Somehow, over time, I have come to associate my father's love with a strong Tea aroma.

My father loved his tea and for years he has been drinking homemade wild vegetable tea.

When spring warms the earth and revives the land, the bitter vegetables and dandelions in the hills around our hometown poke through the soil with fresh new greens. Father would rush to gather them before Qingming Festival, as they would start blooming and lose their fresh, fragrant flavor after that. Every day, he would clean and dry the gathered bitter vegetables and dandelions, then gently stir-fry them over a low flame to make bitter vegetable tea. The tea carries a faintly bitter taste and the fresh scent of earth.

In the height of summer, when stone bamboo flowers are at their most charming, father would be busy gathering stone bamboo growing in the crevices of cliffs. He would carefully select them to make stone bamboo tea. During the hot summer days, father would sit under the parasol tree in the yard, sipping stone bamboo tea with its emerald color and rich fragrance, while idly fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.

Not only did father make tea in spring and summer, but he also picked the tender leaves from the tips of mulberry trees in late autumn to make healthful mulberry leaf tea. Thus, father's wild vegetable teas were available all year round. Every day, he would carry a large Teapot filled with strong tea, which he would open from time to time to take a whiff or a sip, completely absorbed in it.

After I joined the military, many soldiers had no habit of Drinking Tea. One summer, I suddenly developed sores on the corners of my mouth and felt unwell all over. I wrote to father about it, and a few days later, he unexpectedly showed up at the barracks, bringing several bags of wild vegetable tea. Looking at my mouth, he said, “It's nothing serious, drink some tea for a few days and you'll be fine.”

I told him, “You could have just mailed the tea, there was no need to make such a long trip.” Father chuckled and said, “Who knows how long it would take to arrive by mail, I got here as soon as I could.” His words moved me and made my nose tingle. After all, I was still a first-year recruit then, and any little ailment would make me homesick. When I saw him, I actually wanted to cry. Following his instructions, I drank the wild vegetable tea for several days, and gradually the discomfort disappeared.

The images used in this article, sourced from the Beijing Tea World new media platform, are not related to the content.

Later, when I returned home and started working for the government, the office provided tea, and father's wild vegetable tea was gradually set aside. One day, I brought some good quality tea home to give to father, and I also advised him, given his age, to avoid climbing those hills.

But father didn't even look at it and scolded me for wasting money. He said that farmers are tough and don't enjoy luxury items. He made wild vegetable tea because he was used to drinking it and also to keep fit.

As I was leaving, I specifically asked for a few bags of the wild vegetable tea father made himself. He happily handed them over to me, his demeanor suggesting he was rewarding me. I knew that was a father's most sincere love for his child, a love that exudes the fresh scent of earth.

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