Biographies of Tea Masters (28): The Tea Addict

Biographies of Tea Masters (28)

A is a northerner, around fifty years old, doesn't deal in tea, but has been drinking tea for many years. He's a seasoned tea addict, known in his northern city as a veteran Pu'er tea connoisseur. A group of people surrounds A, learning tea from him. This time, A, entrusted by several tea friends, carried over 300,000 yuan to Menghai to source pure ancient tree tea from Lao Banzhang.

A arrived a few days early; the ancient trees in Lao Banzhang hadn't produced much yet, so A visited various tea shops in Menghai, where he met a young ethnic minority woman, Yang Meinv, and they hit it off immediately. Yang was very straightforward, and A didn't stand on ceremony. During the day, Yang drove A around the tea mountains in her car. They had to visit Lao Banzhang, and also went to Hekai, Banpen, Lao Man'e, Pasha, Nannuo Mountain, Huazhu Liangzi, Naka, and other famous Menghai mountains. They even made a whirlwind tour of Jingmai Mountain and the Yiwu tea region nearby. In the evenings, Yang would invite a group of friends, mostly women, to show A the exotic charm of Menghai, first KTV, then barbecue. A was well-fed and drunk every day, returning satisfied.

From the very first day, A and Yang had been flirting ambiguously. After two days of touring tea mountains and two late-night snacks, they ended up in bed together. For a while, it was all romance and affection. Yang was truly a sweetheart. During those days, A was in high spirits and never felt tired anywhere. They were inseparable, touring tea mountains, hitting karaoke bars, and having barbecues. A felt his spring had come again.

On the seventh day, A remembered clearly, it was his seventh day in Menghai. Yang drove her pickup truck, carrying three boxes of loose sun-dried mao cha, and moved them to A's hotel room, saying they were the Lao Banzhang she had prepared for him. A could only go through the motions, hastily tasting the tea, and transferred over 300,000 yuan to Yang.

A returned the next day. I haven't heard of A coming back to Menghai since.

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