Tea is the main economic source and pillar industry of Xinyang. Before and after the Qingming Dynasty, the number of people in the city was significantly reduced, and they all went to the countryside to pick tea; those who went to the city to work went home to pick tea; and tea pickers from Nanyang, Zhoukou, Luohe, Zhumadian, and other surrounding areas all rushed to help. Every year's tea picking season can make people feel that the air is filled with unprecedented tension, just like the "three summers" in the wheat-producing areas on the plains, which is "dragon's mouth to grab food" and cannot be delayed... If you have not experienced it yourself, it is difficult to imagine how difficult it is for tea to go from leaves to finished products, and after experiencing it, you will naturally know why the good hair tip is so expensive.
Li Yun | © Written
Lan Jiaxia | © Typography
Why do tea farmers give gifts to tea pickers?
Before the Qingming Dynasty of the previous year, I went to a tea farmer's house in a nearby rural area surnamed Chen to help pick tea.
The cause of the incident originated from the Spring Festival that year.
Once I went back to the bazaar to prepare New Year goods, I saw a farmer who bought hundreds of pounds of pork at once, and I said why buy so much?
He said that he wanted to eat stuffy meat in Xinyang and send it to the homes of tea pickers in other places years ago, hoping to maintain friendly relations and come to our house to pick tea during the tea picking season.
Once I saw a middle-aged woman buy a big basket of good stupid eggs, one more piece, and I asked why I bought so much? She said it was left for the stir-frying master to eat. I was touched by the devotion on that expression.
After the Spring Festival, the news of the shortage of tea gardens in Xinyang has been heard all the time, and I can't sit still in this atmosphere and decided to help the tea farmers pick tea.
Lao Chen has 18 acres of tea garden, hired 5 tea pickers, the result is because of the drought, tea is not long to pick tea, everyone is in a hurry, the main family is anxious is that there is no harvest, tea pickers are anxious to pick tea can not earn money.
It happened to rain on the day I went, and everyone said I was a nobleman, and brought them auspicious rain, and they were very happy.
The old Chen family was at the foot of the tea mountain, sheltered from the rain, I asked him: "Why is The Maojian of Xinyang so expensive, four or five hundred or even thousands of yuan a pound?" ”
Lao Chen began to calculate the cost: "Not counting the usual field crop management costs, just picking requires a lot of manpower..."
About 80,000 buds can be fried to produce a pound of hair tip, and this pound of tea means 80,000 picking actions.
A skilled tea picker can pick 2 or 3 kg of wet tea a day, 1 kg of wet tea picking costs range from 50 to 60 yuan, 4 kg of wet tea stir-fry 1 kg of dry tea, so that the labor cost of picking 1 kg of tea is more than 200 yuan, plus planting, fertilizer, frying processing, distribution and other costs, the cost is more than 400 yuan.
If it is alpine tea, it will be more difficult to pick and the cost will be higher.
"Now it is no better than before, young people are reluctant to do it, the elderly can't take their grandchildren out at home, labor costs are rising, and they often can't take care of people." Lao Chen looked at the tea mountain in the distance in a daze, "If you can't hire people, you have a big tea mountain tea garden."
The timing of picking determines the quality of the tea leaves
Just see who can choke spring's neck
"Short spring neck" is a Northeastern agricultural proverb that belongs to the northern dialect. It is used as a metaphor for the brevity of spring and the rapid alternation of winter and summer.
Spring in tea villages is particularly short.
Spring, rain, sting, spring equinox, Qingming, valley rain, summer. Drinking, eating meat, visiting relatives and friends, ushering in the send-off, the year is confused to the Lantern Festival, spring and rain will pass, flashing in front of the eyes is the sting and the spring equinox.
Watering, fertilizing, weeding, loosening the soil, pruning, the living road on the tea mountain came one after another, and before it was finished, it was the Qingming Festival.
