Serving tea
Lin Xu chose a clean wooden table by the window and sat down. Zhu Ling was in high spirits, so Lin Xu smiled and let her order jujube flower cake, which was not common in Mujing, along with a plate of red bean paste dumplings, a plate of pastry, and some light side dishes.
Soon the tea lady came up with a long-spouted copper teapot. The teapot had obviously just been taken off the fire stand and was still sizzling with heat. The aroma of tea also came out from the red-hot spout.
The tea lady was tall and slender, and acted very efficiently. She calmly and steadily placed the wooden tray and two white porcelain cups she was holding in her other hand.
She knelt before the table, her wrists twirling as she slowly poured tea into the cups in front of them.
The tea leaves, glistening as they fell, resembled silken threads draped over jade, slowly settling into the snow-white porcelain cup without a single drop spilling. With the rising steam, a cool, refreshing aroma of tea filled the air, mingled with a subtle astringent fragrance of lotus leaves and licorice.
It has a unique flavor that neither Mujing nor Laining has.
The tea lady lowered her eyelashes and said, "This is our shop's specialty coarse tea, made with two parts lotus leaf, one piece of poria cocos, a little bit of wet glutinous rice, and a little bit of licorice. Please enjoy it, sir."
Lin Xu picked up the teacup and slowly took a sip. It was indeed refreshing and crisp, with the aroma of herbs lingering on his lips and teeth, even richer than it smelled, and with a faint fragrance of glutinous rice.
"I never imagined that such a remote place would have such a unique tea aroma. Qingzhou is indeed a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. The tea lady has excellent skills."
The tea lady merely nodded slightly upon receiving the praise, showing no sign of surprise or delight. It was as if she were used to such compliments. She quickly served the tea and snacks and then turned to attend to her work.
Zhu Ling observed this and said in a low voice, "This lady is quite sensible."
Remain unmoved by favor or disgrace, as calm as still water.
The teapot was heavy and scalding hot, yet the tea lady managed the entire shop with ease. Although the shop was small, it was enough to demonstrate her competence.
Lin Xu glanced at the brown figure bustling about in another corner of the shop and said calmly:
"To run such a small shop so successfully, one must be truly intelligent and capable."
Although she and Zhu Ling were dressed casually and without much adornment, the materials used and the few pieces of jewelry they wore were understated yet of considerable value. Ordinary people could tell their status at a glance and would immediately come up with a respectful expression to flatter them, but this tea lady remained calm and focused solely on her own duties.
Lin Xu quietly sipped his tea, but couldn't help glancing at it a few more times.
Zhu Ling nodded, but her thoughts were already on the glistening red bean paste dumplings on the table. She had gotten up very early and had a bumpy journey, so she was naturally a little hungry.
Lin Xu didn't care too much about the so-called master-servant hierarchy and treated her servants very kindly. Zhu Ling was the most capable person by her side at the moment, so she was naturally less reserved when she spent time with Lin Xu in private.
Zhu Ling picked up a round red bean paste dumpling and tasted it. It was indeed sweet, soft, and glutinous, sweet but not greasy. It was perfect with tea, and her smile became even brighter.
Lin Xu knew that Zhu Ling was usually cautious and meticulous, but when it came to food, she still had a bit of a childlike nature, so she had always indulged her. Seeing Zhu Ling eating happily, she couldn't help but purse her lips and tease her:
"If you like, feel free to order a few more dishes. We still have half a day's journey ahead, so don't end up hungry halfway up the mountain. That would be a real disaster."
Zhu Ling wiped her mouth somewhat embarrassedly and quickly said, "Madam, please don't laugh at me."
She noticed that Lin Xu barely ate anything, only sipping tea, and said, "You haven't eaten much today. Is it not to your liking? Would you like me to go and buy you some hot food?"
Lin Xu had a simple breakfast before leaving; a bowl of chicken and bamboo shoot congee was enough to fill her up. She had been eating very lightly lately, yet she still felt full after just a few bites. Now, sitting idly and sipping tea, she felt quite comfortable and didn't want to eat anything more. She shook her head.
After resting for a while, a few more people came into the shop. Judging from their clothes, they were all villagers from the neighboring village. They seemed to know the tea lady very well, so they nodded and greeted her before sitting down.
Lin Xu quietly sipped her tea, but when the tea lady came to settle the bill, she looked up at her and whispered:
"Madam, your tea-making skills are superb. Are you a native of Qingzhou?"
Upon hearing this, the tea lady smiled and replied, "Madam, I am a local. I just run a small teahouse and do some small business. I'm just skilled at it."
She could tell from Lin Xu's accent that she was from out of town and was passing through. Seeing that she was dressed smartly and had an elegant demeanor, she naturally knew that she must be the wife of a wealthy and powerful family. However, she did not think of currying favor with him and simply answered politely.
Seeing her distant and polite demeanor, Lin Xu's smile deepened, and she said gently:
"I never imagined that Qingzhou was truly a blessed land. Since you are a local, madam, would you mind telling me what the weather is like in Qingzhou this year? I've been traveling under a blazing sun all along, it's really scorching hot. I wonder if it will rain in the next few days."
The tea lady glanced at the clear blue sky outside the window, then raised her arm and gently wiped away the beads of sweat.
"What you say is true, sir. This summer, the entire Qingzhou is hotter than in previous years, but there has been a lot of rain since the beginning of the year. These past few days have been the Great Heat, and it looks like it won't rain for the next few days. You can travel with peace of mind."
Lin Xu thanked them, asked Zhu Ling to leave a packet of loose silver on the table, and then prepared to leave.
