Chapter 95：the Japan trip 7

Xiu Ling and Joann had a lesson in the art of picking tea. It was more complicated than either of the women thought.

First, you put your thumb and index finger between the stem of the leaves. Then, do not pull because that might hurt the plant and leaves but instead twist your fingers to snap the leaves off the stem. Remember to not pinch the leaves off with your fingernails but rely on a masterful use of the twist of your wrist.

Xiu Ling and Joann got into work and not long after that, their backs started to ache because they had to keep their backs bent to pluck the tea leaves that only grew to their waist. It was quite literally back-breaking work.

However, both women had to say, they quite enjoy it. This was something they would not do normally. Of course, asking them to do this daily might kill them but pretending to be something they were not for that brief moment had a certain charm to it.

It reminded Joann of those days before she found fame and fortune, the days she spent hauling those heavy pots of Tong Shui inside Auntie Xiao's shop.

After Xiu Ling and Joann had their fill and they started to sweat earnestly, the guide moved them along to the next part of the tour. They were introduced to the processes that happened after the tea leaves were plucked. They went through the process of drying, sifting and so on.

The process was more industrialized than the women thought. Then again, with the amount of product the plantation needed to produce daily, this should come as no surprise.

However, the plantation also kept some of the traditional methods to produce a line of artisanal teas.

The ladies' tour ended with a tea ceremony.

The rules observed during Japanese tea ceremony were notoriously complicated and thankfully, the guide did not force Xiu Ling and Joann who had no clue about any of them to follow the culture closely. She showed them a brief demonstration of how it was supposed to be done properly and that was it.

The tea ceremony, was in other words, just a tea tasting. They were served many types of different teas and one of the more unique ones was the Sakura Tea. According to the guide, the tea was used in olden times to serve only the honorable and influential.

The Sakura Tea, as the name suggests, used peach blossom flowers as one of its ingredients, pickled peach blossoms to be precise. The blooms expanded when hot water was poured into the cup and it did look like art coming alive.

"Other than the natural fragrance of the tea leaves, Sakura Tea carries with it a unique flowery scent. Take a sip and you should feel the notes of the peach blossoms spread through your mouth and nose," Their guide explained.

Xiu Ling and Joann took a careful sip and they shared a look with each other that seemed to say, 'B*tch, where?!'

It took every ounce of energy in their body to not scrunch up their faces from the saltiness of the tea so they would not be perceived as rude. There was no floral scent or fragrance that their guide mentioned, all they could taste was the overwhelming saltiness of the ingredient used to pickle the flower blooms. They even suspected the guide was merely pranking them.

Either way, they had fun on the tour and they left with the tea leaves that they hand-picked as gifts.

They stopped at an Udon place their driver recommended before returning to the hotel. The noodles was as the man said, delicious.

The tour at the tea plantation ended earlier than expected and even with the pit stop at the Udon shop, the sky was still bright when they arrived back at their hotel.

It was too late to fit in another sight-seeing plan and too early to retire to bed. Xiu Ling and Joann returned to their room and did the one thing they felt like doing, which was nothing.

After some time lazing about, Joann suddenly said, "Xiu Ling, remember those cakes we bought yesterday? We should eat them before they expire. Wait a minute, I shall go get them."

"Thank you." Xiu Ling said lying on a couch that was so large that it practically swallowed her.

When Joann returned, Xiu Ling heard the sound of glass clinking. Confused, Xiu Ling climbed up to look. Other than the cakes, Joann was also carrying a bottle of wine and wine glasses.

Sensing Xiu Ling's glance, Joann explained, "What goes better with cakes than wine?"

Xiu Ling had to concede to her best friend's point. Xiu Ling helped Joann lay out the spread on the coffee table. Xiu Ling unboxed the Castella while Joann uncorked the wine and poured each of them a glass.

They shared a piece of the pastry. The layer of honey glaze on top had a caramel-like taste and it snapped like very thin candy coating when bitten into. The sweetness then melted on the touch of your tongue and it matched perfectly with the fluffy sponge cake center.

"No wonder the cake is so popular," Xiu Ling said, impressed.

That led to other topics of conversation and jokes went back and forth. Snuggled in the comfort of their room, with the company of good food and good friend, both women were glad that they chose to not go out that night.

They had a girl's talk because what girl's trip would be complete without one?

Joann took a sip of her wine and she asked, "Xiu Ling, yesterday at the shrines, I noticed you pray for a Love Omamori. How are things going on that front?"