Chapter 71 Tea Party (Part 1)
"I don't deserve your advice, but I heard that the tea tasting party was coming, but I never received the invitation from Manager Wu. I am afraid I missed it in my busy schedule. In order to prevent tea lovers from missing the opportunity to taste tea, I took the liberty to come here."
Si Li took a quick look around the hall and unexpectedly saw Si Tang sitting cross-legged on a futon. He pretended not to see him and said with a smile, "I heard that everyone who comes to the tea party will introduce themselves. It's our first meeting. My family is a milk tea shop. Have you heard of it?"
Although there were young ladies and noblewomen in the hall, their number was relatively small, and none of them came with such a casual attitude. Several people had already frowned, and Si Tang was one of them.
She stared at the girl in front of the door, and a strange feeling of familiarity surged into her heart. She seemed to have seen such a pair of eyes before, but there was no bright light in them that looked forward to life.
Who is it?
After hearing clearly what the visitor's name was, and the visitor introduced himself, Si Tang's new and old hatreds surged into his heart. It turned out to be her!
She got a seat at the tea party only after she took the Yunshan Mist Tea that her mother had kept as a dowry. In front of these famous scholars or literati families, her past title of the most talented woman was just a child's words and was not taken seriously. However, this merchant girl stood with the crowd, not at all timid, and was so confident as if she was completely unaware of the difference in status.
Resisting the urge to stand up and scold, and remembering what her mother had told her to seize the opportunity, Si Tang lowered her head and did not look towards the door.
Wu You was choked by Si Li's self-talk and missed the first opportunity to stop her from talking. Instead, the scholar sitting on the futon next to him said, "What's the point of the milk tea trick? It's just an unorthodox way. It's understandable that the young shopkeeper is young and ignorant. Since you are here, you should make the best of it and take a look at the tea ceremony of the predecessors. It will be good for you."
The words were arrogant, and he didn't take Si Li's milk tea seriously. Wu You smiled and pointed to the high-back chair in the corner, "Please."
"The two tea cups of Bai Niao Chao Feng and Song Bai Shou Chang are empty. Who would like to come and show his talents?" Wu You wanted to give away a lower-class seat, but Si Li did not move. Seeing that Si Li in front of the door did not move, Wu You stopped entertaining him. Instead, he faced the door and called on people to come up with a smile.
A round of tea brewing had just ended and it was time for the newcomer to take the stage. However, because the atmosphere was unclear and tea tasting is a skill that requires a calm mind, tea drinkers who had their own good tea did not step forward for a while, as they were all worried that the reputation of their good tea would be ruined in the dispute.
After the four kinds of tea from Wuweilou, it was now the turn of each family's own tea. Everyone came forward in an orderly manner according to their rank, but Wu You did not get a response when he spoke this time. The smile on his face froze. He called again, but still no one moved. The scene was about to fall into an awkward situation.
With the preciousness of Yunshan Wu Tea, before Si Li came in and messed up the situation, it would be Si Tang's turn to show her how to brew tea after a few people finished brewing tea. At this time, when no one in the room responded, Si Tang gritted her teeth, stood up, and bowed, "Such a grand event, all the seniors are humble and do not want to compete for the first place. In order to throw a brick to attract jade, I will be embarrassed. Can you please bring me a stove and a pot?"
Wu You's smile returned, "Miss Si, are you going to brew tea using the brewing method? The ancient method is rare nowadays. Everyone knows that she is the most talented woman in the capital, but today I see that she is worthy of her reputation. Lord Si is a capable person in the court, and Miss Si is a young talent. It is true that a good father will have a good daughter!"
He opened his mouth and burst into praise. Si Tang lowered his head as if shy. Si Li, standing in front of the door, raised her eyebrows slightly. Was Si Tang also so complacent at those banquets that the original owner avoided?
