Chapter 145: The Tea-Picking Women

Wang Siniang greeted people as she walked up the mountain. Tea plantations prefer high and cool environments, so the tea gardens of Phoenix Mountain Estate were located in the upper half of the mountain, near the summit. The small flagstone path snaked its way upwards. Along both sides of the path, newly planted saplings stood. Some of these saplings were bought from nearby nurseries, but most were unloaded from the large ships docked at the riverside pier at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Siniang never understood why Master Zhao disliked local saplings. The saplings planted on Phoenix Mountain, especially the profitable ones, were almost all brought in by ship.

It was now spring, and various flowers and trees were vying to bloom. The walk along the path was like walking through a rosy cloud. She passed a grove of plum trees planted last year. Although the trees were not yet as tall as a person, they were already in bloom. The pink and white blossoms floated like clouds on the foothills, and a faint fragrance wafted over from time to time. Several beehives were placed among the trees, and bees were busy shuttling between the flowers. These plum trees were also specially shipped in and planted by the master. Wang Siniang knew a little about the ways of the literati and thought that although the master was a merchant from Guangdong, he was also a man of refined tastes.

Zhao Yigong’s purpose in planting plum trees on the mountain was not for elegance. In fact, what was planted on the mountain was not his decision but was arranged one by one by professionals from the Agricultural Committee after they had personally inspected the site. The general principle was to ensure the greening of the slopes while also obtaining certain economic benefits. Although these dozens of acres of plum trees were also good for composing poetry, their main purpose was to harvest plums for making pickled sour plums.

Walking up the mountain along the road, she saw all sorts of newly planted saplings. Some of the fast-growing tree species were already quite large. The bamboo transplanted two years ago had already become a forest, looking lush and green.

The mountain road meandered, and in the ditches that served for both irrigation and drainage, the stream water gurgled, carrying away fallen leaves and petals.

Wang Siniang was slightly sweating. Looking around, the scene was vastly different from when she first came here two years ago. The long-term laborers in the forest were busy, either pruning branches, loosening soil and fertilizing, or collecting dead branches and fallen leaves and clearing weeds. It was a busy spring scene.

Wang Siniang climbed until she was near the summit, where there was a large tea plantation. Most of it had been newly opened up last year, and the tea saplings were specially bought from the Longjing area.

Of course, tea could not be picked from tea trees that had just been planted for a year. The tea garden she was going to was another one. It had been opened up by someone on the mountain before, but because the quality of the tea was average and it couldn’t fetch a good price, it was gradually abandoned. Zhao Yigong had bought it along with the land on Phoenix Mountain. After re-trimming, pruning, and fertilizing, the tea trees grew very well last year. However, they did not pick the spring tea that year, only the summer and autumn tea. This year was the first time they were picking the new spring tea.

Before the autumn tea was harvested last year, Cai Shi had specifically sought her out, asking her to pick and roast six hundred catties of high-quality autumn tea, saying it was for the master to give as gifts.

Qingming Festival was in a few days, the best time to pick the “Pre-Qingming” new tea. Although Cai Shi had not instructed her this time, Wang Siniang still planned to follow last year’s example and carefully select and pick the Pre-Qingming new tea. After roasting, she would present it to the master around the time of Qingming.

A dozen or so women, old and young, had already gathered at the entrance of the tea garden. They were all dressed like her. When they saw her coming, they all smiled and stood up to greet her. They were all refugees taken in during the great drought in northern Zhejiang last year. Many of them had a background as tea farmers, so they were kept on the estate to work specifically in the tea gardens.

Wang Siniang was an “old-timer” on the estate and also a “forewoman,” so the tea-picking women inevitably flattered her. The younger ones called her “Fourth Sister,” while the older ones didn’t dare to call her “sister” but would at least address her as “Fourth Sister-in-law.”

Before she could even stand still, a few of the more nimble women had already swarmed around her. Someone took her tea basket, another quickly brought her tea, and another, seeing that she was too late for these, quickly spread her own towel on a rock and pulled her to sit down.

Wang Siniang was long used to this. She smiled and waved her hand, “I’ll drink the tea later. The weather is good today, a great day to start picking new tea. This Pre-Qingming tea must be ‘one bud, one leaf.’ This tea is to be presented to the master, for his own use or as gifts, so everyone must be meticulous in their work.”

“What are you saying, Fourth Sister? Not to mention it’s for the master’s use, even with you here overseeing us, how could we sisters dare not do our best?” one of the women said with a beaming smile. “You rest here, we’ll start picking.”

“How can I do that?” Wang Siniang was extremely clever. Although she had little contact with Master Zhao, she knew from what she had heard and seen that the master disliked it when his subordinates acted tyrannically, so she was usually very careful. She stood up, “Let’s all get to work. After picking, we have to roast it overnight. Let’s put in some effort.”

