Making a pot of tea for an old eunuch was not something Yan Liqiang could not accept, nor did he feel humiliated. Yan Liqiang had a very good attitude.
In my previous life, when I had just entered the workplace and was a rookie, in order to build relationships with clients and get orders, I had to do things like make tea for clients, even go to clients' homes to clean their toilets, fix water pipes, and carry the elderly upstairs. Not to mention the times when I would show up at clients' homes with things in my hands, smiling, and then be greeted with a cold face and driven away. It's just making a pot of tea, no big deal.
If this eunuch Liu was considered a client, then he was definitely a super big client. In fact, this eunuch Liu was not only a big client, but also his leader, so there was no problem at all.
Yan Liqiang felt sympathy for eunuchs, but he did not discriminate against them.
The water on the small stove had begun to boil, and Yan Liqiang was fanning the fire seriously. When the firewood in the stove was almost burned out, Yan Liqiang took a few pieces of firewood from a wooden box beside the stove and threw it into the stove. The firewood was not ordinary firewood, but seemed to be branches of a osmanthus tree.
Yan Liqiang estimated the time and waited for the water on the small stove to boil completely. After it had been bubbling for about five minutes, he lifted the water from the kettle. According to his experience of drinking tea in his previous life, he found water nearby and washed his hands carefully. Then he took the tea set and soup cups nearby, washed the tea, brewed it, sealed the pot, and divided the tea into cups. Then, he brought the brewed cup of tea to the lying old eunuch with both hands.
Yan Liqiang didn't know what kind of tea he was brewing, but it must be very expensive. When it was brewed with water, the tea leaves rolled in the water, like pieces of tender bamboo leaves, lush and green. A fresh fragrance emanated from the cup, making people feel like they were bathed in the spring breeze.
"Eunuch Liu, the tea is ready..."
Just now, when Yan Liqiang was making tea, although Eunuch Liu was still lying on the recliner basking in the sun, seemingly leisurely, one of his eyes was slightly open and he squinted, observing Yan Liqiang's every move, even every subtle expression on Yan Liqiang's face and every movement of his hands.
It was not until Yan Liqiang brought the brewed tea to him that Eunuch Liu changed his posture from lying to sitting, stretched his body, and reached out to take the teacup.
"Eunuch Liu, be careful, the tea is still a little hot..." Yan Liqiang reminded instinctively.
"We like to drink hot tea..." The old eunuch squinted at Yan Liqiang and picked up the teacup without hesitation.
Suddenly, Yan Liqiang's eyes widened, because when the old eunuch picked up the teacup, Yan Liqiang saw that the hot steam of the tea in the cup seemed to be frozen all of a sudden. When the teacup was brought to the old eunuch's mouth, a thin layer of frost had already formed on the exquisite teacup. Then the old eunuch poured the boiling hot tea at almost 100 degrees, along with the tea leaves, directly into his mouth, and smacked his lips with satisfaction...
This old eunuch is actually also a master.
Yan Liqiang was a little surprised.
The old eunuch put down the cup, glanced at Yan Liqiang, and finally nodded, his tone much calmer, "Not bad, you are a man who knows the rules, pleasing to the eye. Where did you learn this set of rules for making tea?"
"I haven't learned it, I just watched others drink it this way, so I learned it!"
"Where are you from?"
"I am from Pingxi County, Ganzhou!"
"What do your parents do for a living? It's not easy to be favored by Lord Sun. Your family is a local official family."
"My family lives in the countryside. My father is a blacksmith in the village. He makes a living by forging iron. We are not rich. I have been dependent on my father since I was a child. I have never seen the world. If there are any mistakes or omissions, please forgive me. I am lucky to be favored by Lord Sun!"
"Yes, yes, no wonder you are so well-behaved. It turns out you are from a poor family..." The old eunuch looked at Yan Liqiang with a softer look.
The word "also" from Eunuch Liu made Yan Liqiang understand the life experience of this eunuch and gave him more sympathy. To be honest, if a person comes from a wealthy family, how many of them would become eunuchs? So even though these eunuchs seem to be in high positions and are flattered by others, they are actually miserable people.
"Yesterday, Eunuch Xue from the palace personally sent someone to greet us, saying that you were by Lord Sun's side, and although you were busy, you were loyal and diligent, and you had made some contributions. Lord Sun valued you very much. Lord Sun is someone who works for the emperor. If you work for Lord Sun, you are working for the emperor. If you make contributions for Lord Sun, you are making contributions for the emperor. If you are loyal to Lord Sun, you are loyal to the emperor. We like people who are loyal to the emperor and capable of doing things for the emperor!"
