Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 150

By the time the mountainous lands of Cangzhou are fully cultivated, it is already September. Since Pei Che took office, no major cases requiring the attention of the prefect have occurred in all of Cangzhou. Minor disputes between neighbors are handled by the local county offices.

Pei Che feels fortunate that the people are living peacefully and working happily. However, a sense of restlessness creeps in, as he has no major issues to tackle. Consequently, he pours his energy into overseeing the mountainous land, frequently inspecting it every few days.

When Pei Che initially makes the decision, some of his subordinates voice their reservations. They think the idea of planting crops on the mountains is overly ambitious and question how he can decide on it so hastily. Unfortunately, due to recent demotions related to a fraud incident, they are reluctant to oppose him openly, and thus Pei Che’s plan proceeds without obstruction.

Now, seeing that the land is cultivated but that Pei Che has yet to mention planting anything, they grow anxious.

One day, they gather and visit Pei Che’s office. At that moment, Jiang Miao is in Pei Che’s office, reading a tea manual Pei Che has found for him. Since he is the only one among them with experience in tea farming, the responsibility naturally falls on his shoulders.

“Are you here to discuss something with me?” Pei Che looks up, puzzled, at the crowd filling the doorway.

“Yes, we do, My lord. This is an official matter, so we ask that Madam temporarily step out,” says a gruff official, directing his words at Jiang Miao without hesitation. Known for his bluntness, the official has always struggled to please his superiors, lacking the skill to read the room despite his years in office.

Though the others remain silent, their expressions clearly show agreement. They prefer more tactful approaches, unlike the directness of this gruff official.

Pei Che frowns but says nothing as Jiang Miao stands up first. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Please feel free to continue.” He gives Pei Che a glance before taking his book and heading out, as he can read anywhere.

Understanding Jiang Miao’s gesture, Pei Che quickly suppresses his slight irritation. “Please, gentlemen, have a seat. Let’s discuss whatever it is that concerns you. Speak freely.”

Once seated, the officials glance at each other until the gruff one finally speaks up. “Sir, earlier this year, you assigned the labor levy to cultivate this mountainous land. Now that it’s been cleared, yet no orders have come to plant anything. Winter is approaching; does my lord intend to wait until next spring?”

The temperature in Cangzhou remains warmer, so the ground doesn’t freeze as solidly as it does up north. Winters here are typically a time for planting frost-resistant vegetables, which, while yielding less than other seasons, are still better than nothing.

Moreover, now that this year’s corvée labor has been fulfilled, the government will have to fund the repairs to the city walls and river dredging itself. Without considering ways to increase revenue and cut costs, the government may struggle to make ends meet this year.

“No need to worry, gentlemen. I have already planned for this, but the timing was not right until now. This is the perfect moment, and I intend to take action within the next few days,” Pei Che says.

Hearing this, the officials feel somewhat reassured. Assistant Magistrate Zhou Xu asks, “May I ask what you intend to plant, sir? The mountains have limited water sources, so if we don’t plant drought-resistant crops, they may not survive without adequate water.” Zhou Xu suggests this, thinking that Pei Che, with his noble background, likely knows little about farming.

“Thank you for your consideration, Magistrate Zhou,” Pei Che replies with a smile. “However, I do not plan to grow food crops. These mountains have a different purpose.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense, my lord. What exactly do you plan to plant?” the bearded official speaks up again. This time, Zhou Xu glances at him, raises his teacup, and says calmly, “Why the rush, Magistrate Xu? I’m sure Lord Pei will tell us shortly; there’s no need to hurry.”

The bearded official opens his mouth to respond, but Pei Che gives a slight cough and says, “Let’s keep the peace, gentlemen. The purpose of clearing these mountains is to plant tea trees.”

This announcement leaves everyone a bit stunned. One official even rubs his ears as if to check if he’s heard correctly.

“Tea trees? The kind used for tea leaves?” They are no strangers to tea and know well how expensive tea leaves can be. But all the tea they drink is sourced from further south. Now, Lord Pei is saying he wants to grow it locally in Cangzhou? It sounds almost unbelievable.

Seeing their skeptical expressions, Pei Che explains, “Recently, I sent people to survey the nearby mountains, and nearly every mountain here has wild tea trees growing on it. The locals don’t drink tea, so they don’t recognize it, but my wife happened to identify it by chance. Considering the limited fertile land in Cangzhou and the struggles of the people here, I thought it might be possible to create a new livelihood for them—safer than venturing into the mountains.”

“Such noble intentions, my lord,” Zhou Xu praises. “You are truly a blessing to Cangzhou, always thinking of the people’s welfare. However, the high price of tea surely comes from the difficulty of cultivating it. Even if we have wild tea trees in Cangzhou, without proper techniques, it may be an uphill task.” Zhou Xu, having been stationed in Cangzhou for years, naturally hopes to make a notable accomplishment to help with his own career advancement. But tea is different from staple crops; its refinement requires careful tending, and he doubts if the local people can manage it.