"What a coincidence." Si Li smiled, her eyes were cold, "I have heard of the title of the most talented woman for a long time, and I have wanted to get close to her, but I often missed her. Today, I saw that she is indeed a beauty. Miss Si Er is good at tea, and my family's Wanglaiju also happens to have milk tea. Why don't you lend me a stove and a pot so that the two of us can have a little exchange?"
The words "Second Miss Si" were emphasized so much that Wu You was stunned. Among the merchants, only Miss Si was known to be elegant and luxurious. After careful recollection, he remembered that there was also a sickly eldest daughter in the Si Mansion. He only knew that she lived in seclusion at home, but there had never been any other rumors about her. A few days ago, the Jian family sent someone to inform Si Tang not to keep accounts, but did not mention the eldest daughter. Now thinking about it, the answer is very obvious, because the eldest Miss Si is the legitimate cousin of the Jian family!
He looked at Si Li with scrutiny in his eyes. He had thought Wanglai Ju was just a small country stall that had luckily caught on to the Yue Palace's ship. How come it knew so much about the capital's past?
Furthermore, the first time he went to Laiju and the second Miss Si, maybe the Yue Wangfu leaked the news to the shopkeeper. However, both of them were surnamed Si, although Laiju and the Si Mansion always acted like strangers, and there were rumors that the shopkeeper did not recognize Miss Si, but it was possible that there were some relatives behind the scenes. Since it was an old grudge, Wuweilou did not need to get involved.
What's more, she is good at minor skills, and may not be able to master traditional elegance like the tea ceremony, let alone ancient methods. She would certainly lose her composure in public, so letting the previously evil Miss Si vent her anger would also create a good relationship.
After thinking it through, Wu You made a decision immediately and waved his sleeves to let someone fetch the utensils. The traditional method of brewing tea does not require a teapot, so several precious teapots were put aside, and two cushions were placed in the middle. Si Tang walked in slowly, with a graceful figure, gentle and elegant, attracting some of the attention of the people who were mostly attracted by Si Li. Qinglian was late to return, and although Si Tang felt uneasy, she still asked someone to make a new skirt for her. Although it was not as good as Baihuajin and Zhuyue satin, the Haizhu satin on her body was also a rare fine product, and the blue skirt was like waves, which made her even more pitiful.
Wu You smiled and said, "It is a great honor to see you two demonstrate the ancient method at this grand event. It shows that the tea ceremony is still passed down. However, Miss Si used Yunshan Wucha tea balls, which should be broken and brewed first. Little Shopkeeper Si should not let his temper ruin the taste of the tea."
He openly praised the two and secretly scolded Si Li for pretending to know and making a fuss. Si Li understood what he said, smiled and nodded, "That's right, people's hearts are fickle, there are too many people who seek fame, it's a pity for the good tea!"
Si Tang, who was kneeling on the mat and smashing the corners of a tea ball with a small hammer, was beaten by her subordinate. She was scolded in the face, which was really embarrassing. If it were some time ago, she would have stood up to compete with him, but since the servants of Si Mansion were reprimanded by the Prince of Yue, she has experienced too much in these days and has learned to endure her anger for a while.
Seeing that Si Tang did not move, Si Li was a little surprised. From the original owner's memory, she could see that Si Tang was a completely arrogant person. On the surface, he was delicate and charming, but behind the scenes, he could not stand the slightest bit of anger. But she didn't know when he changed his personality.
"Ah Sheng, Xiao Que, since the shopkeeper Wu has treated us so kindly, we cannot let him down. The tea set is not ready yet, and it will take some time to make tea, so please taste the tea I brought from my home." Si Li waved her hand and asked Ah Sheng to put down the wooden barrel, and the ten cups of milk tea inside made a slight sound of water. Most of the people who came to Wuweilou were tea lovers. When they heard that she brought tea, although they knew the name of milk tea, they did not think about it in this way, and thought that Si Li really prepared good tea, and they praised her a little more.
