Chapter 29 The Tea for the Apprenticeship
Shang Yuji, Jiang Xi, and Yi Sha stood facing each other in the hall.
The day after talking with the two doctors, Yi Sha hurriedly visited them, partly out of curiosity that her little apprentice was actually the son of Yue Mingzhu, and partly because she wanted to take Jiang Xi under her wing as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.
Normally, when a disciple becomes an apprentice, the disciple should visit the master's home to present gifts. However, due to Yi Sha's nature, he couldn't contain his anxiety as soon as he learned that Shang Yuji and his group had returned to Yangzhou.
It's like having a rare tree standing right in front of you, but not being able to immediately start carving it.
Yi Sha had been itching to come to the inn since the day before. She was surprised by the content of her meeting with Yan Qing and Fang Mu yesterday, but that didn't stop her from rushing over to the inn.
Shang Yuji was momentarily stunned. She had vaguely thought that what Yi Sha had said at the inn was unbelievable, but she did not expect that the person in question would appear before her so soon after returning to Yangzhou.
There wasn't even a moment to react.
Jiang Xi sat to the side, not sensitive to the atmosphere on the field. He only felt that it was a bit quiet. He glanced at Aji, then at Old Yi, and then continued to sit quietly to the side without saying a word.
Left with no other choice, Shang Yuji spoke first: "Senior Yi, Hai Tian and I actually have another question. We know that you are skilled with a whip. Do you think Hai Tian is suited to a whip or would he also be suitable for another weapon?"
Yi Sha coughed twice and said seriously, "All martial arts under heaven lead to the same goal. This old woman is not only skilled with a whip, but also with a few swords, spears, and staffs! He can learn whatever he wants!"
After saying that, Yi Sha felt a little uneasy for a moment. Although he could use a few tricks, he was definitely not quite at the top level in the martial arts world.
Otherwise, she would have abandoned all pretense and gone to ask the other three how to wield swords and spears.
In short, we must not let the apprentice we are about to acquire slip away!
"...Why is it such an unconditional promise again?" Shang Yuji smiled and explained, "We certainly trust you, senior. However, Hai Tian is naturally dull-witted, and we are afraid that you will have to put in a lot of effort."
"Hey! Now that we've come this far, I dare say there's no master in the world more patient than me!" Yi Sha clenched her fist, her face serious as she confidently declared.
Seeing that she seemed to be hesitating, Yi Sha became a little anxious. In her haste, she remembered her speculation from last night and blurted out, "I know something about the Moon Pearl. If you agree to become my disciples, I will tell you!"
Shang Yuji's smile remained unchanged, but she wondered to herself: How did Elder Yi know about the Moon Pearl? Did he find out their background?
"Hehe, little girl, just agree to her. If you don't, you two won't have any peace later."
Yan Qing's voice came from afar. He guessed that with Shang Xiaoni's seemingly enthusiastic nature, but actually always leaving room for herself and others, it would be difficult for Yi Sha to quickly transition from strangers to close and trustworthy relationships with them!
Upon hearing this, Shang Yuji secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Doctor Yan knew Elder Yi and had told Elder Yi about Jiangxi's trip.
Perhaps he wanted to learn about the affairs of the martial arts world from Master Yi?
That's certainly one possible path.
Yi Sha knew he was there to help, so she didn't argue and sincerely agreed, "This old woman really cherishes Jiang Langjun's talent. Even if he becomes invincible after mastering his skills, he'll still have martial arts skills to protect himself when he's out and about, right?"
These words moved Shang Yuji. She had previously supported Jiang Xi in learning martial arts partly because he was naive and ignorant, and didn't know how to resist when he was deceived.
Having learned martial arts, even if one only masters a fraction of it and may not qualify as a martial arts master, at least one gains the ability to save oneself, rather than relying on the pity of others for rescue as in the original story.
Although it seemed like Doctor Yan was teasing Elder Yi, he was actually vouching for Elder Yi and getting them to agree to become his disciples.
Finally, Shang Yuji tugged at Jiang Xi's sleeve and said to Yi Sha, "Then Hai Tian will be left to Senior Yi."
Yi Sha was overjoyed and clapped his hands repeatedly, laughing loudly: "Good! Good! Good! My good disciple, quickly call me Master and let me hear it!"
Jiang Xi glanced at Shang Yuji, who nodded slightly. Jiang Xi bowed and clenched his fist, saying, "Greetings, Master."
With his new master making a strong showing, Yi Sha was already fantasizing about his disciple defeating Old Man Huo's disciple: "Come with your master, your master will take you to practice martial arts!"
Without the traditional apprenticeship tea ceremony, the apprenticeship banquet, and the heartfelt exchange between master and disciple, does the training immediately jump into the topic of martial arts?
Isn't that a bit too fast?!
"Senior Yi—" Shang Yuji hurriedly asked, "Where do you intend to take him to practice martial arts? Do you need us to prepare any equipment?"
Upon hearing Shang Yuji's question, Yi Sha realized that he had been too hasty. He had no place to practice martial arts, no suitable weapon, and all he had was people.
After a moment of silence, Shang Yuji understood the senior's reply and smiled, "It's almost noon, senior, please stay for lunch. We can talk more later."
Shang Yuji asked someone to bring more tea and snacks, and asked Yi Sha and Yan Qing to sit in the room for a while. She then pulled Jiang Xi out of the main hall and stopped in the kitchen.
