyou, who can do everything with ease, and a good system is like a superman.
Fortunately, they were only here to experience it. Before leaving, the six of them together only picked half a basket of tea leaves, which was about the same amount as Qingyou picked alone.
Jiang Xuyan sighed again and again:
"Qingyou, can't you put some sea in it? It will make us really useless!"
Tang Zinian: "Then is there anything Miss You is not good at?"
Song Qingyou: "Is there...?"
other people:"…"
The villagers who knew what they were talking about smiled and helped Jiang Xuyan and the others to say something fair:
"The tea trees I took you to pick are relatively small. The men are too heavy to step on the tea tree branches. It is not convenient to stand underneath to pick."
Song Qingyou translated the words to several people.
Jiang Xuyan was moved, "Just a few words to my brother, I have to tell my friends about this scenic spot. If they don't want to come, I'll tie them up!"
Zhao Yingnan couldn't help questioning: "At that time, did Teacher Jiang have any friends?"
Jiang Xuyan blinked: "Aren't you still there?"
A group of people looked at each other and smiled.
After picking the tea leaves, it is time to proceed to the next step.
"The picked tea leaves must be dried first."
"At the current temperature, half a day in the sun is enough."
"Here are some that are just right in the sun, and I will show you them."
As he spoke, the elder brother who taught tea making poured the tea leaves into an iron pot that was placed on a slant.
There was still a fire under the stove, and the tea leaves were steaming as he kept turning them.
Tang Zinian thought it was very simple, so he volunteered to give it a try.
As a result, the feeling I said changed from "a little hot" to "very hot, so hot", and the few people watching couldn't stop laughing.
After frying the tea leaves until they are half dry, the next step is to twist them.
Knead into a ball, then shake it out, and repeat these two steps.
Seven people can do this part at the same time, after all, there are a lot of tea leaves waiting to be made.
After frying and kneading, it should be dried in the sun until it is dried, and the older leaves should be picked out and discarded halfway.
The last step is to press into tea cakes.
After weighing, the tea leaves are steamed until softened, put into cloth bags, compacted with a tool like a stone mill, dried and packaged.
The steps are not cumbersome, but it takes a lot of time.
The most important thing is that the next seven of them have to complete each step independently.
After confirming that several people had memorized the steps of making tea, the elder brother who led the way specially invited them to drink local tea.
After most of the day, the whole group was deeply touched.
Jiang Xuyan curiously asked Wei Zhengrong who came later: "Director Wei, if all the tea on that mountain is handed over to us to make, will the final tea cakes be sold as well?"
Wei Zhengrong didn't hold back, and said, "Of course not. The quality control of the tea you make may not be up to standard, so how can you sell it?"
"Then what are you going to do with it? Do you give it to the owner of the homestay?"
Wei Zhengrong did not answer.
In fact, the program team has already contracted the tea garden, and they can do whatever they want with the tea.
Wei Zhengrong obviously has other plans.
The seven of them didn't ask any more questions, and followed the elder brother of the villager to the village chief's house for a free lunch.
In the afternoon, Song Qingyou, Xu Xingzhou, and Jiang Xuyan continued to pick tea leaves in the tea garden, while the other four went to the village to help with work.
Wait until two o'clock in the afternoon, the program team suddenly notified everyone:
"At four o'clock in the afternoon, there will be guests coming, please prepare for the reception, and make sure to show the style of Baicha Village."
Once the name of the village was given to them, Song Qingyou and the others really couldn't just deal with it.
(end of this chapter)