Although the shopkeeper Tang had not come, the tea he prepared was just in time. It was still warm and tasty when the lid was opened. When Wu You saw the waiter from Wanglaiju take out the familiar bamboo-carved cup, his eyebrows jumped and he scolded his own waiter, "Hurry up and get the cauldron!"
He tried to stop Si Li from distributing milk tea by saying that the utensils were ready, but Ah Sheng and Xiao Que were not slow at all. While he was not stopping them, they each took a spoonful of milk tea and divided the ten cups of milk tea into countless small cups and handed them out. Xiao Que had a round face and was honest, while Ah Sheng had a square face and was upright. Both of them smiled and served tea with both hands, with proper etiquette. As the saying goes, you should not hit a smiling person. Their behavior made it difficult for the guests who received the tea cups to refuse.
When I smelled the distinct milky aroma, the teacup in Wanglaiju was a little hot in my hand. But most of the people who came to Wuweilou were of status, and they had to maintain their manners. They would not throw the cup or get angry, so the atmosphere was tense for a while.
Si Li suppressed her smile and secretly gave Meng Taotao a thumbs up. The etiquette they had specially trained for the two came in handy at this time. Xiao Que and the others were specially asked to serve tea to the strangers who had not been seen for two days. The fact that they had not come to make a fuss showed that they were probably not troublemakers and had good manners.
After Wu You's repeated urging, two sets of cauldrons were finally brought out from the storeroom of Wuweilou. The sweet milky smell in the elegant tea aroma was lingering, making him feel irritated. Seeing the cauldrons put on the ground, Wu You waved his sleeves and said in a bad tone, "Young storekeeper, you think you have extraordinary skills and are standing in front of the door waiting for me to come and invite you?"
"Manager Wu, you worry too much." Si Li strode in, stood in front of the cauldron assigned to her, turned around and chuckled, "But you have a strong liver fire, weak yin and sweat, and you worry too much. You should pay more attention to your health."
As she spoke, many people saw the thin layer of sweat on Wu You's face and he was holding back his laughter.
"You! Don't know--" Wu You swallowed the word shame, swung his sleeves to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said seriously, "The equipment is ready, don't try to argue, the second Miss Si is ready, the young shopkeeper Si is not knowing that he is not as skilled as others and is stalling for time, right?"
Si Li did not know how to brew tea, but she had her own confidence. Meng Taotao, who had been silent since arriving at Wuweilou, walked out from behind her. Without Si Li's protection, she looked elegant and graceful in her scholar's robe. She raised her hand and bowed, with a graceful demeanor, "I am Meng Taotao, nice to meet you all. Today, we will have tea, so I will not trouble my shopkeeper to do anything. I will teach you the ancient method of brewing and brewing tea."
Someone recognized that although the material of this robe was ordinary, the embroidery on it was only worn by those who had achieved great honors. They were shocked. Under the emperor's feet, few people dared to overstep the boundaries. The visitor also reported her name. If she had not achieved great honors, a woman's name would never be disclosed to others, which further confirmed her identity. Who would have thought that Wanglaiju, which was full of hidden talents, actually recruited a student? !
As for the scholars, the imperial examinations were seldom held and female students were rare. They were either from noble families or had become famous overnight and were protected by their teachers. Almost no one dared to guess that a scholar would work in a restaurant.
Wu You's eyelids twitched, and he felt that the situation was beginning to exceed his expectations. However, the other party's proposal was reasonable and well-reasoned, and he was not lacking in courtesy at all, so he could only nod and say, "Please."
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The author has something to say:
The saying "a subordinate should be subject to the hard work" is used here, which means "a disciple should be subject to the hard work when there is something to do". In reality, there is no such saying.
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Stinky Sister: I seem to have seen this person before, it turns out she is my enemy!
Lili (thinking) That’s true.
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Thank you for the two mines from the little angel "Ivy Baboon", hug and kiss~ [360-degree bow.gif]