Chapter 73 Tea Party (Part 2)
"Mr. Qin?!"
A minor official who was sitting in front of the door and had come to see the excitement during his day off cried out in surprise. Suddenly, everyone in the hall focused their attention on the door.
"Mr. Qin?" Si Li was stunned. She glanced at Meng Taotao inconspicuously before going to meet him. She looked confused, obviously unaware of his identity. Si Li had heard diners recounting Mr. Qin's deeds in the past, and thought he was a diner with the same surname. She had planned to thank him when she met him, but she didn't expect that they had known each other for a long time.
Qin Daxueshi strode in, holding a bamboo cup in his hand, which was obviously the style of Wanglaiju. He saw Si Li and the others, nodded slightly, and turned to the scholar who had just mentioned the excessive behavior, "Xiao Meng is my disciple. Jingwen passed the college entrance examination in the 15th year. I wonder where this person is studying now? I wonder if you deserve the blame for slandering Lai Xiucai."
His tone was calm, less emotional than when he was scolding, but no one would think that he was in a good mood at this time. In fact, after the name of the great scholar Qin came out in the hall, and heard the disciple's identity announced by Qin himself, most of the people in the hall were a little dazed, suspecting that they were in a dream.
Scholar Qin is such a person. He is now the president of the Hanlin Academy. He was once the tutor of the crown prince. There are countless students who want to become his disciples over the years. But he quietly accepted a waiter from a wine shop as his student? What a joke!
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Mr. Qin chuckled. "I heard that today's tea party invited many famous people from the capital. You are lying to a little girl who is about the same age as your daughter. You have no shame."
Wu You couldn't wipe the sweat off his forehead. He waved to the waiter and stepped forward with a smile, "Master Qin, what brings you here? The private room that Wuweilou prepared for you is still there. Look..."
His attempts to get close to him didn't work at all. Mr. Qin looked around with a stern look and said angrily, "If I don't come, do I have to listen to your nonsense? Since the tea saint Lu, the tea brewing and tea making have been done since the Tang and Song dynasties. Today's milk tea is just a change of direction, with one more flavor added. How can it be considered heresy? If you replace water with milk and salt with sugar, does that mean tea is no longer tea? You study literature and follow the source, cultivate your body and mind, and you are worthy of being called literati? You just want to take action when others are not interested. Why, now you can't stand even the slightest opinion?"
He started cursing, but no one in Wuweilou dared to talk back. They just lowered their heads in disappointment, their faces burning with pain.
Qin Daxueshi has written books and biographies, and he is the leader of the current literary world. Even the late Jixueshi and Jixueshi's disciple Si Shoufu are not as good as him. He is gentle on weekdays, but when he is angry, he is as hot as fire. If anyone dares to speak out when he starts to scold, he will probably be scolded all day long with scriptures and classics, and it will become a joke from then on. The last person who angered Qin Daxueshi still can't raise his head. If they have reason and evidence, it's okay to talk, and they can still argue a few words, but according to Si Li's twisted logic, they are not right at all, so no one said a word.
After being scolded like this, after a few moments someone finally whispered, "Actually, actually, I was just thinking about replacing water with milk, which is a good idea..." Si Li looked and found that it was the person who was confused by her and said nothing.
Scholar Qin glanced over and said, "You are such a servile idiot, I don't know what you are talking about!"
Neither admitting his mistake nor objecting, the person sitting in the middle seat who was given the milk tea lowered his head dejectedly and took a sip of the milk tea.
【System: +1 recognition for Wanglaiju. 】
Si Li held back her laughter, and looked at the people holding cups in the hall, looking at the experience points of the walking ones. Since the pressure of power has brought some changes, it can't be a stalemate forever. She knew that the so-called master-disciple relationship was fake, and there must be something wrong, but now was not the time to ask questions, so she suppressed her doubts and played along with Master Qin. She stepped forward and saluted to smooth things over, "Mr. Qin, calm down. Xiao Meng and I are also communicating and discussing with you. It is inevitable that there will be disputes. Only by seeking common ground while reserving differences can we have a long-lasting relationship."
"Humph." Scholar Qin was still angry. "Look, the little girl can see things more clearly than you!"
He was led forward by Si Li, took a look at the boiling teapot, and smiled, "Well, the camellia flowers are blooming, and the tea is in full bloom. Give me a cup."
Meng Taotao knelt down and scooped a cup of milk tea, offering it with both hands. When Qin Xueshi took it, Meng Taotao paused and did not let go in time. From Si Li's perspective, she just saw the confusion and hesitation on her face.
"Xiao Meng, reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, now you have both, it's time to prepare well for the imperial examination next spring!" Master Qin waited until she let go before taking the teacup, touching her hair with a gentle smile, like a caring and kind elder.
Meng Taotao hesitated for a moment, distributed the remaining tea, stood up and stood beside Master Qin, and said softly, "I am an unfilial disciple and have made Master worry." Si Li was shocked. In the conversation just now, only Master Qin unilaterally announced that Meng Taotao was his disciple, but Meng Taotao's words directly confirmed her status and there was no way back.
"Haha...Okay, Xiao Meng, tell me what's so good about this milk tea." Master Qin laughed and was in a good mood.
Meng Taotao was not at all shy and spoke freely, "I went to the milk tea shop to get milk..."
In the long introduction to tea, she mentioned Wanglaiju every three sentences, and the whole lobby of Wuwei Building became her solo show. Si Tang, who was kneeling on the ground, was ignored by everyone. Si Li, who had just been arguing with someone, also stepped aside. She listened to Meng Taotao praising Wanglaiju to the sky by citing classics, and the system recognition prompts kept rising in her ears. If it weren't for the unfamiliar interior decoration, Si Li almost thought she was at the press conference of Wanglaiju.
