"Guess who I am." The voice was stiff and low. You could tell it was someone who did it deliberately.
As soon as I walked into Shifeng Commercial Bank, I was blindfolded by a pair of delicate little hands.
"Which little fairy has descended to earth? Ah, no. Her voice sounds a bit old-fashioned. She must be an old fairy."
"Tch. You are old. I am from Jiutian. I heard that your business has the best Shifeng Longjing. Why don't you offer it to me?" When Fang Ling said the last sentence, he let out a sigh and started laughing.
Yuan Ji followed me. Under his nose, he was able to blindfold me silently. Who else could be there besides Fang Ling?
"What? The Nine Heavens Fairy is greedy for the fragrant tea of the human world. She has secretly descended to earth."
"Haha. Brother, this time, you half-immortal finally guessed wrong. It wasn't Ling'er who was talking about the fragrance of the tea. It was Sister Lin who wanted to drink it." Fang Ling let go of her hand.
"Miss Lin." Only then did I notice Lin Ying standing beside the door.
"I've met the elder. I've met Mr. Yuan." Lin Ying saluted. "Elder, don't listen to sister Ling'er's nonsense."
"Hey, someone just said they were thirsty and asked me where I could get the best tea. Why did they suddenly change their words now?"
"I'm just thirsty." Lin Ying said shyly, her face slightly red.
"Miss Lin, please go upstairs and sit down." I know that Fang Ling's mouth is clever and Lin Ying can't say it well.
"Yes. Elder."
I smiled as I walked: "Miss Lin, I have returned the elder order to you as the real elder of the Lin family last time. So, you don't need to call me elder in the future."
"That's right." Fang Ling followed up and said, "Elders. Elders all call my brother old."
After going upstairs, I said: "Ling'er, make some tea. Miss Lin, please sit down."
"Thank you, elder." Lin Ying sat down and said. "The elder doesn't know something. After the elder left, the head of the family gave orders to the Lin family. Mr. Huyan is the fourth elder of my Lin family."
"Really?" I said with great interest. "Isn't it a rule of the Lin family that there are only three elders? And they always recognize cards but not people."
The Fujian Lin family, one of the three major martial arts families, has a total of three elder tokens. Whoever holds the token can become the elder of the Lin family. Therefore, there is a saying that one recognizes the token but not the other person.
Lin Ying said seriously: "Elder Hu Yanchang. The head of the family said that you are the only exception. The head of the family also said that as soon as we have the materials for the elder token, we will make it for the elder as soon as possible."
"Haha. Master Lin is very interested. By the way, does Miss Lin have anything to do with her visit to Beijing this time?"
Lin Ying hesitated and said: "Ah, nothing happened. I just came to take a look."
Fang Ling made tea and poured a cup for each person. He smiled and said, "Sister Lin, if you have nothing to do, let's have a sip of tea and leave. My brother is very busy."
"Ling'er. Where are you singing this?"
Fang Ling looked at Lin Ying and said happily: "Brother, let me tell you. In fact, Sister Lin came to Beijing specifically to see you. The general situation is this. Although the Lin family in Fujian is ranked among the three major martial arts families, among the family There has never been anyone who is good at doing business. The Lin family has a large number of people and a lot of expenses. Seeing that the property passed down by the ancestors is slowly being exhausted, the village owner Lin Feng and the elders of the family have summoned the direct disciples several times to discuss it, but there is still no result. Later, Sister Lin suggested that we go to Lin'an to find Mr. Hu Yanchang. He said that Mr. Hu Yanchang was omnipotent and there would be a solution. Sister Lin, is that so?"
After listening to Fang Ling's introduction, I naturally understood Lin Ying's intention to come to Beijing. It seems that the Lin family is the same as when I first came to the throne. The treasury is empty and unable to make ends meet.
Lin Ying's face turned redder. She lowered her head and said nothing.
Fang Ling took a sip of fragrant tea. Seeing Lin Ying's embarrassment, she smiled again and said, "It turns out that's not the case. It seems I made a mistake. Brother, if you have something to do, go and do it. I'll take Sister Lin out for a walk. .”
