Chapter 36: A Small Drink by the River

  It was noon, so Ruth suggested: "Let's go eat something nearby!"

  Next to the Phoenix Brand Building, there is a restaurant. The carved balustrade and the cedar door are all painted with patches, showing that they have been through the vicissitudes of life, and it should be a hundred-year-old shop, but the mark "Gongnong Restaurant" on the gate is still there. The wooden signboard is newly made, and the three characters "Linjiang Garden" in Liu's style are powerful and tight, and at first glance, you can tell that they were written by Lu Suxiu.

  As soon as the waiter in the store saw Ruth, he became exceptionally enthusiastic and hurriedly led him and Yu Xin to the second floor's elegant seat by the window overlooking the river. From here, you can take in the beautiful scenery of Leijiang.

  Outside the window, fine rain is linking the river, rippling with countless ripples. A river of spring water flows slowly in the misty rain. Looking further away, it's a lush and verdant scene of spring with flowers and trees everywhere, tender as if dripping.

  The store manager was a woman in her 30s with short hair that reached her ears, looking neat and tidy. She personally carried two cups of tea over: "Director Lu, please try some freshly brewed 'Mingqian Tea'." Although it was the local dialect of Leijiang, it sounded smooth and sweet, like chewing on a red apple with an iced sugar core.

  "Mingqian Tea" is a top-grade spring tea. Due to its tender buds and rich aroma and flavor substances, it has excellent quality and is used as the raw material for high-end green tea. However, since the temperature before Qingming Festival is generally lower, the tea trees have limited sprouts, grow slowly, and the yield that meets the picking standard is very small, making "Mingqian Tea" even more precious. Serving guests with "Mingqian Tea" in restaurants can also demonstrate the guest's special status.

  In a transparent glass cup, the tender buds are like lotus hearts, light green and clear, resembling silver needles, with uniform shape. The soup color is emerald green and pure, with a subtle tea fragrance that lingers elegantly. In the hot soup, wisps of tea smoke slowly rise from the tea leaves, gradually dissolving into the tea water, like segments of misty rain in Jiangnan's stories, settling in the quietly flowing Lei River. Taking a sip, the flavor is refreshing and cool, with a sweet aftertaste.

  "Ruth Knight sipped her tea and said, 'In Leijiang's spring, not only can you see the colorful scenery with your eyes, listen to the clear and elegant sounds with your ears, smell the fragrance with your nose, but also taste the rich flavor with your tongue. All five senses can experience the beauty of spring, which is hard to find in other places.'"

  Yu Xin Yuan didn't have such a romantic mood, he went to worship "Qing Zhong Bai Zhong" early in the morning and hadn't eaten or drunk anything until now, his throat was so dry it was smoking. Seeing the steaming hot fragrant tea being brought up, he didn't care about anything else, took three or two sips, and downed half a cup of "Ming Qian Tea". After all, it was top-grade tea leaves, with a clear fragrance when entering the mouth, and a sweet aftertaste. Yu Xin Yuan felt extremely refreshed, and had already refilled his cup twice.

  But he underestimated the strength of "Mingqian Tea". After drinking two cups, Yu Xin suddenly felt empty in his stomach, with acid water churning from his stomach to his throat. Looking at Lu Sihao still drinking tea slowly and saying those words that came from the heart, he felt even hungrier. So he urged: "Sihao, stop being so pretentious! From morning till now, I haven't eaten anything yet! And with this strong tea, my stomach is already growling loudly, hurry up and serve the meal!"

  Ruth laughed and said, "Xin yuan, new green tea can only be 'sipped', not 'drunk'. 'Mingqian Tea' as the best of new green tea, is a step-by-step lingering fragrance. First, it clears the nose, then smooths the tongue, followed by harmonizing the stomach and intestines, and finally opens up the pores. It's a subtle and quiet enjoyment, can only be slowly savored to feel that 'flowing beauty, cleansing the heart' tea rhyme. How could you gulp it down like that? I still have half a cup left, but you've already finished two cups! Looks like you must be tea-drunk, with an empty stomach, eating without choosing. Let's try some seasonal snacks today, since it's Qingming Festival. We can eat anytime, but 'biting spring' only happens on this one day."

