Chapter 31 Tea Fighting

Author: Sigui Beihong

Chapter 31 Tea Fighting

Chinese tea drinking began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. Compared with the Tang people's tea-making method, the Song people's tea-making skills were more proficient. In the eyes of literati and officials, tea was ranked alongside chess, chess, and flower arrangements.

"Four Elegant Things".

In the Song Dynasty, drinking tea became a popular way of leisure for everyone from the aristocracy to the common people, and was even a necessity in life. And they were not only satisfied with this. Making a bowl of tea soup with good color, fragrance and taste is a reflection of a person's gentlemanly character and personal accomplishment. Therefore,

The trend of "tea fighting" suddenly emerged.

There are also two different methods of tea fighting. One is to order tea, and the other is to divide tea. The so-called tea ordering is to prepare tea soup separately, and the taster will evaluate it based on the three points of color, aroma and fragrance. People in the Song Dynasty favor white tea, so the whiter the tea, the longer it lasts.

The weak ones are the top ones.

Distributing tea is much more complicated, requiring the brewer to point out the colors on the surface of the tea. Whoever has the most beautiful and bright colors wins.

At this moment, the tea fight in Minglou has just begun. The hall on the first floor is separated by thirty-six exquisite screens, forming thirty-six independent small cubicles, as scattered as a Go board. In

In this huge "chessboard", hundreds of elegant people who love tea are like chess pieces, placed in different positions on the "chessboard".

They were either in a room of two, three or four, separated by a screen, and competed with each other over tea. There was a tea doctor in each cubicle as a referee, and from time to time the tea doctor's shouts came out:

"Among Xuanwu, Yuan Lang beats one water", "Among white tigers, Li Sanlang beats half water"... Accompanied by Dr. Tea's shouts, came the lamentations of the losers and the proud voices of the winners:

"Haha, I accept it, I accept it."

As the president, Du Juan sat steadily in the middle of the aisle, with a smile on his almond-shaped face, turning his head from time to time to observe the battle situation around him.

In the Zhengqi Pavilion of the inner house, Mo Yunxiao was sitting at the table sadly, pouring a bowl of tea for herself. Mrs. Wei sitting next to her was naturally not as calm as she was.

She slammed the table, stood up suddenly, and said, "He Lu, this is not like your temperament."

Mo Yunxiao smiled bitterly and said, "If not, what should I do?"

"Huh! Mother-in-law." Mrs. Wei paced back and forth for a few steps and said angrily: "Do you know that for us women, marriage is a very important matter. How can we win or lose in a tea fight?

On the subject? Should you choose the uncle or the doctor who makes tea?"

"I lost my family's tea recipe, and Huan'er doesn't know where it went." Mo Yunxiao sighed: "Nowadays, people are fighting for each other and others are fighting for fish and meat."

Mrs. Wei was stunned for a moment, then she came up to her, held Mo Yunxiao's hand tightly, and said, "He Lu, I know it's hard for you and you are helpless in this family. But you must never agree to this ridiculous marriage.

.Otherwise, I’m afraid you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

Mo Yunxiao smiled lightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister. I have my own sense of discretion."

"Sister?" Mrs. Wei frowned and said, "Why, you are alienated from me and don't want to call me by my cousin?"

Mo Yunxiao was also stunned and said blankly: "Sister's cousin..."

Caiyi hurriedly said: "After my girl fell into the water, she forgot many things."

Mrs. Wei was slightly surprised, knelt down and said, "Then you should never forget me. I am Wei Wan Wei Yuru."

Mo Yunxiao suddenly smiled: "Sister, how could I forget you? You are Zeng Bu's wife and one of the best female poets in our court."

Mo Yunxiao didn't know who this Mrs. Wei was at first, but after hearing her name, she knew her identity. Although Wei Wan was not as famous as Li Qingzhao at the same time, she was still famous at the time. Mo Yunxiao's Chinese studies skills

It is profound, and nature knows it.

After hearing this, Mrs. Wei smiled and said in a half-coquettish tone: "You still have some conscience." But after smiling, she also became worried: "No wonder your father wants to marry you off in such a hurry.

I think you went out because you lost your memory and wanted to find someone who is proficient in tea ceremony to help you with the tea house business."

Mo Yunxiao sighed softly and said, "Yes. So even for Minglou, I should obey my father's arrangements."

Mrs. Wei nodded to express her understanding of Mo Yunxiao. She stood up slowly and said, "But this has wronged you."

"Sister, how do you know it's me who's been wronged?" Mo Yunxiao smiled and said, "Maybe it's my uncle who came to visit who was wronged."

As she said this, Cai Yi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Mrs. Wei sighed and said, "Don't worry, sister, I will find the best doctor in the world to cure your amnesia."

Mo Yunxiao's heart felt warm and she couldn't help but shed tears in her eyes. In this lonely and chaotic time and space, Mrs. Wei was like a bright torch, giving her warmth and light.

Mo Yunxiao was about to speak when he heard someone outside the room say: "He Lu, why don't you go to the front hall with your father to take a look."

When everyone turned around, Mo Chenglin was already standing at the door of Zhengqixuan.

