Chapter 23 Tea Party Variety Shows and Various Tea Party Snacks
Summer tea parties in Pingjiang Prefecture were often held at the hour of Chen. This was the perfect time to enjoy the elegant light and shadows, and the first dew on the lotus pond. However, due to the rain that night and the upcoming exams, Lü Lantang scheduled the event for the afternoon.
Even so, Wei Jinyun still got up early. Buying the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables, kneading the dough for steaming cakes, all took time and energy.
Besides, although she had agreed to attend the tea party at Lu Lantang's place, Zhang Renbai's business was already under contract. Pastries lose a lot of their flavor overnight. Before the roosters at Li Ji Delicatessen had even crowed a few times, Wei Jinyun had already steamed the mixed rice flour.
The shrimp dough she had hung on the rack under the eaves before going to bed had dried and hardened after six hours.
The white shrimp Wei Jinyun brought back from Fengmen yesterday were all fresh and lively. She expertly scooped the shrimp, peeled their shells, and pulled the string from them. The glistening flesh was tossed into a stone mortar and pounded furiously, adding some ground ginger until the pestle reduced it to a fine, smooth pulp.
Add rice flour to the minced shrimp and knead it into long dough, steam it and let it cool.
At this moment, Wei Jinyun cut the dried prawn noodles into thin slices and put them into the oil pan to fry.
Fry slowly over low heat and then pick up quickly. With the pleasant frying sound lasting for a whole moment, Wei Jinyun fried a large pot of shrimp chips.
When Wei Jinyun knocked on the door of Zhang's Stationery Store, Zhang Renbai was still yawning and mumbling nonsense.
Seeing the visitor, he stopped yawning and felt less sleepy. He stood up straight as a pine tree and called out, "Good morning, Miss Wei."
Zhang Renbai saw that Wei Jinyun had some new things in her hands besides the cakes. Under her expectant gaze, he didn't even bother to wash up and took a bite of a piece.
“Crack.”
Crunchy!
After seeing Zhang Renbai's satisfied look, Wei Jinyun chatted with him casually for a few words, and then went to count how much rice and flour were left at home.
She can eat half a bowl of these shrimp chips by herself, I think they will all like it.
It was still drizzling in the early morning, and the fine rain brought a little coolness to the courtyard.
"Sister Wei, my mother asked me to give it to you."
Meng Ge'er ran into their yard holding a steamer, "The sauce my mother makes is the best!"
I don’t know if it was because he ran out to play, but the rain made his face wet.
The duck at Li Ji Cooked Food Shop is popular, not only because Zhao Xiangping has a good grasp of the heat when stewing the duck, but also because of her unique sauce.
June is a great time to make sauce.
Flour is mixed with beans to make noodles, which are then stored in a vat and exposed to the scorching sun. It's unclear how Zhao Xiangping controls the amount of sauce, or whether she adds special spices. Many diners who have eaten the braised duck occasionally buy a couple of jars of sauce from her to pickle cucumbers.
Ever since Wei Jinyun helped Zhao Xiangping come up with ideas and caught the fake lawyer, Meng Ge'er would come to visit every day at her behest, always bringing good things, which made Wei Jinyun feel a little embarrassed.
"Mother told me to give them to all the neighbors, but Sister Wei's jar is the biggest."
Wei Jinyun accepted the sauce and thanked him, then took a cured pig's trotter hanging under the porch in the yard and asked Meng Ge'er to take it back.
"A jar this big will last you through the winter."
Wei Fuqiu held a toothbrush in her mouth and took the sauce to the kitchen and arranged it carefully for Wei Jinyun.
"Sister Qi looks so beautiful today."
Wei Jinyun was busy making pastries for Zhang Renbai early in the morning, and was checking the remaining rice flour and noodles in the newly built small warehouse in the kitchen, so she didn't pay much attention to her.
Now I looked up and saw that I was wearing new clothes.
The ramie fabric bought for the two sisters a few days ago was transformed into a goose yellow cross-collared skirt embroidered with butterflies on Wei Fuqiu by Wang Qiulan's skillful hands.
"Um."
Wei Fuqiu spit out the Poria cocos water and rinsed her mouth. "I want to go to the Changmen market too."
"No problem at all."
Wei Jinyun took out a suitcase from the corner, pulled the handle and ran over, kissing Wei Fuqiu on the forehead and saying, "Let's go."
"elder sister."
Wei Fuqiu folded her arms and snorted, "Are you planning to escape the Huanglian Ejiao soup that Lingjie and I bought?"
"How could that be?"
Wei Jinyun sighed softly a few times, then drank the soup that was skillfully handed to him from downstairs with a sad face.
In the past, my grandfather fed me bitter medicine, and now my sisters still have to feed me bitter medicine.
