By the time the mountainous land in Cangzhou was reclaimed, it was already September. Since Pei Che took office, no major case that required the governor to be alerted had occurred in the entire Cangzhou. Occasionally, there were quarrels between neighbors, but they were all resolved by the county government below.
Pei Che was thankful that the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, but at the same time he felt as if he had no place to use his energy. He had no choice but to focus all his energy on that piece of mountain and go to take a look at it from time to time.
When Pei Che made the decision, some of his subordinates disagreed, thinking that planting crops on the mountain was too unrealistic, and how could they make such a hasty decision? Unfortunately, they had just been demoted because of the scam, and they felt that it was not easy to stand out, so Pei Che's plan was implemented unimpeded.
Now they saw that this mountain land had been reclaimed, but Pei Che was still reluctant to mention planting, so they couldn't help but make an appointment one day and went to Pei Che's office together. At that time, Jiang Miao was reading a book in Pei Che's office. It was the Tea Classic that Pei Che found for him. Because among these people, only Jiang Miao had experience working in a tea garden, so this burden naturally fell on Jiang Miao's shoulders.
"My Lords, have you come to discuss something with me?" Pei Che looked at the crowd of people at the door and asked in confusion.
"Sir, we do have something to discuss. This is official business. Madam, please step aside for a moment." A bearded official said bluntly, pointing his finger at Jiang Miao. He has always been upright, and even though he has been an official for many years, he has never learned to read the mood and do things, so he has never been valued by his superiors.
Although the others did not speak, the expressions of approval were the same on their faces. It was just that they preferred to make suggestions in a roundabout way rather than being as direct as the bearded man.
Pei Che frowned, but before he could speak, Jiang Miao stood up first and said, "Then I won't disturb you. Please do as you please, sirs." He gave Pei Che a look, then walked out with the book. After all, you can read anywhere.
Pei Che knew what he meant, so he suppressed his slight unhappiness and said, "Please take a seat, everyone. I don't know what you want to discuss, but you can speak frankly."
After the adults sat down, they looked at each other. Finally, the bearded man spoke up: "My lord, you set this year's corvée labor to be reclaiming mountain land, but the mountain land has been reclaimed, and you haven't arranged for anyone to plant crops. Winter is coming soon. Do you have to wait until next spring?"
The temperature in Cangzhou is higher, so the ground in winter is not frozen hard like in the north. Most of the vegetables here are frost-resistant. Although the harvest is not as good as in other seasons, it is better than nothing.
Moreover, now that the corvée service has been completed, the government will have to pay for the repair of the city wall and the dredging of the river this year. If the government does not think about increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, it is likely that the government will not be able to make ends meet this year.
“Don’t worry, everyone. I have already made arrangements for this matter, but the time has not come yet. Now is the right time, and I have decided to take action in the next few days.” Pei Che said.
Upon hearing this, the adults felt relieved. Co-magistrate Zhou Xu asked, "What do you want to plant? There is very little water on the mountain. If we plant more drought-resistant food, we won't have to worry about them dying of lack of water." Zhou Xu suggested. In his opinion, Pei Che was born into a noble family and must know very little about farming.
"Master Zhou, you are thoughtful." Pei Che smiled, "But I don't plan to grow food. I have other plans for these mountains."
"Sir, please stop keeping us in suspense. What exactly are you planning to plant?" The bearded man spoke again. This time Zhou Xu glanced at him, picked up the teacup and took a sip slowly, and said, "Sir Xu, why are you so anxious? Sir Pei will definitely tell everyone soon. Why rush?"
The bearded man glared and was about to speak, but Pei Che coughed and said, "Please don't hurt the harmony. These mountains were reclaimed for the purpose of growing tea trees."
When these words were spoken, everyone was a little surprised, and even one adult couldn't help but pick his ears, as if he was wondering if he had heard it wrong.
Tea tree? Is it that kind of tea tree? They are not unfamiliar with drinking tea, and they are also very aware that tea is expensive. However, the tea they drink is bought from places further south. Now this Lord Pei actually said that he wanted to grow it himself in Cangzhou. Doesn’t this sound a bit unbelievable
Facing everyone's suspicious eyes, Pei Che explained: "During this period, I sent people to search the mountains near Cangzhou, and almost every mountain has tea trees. The people don't drink tea, so they naturally don't know it, but my wife got to know it by chance. Considering that there are few good farmlands in Cangzhou and the people's hard life, I want to find another way for them to make a living, which is better than risking going into the mountains."
Zhou Xu praised: "Your Excellency is noble and righteous. You always think about the people. It is a blessing for Cangzhou. However, the reason why tea is expensive is definitely because it is difficult to grow. Even if we have tea trees in Cangzhou, we can only sigh in despair if we don't know how to grow them." He has been in Cangzhou for many years, and naturally more than anyone else he hopes to make some political achievements so that he can be promoted and leave. However, tea is different from other food. Such an elegant thing must be carefully cared for. How can the people do that
"Why don't you go to the tea-producing area in the south and hire some tea farmers. Then they can teach the people of Cangzhou and they won't have to worry about their livelihood anymore." The judge Yang Huai suggested.
"What Lord Yang said is exactly what we think." The others seconded.
Pei Che sighed and said, "I have actually thought about what Lord Yang said. But after I inquired clearly, I gave up the idea. The tea gardens of tea merchants in the south each cover thousands of acres, and they raise tea farmers in the gardens. The contracts they sign are all long-term contracts, and there are very few people who are alone without a master. It is really difficult to go there and hire people back."
Seeing that everyone was dejected, Pei Che said, "Everyone, please calm down. Didn't I tell you before? This tea tree was discovered by my wife by accident. When he was young, he heard people talk about how to pick tea leaves and make tea. He also knows a thing or two about growing tea. Recently, I have also collected some tea books for my wife to read. After reading them, he should have a good understanding of growing tea."
When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other in surprise. When they saw the lady here before entering the room, they thought she was just here to sit and relax, but they didn't expect that she was here for business.
"Sir, could you please ask the lady to come and tell us how to grow tea trees?" Yang Huai asked. Others also wanted to know whether this lady knew how to grow tea.
Pei Che said: "He just went out, and I don't know where he is for the time being." Just now, it looked like A Miao was in their way. Could he be a person who these people could summon and dismiss at will
These people looked embarrassed, obviously remembering what happened when they just entered the door.
"This... why don't I send someone to look for it? If we find it, please ask Madam to come and solve our doubts. What do you think?" Zhou Xu said cautiously. Although the wife of the prefect was a man, they did not dare to offend her casually, because anyone with eyes could see that Master Pei valued her. Perhaps, it would be more appropriate to describe it as "obeying your words" as their wives said.
"Sir, it was my own decision to ask Madam to leave just now. Please let me go out and apologize to Madam." said Xu Da Huzi.
"Hey, Lord Xu, you are too polite. My wife is not a petty person, so she will naturally not hold a grudge because of what happened just now. Let me go find someone, and you guys take a rest here." After saying that, Pei Che stood up and walked out.
As soon as he left, there was a commotion inside. The group of people were discussing what Pei Che had just said. From the doubtful expressions on their faces, it was not difficult to see that they still had many doubts about growing tea in Cangzhou.
Not long after, Pei Che led Jiang Miao over. When they heard the footsteps, the room instantly became quiet.
"Hello, everyone. I heard that you all want to ask me about tea tree planting. Just ask me. If I know anything, I will tell you everything I know." Jiang Miao said with a smile on his face. His cheerful appearance gave everyone a new impression of him. In everyone's eyes, men who marry others are those who look feminine and speak and act in a pretentious manner. But they didn't expect that in addition to being a wife, they actually have a man.
"I heard that you know a lot about growing tea. Could you please tell us why these tea trees are not moved to the mountains as soon as possible, but have to wait until the weather gets cold?" Most flowers, plants and trees prefer heat to cold, but why does tea do the opposite
Jiang Miao said: "When the weather is cold, the upper part of the tea tree will stop growing, but the ground temperature is higher than the outside, so their roots are still growing. If they are transplanted after autumn, their survival rate will be higher. And after they have naturally overwintered, they can be picked next spring."
These people probably understood what he meant and felt a little relieved. They asked again: "Is the tea picked in the first, second or third spring? Does the tea picked at different times taste different?"
Jiang Miao pondered for a while and said, "The tea leaves on our mountain are spring teas. Generally speaking, it is best to pick them between before Qingming and Guyu."
"Spring tea, does that mean there is also summer tea and autumn tea?" An adult drew inferences from one example.
Jiang Miao nodded. Some places have winter tea, but the tea here is spring tea.
"After picking the tea leaves, do they need to be dried in the sun to get into shape? Will it have an impact as Cangzhou rains a lot in spring?" Someone was very worried. He had observed the tea he drank every day and found that it was small and black, but when brewed it came out in pieces. It must have been shaped after being exposed to the sun.
Jiang Miao shook his head: "Tea leaves cannot be exposed to the sun. It is best to dry them in the shade after picking them, and then go through processes such as withering before they are ready." When he was at that friend's house before, he had fried tea several times by himself, rubbing the tea leaves in the hot pot with his hands. At the time, he just thought it was a funny thing like practicing iron sand palm, but he didn't expect that he would actually use it.
"That's good." Everyone was a little excited. Of course, it would be best if they were not affected by the weather. After listening to Jiang Miao's words, they had more confidence in growing tea. Everyone was looking forward to this year passing quickly and spring coming soon.
(End of this chapter)