“Why not hire some tea farmers from the southern tea-producing regions to come and teach our people in Cangzhou? That way, we won’t need to worry about their livelihood,” suggests Assistant Prefect Yang Huai.

“Lord Yang has spoken what is on all of our minds,” the others agree in unison.

Pei Che sighs and replies, “What Lord Yang said is something I’ve considered as well. However, after making inquiries, I gave up on the idea. In the south, each tea merchant owns tea plantations spanning thousands of acres, staffed with resident tea workers bound by long-term contracts. It’s rare to find individuals unbound to a plantation owner, so hiring people from there to bring back here is truly challenging.”

Since even the heir of the Duke who comes from Liangjing admits the difficulty of this, it is clearly no simple task. But without expertise in tea cultivation, how are they to proceed? Can tea even be successfully grown here?

Seeing their discouraged expressions, Pei Che says, “There’s no need to worry. Didn’t I mention that my wife happened to discover these tea trees? When he was young, he heard people talking about tea harvesting and processing, so he has some basic knowledge of tea cultivation. Recently, I’ve gathered some tea manuals for him to study, and he should now have a good grasp of the process.”

When everyone hears this, the officials exchange uncertain glances. They assume his wife was there earlier for a casual visit, not for official business.

“My lord, might we invite your wife to share his insights on tea cultivation with us?” Yang Huai asks, and the others seem eager to learn if his wife truly understands tea planting.

“He just stepped out,” Pei Che replies. “I’m not sure where he went.” Moments ago, they’d treated Jiang Miao as if he were in their way. Do they think he is someone to summon and dismiss at will?

Their expressions turn sheepish as they recall the earlier incident.

“Well… how about I send someone to look for him?” Zhou Xu suggests cautiously. “If we find him, he could clarify things for us. What do you think, my lord?” As the prefect’s spouse, even though Jiang Miao is a man, none dare offend him lightly, for it’s clear Pei Che holds him in high regard. In fact, “heeding his every word” might be the most fitting description.

“My lord, it was my own decision to ask madam to leave. Please allow me to go and apologize to him,” says Xu, the bearded official.

“No need, Lord Xu. My wife isn’t one to hold grudges over such matters. I’ll go and find him myself. Please, gentlemen, wait here and rest a while.” With that, Pei Che rises and steps outside.

As soon as he leaves, the room buzzes with discussion, the officials mulling over what Pei Che has just shared. From their expressions, it’s clear that many still harbor doubts about the feasibility of tea cultivation in Cangzhou.

Before long, Pei Che returns with Jiang Miao in tow. At the sound of their footsteps, the room instantly falls silent.

“Greetings, gentlemen. I hear you’d like to learn more about tea cultivation from me. Please feel free to ask anything—I’ll be glad to share whatever I know,” Jiang Miao says, smiling warmly. His open and confident demeanor leaves a positive impression on the officials, who had expected the husband of another man to be delicate and affected. They’re surprised to see he is anything but.

“I understand you have considerable knowledge about tea cultivation. Could you tell us why we’re waiting for colder weather to transplant the tea trees instead of doing it sooner?” one official asks. “Most plants thrive in warmth, but tea seems to do the opposite?”

Jiang Miao explains, “In cold weather, the growth of the tea tree’s upper part slows down, but with the ground still warmer than the air, the roots continue to grow. Transplanting in autumn increases their survival rate, and after naturally overwintering, we’ll be able to start harvesting tea in spring.”

The officials seem to understand his explanation and feel somewhat reassured. They then ask, “Is the tea picked in early, mid, or late spring? Does the flavor vary depending on when it’s harvested?”

After considering, Jiang Miao replies, “The tea on our mountains is considered spring tea. Ideally, it’s harvested from just before Qingming until around Grain Rain.”

“Spring tea, that is to say, there are summer tea and autumn tea?” one official infers.

Jiang Miao nods. “Yes, and some areas even have winter tea. However, the tea here is specifically spring tea.”

Another official voices concern, “Once the tea leaves are picked, do they need to be sun-dried? Cangzhou’s spring is quite rainy—could that cause issues?” He has noticed the tea he usually drinks is small and dark, assuming it’s sun-dried for that effect.

Jiang Miao shakes his head. “Tea leaves shouldn’t be sun-dried. They’re best air-dried in the shade after picking, and then processed through steps like de-enzyming to prepare them.” He recalls the times he personally pan-roasted tea leaves at a friend’s place, treating it like practicing martial arts but never expecting the skill to actually come in handy.

“That’s great to hear!” The officials are visibly uplifted—knowing that weather won’t impact the process is a relief. After listening to Jiang Miao, they feel much more confident about growing tea and eagerly look forward to spring’s arrival.