Lin Ying saw that Fang Ling was about to get up. She suddenly became anxious. She mustered up the courage and whispered: "Elder, yes. Yes. Lin Ying feels that Elder Hu Yanchang is a warm-hearted person and will not ignore the affairs of the Lin family."
"That's right. Sister Lin, don't worry. My brother, oh, Mr. Huyan, who is also the elder of your Lin family, likes to do nothing more than help others."
Fang Ling put the hat on for me. I had to say: "Miss Lin, please give me a rough idea of the current financial situation of the Lin family."
"Yes, elder. There are hundreds of people in the Lin family. More than 90% of the people are practicing martial arts. The Lin family is built on the mountains. There is not much fertile land. They have always relied on the family property left by their ancestors. Previous generations The head of the family has also tried to do business, but without success. The current situation of the Lin family is that agriculture is not enough to feed everyone, and there is no commerce or handicraft industry at all. The head of the family has a straightforward personality. He is not willing to make friends with the government, and he does not know how to do business. Therefore, the family's financial situation is getting worse. It’s becoming more and more difficult.”
I thought about it and said, "Then let's analyze it one by one to see what advantages the Lin family has. First of all, let's talk about agriculture. The Lin family's backing is not enough fertile land. But the farmland on the entire Fujian Road should be enough. Do I know anyone? The young minister knows that the court is going to carry out land reform recently. The court's intention is to let the tillers have their own land. Maybe it's just an opportunity. If everyone can get a land, then everyone can have enough food and clothing. Also, the Lin family Since it is built on a mountain, we can think of solutions from this mountain. As the saying goes, you rely on the mountain to eat the mountain, and you rely on the sea to eat the sea. Are there any resources on your mountain that can be used?"
"Back on the mountain and eat the mountain."
"Yes. For example, crops such as tea can be grown on the mountains. Anxi and Wuyi Mountains on Fujian Road are famous for their tea production."
Lin Ying shook her head and said: "The mountain behind my Lin family is bare and full of stones. But these stones are quite unique. People there call the stones on the mountain granites."
"Granite." I seem to have never heard of it. "What does it look like."
"I can't say for sure. All I know is that it is a very hard stone. Legend has it that it came out of the ground."
"Underground. Could it be granite?"
Fang Ling asked: "What is granite?"
"Granite is a structural rock formed after lava produced during volcanic eruptions is subjected to considerable pressure. The molten state rises to the surface of the earth's crust. The magma does not erupt out of the ground, but slowly cools and solidifies underground. It is A kind of plutonic acidic igneous rock. It is a magmatic rock."
"What? I didn't understand a word."
I smiled and said: "Ling'er, to put it simply, is a stone formed by changes in geological structure. Let's see. I'll ask someone to take a look. If it has mining value, it will be a big fortune."
Fang Ling continued to ask: "What is the use of this granite?"
"Granite is the hardest stone. Because of its hardness, anti-corrosion and mirror-reflective effect, it has attractive colors and high-quality materials. Because of these characteristics, granite can be used in large quantities in construction. For example, it can be used for exterior wall packaging. For roofs, floors, etc., its effect is far better than the ordinary slate used today."
Lin Ying said: "Yes. Then there is Elder Lao."
"Miss Lin, you said that the Lin family used to be in business. What kind of business did they do?"
"Elder, I heard from the head of the family that he has been in the tea business. It seems that the tea is imported from Anxi. But there has been no sales."
I nodded and said, "Except for the Dahongpao from Wuyishan, the tea from Anxi is the most famous on Fujian Road."
"Yes. Elder, the Dahongpao from Wuyi Mountain has become a royal tribute. Most of the tea on Fujian Road comes from Anxi."
"Tea is also a road." I thought of Tieguanyin, a famous tea from Fujian in later generations.
"But, my Lin family does not produce tea itself."
"It's okay. The current tea-making technology needs to be improved. Miss Lin, do your Lin family know the tea farmers in Anxi?"
"Yeah, we know each other, and we're quite close. I once heard my father-in-law tell me that Anxi County is located on the southeastern slope of the Daiyun Mountains. The terrain gradually decreases from northwest to southeast. The west is mainly mountainous, with many mountains. The highest The peaks are several hundred feet tall. They are commonly known as 'Nei'anxi'. The eastern part is dominated by hills. They are commonly known as 'Wai'anxi'. The tea production areas are mainly in the Nei'anxi area. There is a village called Penglai in Nei'anxi. The village chief is me. He is a descendant of the Lin family from outside the family, so the two sides have been on good terms for the past thirty years."
