Qiu Yizi turned her head to look at the unruly little girl He'er again, and saw that her eyes were wide open, as if she was looking for flaws. But after looking for a long time, she still couldn't find any flaws in this set of Jun kiln porcelain. She could only answer Lin Shuhan angrily: "There is nothing special about these tea bowls of yours. They are not much better than the Ru kiln Tianqing bowls that my family usually uses for tea."
Before He'er finished speaking, Wen Lingjiao said angrily, "Well, stop showing off. Are you afraid that others don't know you are rich? If you have the time, you might as well go boil some water and make some tea. If you delay any longer, I'm afraid it will be time for dinner."
After hearing this, He'er quickly agreed, took out a bag of tea from the bag on the back of the donkey she was riding, and walked to an iron pot to boil water.
After a while, the water had become boiling hot. Seeing this, He'er counted out the tea leaves one by one and placed the same number of tea leaves in each of the Jun porcelain tea bowls on the table. After the boiling water cooled down a little, she took a small spoon and gently brewed the tea leaves.
For a moment, the scent of tea filled the pergola, making people feel refreshed and indescribably comfortable all over.
He'er seemed to be quite confident in her tea art. She was very satisfied with the smell of the tea. She nodded and said, "I came in a hurry and didn't bring any special tea-making utensils. I can only make do with what I have. Let's make do with what we have."
Qiu Yizi was half the host, so he asked Wen Lingjiao, Lin Shuhan and Wu Ruofei to sit down. He counted and found that there was one more bowl of tea besides Yuchi Jiming who went out hunting, so he waved to Yang Yinger to come over and drink tea with him.
However, Yang Ying'er felt that she was just a girl from a common family and it was inconvenient for her to sit down, so she declined and refused to come over.
Qiu Yizhi was an easygoing person, so he didn't force himself. He raised the tea bowl in his hand, blew away a few leaves of green tea leaves that looked like beautiful jade, and took a sip. In an instant, a warm current went straight into Qiu Yizhi's internal organs, diluting all the remaining toxins in his body. The slightly astringent aroma of the tea filled his whole body and mind, making Qiu Yizhi close his eyes involuntarily. His limbs, which were stiff and numb just now, felt comfortable as if he was swimming in the clouds.
Lin Shuhan was also well versed in the tea ceremony. When he smelled the aroma of the tea, he knew that this was a rare and good tea. Seeing Qiu Yizhi's intoxicated look, he couldn't wait to take a sip, letting the tea linger in his mouth, but he couldn't bear to swallow it, until the essence of it was exhausted, and then he swallowed it whole. He couldn't help but admire: "Regardless of this little girl's character and knowledge, her tea ceremony skills have reached perfection."
Wen Lingjiao also knew that this "Mr. Bansong" Lin Shuhan was a person Qiu Yi admired very much, so she couldn't just keep a cold face to him. She took this opportunity to say, "It's really rare for a maid like me to receive such elegant and secluded praise from Mr. Bansong. If we have the chance in the future, I will definitely invite you to taste tea with me. I'm sure that by then, there won't be such a rush like now, and the tea will taste even better."
Although Lin Shuhan was aloof and unruly, he was not ignorant of the ways of the world. Seeing Wen Lingjiao handing over the ladder, he said, "Okay, okay. Then I can ask Miss Wen for advice on your religion's teachings and hear which is right or wrong compared to the quotations of saints." His words unconsciously revealed a bit of arrogance.
While they were talking, Yuchi Jiming and two of his personal soldiers staggered down the mountain. She herself carried a dead wild boar in one hand, while the other two each carried a fawn and a wild goat, and walked towards the shed.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizhi immediately stood up and walked forward, saying, "Jiming is really extraordinary. He got such a harvest on his first hunting trip. He is worthy of being born in a martial arts family!"
Yuchi Jiming was a little girl after all. After hearing the compliment, she immediately smiled and said, "That's nothing. I see there are a lot of wild animals in the mountains. If uncle gives me a few more people, I guarantee that none of them will return empty-handed."
As Yuchi Jiming spoke, he threw away the two half-dead wild boars in his hands, walked to the eight-immortals table under the arbour, picked up a tea bowl and drank the tea in it.
This was a pity that He'er, who had taken the trouble to make tea, had ruined it. He frowned and said, "Sister Yuchi, this tea... this is not how you drink it!"
Yuchi Jiming ignored her and said, "The temperature of the tea is just right and the taste is good, but it's a little too little." He then raised another tea bowl and swallowed the tea in it whole. He then asked He'er, "Did you make this tea? It's really thirst-quenching. Do you have any more?"
If it had been someone else, He'er would have exploded long ago, but she knew and had seen Yuchi Jiming's methods before, so she frowned and said, "This tea is very delicate. Even the first batch of water can't be too hot. The second and third batches will have lost their flavor. How can it be drunk?"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "He'er, just refill Ji Ming's water. She won't blame the tea for tasting bad!"
After that, the whole shed burst into laughter. Only Yuchi Jiming, who didn't understand what was going on, was left scratching his head, at a loss as to what to do.
After this episode, the atmosphere among the crowd had become much more relaxed.
When Wu Ruofei saw that Yuchi Jiming had brought some wild delicacies, she knew that these were rare fresh wild animals in Jinling City and should not be wasted easily. Therefore, she did not mind the dirt or the fatigue, and with the help of Yang Ying'er and He'er, she slaughtered and cleaned these wild animals herself.