The name of Meng Taotao, a disciple of Qin Xueshi, was destined to be the most famous on this day. The biggest beneficiary was not her or Qin Xueshi, but Wanglaiju.
Si Li caught a glimpse of the miserable face of Shopkeeper Wu. His lips were trembling, and he was vaguely saying, "How could this happen? It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this..." She glanced at Master Qin who had a smile in his eyes, and a feeling of sadness similar to that of Shopkeeper Wu arose in her heart.
She knew that Meng Taotao would not stay in the shop for long, but she did not expect that the departure would come so soon.
This point is also illustrated by the words of Mr. Qin, who was sitting in the lobby of Wanglaiju and speaking frankly after returning victoriously from the tea party at Wuweilou.
"I didn't take you in as my disciple on a whim. Although we met by chance, I have been following you for more than a year. You have never forgotten to study, so you are a good candidate. The Spring Examination is extremely important to you, so you must not waste it. Since you have acknowledged me as your master today, you should come back with me to the Scholar's Mansion and study hard to prepare for the Spring Examination."
Meng Taotao's expression was not good, she even looked a little dazed. She had been like this since she left Wuweilou. She seemed to have fallen into a dream and could not wake up. Even her voice was full of pale mockery, "Sir, you already know who I am, right? I should have remembered you earlier, but it's a pity that I heard of your fame before but never met you, so I made such a joke. I am not the person I was four years ago, so why bother wasting your time and energy on me?"
Si Li had never seen her so sad before. Even when she was knocked unconscious and sent to the manor, she was firm. She couldn't help but reach out and hold Meng Taotao's cold hand, trying to give her some support.
"Sir, what did you let me into your mansion to learn? The relationship between father and son, the principles of human relations, or the relationship between ruler and subject, and the winner becomes the king?" Meng Taotao held Si Li's hand in return and forced a cold smile.
Scholar Qin said slowly, "Are you done? Your father Du Wenshan is not a good person, so don't think that everyone else is a bad person. If you were still the same person you were four years ago, I wouldn't want you!"
Scholar Qin revealed some childishness in his words. He laughed, put down the milk tea in his hand, walked close to Meng Taotao, lowered his head and looked at her, "God will give great responsibilities to this person. You have experienced hardships, but the fire in your heart has never been extinguished. You have never forgotten everything your mother taught you. You are happy in the alley, and you have never forgotten your ambition in the prosperous eyes. Your name will definitely be on the list next year. I just want to help you walk more steadily and faster."
He patted Meng Taotao's shoulder and met her eyes that were filled with tears but still sharp. "This world is ultimately the world of the young. You should let Xiao see the look in your eyes now and ask her if she regrets it!"
Meng Taotao let go of Si Li's hand and knelt down, "Master, please accept my disciple's greetings."
Just now, Scholar Qin was still smiling. Now she really accepted the master-disciple relationship. However, a complicated expression appeared on her face. She pulled Meng Taotao up and sighed, "You have suffered a lot over the years."
Meng Taotao burst into tears. Si Li moved away step by step, leaving enough cognitive space for the newly born master and apprentice. When the name Du Wenshan came out, plus the young genius that Qin Xueshi had mentioned in the store before, it was obvious who Meng Taotao was.
Si Li had heard about the gossip about Du Wenshan. Si Tang had a love-hate relationship with him. On the one hand, he loved to read Mr. Wenshan's poems, but on the other hand, he despised his behavior. Du Wenshan's previous wife was a prefect of Yunyue Province who was a graduate of the first imperial examination. A few years ago, Yunyue Province suffered an earthquake and many people were killed. After the prefect was wrongly accused and got into trouble, he married the princess to escape the disaster and had a son for free. He was well-known for his poetry in the literary world, but he was ridiculed behind his back and was unknown.
Just as she moved to the door and found a good position to eat watermelon, Si Li suddenly heard a knock on the half-closed door.
It was almost evening, and Wanglaiju had not yet opened. In addition, they had informed the customers that they were going to a tea party, so the opening was delayed in the afternoon. It was impossible for any customers to come. Calculating the time, it was not Xiao Qi's school time, so how could anyone come?
Muttering in her heart, Si Li opened the door, "What's the matter?"
"Excuse me, are you the manager of Wanglaiju? My name is Di Leyu, and I'm the tutor of the catering department of the Qunying Academy. I'm here to invite the manager to give a lecture. I wonder if you have time? Here are the invitation and identity badge." There was a gorgeous woman outside the door. She was a little plump. The academy robe on her body suppressed her beauty a little bit. When she approached to speak, Si Li could even smell the familiar scent of cooking smoke on her body.
The smell of cooking oil smoke could be covered up by using incense. Most people consider it a strange smell, but she didn't care at all.
Si Li saw the beauty's brain slowly turning after it had stopped working, and the first thought that popped up was, "The Qun Ying Academy teaches saints, so why does it also teach cooking?"
They have to study, learn music, chess, calligraphy, and cooking. I've never heard that the Imperial College offers cooking lessons. Could it be that the Qunying Academy is a combination of a bridal school and a regular school? That's too outrageous!
"Pfft." Di Leyu laughed. "I have invited so many culinary lecturers, some of whom complained about coming to the Women's School to teach, and some asked about the tuition fees. But you are the first one to ask this."
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The author has something to say:
In this chapter, Meng Taotao's life story is all over, and Xiao Meng will change her line. I don't know if you have noticed the foreshadowing in the previous chapters. In Chapter 58, Mr. Qin mentioned the genius Du Xinran, and in Chapter 47, Minister Xiao mentioned Xiao Meng's father Du Wenshan. In Chapter 11, Xiao Meng's system profile wrote that she was the top case in Yunyue Province. In Chapter 8, the original owner's memory had a prefect who died in a mountain accident.