“Alright,” the group of women responded in unison.

Tea picking had to start around noon; too early or too late was not suitable. After picking, the leaves had to be left to sit for an hour and a half before starting the roasting process. Freshly picked tea leaves were generally not left overnight. The tea roasting process in the 17th century was already quite similar to that of later generations. The only drawback was the lack of electric pots, which made temperature control difficult, thus making the roasting process more dependent on the workers’ experience. Fortunately, during the great disaster in northern Zhejiang last year, there were all sorts of people among the refugees. They managed to find two master tea roasters. Wang Siniang’s skills were barely acceptable. She could assist the master roasters. So every day, Wang Siniang and the women had to work until after midnight before they could sleep.

The roasted Hangzhou new tea was provided as a special supply for the General Office from the Hangzhou station. Zhao Yigong considered this a contribution to the Fanhaijin, a way to build up some trust for himself within the Fanhaijin.

Although it was “special supply” tea, in line with the Fanhaijin’s usual stinginess, it still had to be of the “one bud, one leaf” quality. Wang Siniang was a skilled tea picker, with quick eyes and hands. While picking, she would also teach the novices around her, “You have to pluck with your fingers, don’t pinch with your nails!”

Tea picking was very hard work. Although the spring sun was gentle, prolonged exposure made one feel unbearably hot, not to mention they were in the dense, stuffy tea bushes, standing and working for an hour or two without a break. In no time, they were drenched in sweat. After working continuously for nearly an hour, a few of the weaker ones were already flushed and panting.

“Take a few sips of water and catch your breath! Don’t stop, catch up quickly!” Wang Siniang urged the lagging women while her own hands and feet never stopped.

As the forewoman, Wang Siniang had the authority to schedule breaks, but she would not call a halt easily. Each group had a daily work quota, which had to be met in both quantity and quality. And this workload was set at a level that could barely be completed.

Her group had experienced hands, but also many novices. If she didn’t push them relentlessly, they would never be able to meet the picking quota before work ended at dusk. And the tea picked each day had to be sent to the roasting room for processing. The tea roasters also had their own work quotas. If the required amount of tea was not delivered on time, the entire process would be delayed. During inspections, the entire group would have their monthly wages deducted. Her own loss as the “forewoman” would be even greater: besides her monthly wages, her management allowance would also be deducted. If she consistently failed to meet the quota, her position as forewoman would be in jeopardy.

There were plenty of people who could work well, but very few who could lead others to work well. To keep her position, Wang Siniang had no choice but to push her subordinates relentlessly.

Basket after basket of fresh leaves was sent down the mountain to the roasting workshop by a dedicated transport team. Wang Siniang’s hands never stopped until the steam whistle on the mountain sounded fourteen consecutive times, signaling a break.

“Everyone, hurry up and eat and drink something, wipe your sweat. We’ll start again in a bit!” Wang Siniang herself was exhausted but didn’t forget to encourage everyone.

The group came to a large tree for their break. A thermal tea barrel was already prepared with brewed tea, and there was also a small wicker box of snacks.

This snack was actually a type of Lingao military ration, characterized by its high sugar and salt content, which served as a quick “energy bar” to replenish stamina for those engaged in strenuous field labor.

Wang Siniang held a bamboo cup, eating a snack while drinking water, and looked at the tally board. It showed the number of catties of tea they had picked so far. According to this progress, they had just completed less than forty percent of their quota.

There was still an hour and a half until work ended in the afternoon. If they hurried, they could still make it. She had a rough idea of today’s picking situation and was already planning how to adjust each picker’s route in the afternoon to maximize their picking speed.

The break was thirty minutes long, but they rarely took the full time. After drinking their water and finishing their snacks, everyone consciously got up to go back to work. Failing to meet the quota would result in a pay cut, but exceeding it would earn a bonus. Despite the fatigue, their motivation was very high.

For the next hour and a half, they began picking tea according to the newly adjusted personnel allocation. They worked nonstop until the sky gradually darkened and the steam whistle blew seventeen times, signaling the end of today’s tea picking.

The picking was over, but their work was not yet done. The work in the roasting workshop had not yet begun. They had to help with spreading the leaves, pan-firing, sorting out stems… doing auxiliary chores. Phoenix Mountain Estate did not operate on a “work from sunrise to sunset” schedule. The basic working hours here were twelve hours. Wang Siniang had started work at eleven o’clock. According to the twelve-hour system, she would not be able to get off work until eleven at night.

After packing up their tools, the group straggled down the mountain. The younger girls were so tired they couldn’t speak. On a relatively flat area at the foot of Phoenix Mountain, many large and small houses and courtyards had been built. This was the location of the Phoenix Mountain Estate’s main management office and various workshops.