Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

It's better than the one from the Tang Dynasty, but not as good as the one Xiao Ran brought out before.

The green tea that Xiao Ran took out wasn't exactly top-notch, but at least it was from a factory and couldn't be too bad.

It's much better than Xiao Ran, who had never fried tea before and was making it for the first time.

Li Lizhi said with a smile, "It's quite remarkable that it turned out this well for the first time, but compared to the tea that the young master brought before... it just doesn't seem to have the same freshness."

The group learned something new; they never imagined that tea leaves had to be roasted.

Li Lizhi put down her bowl and pointed to the tea leaves in the tea soup. "Some of these leaves have charred edges, and you can taste a burnt flavor when you drink them. The previous teas didn't have this kind of off-flavor; they were full of refreshing tea aroma."

Princess Yuzhang brought the bowl to her nose and smelled it: "The aroma is short-lived. When the tea was first brewed, the whole courtyard was fragrant and the aroma could linger for a long time. This freshly brewed tea, you can still smell the tea flavor when it is first brewed, but it becomes weak after a while, leaving only a lukewarm watery smell."

She took another sip. "It's still a bit astringent, not the strong astringency of Tang Dynasty tea, but a light astringency that gets stuck in your throat. The aftertaste is also slow. When I swallowed the previous tea, my tongue felt sweet for quite a while."

Zhang Jinhe had been staring at the dry tea leaves when he finally spoke:
"It must be that the heat wasn't controlled properly when frying. Some of the dry tea leaves are light green, some are dark brown, and there are small pieces of burnt residue. It's clear that some parts were over-fried and some parts weren't thoroughly fried."

"The previous dried tea leaves looked uniform, all tender green, without any impurities, and the brewed tea soup was also bright, unlike this bowl, which looks hazy."

As she spoke, she picked up a small pinch of dry tea leaves and rubbed them together, her fingertips getting a bit of burnt residue. "I didn't rub them properly, the tea leaves didn't form into strips, there were a lot of broken pieces, so when I brewed them, the tea juice came out unevenly, which is why it had both a burnt taste and a bitter taste."

Zhang Erya nodded in agreement and chimed in, "I agree! This tea has a slightly burnt aroma, which makes it easy to swallow, but it's not as fresh as the previous tea."

"The previous tea tasted like a bite of freshly picked tender buds, very refreshing. This new tea, however, feels like the buds and leaves have been overcooked and lack vitality."

The group had drunk green tea before, so they had some experience with it.

Once you taste it, you'll discover many shortcomings.

"Just try a few more times, even if it happens the first time, try again," Xiao Ran didn't seem to care.

I've never roasted tea before, and I don't expect to make good tea on my first try.

Now, Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and the others need to identify their shortcomings, pay attention to them in the future, and then gradually improve.

There are still quite a few that we picked before that we haven't picked yet, so we can go and try again.

When it was cooked a second time, the color and other aspects were much better than the first time.

Xiao Ran didn't get involved after that; it was Xiao Yu, Zhang Erya, and a few others who took charge.

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang were also watching from the side.

This craftsmanship is quite valuable.

As a princess of the Tang Dynasty, Li Lizhi understood the "respectability" behind this craft.

Since the Zhenguan era, the Tang Dynasty has always sought innovation and prosperity, from selecting officials through the imperial examination system to revising the "Correct Meanings of the Five Classics," all of which demonstrate the grandeur of a great nation.

However, the practice of drinking tea was still at a primitive stage, consisting of "adding scallions and ginger to make soup," far less refined than the wines of the Western Regions or the spices of Persia.

This tea-frying process perfectly complements this "refinement".

From then on, at banquets in Chang'an, instead of tea soup with salt and ginger, clear brewed green tea was served. This not only showcased the refined lifestyle of the Tang Dynasty but also allowed visiting foreign envoys to witness the ingenuity of the Tang Dynasty. This was a more tangible form of "soft power" than gold and silver.

The amount of food cooked later was very small; it was purely for practice.

While the others went about their business, Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi sat to the side enjoying their meal.

"Young master, would you like to let the old gentleman and his family try this new tea?" Li Lizhi asked with a smile.

Xiao Ran picked up the cup and took a sip. "Let's leave it for now. This one isn't very good. It's quite a bit worse than the previous ones. We can all taste the difference. We won't give it to the elderly." "Yeah, yeah, even if we sold it like this, it would probably be in high demand." Li Lizhi had wanted to ask about the tea before, but she hadn't.

"It's still not quite right. Let's wait until it's more mature before making a decision!" Xiao Ran wasn't a keen tea drinker, but he also felt that things weren't going well at the moment.

"Young master, if we can produce it in large quantities in the future, what price do you think would be best?" Li Lizhi wanted to hear Xiao Ran's opinion.

“This kind of thing can’t possibly cater to ordinary people, so the price naturally won’t be cheap,” Xiao Ran said. “We’ll talk about the specific price later!”

Following Xiao Ran's instructions, Zhang Dalang led his men to transplant all the tea trees.

These cannot be picked for the time being.

There are still quite a few in the mountains.

Upon hearing that Xiao Ran needed it, Zhang Jinhe mentioned it in the village, and Xiao Ran offered a high price to buy it, so many villagers went to pick it.

For some younger people, or those with health problems, who can't work in the coal mines, picking tea is a good alternative.

The price Xiao Ran offered was quite tempting.

Xiao Ran didn't care what happened next.

According to Li Lizhi, Xiao Yu is the most skilled, while Zhang Erya and Zhang Jinhe are slightly less skilled.

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang primarily documented this craft.

As night fell, Xiao Yu found Empress Xiao, "Madam!"

"Yu Niang, what is it?"

"About the tea." Xiao Yu pulled on Empress Xiao's arm.

"I heard from Fifth Sister that you're doing well in your studies. Is there any problem?" Empress Xiao asked.

"Madam, this technique is unknown to others, but the young master taught it to a few of us; it's profitable."

Before Xiao Yu could finish speaking, Empress Xiao roughly understood what he meant.

"Do you want the Xiao family to take on this business?" Empress Xiao asked.

Xiao Yu nodded, "Yes, I just don't know how to tell the young master."

Xiao Yu couldn't speak up; her status was no match for Princess Li Lizhi of Yuzhang, and her words carried little weight.

Empress Xiao nodded, "It is indeed profitable."

Not only can it make money, but it also has its benefits for the Xiao family and Xiao Ran to get closer.

Empress Xiao and Xiao Yu could also see this.

"I just don't know if Fifth Sister and the others will agree." Xiao Yu was also unsure.

"Fifth Sister values ​​more than just money; she values ​​other, more important things. But if the Xiao family takes it over, we must cooperate; we can't keep it all to ourselves." Empress Xiao also wanted to do something for her family.

Empress Xiao's relationship with the Yang family is not as close as that with the Xiao family.

"It's too late tonight, let's talk about it tomorrow. Let's call Fifth Sister and Young Master together to discuss it!"

Empress Xiao also had her own plans; even if Li Lizhi didn't care, she still needed to share the profits. (End of Chapter)