"Fourth Prince, you should also eat."
He looked away slightly, coughed, and said slowly: "Hua Rong, let me make tea for you too."
Hua Rong was startled and slowly put down his rice bowl.
Only then did she see a set of rose-red tea sets placed on a very plain table opposite the guqin. It was the exquisite set produced by Jun Kiln that she had seen several times. They lived there just right. On Zhang Suya's table, everything from tea cups to kettles to wooden spoons to tea grinders is good.
"I studied tea ceremony at home for a period of time, but the art of tea is about the heart and requires talent. Maybe my talent is not very high and I don't understand much. I just draw tigers and dogs..." He As he spoke, he was already sitting at the tea table. He stretched out his hands, which were no longer young hands. When people reach middle age, vicissitudes of life come uninvited. His big hands are used to holding Fang Tian's painted halberd. , now replaced by a small wooden spoon, looked a little empty. His eyes were a little blurred in the mist.
He wore a moon-white gray shirt and a Dongpo scarf on his head. At that time, the Dongpo scarf was no longer popular. In the Song Dynasty, another kind was popular, such as the cyan ribbon used by the famous Ximen officials. The scarf he made was extraordinarily elegant. However, he no longer knew about this fashion trend. He had not been to the Song Dynasty for several days. Even Hua Rong did not know what kind of fashion was popular among the literati in Jiangnan now. Others are more elegant.
In their memory, there is only Dongpo scarf.
It was the memory of an era, staying in the world of the most splendid and highly materialized civilization of the Song Dynasty.
The water has begun to boil, with "fish-eye" bubbles and a slight sound, which is "first boiling". He took a small jade jar, which contained extremely special tea salt. He used a very small green bamboo䇲, like planning a chapter, was very cautious, weighing the portion, and then added it. Soon, there was a light film of water like "black mica" on the water. At this time, Lu Wenlong also put down the bowl and chopsticks and stood next to his father. , watching his operation attentively.
"It was bitterly cold in Dajin, and the wind was biting all day long. People were wandering around on horseback. When I was a child, I studied under a Han scholar. He brought me many books. Only then did I realize that there is another person in this world. It was a prosperous, rich and gentle town that was completely different from Dajin. At that time, I hoped that I would grow up quickly and be able to go to the Song Dynasty to see the paradise on earth. In fact, it was not just me, but also the subjugated king of the Liao Kingdom, Emperor Tianzuo. A famous fatuous king, but he once said something very elegant, that is, he hopes to be reborn in the rich Song Dynasty in his next life... "
"Dad, is Song State really that good?"
"You will understand clearly if you go and see for yourself. Son, if you go there, you will fall in love with that place. That place makes people happy and has the best wine, the best food, the most beautiful girls, and the most touching people." The dance music..." He was infinitely fascinated, "Even the best sencha..."
As he spoke, bubbles appeared on the edge of the water like springs. He smiled and said, "Hua Rong, is this the so-called 'second boil'?" He looked modest and spoke sincerely, like a simple young man studying under a teacher.
Hua Rong agreed with a "hmm" and then had nothing to say.
He was still very interested. He first scooped out a ladle of water from the cauldron prepared nearby, then stirred the boiling water with a bamboo pot while adding the ground tea powder. The tea powder was green, crystal clear and fragrant. It was surging inside, as if groups of green elves were singing and dancing enthusiastically.
"Hua Rong, are my orders correct?"
She nodded absentmindedly, as if she was not as interested in the sencha as he was.
Soon, the bubbles in the tea soup were already rising like waves. He was meticulous and his face was slightly excited: "Hua Rong, is this the 'three boils'?" Then, without waiting for Hua Rong's answer, he quickly added The ladle of water scooped out when entering the "second boil" stopped boiling temporarily, just like a feast reaching its climax, but added endless loneliness. However, once this loneliness is torn away, it is the best part. The fragrance is the key to the success of a cup of tea.
Three rose-red tea cups were placed on a clean table. The porcelain body was shiny and splendid. Even Lu Wenlong felt this unusual beauty - Jun Kiln! Such ordinary words turned into such magical beauty. Such beauty can only be rooted in the land of the Song Dynasty.
Although the Song Dynasty had fatuous kings like Zhao Deji and evil men like Qin Hui, he wondered why people could still create such exquisite things. This was completely unimaginable in the Dajin where he lived. The scenery was great immediately, but could it be even more enchanting when he was off the horse
He followed his father's hand without blinking and his eyes moved. His father had already taken the wooden spoon, and the emerald green tea was contained in a white porcelain body. The three colors of bright red, emerald green, and bright white formed a strange beauty. She is more alluring than the most beautiful woman in the world, full of supreme style and delicacy, and graceful and lingering. Lu Wenlong opened his mouth and was speechless. Only the scent of tea lingered in his nose, and the whole room suddenly became quiet.
The mist of water slowly faded away, and the three cups of tea began to appear plain, clear and quiet, like a lady in the prosperous Tang Dynasty who had just stepped off the scroll.