Why would a good herbal medicine shop recommend Coptis chinensis and donkey-hide gelatin soup and lily and longan soup to them? Aren’t they sweet?
"Sister, tell me that Lingjie looks good in her outfit today."
Wei Fuling put down the bowl, fed her grandmother's silkworms a few mulberry leaves, and ran to Wei Jinyun and turned around.
"It looks good, it looks good."
Wei Jinyun grimaced bitterly, frowning, "As pretty as a little sparrow."
After finishing cleaning, she went out with the little butterfly and the little sparrow who were eating shrimp chips.
This was the first time for the two sisters to come to the Changmen Market. Wei Jinyun bought them two goose yellow velvet flowers to wear as hairpins, and took them to eat the thin and soft top layer and crispy bottom layer of the soup-filled fried dumplings and hot tofu pudding.
Wei Fuqiu likes sweet food, while Wei Fuling likes salty food.
A fight almost broke out.
After breakfast, the three of them followed the sound of people walking south, and soon arrived at the yarn shop. In Pingjiang Prefecture, there were so many yarn shops that they could have occupied a whole street.
The door of Ma Ji Yarn Shop was open, and various colored yarns were hung on bamboo poles. The coarse yarn seemed covered with a layer of mist, while the fine yarn was so transparent that one could see the flags of the yarn shop opposite.
Unlike carpenters and stonemasons, there are many yarn shops and the competition is fierce, but the prices of each shop are not much different.
The shopkeeper's wife was squatting by the door, shuffling the newly arrived bamboo yarn. She took a look at what everyone was wearing, then straightened up and asked, "Are you here to buy some coarse yarn? The batch of bamboo yarn that arrived the other day is the strongest, mosquito-proof, and light-transmitting. It's two cents a foot cheaper than cotton yarn."
Wei Jinyun walked under the bamboo pole and stretched out his hand to twist the grain of the coarse yarn. "This is it. Pull me six feet. It should be enough for two windows."
"no problem."
The shopkeeper's wife swiftly pulled out her scissors and cut the yarn with a "click". She measured it with a bamboo ruler, rolled it into a bundle, and stuffed it into Wei Jinyun's hand. "I'll take thirty cents from you and give you half a piece of fine hemp rope to fix the edge of the yarn. Of course, you can also sew it with thread. It's up to you."
If you use paper windows to keep out mosquitoes at night, you have to close the windows, which is very stuffy. At this time, many people in Pingjiang Prefecture have already used screen windows to ventilate and keep out mosquitoes.
They also added latches to the windows. In winter, they would insert a thin bamboo curtain, which is denser than gauze and lighter than boards. It can block the wind and leave gaps to let light in, which saves much more money than replacing a whole set of window sashes.
Wei Jinyun planned to try it out on the windows on the second floor first. If the effect was good, he would then use it on the shop on the first floor.
The city life in the Song Dynasty was really exciting.
After buying household items, Wei Jinyun and her two sisters went to pick out ingredients for the pastries for the tea party.
Since she had accepted six strings of cash from Lu Lantang, she couldn't fool him. In June, there were still late-ripening loquats and newly-arrived bayberries, which were incredibly fresh.
The Changmen Market has everything. The Baisha loquats from Dongting East Mountain are known as the "gold and silver honey pot," while the bayberries from Dongshan Xiwu were praised by Su Dongpo as being as delicious as lychees.
Although it is expensive, the taste is really wonderful.
I still need jasmine, so I weighed two kilograms of wisteria flowers, ordered a small bag of Shuiyue tea, and bought a can of honey and a kilogram of milk... The money was spent just like that.
After the three sisters pulled their suitcases and carried their bags, they hired a donkey cart and found Lu's residence at the beginning of the Si hour according to the address given by Lu Lantang. The five pounds of ice that Wei Jinyun had ordered outside the Fengmen yesterday were also delivered on time by the idle man.
Lu's residence is located in the northeast of the provincial school, near Canglang Pavilion.
The three of them hopped off the donkey cart and breathed a sigh of relief. Before them stood a small, unassuming black lacquer door. If it weren't for the "Lu Residence" plaque hanging above the door lintel, which Wei Fuqiu could easily recognize as Lu Lantang's, it would have looked like the walls of an ordinary alleyway.
Wei Jinyun raised her hand and knocked on the door. Her voice was dull, attracting several horses tied under the eaves to look at her.
This horse looks really strong and has shiny black fur.
The door creaked open a crack, revealing a woman's face with a scrutinizing look in her eyes.
"Please inform Auntie that Wei Jinyun has come to prepare today's tea at Madam Lu's invitation."
Wei Jinyun answered quickly.
"Oh, Miss Wei!"
The woman immediately smiled and hurriedly opened the door. "Come in, come in quickly. Our girl told you yesterday. Be careful with your feet. The ground is slippery in the rain."