Before the two had even stepped out the door, the tea lady hurriedly caught up with them:
"Esteemed guest, you have given far too much money. Our shop is humble, and two bowls of coarse tea shouldn't cost this much." With that, he tried to return the purse to Zhu Ling.
Lin Xu smiled and said, "We were passing through this place, and if it weren't for your excellent skills, we wouldn't have been able to quench our thirst so well. Your tea is definitely worth the money."
The tea lady was about to decline, but Zhu Ling said, "Please accept it, madam. My lady has always cherished and loved tea. It is because of your excellent skills that my lady is so pleased."
After saying that, Lin Xu and Zhu Ling turned around and left quickly. When the tea lady saw that she couldn't catch up, she quickly took out a bag of steaming rice dumplings from the steamer and stuffed it into Lin Xu's hand.
"Thank you, Madam. I am just a peasant woman and have nothing to repay you with, so please try these freshly steamed dumplings. They are made with washed pear blossoms as filling."
Lin Xu smiled and nodded, thanked him softly, and left.
After resting here, it was already late afternoon. We still had nearly half a day's journey to reach Qingyang, so it was time to set off.
As soon as Lin Xu stepped out of the teahouse, she saw Guard Jiang standing under a withered tree directly in front of the teahouse, arms crossed, his handsome face flushed red from the sun. She wondered how long he had been waiting for them there.
Upon seeing Lin Xu emerge, Guard Jiang stepped forward discreetly and bowed in greeting.
"Brother Jiang, were you guarding the door the whole time?" Zhu Ling couldn't help but ask curiously.
Guard Jiang wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. "Before leaving, the master specifically instructed us that the safety of the madam was of paramount importance, and ordered us to bring her head as a gift. I naturally dared not neglect this duty."
Lin Xu was somewhat surprised.
For a moment, she couldn't imagine how Dou Yanxun, who always seemed so calm and collected, could utter such harsh words.
Seeing the doubt on her face, Guard Jiang cupped his hands in greeting:
"Madam, you may not know this, but since we were ordered to serve the master, he personally selected dozens of highly skilled men from among his guards and specifically assigned them to be responsible for your safety. Even now, those who remain in the manor to protect the master are merely second-class guards..."
Before the words were even finished, Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat, and his expression suddenly changed—
How could Dou Yanxun be so muddle-headed!
He actually sent all the first-class guards to her side! Since moving to Laining, she had been living in the inner quarters and didn't know much about these guards. She was only somewhat familiar with the head guard, Qi, and some other skilled guards. These people were actually carefully selected to protect her!
No wonder these people were always surrounding her... She had thought it was just a routine patrol by the many guards in the mansion.
And all he left for her were second-class guards; she had thought the manor still had enough manpower...
How could he be so careless? The situation in Laining is turbulent, and there is a mole within the county government. It is a time when one move can affect the whole situation. What if the mole and Zheng Jiangran's men work together and take advantage of this period of weakened vigilance to attack Dou Yanxun?
In a moment of panic, her heart began to pound. It was all her fault for being so preoccupied with her troubled mind these past few days, constantly thinking about their unpleasant parting, and overlooking such an obvious thing. And to make matters worse, at such a crucial moment, she had even sent people out of the manor to handle her own private affairs in another city…
"That's ridiculous! Why are you only telling me now!"
She glanced at the fully equipped guards standing in the shade, feeding and watering the horses. There were about a dozen of them; they were more than enough to protect her alone, and it was a waste of manpower to have so many. She then said to Guard Jiang:
"Fortunately, we've only traveled for half a day. We can still turn back now. Let's set off immediately and return to the manor before dark."
Although Zhu Ling was puzzled, seeing Lin Xu's expression, she knew the matter was of great importance and dared not dissuade him. For a moment, she could only ask worriedly:
"But if we go back in such a grand manner, won't it attract more attention...?"
Recently, shipping in Laining has been suspended, causing goods to pile up, and the Zen temple by the moat has been repeatedly in trouble. It is a time of great unrest, and even Zhu Ling can see that someone is impatient to take action.
Now that Lin Xu is leaving the county magistrate's residence as his wife, although she is keeping a low profile, the fact that three carriages traveled from the government office to the outside world naturally cannot be hidden from the rumors in the streets and alleys. Presumably, the news of her going on a long trip has already spread throughout Laining City.
If we were to suddenly turn back now, it would only arouse suspicion.
Guard Qi nodded solemnly.
“Madam’s concerns are not without merit. However, we are now in Qingzhou’s territory. If we turn back, it will only arouse Zheng Jiangran’s suspicion and may even alert him.”
Lin Xu recalled that she had once instructed Steward Qi to specially find out Zheng Jiangran's past experiences when he was an official. She had carefully read it in her spare time. Although Zheng Jiangran had only served as the private granary officer of Laining Military Town for a few short years, he was actually very shrewd and skilled in abacus calculation. People often joked that he "never misses a single grain of millet."
If she were to return so meticulously, she would surely not be able to hide it from him, and might even attract more of Zheng Jiangran's attention.
She certainly couldn't go back and alert the enemy.
Under the scorching sun, Lin Xu looked at the carriages parked under the shade of the trees in the distance and the busy, burly guards. Just standing there, they formed an impenetrable wall, and no one would dare to act recklessly.
A ripple suddenly appeared in the icy pool of her heart—
She decided to come to Qingyang because she found some errors in her shop's accounts and wanted to have them checked.
She had been looking at those accounts repeatedly for a long time, and she had always thought that she was not very proficient in them, which was why she had overlooked them for so long.
But when did she suddenly realize that the accounts didn't match and that there were many problems?
In Lin Xu's mind, it was as if a cold wind was howling, dispersing a thick fog, and gradually the image of Steward Qi, with his hunched back and honest and reliable appearance, appeared.
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