Mo Chenglin was slightly surprised when he saw Mrs. Wei. He rolled up his sleeves and saluted, and said, "It turns out that Mrs. Wei is here to see my little girl. How virtuous and capable my little girl is. It's really scary."

Mrs. Wei smiled lightly and said: "Old man, don't be polite. He Lu is your daughter and also my confidant. She wants to choose a son-in-law. Logically speaking, I am an outsider and shouldn't comment. But I don't want me to

This kid will regret it in the future, so he has to come and have a look."

Mo Chenglin chuckled and said, "It's great that Mrs. Wei is willing to reward you."

Mrs. Wei nodded, turned to Mo Yunxiao and said, "He Lu, please sit here. Your father and I will go to the front hall to have a look."

Mo Yunxiao was a little nervous and stood up unconsciously. Mo Chenglin looked a little embarrassed, but he could only wave his hand and said, "Since Mrs. Wei has spoken, you should sit down first."

At this time, the battle in the front hall has entered a fierce stage. Half of the contestants have been eliminated. The defeated people shook their heads in disgrace and left in droves. The remaining people regrouped and continued the battle.

Mrs. Wei and Mo Chenglin were walking through the aisles. Mrs. Wei looked at these people and couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect it. This momentum is almost as strong as the examination room."

Mo Chenglin said with a smile: "It makes Mrs. Wei laugh. My daughter has been hanging around in Tokyo since she was a child, and she has been nicknamed 'Female Yama'. I thought there wouldn't be many people asking for marriage, but I didn't expect so many people to come."

people."

Mrs. Wei sighed: "Old man, you underestimate your daughter-in-law. In the city of Tokyo, from the princes and princes to the innocent family, whose daughter doesn't want to be well-educated and sensible, and abide by women's responsibilities? But Helu is different from them.

.They are peonies and begonias, while lotus flowers are plum blossoms. Plum blossoms have their own unique domineering power. Since ancient times, countless literati and poets have praised plum blossoms. It is not surprising that lotus flowers are coveted by so many people."

Mo Chenglin chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, Mrs. Wei is right."

At this time, Mrs. Wei took a look and happened to see Zhang Di. He was walking among the various cubicles, looking at the tea soup prepared by others, curling his lips and shaking his head from time to time. It seemed that the tea soup prepared by others could not reach his eyes.

Mrs. Wei pointed at him and asked, "Hey, is this a guy from your Minglou?"

When Mo Chenglin saw it, he shook his head and said, "No."

Mrs. Wei felt something strange, so she went up to her and asked, "Brother, are you here to fight for tea?"

Zhang Di was startled, but he was still very arrogant. He raised his head and said, "No, it's my young master who comes to fight for tea."

"Oh? Who is your young master?" Mrs. Wei continued to ask.

Zhang Di looked embarrassed and said hurriedly: "You don't know even after I told you." Then he turned around and left. Mrs. Wei held his shoulders down and said with a smile: "Then, you are here to spy on other people's truths."

Of?"

As soon as he said this, the tea drinkers who were fighting over the tea turned their heads one after another, their eyes piercing Zhang Di's cheeks.

His face turned red, and he tried his best to shake off Mrs. Wei's hand and said, "My master's tea-making skills are world-class, why do I need to come and spy on him? I'm just itchy for a while, so I just came out and took a look myself."

"Then what did you see?" Mo Chenglin asked.

Zhang Di smiled, pointed to the nearest bowl of tea soup on his left and said: "Just look at this brother's tea. It's green in color, and it doesn't bite the cup, so it can't be considered top quality. There's also this gentleman's tea, which is white in color, but

Clouds with scattered legs cannot last long and cannot be considered top quality..."

Zhang Di reviewed seven or eight bowls of tea in succession, citing flaws in them all, which greatly displeased the tea drinkers.

"Hmph! It seems that your young master is Zhou Lang Gu Qu, and his tea-ordering skills are much better... Why not invite him out to compete."

A tea guest yelled this, causing everyone to echo.

Zhang Di couldn't get off the stage for a while, so he shouted loudly: "That's all, I'm going to invite my young master to come down and let you ordinary people open their eyes!"

"I'm coming." The door of a private room on the second floor opened in response, and a young man dressed as a scholar walked out gracefully, waving a folding fan. Following him was a Dr. Tea. Dr. Tea was holding a

The tray, with a bowl of tea on it, followed the young man carefully downstairs.

Dr. Tea placed the bowl of tea on the round table in front of the counter. Everyone gradually gathered around and took a sniff, and the warm aroma of the tea was refreshing.

Dr. Tea looked at it again and again, and couldn't help but marveled: "This tea is translucent in color, full of vitality, and does not fall apart when you bite the cup. It has a rich fragrance." At this point, he raised his head and asked the young man: "I'm sorry, but I would like to have a taste.

."

The young man nodded and replied with a smile: "Please do."

Dr. Tea carefully picked up the black ferret tea bowl, brought it close to his lips and took a sip. After tasting it for a long time, he said with admiration: "It leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth. It is indeed a top-quality product."
Chapter completed!