Seeing that the main ingredients had been packed, Wu Ruofei pondered for a moment and said to Qiu Yizi, "Sir, these beasts are excellent ingredients. It's a pity that we don't have any seasonings like oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc. with us... We have a lot of rice and flour dry food, so why don't I make dumplings for everyone?"
As the saying goes, "Nothing tastes better than dumplings." This kind of food can only be enjoyed during the Chinese New Year - so when the soldiers heard that they could have the pleasure of eating dumplings in the mountains and forests today, they cheered and jumped for joy.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi naturally did not object.
Wu Ruofei then ordered a few people to dig wild vegetables in the mountains, and he chopped the meat of several wild animals into sauce, mixed them together, and when the wild vegetables were ready, he stirred them into stuffing. He also took out flour, made dumpling wrappers, and started to wrap dumplings one by one.
Everyone was starving. Although Wu Ruofei was quick and nimble, he was still not able to feed so many people by himself, so they all came up to help.
In less than half an hour, everyone had wrapped nearly three hundred dumplings and put them into boiling water to cook one by one.
After a while, the pot began to emit a mouth-watering aroma. After another cup of tea, the dumplings in the pot were fully cooked, rolling up and down in the boiling water, like lively white rabbits.
Qiu Yizhi was the first to start eating. He didn't wait for the servants to serve him. He scooped a bowl of dumplings, picked up one with chopsticks, blew on it, and put it into his mouth. He felt the delicate and willful outer skin of the dumplings, and the pork, venison, wild vegetables and other flavors were layered and integrated in his mouth. The fragrance immediately lingered on his lips and teeth.
Qiu Yizi hurriedly ate a few more, and felt the delicious taste in his mouth, the fragrance in his nose, and the warmth in his stomach intertwined into one, sweeping away all his hunger, heat, and fatigue, and feeling indescribably comfortable all over his body. He couldn't help but swallow several more, and his stomach was already full of tribute, but he still felt that he could eat a few hundred more.
So Qiu Yizi's legs seemed to be out of control as she walked to the big pot. She was about to scoop out dumplings from the pot with a spoon, but then she remembered that no one had started eating yet and was just watching her eating. Qiu Yizi's face turned red and she quickly called everyone over to share this delicious food.
Everyone had just seen Qiu Yizi's ferocious expression, and they were already hungry and salivating. When they heard Qiu Yizi coming to greet them, they no longer cared about being polite or respectful, and rushed over to grab the dumplings.
In this way, the sounds of pots, pans, chopsticks and spoons colliding with each other inside the pergola merged into a symphony, as if playing a very lively piece of music.
It must be said that Wu Ruofei's cooking skills are indeed extraordinary - Wen Lingjiao, the Saintess of the Tianzun Sect, has traveled far and wide, lived a life of luxury, and has eaten countless delicacies from around the world, but today when she tasted these ordinary dumplings, she was full of praise.
As for the ten personal soldiers under Qiu Yi who came from poor backgrounds, they were "devastated".
In particular, the “Iron Head Dragon” actually shed tears while holding the bowl, and cried in a hoarse duck voice: “I have never eaten such a good thing in my life. If I don’t have such a good fortune in the future, then… I might as well die!”
Wu Ruofei heard this and hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Why does this warrior have to do this? If you really want to work for Master Qiu, it's not a problem for me to cook for you every now and then..."
After hearing this, the "Iron-Headed Dragon" raised its bald head, stared at Wu Ruofei with tears in its eyes, and murmured, "Miss Wu is so kind and compassionate, she is truly the reincarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva. My life as the "Iron-Headed Dragon" has not been lived in vain..." As he spoke, he actually burst into tears.
When everyone saw this, they looked at each other in surprise, and then burst into laughter.
But in the blink of an eye, more than 300 dumplings were eaten up.
Seeing that everyone was still not satisfied, Qiu Yizi ordered Yuchi Jiming to go hunting in the mountains and asked Wu Ruofei to make another three hundred dumplings, which made everyone enjoy themselves.
The sun was setting and it was gradually getting darker.
Qiu Yizi thought that this place was deep in the mountains after all. Besides poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, there might also be bandits and robbers coming to harass.
So he ordered his personal soldiers to collect more firewood and light a bonfire nearby to drive away the wild beasts. He also ordered ten personal soldiers to be divided into five groups to take turns to keep watch at night to ensure safety.
Because Wu Ruofei, Yang Ying'er, Wen Lingjiao, and He'er were girls and could not sleep outdoors, he ordered people to empty a carriage, including the one Wu Ruofei was riding in, for the four women to sleep in. The rest were men, so naturally they did not have to be so particular. Those who liked to sleep on the floor slept on the floor, while those who were not used to it used to make temporary beds with eight-immortal tables and spent the night there.
The night passed in complete peace.
At dawn the next day, Qiu Yizi called everyone together, drove the cart, and set off towards Shanyin County.
Since there were no obstacles this time, the journey was very smooth. In just five or six days, we arrived at the foot of Shanyin County.
Shanyin County had just experienced a not-so-small war, and the people were harassed and frightened. Even though two or three months had passed, the situation was still somewhat depressed.
Qiu Yi led the way, passing through the city gate that was blackened by the flames inside and outside. Seeing that the soldier guarding the gate was one of his own soldiers, he smiled and ordered: "Hey, what are you looking at! Go and inform your boss Zhao that the county magistrate is back!" (To be continued)