Every year in March and April, before the Qingming Dynasty and before the valley rains, it is the peak season for tea picking. The tea before the Qingming Dynasty is called Mingqian Tea, and the tea before the Ming Dynasty is of high quality and high price, which determines the harvest of the year.
In late March, the buds that have been held for a winter begin to emerge and can be picked one after another.
The timing of picking determines the quality of the tea leaves, and the quality of one bud and one leaf is higher than that of one bud and two leaves.
However, from late March to the Qingming Festival, there are less than ten days, which is the golden time for tea harvesting, and the slightest mistake is abandoned.
Over the years, in order to prepare early, every Spring Festival, Lao Chen must bring gifts to visit the homes of familiar tea pickers to ensure that there are enough people in the tea picking season.
Last year's tea picking season, Lao Chen also called me and said that there was a serious shortage of tea pickers and was very anxious to see if I could help.
I said that the epidemic control was too strict, and the community would not let him run around, and refused him.
Later, it was said that the government department organized a special car to transport some tea pickers from other places to alleviate the pressure. But the impact is also certain.
I didn't dare to call Lao Chen to ask about the situation, for fear of adding to his heart.
Spring rain is as expensive as oil
It is also as expensive as oil after more than one
In recent days, it is the tea picking season again, but the sky is not beautiful, the rain is continuous, the tea leaves cannot be picked, and the tea farmers are still very anxious.
One day the weather forecast was cloudy and rainy, and I took the car early in the morning to the old Chen family to help pick tea.
As soon as they met, Lao Chen said that I was a nobleman, the last time I needed rain I brought rain, this time it was no rain, I came to the rain and stopped.
Who knew that we had just gone up the mountain to pick for a while, the sky had changed, it was raining again, the tea could not be picked, and everyone could only go back to the old Chen family to avoid the rain.
As soon as they entered the house, the tea pickers began to complain, saying that God did not have long eyes, and had been coming for several days, and had not picked tea to earn money.
Old Chen comforted them not to be in a hurry, saying that they would eat and live for free, and there was something to worry about.
They said that they were uneasy about eating and living in vain, and they also said that they had come to earn money, and why did they not run so far away from home to earn money.
After a while of arguing, they began to knit sweaters and do needlework.
Old Chen and I drank tea and talked, he said: "There is no day before the Qingming Dynasty, the tea harvest before the Ming Dynasty has become a foregone conclusion, I hope that there will be a good day before the valley rain, and the tea harvest before the rain will be abundant." When it rains, the tea picker earns one or two hundred less a day, and I earn thousands less a day. ”
I asked him how many thousands?
He said: "This account is good calculation, a tea picker picks 2 or 3 pounds of tea green a day, about 1 pound of dry tea, the price of 1 kg of dry tea is calculated according to 500, 5 people is 2500 yuan, and the price is higher than three or four thousand."
Spring rain is as expensive as oil, spring rain is indeed as expensive as oil, the lack of expensive as oil, more rain, it seems to be as expensive as oil.
After saying that he laughed. I could tell it was a bitter laugh, a helpless laugh...
As soon as I saw that the rain was still falling, and I was going to go down, I was going to leave, Old Chen kept me for lunch and then left, I politely declined, saying that I did not help to eat you another meal, you will not lose more.
Walking in the rain, I prayed that the rain would not fall, that there would be a good day before the rain in the valley, and that tea would have a good harvest before the rain.
At the same time, I also feel that the most pitiful people under the heavens are still the peasants, who depend on God for food; we are a big agricultural country, the peasants account for the majority, agriculture is stable, the peasants are rich, and our country can have long-term peace and stability, and the country can be safe and secure.
Want to drink the "King of Green Tea" Mao Tip, do not know where to buy?
A few days ago, Yuji's friends went to one of the production areas of Xinyang Maojian, Huhe District, and will work with local tea farmers to provide everyone with good quality Xinyang Maojian, from a fresh leaf to a good tea... Waiting for you to drink.