  Ruth called out to the waiter: "Bring a plate of each traditional dim sum from your store!"

  After a while, the restaurant manager personally brought up a large bowl of fried spring rolls, as well as a plate of green dumplings and a plate of rice flour cakes. The most special one was a piece of freshly baked huai flower cake, emitting the fragrance of huai flowers.

  "County Magistrate Lu, this is a hawthorn cake I made with my own hands. I don't know if it suits your taste, please try some!" On the blue and white porcelain plate, a large round hawthorn cake was emitting the fragrance of hawthorn flowers. The white rice grains were topped with a translucent hawthorn sauce that shone like pearl powder, and red dates were embedded in it like jade. The combination of color, scent, and taste was complete, making one's mouth water. Lu Sihao stared blankly at the familiar childhood snack in front of him, and his emotions were stirred up again.

  Every year when the pagoda flowers are in full bloom, Aunt Ruihui personally picks the freshest pagoda flowers from the backyard, selects each flower carefully, soaks them in water overnight, then uses a cheesecloth to scoop out the flowers, squeeze out the water, and mash them into a paste using a garlic press. She adds white sugar and honey to taste, steams a pot of rice, places red dates, peanuts, and dried tangerine peel on top of the rice, and when the rice is half-cooked, she spreads the prepared pagoda flower paste on top of the rice and continues to steam it. When the sweetness of the red dates, the fragrance of the rice, and the aroma of the pagoda flowers fill the air, the fragrant pagoda flower cake is done. Once the pagoda flower cake is cooked, Aunt Ruihui will ask her maid Meixiang to invite Mother Ruixuan over, which is also a day that young Rushi eagerly anticipates every year, going to Aunt's house and gathering with Meixia.

  The restaurant manager looked at Ruth, who was staring blankly at the槐 flower cake, and smiled: "My craftsmanship is passed down from my mother, and my mother's craftsmanship is taught by Mrs. Ruihui. I should be considered a direct disciple. Try it and see if it's a familiar taste." The restaurant manager immediately cut the槐 flower cake into small pieces of three square centimeters, picked one up, and placed it on Ruth's plate.

  Ru Si Xia finally woke up from his contemplation, picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the Hua Hua Gao, nodded in approval: "This is completely your mother Mei Xiang's authentic recipe! I hope you can restore this traditional dish of Lei Jiang and let more villagers taste this authentic Lei Jiang specialty." Ru Si Xia said to the restaurant manager while seeing Yu Xin Yuan hadn't touched his chopsticks yet, hurriedly added: "Xin Yuan, eat quickly while it's hot, or it won't have this flavor!"

  In front of Ruth, Yu Xin Yuan didn't care about etiquette and directly grabbed a pastry with his hand, gobbling it down.

  Spring rolls and rice flour cakes are filled with new leek stir-fried eggs, fragrant dried tofu filling, yellow and green alternating, pleasing to the eye, biting into it, the fragrance overflows, the whole house is filled with the vitality of spring, the dark green Qingtuan emits the aroma of mugwort medicine, which makes people's appetite open.

  Watching Yu Xin Yuan eating with his head down so happily, Lu Si Xiao found it hard to associate the person in front of him as a nearly fifty-year-old government official, a veteran old public security officer, but rather like his own family's mischievous little brother, afraid that his big brother would snatch his food. He couldn't help but laugh comfortably.

  After eating two spring rolls, a green dumpling and two rice cakes, Yu Xin Yuan finally felt that his stomach was no longer unbearably hungry, and his intestines and stomach were much more comfortable. He raised his head to see Lu Si Xia smiling at him, who hadn't even touched her chopsticks yet!

  He felt a bit embarrassed and raised his teacup: "Sī Xiá, let's use tea instead of wine, wishing you all the best and a smooth career!"

  Si Xia also raised his teacup: "I also wish you an early solution to the case and a triumphant return!"

  When it came to the case, Yu Xin's eyes, which had been shining brightly just a moment before, suddenly dimmed.