I recalled the production process of Tieguanyin in later generations and said: "Miss Lin, I have an idea. Discuss it with Lin Feng after you go back. Our Shifeng Trading Company, your Lin family and Penglai Village will cooperate with each other. Penglai Village is responsible for planting tea trees. The Lin family is responsible for production and Shifeng is responsible for all sales."
"Elder, but we don't know how to make it."
"It doesn't matter. I will provide the production method. The tea produced using my method is called Tieguanyin tea. By the way, Ling'er, please record it."
"kindness."
"The first is tea picking. The picking of the original leaves of Tieguanyin tea is very particular. The first is the number of leaves. Only those with one bud and two leaves or one bud with three leaves can be mined. There are also regulations on the picking time of the original leaves of Tieguanyin tea. It can only be picked. From mid-morning to mid-afternoon, the second step is called sun-drying. When the camellia is picked, it should be spread into a thin layer on the ground and sun-dried. The third step is to shake the green tea. Shaking the green tea is The key to the formation of the characteristics of Tieguanyin tea is the method of manually sifting the greens. When sifting the greens, hold the edge of the tea sieve firmly with both hands and pull it down. Rotate and swing rhythmically so that the leaves make a circular motion and flip up and down on the tea sieve. .Then comes the spreading process. After shaking the greens, place the greens on a cooling stand for spreading. The time usually takes about half an hour. The shaking process includes two parts: 'shaking' and 'spreading'. Shaking is a moving process. Stalling is a static process. After 4 to 5 times of repeated shaking and static stalling, when the water is dispersed to a certain extent, 'green leaves with red edges' are formed. The fifth step is to stir-fry. On the one hand, this process can solidify the The quality of the formation. On the other hand, it releases part of the water to facilitate the operation of the subsequent processes. Sixth, it is called Baoqiang. Baoqiang is a special shaping process used by Tieguanyin. It uses actions such as 'kneading, pressing, rubbing, and grabbing' to make tea. The strips form a tight, curved shape. The last point is drying. Drying should be done at low temperature. Bake until fully dry. This will further form the morphological characteristics and aroma of the tea leaves. Remove excess moisture for easy storage. This method is not difficult. By Lin Jia You can succeed after a few experiments with the tea growers. However, it takes long-term practice to master the heat."
Fang Ling uses the hard pen very quickly. He can almost keep up with my deliberately slowed down speaking speed.
"Brother, why is this tea called Tieguanyin?"
Lin Ying also said: "Yes. It feels weird."
"There is also a legend here."
"Tell me quickly. It's been a long time since I heard my brother tell a story."
"Okay. Then I will tell you this legend that I read in ancient books. It is said that hundreds of years ago, there was an old tea farmer who had been planting tea trees all his life. This man had no children. He was kind and charitable. I believe in it. He worships Buddha and especially believes in Guanyin. He worships a cup of tea in front of the Guanyin statue every morning and evening. He has done so for decades without interruption. One night, the old tea farmer fell asleep. In the hazy state, he seemed to see Guanyin telling him to go somewhere. So He walked out of the house with a hoe and followed Guanyin's instructions to a stream. Sure enough, he found a tea tree. The branches were strong and leafy, and the fragrance was attractive. It was different from any tea tree he had ever seen. The next day In the morning, he followed the path in his dream last night and found the tea tree in his dream among the rocks in the creek. At the same time, he found a manual on tea production technology next to the tea tree. The old tea farmer looked at the tea tree carefully. He was very happy when he saw that the tea leaves were oval, with thick mesophylls, and purple-red buds. They were verdant. He dug up the tree, planted it in an iron tripod at home, and cultivated it carefully. Later, the old tea farmer followed the instructions in the manual. This method produces high-quality tea. Because this tea was obtained by Guanyin in a dream, it is named 'Tieguanyin'."
"Brother, I always hear you talk about ancient books. What kind of books are they?"