She instructed Zhao Sao to prepare several elaborate dishes, and then took Jiang Xi to the storeroom to find the tea she had bought from a tea-selling woman in Guanli Town, Fujian.
Guanli Town was the predecessor of Zhenghe County, and it was named after the era name it received for its tribute of Baihao Yinzhen tea.
The tribute tea alone was enough to make Shang Yuji buy it without hesitation.
Although Gong Cha is currently in its infancy, even a giant's infancy should not be underestimated!
As for the apprenticeship process, Shang Yuji didn't know it either. She learned it from the period dramas she remembered and taught it to Jiang Xi step by step.
In one corner of the kitchen, people are busy preparing the tea ceremony for the apprenticeship ceremony, while inside the main hall, there is another scene to behold.
Yan Qing poured himself a cup of tea and said cheerfully, "Look how anxious you are, be careful not to scare your disciple away."
"I owe you a favor today." Yi Sha picked up a delicate pastry and sighed, "This little girl is really cautious."
"Who else would do what you did, going up to someone and immediately offering to take them on as a disciple? That's less likely than someone giving you a rare medicinal herb when you go out."
"What a promising talent! I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I missed out on him!"
As the two chatted, Yan Qing put down his teacup and said, "Old Yi, you should take a closer look at Shang Xiaoni. She's a bit peculiar."
Yi Sha said, "Tell me in detail."
Yan Qing pointed to the teacup: "This is one of them."
"Tea is mostly consumed as a beverage. Tea cakes are crushed, boiled in water, and then mixed with ginger, scallions, orange peel, mint, etc., to make a bowl of tea that resembles porridge."
Those who indulge in refined tastes might add spices to achieve the effect of "the fragrance of flowers enhancing the flavor of the tea."
Yi Sha frowned and said, "I can't stand that strange-tasting 'tea porridge.' It's much better when it's boiled or steeped."
Yan Qing nodded and said, "Then can you tell what's different about this tea?"
Hearing him say this, Yi Sha picked up his teacup and looked at it carefully. The tea was clear and occasionally had a fragrant aroma. After taking a sip, he found the taste to be fresh, mellow, and lingering.
Without careful tasting, she would think it was no different from the tea sold in teahouses, but if she paid attention, she could appreciate its unique flavor.
"This seems a bit different from ordinary tea." She took a few sips, and when the tea in the cup was empty, she poured it back in.
Yan Qing said, "Ordinary people, for the sake of convenience, will not spend a lot of time brewing tea. They simply boil water and drink it once it cools down."
Tea brewed with tea leaves often has a bitter taste, so some people add sugar cubes or longan to sweeten it. But this cup of tea is different.
"You mean, she didn't add anything, and this is just the natural fragrance of the tea leaves?"
"Excellent! I observe that this tea has undergone most of the processing techniques, but unfortunately, I can't see much of it."
Yi Sha asked, "People always discover new and interesting things, but that's not enough to say the little girl is strange, is it?"
"No," Yan Qing said in a deep voice, "Tea made with this kind of process will surely be praised by the people, and may even be famous for generations. But right now, look at it, it is just used to attract customers. If Shang Xiaoni had just handed over the recipe, why would we have to worry about money?"
"When some utensils are first made, their owners often do not realize the great impact they will have. It is not surprising that the little girl does not know the value of the craftsmanship."
Yan Qing clapped his hands and laughed: "I came to Yangzhou with her, but as soon as we arrived, I parted ways with them and unexpectedly learned something."
He didn't intend to keep them in suspense and simply said, "There are three restaurants in the city, bustling with people every day. Each restaurant has five signature dishes, mainly stir-fried, with an enticing aroma."
Interestingly, I found out that she was the one who provided these fifteen recipes.
“Old Yi, the strange thing about this girl is that she possesses a huge treasure trove, yet she is completely unaware of its value. She treats everything in the treasure trove as ordinary objects and does nothing about it.”
"My apprentice's wife is actually so capable!" Yi Sha's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly felt pressure all over his body. "What if the gifts I give later are of lower quality? Will they look down on me as their master?"
So, after saying all that, did he come up with this?
Yan Qing could only smile and reassure her, "Don't worry, this little girl is very easy to talk to."
Under Shang Yuji's urgent instruction, Jiang Xi learned the most basic tea ceremony etiquette for the apprenticeship ceremony. The two then returned to the main hall with the prepared tea set.
Jiang Xi straightened up, picked up the teacup that was seven-tenths full with both hands, walked respectfully to Yi Sha, raised the cup to his eyebrows, bowed and said, "Master, please accept my bow!"
Today, they suddenly came to my door, and after some persuasion, they finally accepted me as their disciple. Yi Sha thought that since it was so rushed, there wouldn't be a formal apprenticeship tea ceremony. Unexpectedly, the two of them left for a while to make preparations.
Although the person serving the tea tried to appear dignified, her tightly pursed lips betrayed a hint of panic. The person beside her watched nervously, and when her gaze swept over her, the young girl gave a sheepish smile, as if afraid that she would refuse this tea ceremony that seemed rather informal for the apprenticeship ceremony.
The momentary emotion was indescribable. She steadily took the teacup, offered a few words of encouragement, and without even having time to savor whether the tea had been made using any new process as discussed earlier, she drank it down in one gulp.
Forget about any treasures or wonders, she, Yi Sha of the Seven Stars Sect in the Western Regions, and her two obedient disciples and their wives in Baoding!
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