"I just did what I was supposed to do!"
"Oh, by the way, Eunuch An said that Lord Sun praised you for your outstanding talent in archery at such a young age. You have already advanced to the third level of archery and can pull a five-stone bow. With a bow in hand, you can fight one against a hundred. You can kill the Black Wind Bandits by yourself and make them terrified. On the way when you were escorting Lord Sun back, you killed more than a hundred Black Wind Bandits by yourself. Is this true?" Eunuch Liu suddenly looked at Yan Liqiang with interest.
"It's all thanks to the concerted efforts of all the guards that this result was achieved!"
"Did you bring your five-stone bow?"
"I have it, on the rhino-dragon horse I rode!"
"Little Leo, you're quick, go get his bow and a pot of arrows..."
Eunuch Liu gave an order, and the young eunuch who had been rocking the recliner for him responded and ran out. After a while, he brought Yan Liqiang's horn python bow and a pot of arrows.
Eunuch Liu finally stood up from the recliner. He took the bow bag of the Horned Python Bow, took out the Horned Python Bow, tried it out, and nodded, "Yes, this is indeed a strong bow of five stones..." After saying that, he handed the Horned Python Bow to Yan Liqiang, "How far can you shoot with this bow?"
"Within a thousand meters!" Yan Liqiang said calmly. At this time, he also knew that the old eunuch wanted to see his abilities, so there was nothing to hide.
"Oh, I'd like to see it!" Eunuch Liu raised his eyebrows, glanced around the yard, and finally his eyes lit up, and suddenly pointed to the sky in the distance, "Do you see that kite? Can you shoot it?"
The kite that Eunuch Liu was pointing at was at least six or seven hundred meters away from the yard where Yan Liqiang was, and was flying more than two hundred meters high in the sky. The kite was in the shape of a swallow, the size of a winnowing basket, and was flying vigorously in the spring breeze.
With the eyesight of an average person, at this distance, one can probably only barely see a kite flying in the sky somewhere.
It looked like the kite was released from the Deer Park. I wonder who has the time to fly a kite in the Deer Park...
"I'll try..." Yan Liqiang squinted his eyes and glanced at the kite, then he took an arrow, weighed it in his hand, and gently placed it on the bowstring of the Horned Python Bow. He slowly raised the bow and aimed it at the distant sky. When he was about to pull the string, Yan Liqiang suddenly stopped and asked a question, "By the way, Eunuch Liu, is there a crowd of people in the direction where the kite is flying? If I shoot it like this and the arrow falls in a crowded place, it might hurt innocent people and even kill people!"
"Hahaha, I didn't expect that you are so thoughtful despite your young age!" The old eunuch laughed, "Don't worry, we don't dare to be such a jerk and joke about human life. Below and behind the kite is a forest of the Deer Park. There is no one there, so don't worry..."
"Okay then!" Yan Liqiang nodded, and the horn python bow was instantly pulled into a full moon shape.
Yan Liqiang narrowed his eyes, his mind immersed in the artistic conception of the way of bowing. After seven or eight seconds of silence, the bowstring vibrated, and with a whoosh, the arrow in his hand flew out like lightning...
Under the watchful eyes of Eunuch Liu and two young eunuchs in the yard, Yan Liqiang's arrow had just flown out when the kite flying in the sky suddenly rolled over, blown by the wind, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Yan Liqiang didn't shoot the kite, but he shot the string that tied the kite.
Compared to a target as big as a kite, the string that ties the kite is so thin that it can be almost completely ignored. At this distance, it is not easy for ordinary people to see the kite in the sky. As for the string that ties the kite, many people can't even see it, let alone hit it. What's more difficult is that the string that ties the kite is shaking slightly because the kite is moving. It is conceivable how difficult it is to hit such a target...
This requires not only the third level of archery skills, but also great strength, stable control, the ability to judge the surrounding environment, including wind speed, temperature, humidity and other factors that affect the accuracy of the arrow during flight, and terrifying eyesight. None of these can be missing.
The third level of Kyudo can hit a kite, and to hit the string below the kite, the comprehensive strength shown has long exceeded the level of the third level of Kyudo...
Yan Liqiang shot an arrow, and the yard became quiet instantly.
(End of this chapter)