She called out to the two servants behind her to help fetch the food, then her eyes fell on her two sisters, her smile widening even more. "These are Fuling and Furu, right? They're so pretty! Our girls are always nagging about them. Hurry and get the food for Auntie!"
Once you enter the door, you will realize that there is another world.
The three of them followed the aunt who led the way, turning through a gate with crabapple blossoms. Under their feet lay a carpet of blue-gray and moon-white goose eggs. The rain had thickened, rustling against the banana leaves outside the corridor.
Turning around a winding corridor, it winds its way deeper into the garden. Small copper bells are hung on the eaves of the corridor columns. When the wind blows, they only make two soft "ding ding" sounds, which are then drowned out by the sound of rain.
After a long walk, I finally turned the corner and came upon a lotus pond, flanked by a red-railed beauty chair. The tiles beneath the railings had been redesigned to resemble crabapple blossoms, with four-petal crabapple blossoms interwoven with lilies of the genus Ganoderma. Smooth white pebbles were embedded in the cracks between the tiles, giving the impression of fallen petals from afar.
Raindrops hit banana leaves, bells ring on the eaves, wind blows through the lotus pond... every step is a different scene.
Modern gardens are already breathtakingly beautiful even in the rain, but this was the first time Wei Jinyun had seen such a beautiful private garden.
She quickly thought that when she made money in the future, she would definitely hire a group of Xiangshan craftsmen to make one!
It can also be used for retirement.
Wei Jinyun's goal now changed from running a good shop to buying an apartment in Pingjiang Prefecture.
"This yard is so big and beautiful."
Wei Fuling and Wei Fuqiu were afraid of missing every scene on the corridor, so they kept looking around.
The aunt in front just laughed when she heard the two sisters. "I'm afraid Miss Wei will laugh at me if I tell you that. Our girl hasn't woken up yet... Several guests have arrived. I'll go and call her. The kitchen is at the back. Miss Wei, please feel free to do what you want."
Apart from going out with her sisters, Lu Lantang would sleep until noon every day without fail, then wake up slowly and get up to eat.
Now that the tea party was postponed to the afternoon, it was just in time for her.
Sleep a little, sleep a little longer.
This corridor does not connect to the guest end, but if you stand on tiptoe and take a look, you can indeed see a few graceful figures holding round fans not far away.
I think they are all Lu Lantang’s good sisters, and I wonder which one is her target in June.
Wei Jinyun and her sisters did not stay for long and were led into the kitchen by several servants.
The kitchen is three times the size of Wei Jinyun's shop. The stove is extremely clean, and different pots and steamers are placed in prominent positions. The tools are complete, allowing Wei Jinyun to show off his skills.
The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the hot water in the pot was boiling, emitting white steam.
"Miss Wei, is there anything else you need? Call us anytime."
Several servants put down their things, their eyes still fixed on her two sisters.
"No shortage, we brought our own."
Wei Jinyun placed oil paper on the two newly made lace bamboo baskets and poured a large bag of shrimp crackers from her suitcase. "Please give these snacks to the ladies. Try them first."
She wrapped some more in oil paper and said, "These two packets are for you sisters. Please try them too."
The servants glanced at each other and immediately agreed with a smile, "Okay, okay, we'll take it to the girls right away."
In the past, when the tea chef was invited to come to the house to make dim sum, they would never be given a portion. They could only taste a couple of pieces of the leftover dim sum after the host's tea party was over.
This Miss Wei even gave them some snacks before the tea party. She was really as Miss Tang said every day, a person who was easy to get along with.
The few people were not very old, so they happily took the snacks and went to serve the food with the baskets.
Wei Jinyun tied her sleeves with her armband and set up a desk under the window. Wei Fuling and Wei Fuqiu moved around to either side of her and put everything in order.
"Be careful not to get your skirt dirty. Don't you want to go out and play? You just said this yard is beautiful."
Wei Jinyun was picking up white jade loquats, and the two of them also wanted to help peel them.
"Sister Lu inviting us to be her guests is one thing, but whether or not to help her is another."
"Sister, remember to drink a bowl of medicinal soup after making the cakes."
Wei Jinyun surrendered.
How could a younger sister take out medicine soup anytime and anywhere?
Did she order the suitcases so they could put food boxes and earthenware jars for medicinal soup?
The three sisters peeled off the thin skin of the white jade loquat, revealing the flesh as white as jade.
Wei Jinyun cut them into small pieces, added some rock sugar when putting them into the pot, and simmered them over low heat.
The bayberries would be pounded into a paste in a stone mortar, mixed with milk and honey, and poured over finely shaved ice. Today she had weighed out five pounds of ice, which she could use as she pleased.
But shaved ice melts quickly, so you have to make it while you can.
The people of Wu have always loved wisteria, and most gardens have it planted. Scholars love its purple aura, and young ladies love its delicate romance.
What's more, the flowers are delicious.
When I see beautiful flowers in the south of the Yangtze River, I always think...it is so beautiful, I will draw it and write it down.
Besides...is it edible?
Fresh wisteria flowers should be marinated with brown sugar and honey, and the water should be squeezed out. The prepared water-oil dough, oil-fried pastry, and lotus pastry are similar in nature.
The dough is wrapped in oil-based dough, which is then rolled and folded repeatedly into paper. After being wrapped with flower fillings, patterns are carved on it with a knife and then put into the oven.
Finally, here is the improved version of vegetarian hangover ice.
The freshly brewed Shuiyue tea is mixed into the melted Qiongzhi liquid, stirred evenly, and poured into the mold.
Wei Jinyun had been looking at the Baoen Temple Pagoda for so many years that he had already memorized its eaves and corners clearly.
In her spare time these days, she carved several molds of the Baoen Temple Pagoda.
Pour it in while it's still steaming, then put it in ice to freeze it. Then take it out and tap it gently, and a delicate little tower will stand on the white porcelain plate, its green color is transparent.
The pastries at a tea party are not about quantity, but about exquisiteness and careful taste.
It is different from what I usually do at home. I don’t go there just to fill my stomach. Most of the time, it is just a side dish for drinking tea and chatting.
After finishing all this, Wei Jinyun let the baked ones cool down and froze the rest in ice cubes. Nearly an hour and a half had passed in the blink of an eye.
This place was not far from Tianqing Temple, and it was still early for the tea party. Wei Jinyun called the two sisters and prepared to go home for dinner.
Then he left the kitchen, walked around two corridors, and heard a noisy sound not far away.
"Master Lu was so quick at grading papers today! I walked in in a flash!"
"The poem I wrote today is truly wonderful. When people talk about me in the future, they will definitely call me 'Tangzi'."
"Just tenth place. This is me, a master of score control."
"Brother Wu, what are you doing with those three eggs and biscuits?"
When they came back from visiting the women, they happened to meet Wei Jinyun.
These people all looked familiar to her. In addition to Wu Sheng, there was the one called Tang Yin who fanned himself with a folding fan every day, and another brother Zhu, Zhu Zhishan.
"Where is Miss Wei going?"
Wu Sheng held an egg pancake in his pocket and asked, "Want some?"
"Oh my goodness."
Tang Yin fanned himself and said, "I thought it was bought for me to eat. I guess I was too self-indulgent."
"I won't eat it."
Wei Jinyun didn't answer, and pulled one of her sisters with one hand, "I'm going home for dinner."
"Brother Wu, why don't you let me eat this egg pancake?"
Before she could take two steps, Lu Lantang came running from another corridor. Her hair was combed neatly, but she didn't wear any jewelry, as if she didn't have time to put a hairpin on it.
She pulled Wei Jinyun over and said, "You got up late, you got up late. How can you call a dim sum chef and ask her to eat outside? Come and eat with me."
Not allowing Wei Jinyun to refuse, she pulled her arm and moved forward step by step.
"Can I eat it, Miss Lu?"
"Don't you want to eat omelets?"
"If omelets are so delicious, why wouldn't you eat them?"
“…”
Wei Jinyun always felt that her strength was already enormous.
Why is Lu Lantang's so big too?
Even if Lu Lantang insisted, she naturally wouldn't actually sit at the same table with her. Lu Lantang was the host, and she was the hired chef. Today was her first time accepting an invitation to a tea party, so no matter how familiar they were, they still had to understand the situation.
After all, she would like to have the opportunity to take on more tea parties in the future to save money for decorating her shop.
Lu Lantang was at a loss, but she wanted to make friends with Wei Jinyun, so she asked the servants to set up another table and invited a few of Aweng's students to come along.
"Tangtang, has the dim sum beauty at the entrance of the prefectural school arrived?"
A gentle voice drifted out from the open window of the main room. Immediately afterwards, a woman in a green jacket leaned halfway out.
She looked to be about the same age as Lu Lantang, but there was a sense of pride in her eyes.
Like Zhou Zhuqing, she wore her hair in a side bun and a pearl flower dotted with kingfisher feathers.
She had delicate features, her chin slightly raised, and she stared at Wei Jinyun with a scrutinizing look.
"You didn't invite the dim sum chef from the teahouse, and you didn't buy Xu Ji, but you asked me to come. How boring."
She had just finished speaking when she was interrupted by a crisp voice beside her.
"Sister, please speak in a normal tone."
A small figure beside her put down the teacup in his hand with a "dong".
Zhou Zheyue looked no more than seven or eight years old. She wore the same green robe as Zhou Zhuqing, and her hair was combed meticulously and tied with a green headband.
"Does your tone sound abnormal, sister?"
Zhou Zhuqing pinched her face.
“Not normal.”
Zhou Zheyue said slowly, "The Master said that we should treat others with kindness, courtesy, frugality and modesty. You were neither kind nor respectful just now, and you were even sarcastic... Could it be that I didn't eat half of the basket of those 'shrimp chips' that were served to me while I was 'crunching' them?"
Zhou Zhuqing asked her sister to expose the truth and her face turned dark.
"I asked you to bring Zhaiyue here."
Lu Lantang laughed so hard that she held her stomach, "Oh, good Zhaiyue, let Sister Tang kiss you."
The other sisters also laughed while covering their hands with their fans.
There were more than ten dishes on the table, including whitebait stewed eggs, fried edamame with June yellow, and braised lion's head with sauce.
Wei Fuling bit half of the lion's head and whispered to Wei Jinyun, "That's terrifying, sister! There's another identical sister there... Pingjiang Mansion is truly terrifying."
After hearing this, Wei Jinyun laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.
Well, it does look like that.
"Eat well."
Wei Fuqiu let out a long sigh, turned her head to stare at the two of them, and coughed lightly.
Wei Jinyun and Wei Fuling felt the surroundings suddenly become cold, and they lowered their heads to eat their food seriously.
Looks like it.
So similar!
After about a moment, someone patted Wei Jinyun on the shoulder. She turned her head and saw Lu Lingxiang approaching with a bowl in hand.
"Xiangxiang?"
Wei Jinyun bit his ribs and mumbled, "You, why are you here?"
"It's me."
Lu Lingxiang stared at Wu Sheng beside her for a long time until he scratched his head in confusion and made room for her.
She sat down next to Wei Jinyun with her legs spread wide. "Tangtang is my friend. She invited me here. Since you're bored here, I came to eat with you."
Wei Jinyun's table was filled with her customers and friends. They were talking so much that she felt dizzy, just like in her high school classes. She almost fell asleep while eating.
Now that Lu Lingxiang has arrived, she finally feels a little more energetic.
"My second brother is here too."
Lu Lingxiang acted like she was at home, picking up every dish on the table and putting it into the three sisters' bowls. "But she disappeared. I don't know where she went."
Lu Lan hadn't planned to come, as he didn't like going to crowded places. He just heard Lu Lingxiang say that Li Xiang would be there too.
Good boy, is this Li Xiang who has followed her sister since childhood and vowed to marry her when he grows up?
Lord Lu, who happened to be on leave, rode his horse and followed.
"Actually, Qingqing is a nice person, but her words are harsh."
Lu Lingxiang took a bite of the chicken leg and said, "When you get used to her, just scold her a few more times... Sometimes when she gets angry, she even scolds herself. Let me tell you, my second brother..."
With Lu Lingxiang accompanying him, the meal was not so boring. She had already talked about how her second brother climbed trees and snatched birds when he was a child.
After finishing the meal, Wei Jinyun went back to the kitchen to prepare bayberry and milk shaved ice.
A sweet and sour dessert after a meal will whet your appetite.
After all, people have two stomachs, one for eating and one for snacks.
The boiled and cooled milk was placed in an ice cube covered with a damp cloth. After two hours, it was half frozen. Wei Jinyun placed a copper plane on the milk ice and slowly ground it. Snow-like milk ice chips fell into the porcelain bowl.
Grind and move forward.
Milk melts quickly. As soon as Wei Jinyun grinds a bowl of milk, the servant will bring it out.
"I just finished my meal. I can't eat any more. It's just a bowl of Sushan."
Zhou Zhuqing glanced at the bayberry milk shaved ice and said, "...it's not impossible to try it."
In a white porcelain bowl, shaved ice resembled fluffy snowflakes, with crushed bayberry pulp embedded in it, and the juice dripping down the ice shavings. Two fresh bayberries and two mint leaves were also embedded in the ice.
The appearance alone is eye-catching.
Zhou Zhuqing scooped a spoonful and put it into her mouth.
The mellow aroma of milk ice first spreads across my lips and tongue, mingling with the sweetness of honey. Unlike the frozen shaved ice, the snow-like shaved ice melts quickly on my tongue, sending the coolness down my throat.
The sour and fresh taste of the bayberry quickly hits me. The flesh of the Dongshan Xiwu bayberry is soft and juicy. When you bite through the thin peel, the rich juice instantly gushes out, a mixture of sour and sweet.
"Sister, don't you want to try it?"
Zhou Zhaiyue slowly scooped up the food with a spoon, then slowly raised her head, "Don't steal from my bowl after you finish eating!"
“It’s wonderful to come to the prefectural school and study.”
Zhu Zhishan continued, "I love reading. When will the Master's family hold another tea party and invite Miss Wei again? I can still handle the points."
Wu Sheng tasted it carefully bit by bit, and even when the whole shaved ice melted into a bowl of milk, he still hadn't finished tasting it.
Tang Yin drank it in one gulp, scooped a little from Wu Sheng's bowl, and said that he didn't taste anything, so he took another sip.
By the time everyone's shaved ice was served, Wei Jinyun could no longer feel the existence of his right hand.
There is still a long way to go when it comes to building arm strength.
By the time she returned to the courtyard to rest for a while, the rain had slowly stopped. The corridor was slightly cooler after the rain. The table had been set up, and Lu Lantang and several sisters were making tea.
Lu Lantang held the tea whisk in his hand and first poured a trickle of boiling water into the cup, and the tea leaves of Shuiyue tea slowly expanded in the water.
Her wrist was extremely flexible. She stirred the tea whisk along the wall of the cup, starting slowly and then speeding up. The bamboo whisk made a rustling sound as it touched the porcelain cup, and white foam gradually rose from the bottom of the cup.
Zhou Zhuqing naturally didn't want to lose.
She had already prepared the second cup, and the foam was turning white. She took the teaspoon, hovered it over the foam, and gently touched it, slowly and deftly moving it point by point.
First, he sketched the distant mountains, then swept through the swirling clouds. Finally, he pressed lightly with the end of a teaspoon, unexpectedly creating a few traces of drooping branches between the mountains. As the spoon passed, it instantly became a strand of wisteria.
Such an amazing tea art made Wei Jinyun fascinated on the spot.
How dexterous must her fingers be to be able to draw a picture in such a short time.
"Let me write a poem for Miss Zhou. I've never seen such a great master in a teahouse."
"Then again, I love studying at the prefectural school. When will the next tea party be held?"
"Stop looking, stop looking, come and see me."
Lu Lingxiang pulled Wei Jinyun, who was fascinated by the tea show, over and said, "I don't know how to order tea, but I know other things."
There was a stout camphor tree here, its leaves thick and dense, somewhat obscuring the garden's beauty. But Master Lu explained solemnly to the others that the camphor tree had been there when he bought the house, and judging by the trunk, it must be a century old, perhaps even a spirit.
Such trees protect the safety of the home and should not be cut down indiscriminately.
While listening to Master Lu's introduction, the students prepared to compose a poem for the big camphor tree.
Lu Lingxiang felt that her skirt was in the way, so she tucked it into her waist. She was wearing a neat short outfit and was facing the corridor pillar, drawing her bow and arrow.
With a whoosh, the arrow flew past the column and hit the bull's eye in the distance.
"Wow."
Wei Jinyun leaned against the large camphor tree beside him and clapped his hands in approval, "So accurate!"
Lu Lingxiang was even more excited by her exclamation of "Wow". She drew her bow and shot three arrows, all of which hit the bull's eye.
Wei Jinyun thought that she had come to the right tea party, as everyone here was extremely talented in different fields.
Otherwise, why do people say that the ancients knew so much?
"This is the bow my second brother gave me. It's pretty good."
After Lu Lingxiang finished practicing archery, she carefully wiped the bow and arrow. "My second brother and I were taught swordsmanship by Grandpa, and Grandpa is amazing... Miss Wei, please make a few more snacks, and I'll go to my second brother's place to exchange for a bow."
"Sister Lu, can you teach me?"
Wei Fuqiu stood beside Wei Jinyun, staring at her bow.
"Sister Qi likes reading, doesn't she?"
Lu Lingxiang rubbed her head and said, "It takes a lot of strength to draw the bow."
"It's okay, I can learn."
Wei Fuqiu said calmly, "This way, if I encounter any bad guys in the future, I can just draw my bow and arrow like Sister Lu did, and save my sister from slipping into the river."
......
Wei Jinyun turned around and slipped into the kitchen.
She would never sneak into the river again, otherwise her sister would nag her for the rest of her life!
Fragrant tea is best paired with pastries.
In addition to the newly made wisteria flower cakes, Wei Jinyun also used jasmine mung bean cakes, lotus cakes, and loquat wine to represent the four major characteristics of Song Dynasty pastry making: steaming, baking, frying, and boiling, corresponding to their exquisite crispness, glutinousness, sweetness, and fragrance.
These four different pastries were placed on the same bamboo flower plate, decorated with flowers, and each person received one.
When tasting tea, you can taste a completely different flavor with each taste.
"Okay, I admit that Miss Wei's snacks are indeed extraordinary."
Zhou Zhuqing looked at these pastries that were made with great care and reached out to take a piece of wisteria flower cake.
The wisteria flower cake was still warm, and the pastry crumbled into pieces as soon as you took a bite.
The unique floral fragrance of wisteria fills the tip of your tongue, mixed with the crispy aroma of baking. The filling is delicate lotus seed paste wrapped with finely chopped flower petals. The soft and glutinous texture has a slightly astringent floral flavor, which neutralizes the sweetness of the lotus seed paste and makes it seem refreshing.
The whole wisteria cake is not too sweet, which does not cover the fragrance of the flowers, and makes every bite have a sweet aftertaste, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.
"Okay, Tangtang, you win."
Zhou Zhuqing took a sip of tea and said, "But if you don't coax me, you're doomed."
She crossed her arms and looked at the lotus in the pond beside her.
"Here, give me another loquat."
Zhou Zheyue shared the loquats in the bowl with her.
"You're giving up already? The class isn't even over yet."
Lu Lantang waved his fan contentedly and said, "Don't worry, we'll taste it later."
"not yet?"
Zhou Zhuqing rocked the rattan chair and said, "After eating these four snacks, I'm almost full. If you eat too much sweet, you'll get sick of it."
Wei Jinyun naturally also took into consideration the fact that dim sum would be greasy.
When the tea party reached the time of Shen, the last dish served was the improved vegetarian hangover ice, which was made with Shuiyue tea and sprinkled with salted plum pieces.
The combination of sweet and salty tastes like a constant flow in the stomach. "Tangtang, can I eat this?"
Master Lu watched his students and granddaughters taste one snack after another, while he could only stare at them with tears streaming down his face.
"Um."
Lu Lantang responded.
The sobering ice in the shape of the Bao'en Temple Pagoda was mixed with Shuiyue Tea. The ice edges were as green as frozen jade, and the eaves and corners were so fine and translucent that it looked like the real pagoda had been shrunk and immersed in ice.
“Like, but not quite.”
Master Lu studied the exquisite dessert in front of him intently. "But it's obvious that this is the pagoda from our Pingjiang Prefecture."
Wei Jinyun smiled aside, that was certainly different.
At that time, the Bao'en Temple Pagoda had nine stories. The pagoda that she is familiar with in modern times has been rebuilt many times, and its style tends to be that of the late Qing Dynasty.
This is a mold carved by Wei Jinyun after he carefully observed the tower while setting up his stall these past two days and combining it with the modern impression in his mind.
Master Lu took a bite happily. The salty aroma of the salted plums mixed with the fragrance of Shuiyue tea gradually melted on his lips and tongue. The shadow of the tower swayed in the dish, as if a breeze was blowing through the eaves of the tower.
"Tangtang's tea party has invited the dim sum chef."
He stroked his beard, took out the pipa and played a piece on the spot.
"Master, Master can actually play the pipa."
Wu Sheng's eyes widened. "He has always looked down on playing instruments like the zheng and qin."
"Who said that? I just didn't play the pipa much...I was the one who taught Tangtang how to play the pipa."
Master Lu also ate a piece of Lu Lantang's vegetarian sobering ice.
Everyone chatted and the tea party slowly came to an end.
The laughter and chatter in the courtyard gradually died down, leaving only the clatter of dishes being cleared away. People gathered in groups of three or four, eagerly discussing the amazing pastries they had just prepared.
Wei Jinyun specially wrapped the shrimp chips and a few dim sum in oil paper, named them "tea party souvenirs", and gave one to each person.
"Brother Wu, why do you only eat so much?"
Tang Yi saw that Wu Sheng's snack basket was hardly touched, so he stuffed it all back into the oil paper wrapping.
"Take it back for my mother to taste."
Lu Lingxiang couldn't find Lu Lan no matter how hard she tried, but she still left a copy for him and placed it on the table.
Wei Jinyun hurried back to the kitchen to clean up the mess.
Zhou Zhuqing hesitated in the kitchen corridor. The round fan in her hand hung listlessly, even the fan surface wrinkled from her fingertips.
She peeked into the kitchen and then retreated into the shadow of the columns.
"Sister, just say whatever you want to say. I'm going to play."
Zhou Zheyue glanced at her and waved to the two sisters not far away, "Don't say anything unpleasant."
During the tea party, she took the initiative to come over and greet Wei Fuqiu and Wei Fuling. Now she can call them by their names and talk about some knowledge in books.
"I understand. Don't keep talking about it."
As soon as her sister left, Zhou Zhuqing finally moved to the kitchen door.
She took two steps inside, cleared her throat, thought for a while, and then said, "Miss Wei is packing."
"Um."
Wei Jinyun nodded slightly in response.
"that......"
Zhou Zhuqing's fingertips began to twist the fan unconsciously again. "Your dim sum today is delicious, especially the sauce on the dim sum that looks like a mountain of crisps."
"Yangberry sauce?"
"Yes, bayberry sauce!"
Zhou Zhuqing spoke a little faster, glancing elsewhere but not at Wei Jinyun. "It tastes very special."
Wei Jinyun smiled suddenly.
What's so special about bayberry jam? As a native of Pingjiang Prefecture, Zhou Zhuqing thought she could eat bayberries every year.
"Sister, please tell me!"
Zhou Zhaiyue's voice came from not far away, with a hint of "hate iron but not steel".
"Okay."
Zhou Zhuqing let out a long sigh and finally decided to speak, "I was rude just now and shouldn't have made fun of you."
"Are you making fun of me?"
"yes."
"Dim sum Xishi?"
"Um......"
"It sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Wei Jinyun wiped the water off his hands with a towel.
"You're doing well. Tangtang told me about your sister. I'll take them to introduce them to the teacher tomorrow. Don't worry."
Zhou Zhuqing paused for a moment, then quickly continued, "When you have time, you can come to my house often. Can I hire you as the pastry chef for my tea party next time?"
“No problem!”
After hearing the new tea party menu, Wei Jinyun felt so excited that she wanted to jump up. She rubbed her palms in anticipation and asked, "When is it?"
"Next spring."
“…”
Lu Lantang and her sisters agreed that one of them would organize tea parties during the spring, autumn and winter holidays, and two would be responsible for outings.
Zhou Zhuqing happened to be in spring. She had just held a tea party this year.
The two chatted for a while, and Wei Jinyun finally understood what Lu Lingxiang meant.
When she gets angry, she even scolds herself!
She didn't blame her.
"Sister, my shuttlecock got kicked up a tree. Please help me check it out."
By the time Wei Jinyun had packed up everything, it was already dusk. She and Zhou Zhuqing chatted idly, and as she dragged her suitcase back to the corridor, Zhou Zhaiyue was waving at her.
She was afraid that the tea party would be boring, so she brought her own shuttlecock to play with. She was currently competing in shuttlecock kicking with the two Wei sisters.
However, Wei Fuqiu was not good at it, so she and Wei Fuling taught her for a long time.
After Wei Fuqiu said a few times, "Stop talking, I understand," she kicked the shuttlecock up with a "whoosh."
"I'll go find a stick for you to get it down."
Zhou Zhuqing glanced at the lush camphor tree. The sun had already set, and she couldn't see clearly where the shuttlecock had been kicked.
"There are corridors all around here, where can I find a stick?"
Wei Jinyun put down the suitcase and smiled, "No need for a stick, let me do it."
Wei Fuqiu, who had gone around looking for a stick but failed, came back and saw Wei Jinyun eager to try.
She knew exactly what she wanted to do.
Before she could even utter the word "sister", she had already gone up. With a "swish", she was as swift as a monkey.
My sister won’t go into the river anymore.
She climbed a tree!
"Sister Ling, I won't be arranging lotus seed soup for my sister's medicinal soup tomorrow. What do you think?"
"I agree. Let's have the gentian porridge recommended by the shopkeeper. It's bitter, but it makes people feel soothed."
The two sisters stood under the camphor tree, looking at their elder sister who had disappeared overhead.
After shaking their heads helplessly, they reached a consensus again.
Who knows how many hundreds of years the camphor tree has been alive, with lush branches and leaves in the summer. Wei Jinyun grabbed the trunk and searched for a while, but did not see any trace of the shuttlecock.
She continued to climb up a few more trees, but further up, in the dense shadows of the trees, a half figure suddenly appeared, with its head slightly tilted to the right, staring at her.
Their eyes met.
The person before him wore a red and black outfit, with a matching headband tied into a high ponytail. His brow bones were sharply defined, giving him a very heroic look. His eye sockets, though not deep, held a pair of emerald green eyes.
A few strands of hair hung in front of his forehead, and the ends of the hair brushed lightly with his movements, almost brushing Wei Jinyun's cheek.
In his hand, he was still holding a piece of wisteria cake she had made, and on a branch beside him hung a bamboo basket containing her snacks.
In an instant, multiple thoughts intertwined in Wei Jinyun's mind.
Quite handsome.
He was eating the snacks she made.
But, it's very weird!
Her throat rolled, her grip on the tree trunk tightened a little, and she screamed.
"There's... a person in the tree!"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: If you want to replicate the fried shrimp chips, you can use tapioca starch to make them easier to solidify. Song’s fried shrimp chips are really fragrant and crispy without tapioca.
The streets in Mr. Lu's garden are paved with flowers, and every step brings a new scene. This is just a corner of Suzhou gardens. You can come to Jiangnan to see the [rainbow fart]. The Dongshan loquats and bayberries in May are very delicious.
Lord Lu: She sees me clearly. [Breaking down crying]
Jinyun: Who is this! [scared]
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