Chapter 14 Tea and wine
As they floated down the Dongyang River, the long bamboo rafts pushed the waves aside, and the sparkling spray would occasionally leap onto the rafts, then return to the river through the gaps between the bamboo. They seemed to be enjoying this game, leaping up and then sliding down, leaping up again and sliding down again.
The suffering Yun Ye could only watch the waves pushed away by the rafts with boredom.
It has been three hours, and they have been wandering on this river for three hours. The gentlemen seem to have no trace of fatigue. Several of them are standing on the raft, pointing at the breast-shaped hill, and occasionally exclaiming in admiration. There are many different kinds of hills along the way, and the one that looks like a wild boar is very beautiful. I don’t see them composing poems for it, but they are alone for this hill.
Yun Ye had already had the idea of inviting the gentlemen to visit the real mountain buns at the Yanlai Building, so they wouldn’t have to fantasize about the tree-covered mound. Even if they were buried on top of it, they wouldn’t be able to taste the sweet fragrance of the soft red soil.
The food is delicious, the wine is strong, and the Yun family can guarantee their quality.
Tea is out of the question. Yun Ye still can’t accept the strange taste of the Tang Dynasty. The powder is ground very finely, and the ink-green foam is beaten with a bamboo brush in a black porcelain cup. Then add some finely ground nutmeg powder and sprinkle it carefully. Oh my God, he actually adds salt and a small spoonful of mutton fat?
Is this the famous Shu Zhong tea? Zhao Fu, with his loose robe and wide sleeves, Zhao Yanling, kneeling at the end of the bamboo raft, meticulously performed the various steps of the tea-making process. His movements were graceful, simple and solemn, and his etiquette was impeccable. He fully expressed his feelings to his guests, his face solemn and full of awe for heaven and earth.
Six people sat around the small red clay stove, watching Zhao Yanling make and divide the tea, their eyes full of admiration.
After receiving the teacup from Zhao Yanling, Yun Ye’s face was full of admiration, and his heart was full of hatred for killing Zhao Yanling’s entire family.
The smell of grass, the smell of mutton, the pungency of green onion and ginger, the bitterness of tea, the salty flavor of salt, and the spice flavor of nutmeg. Yun Ye thoroughly understood what it meant to be in ecstasy, and he had to show an expression of extreme enjoyment on his face, because The five old gentlemen were just like that, and tears flowed down Yun Ye’s face. He had to use his strongest self-control to restrain himself from vomiting, gulping down the deadly poison in the porcelain cup, and loudly praising Zhao Yanling’s skill in making tea.
He attracted four pairs of contemptuous glances.
Mr. Yushan snorted, “A cow chewing peonies. How can such a wonderful tea be drunk in one gulp? You have to savor the various changes in flavor. Tea and spring onions are one change, tea and ginger are another, and tea, spring onions and ginger are yet another. There are 25 different combinations with salt and nutmeg. , the fun of it all has to be savored with the heart, and the addition of sheep fat in it plays a supplementary role, making the king and the ministers assist each other in their respective positions, which is in line with the teachings of Confucianism. It is truly the highest enjoyment in life. The young man does not understand the wonderful use of it, just like a thirsty horse rushing to the spring, which is really an insult to the literati.
Yun Ye bowed low to show his gratitude, and the crowd only then looked away from him, very satisfied with his humble and grateful behavior.
After finishing the tea in the cup, Zhao Yanling used an iron clamp to remove the pine cones from the oven that were about to burn out, drew clean water from the river, and carefully washed the tea set until there was no trace of dirt. He then rinsed it with clean water and put it in a wooden box, completing the entire process of making tea.
“Wen Ji, I thought I would return from this trip empty-handed, but I didn’t expect Wen Ji, Yushan, Yuan Zhang, and Lishi to help me so much. It was only with your help that the talented people of Shu were given the opportunity to display their talents. I am grateful.” Yang Shou spoke with sincerity and sincerity. It seems that the literati of Shu were also marginalized by the powerful families.
“Pan Shan, you are wrong. If the young men of Shu are not truly talented, I cannot help them even if I want to. After all, Yushan Academy was personally selected by His Majesty, and it is full of descendants of meritorious service and royal family members. I dare not be careless.” Li Gang’s actions are so clear-cut. He will help, but he will never be without principles.
“Young friend Yun, I heard in Chang’an that your teacher is a strange person, and you are very good at mathematics and have the ambition to create a new science. I admire you very much. Two of the thirteen students are also specialized in mathematics. Although they lost to Huang Zhi’en this time, it was really because they were not as good as him. I hope that you will help them more.”
Before Yun Ye could reply, Mr. Yuan Zhang said, “Huang Zhi’en is nothing but a clown in the eyes of Yun Hou. I heard that Yun Hou was so tired from making salt for days that he slept in Lu Gong’s tent. Huang Zhi’en, who thought he was talented, challenged Yun Hou without thinking about his own abilities. When the general woke up from his dream, he quickly convinced Huang Zhi’en with a few words and, without regard for past grievances, gave him two new diagrams of Pythagoras’s theorem. This is how the arrogant and domineering scene of this son in Chang’an came about. Such a villain should not pollute our ears.”
“But the circle and square diagram and the square diagram?” Zhao Yanling asked hurriedly.
“Exactly, one picture was created by the sage Zhao Shuang, and the other was created by my master. At the time, I saw that Huang Zhi’en had some talent and taught him.” Yun Ye said nonchalantly.
Zhao Yanling slammed his fist on the raft and said angrily, “Yanshan and Boyuan both lost under these two diagrams. If they had come to Yushan earlier, we wouldn’t have been humiliated by others.”
“Shut up! You lost, you lost. Whether you lost to a stable boy or a great scholar, there is no difference. In the end, it is because your knowledge is not refined. You are young, and you will come back in the future. Why do you need to care about a single win or loss? There are four great scholars at Yushan Academy, and there is also a genius in mathematics like Yun Hou. You teach and educate people at the academy, and at the same time, you humbly seek advice from these few people. In three years, you will have your own time to shine. Your heart is as unmoving as a mountain, and your mind is as restless as flowing water. Have you forgotten all the teachings of the past years? Yang Shou’s few words were spoken with a stern expression, as if he was angry with the iron.
“Haha, Pan Shan, why are you so angry? Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Don’t be a horse or an ox for your children and grandchildren. Your duty as a teacher has long been fulfilled. The rest depends on their fate. Come, come, since ancient times, tea has been used to wash away worries, and wine has been used to forget worries. Let us drink a cup of wine, forget the worldly strife for a while, and enjoy the scenery, how about it?” Mr. Yushan was still as carefree and indifferent as ever, carrying a wine flask and pouring wine for several people. The white and shiny wine line oozed out of the spout of the flask, drawing an arc, and soon the wine cup was filled.
Yang Shou took a deep breath and waited for the wine to enter his lungs. After a long time, he exhaled and sighed, “Such a beautiful wine, I don’t know if I will be able to drink it again in my life.” After that, he finished the wine in one gulp and shouted, “Again!”
On that day, Yang Shou was drunk on the Dongyang River, singing and dancing wildly at one time, crying bitterly at another, reciting his lofty aspirations at a third, and then feeling sorry for himself at the next. After shouting a few times, he fell asleep in Zhao Yanling’s arms.
Everyone on the bamboo raft wept.
Who cried the most? General Yun, it was nothing more than the tea making him sick.