Jin Wushu picked up the first cup of tea and placed it in front of Hua Rong. This tea was called "Junyong", and it was the first bowl of tea soup in the whole sencha, and it was also the best, and the list followed in descending order. The second cup of tea was handed to his son: "The tea is ready. There is a poem from the Song Dynasty that says, 'The heavy turbidity condenses below, and the essence floats above.' Son, drink it while it's hot and see how it tastes. Otherwise, once the tea gets cold, the essence will float away." If it’s exhausted, it won’t taste good…”
Lu Wenlong couldn't wait, but he suddenly remembered the etiquette his mother taught him when making tea, and he followed it meticulously. Jin Wushu looked at the handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, and he vaguely had the demeanor of a handsome young man. He smiled After getting up, he picked up the third cup of tea and took a slow sip.
"Hua Rong, don't you try my craftsmanship?" His eyes were bright. At this moment, Hua Rong looked a little dazed, as if the prestigious fourth prince had turned into a pure young man like Lu Wenlong, with such eyes. Clean and sincere, without calculation, without viciousness, or even any demands, just with a little desire, as if to get approval and belonging - ah, this "meaningful" lamp, how fragrant its taste is!
that is it.
She held the tea, and finally tasted it slowly, abandoning all thoughts, just as simple as tasting a cup of tea.
The white fingers on the Jun kiln tea cup, rose red and pure white, intertwined, reflecting the softness of the patchwork - gentle as water. No wonder, people say, women are made of water.
Jin Wushu concentrated and calmed down, and his thoughts moved from the prairie to "Ten Miles of Spring Breeze on Yangzhou Road". That was different - a woman from Dajin, lavish, bold and bold, but not graceful. The look between her eyebrows was like a man's, imprinted with cruelty. The wind and sand make it rough; but the women of the Song Dynasty are just like the tea cups from Jun Kiln, exquisite, graceful and beautiful - but they have to be handled with care and taken care of carefully. If you are not careful, the priceless work of art will be broken. .
Because it is beautiful, it is fragile!
However, men from the Jin Dynasty never dared to openly marry a woman from the Song Dynasty, because under that weak appearance, there were often hidden deep scheming and methods, which were more powerful than men. This is also related to rough hands. The feet of Jurchen women are different. Because they are wrapped in a beautiful coat, they are even more difficult to detect.
Such contradictions, such urgency, that's why they were so full of yearning for the beauties of the Song Dynasty, full of cruel plunder and enslavement.
Jin Wushu's eyes fell on those thin white hands for a long time. He thought, human memory is really strange. Why, over and over again, is the scene in the Kaifeng teahouse where "the delicate hands cut open the new oranges"
After drinking a cup of tea, the faint fragrance slid moistly in the throat, and the fragrance between the lips and teeth dispersed. Hua Rong put down the teacup and said lightly: "Fourth Prince, won't Hailing cause trouble for you?"
His soaring thoughts were suddenly brought back to reality, and he was faced with those vulgar topics again. Jin Wushu looked at the pot of water. One boil, two boils, three boils... they were all in the past and could not boil. I can’t even boil anymore! It turned into a pot of cold water, losing its lingering charm. Even its fragrance dispersed in the air, was exhausted, and could no longer be found. What was left was just a pot of tea. Just scum.
A green jade basin was placed in front of him, with clear water, emerald green, and a contrasting color. He put down the tea cup and said lightly: "Hua Rong, please clean your hands."
It was the etiquette of the time to wash hands before and after tea. He didn't actually need to follow it. He just thought that he might make tea just once in his life, and of course he had to do it to the best of his ability. Or maybe it was just because of this jade. The basin is too beautiful.
The entire basin is carved from a large piece of jade. There is an extremely rich peony on the top, and a red carp on the bottom of the basin. They are both extremely gaudy combinations, but when mixed together, it creates a different flavor. .
Hua Rong stretched out his hand, and his eyes fell on the red color at the bottom of the basin. As soon as it entered the water, it caused ripples, and the fish at the bottom of the basin seemed to swim, so agile.
Jin Wushu was fascinated by the really red hands, and heard her soft voice: "Fourth Prince, the tea you just made was really good. You are a genius, and tea requires a genius, very good. The tea is very good, Thank you."
In an instant, his eyes were bright, his eyebrows were smiling, and his mood was extremely relaxed. Tea, wine, or meals... When the trivial matters of life become art, they all require talent. Just like cooking, housewives cook it every day at home, every month. They cook it every month, every year, but very few become masters. On the contrary, only some top celebrity chefs can make some exquisite dishes. This is the difference between eating and tasting. But, he thought, she didn't know , I have been preparing for tea for a full twenty years, from the first tea book of Lu Yu that I saw, to the various tea sets collected by the Song Dynasty... Just like a dry land cactus, it has been nurtured for a long time. The flowers are in bud, but they fade within a day.
Very few people have actually seen such beauty. That’s why people always praise spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums.