Chapter 25: The Rebellious Mulan

  The Clear and Bright Festival has passed, but the Rainy Season has not yet arrived. During this three-month period, Jiangnan is in its misty and rainy season. Just as the red sun was about to rise in the east, it suddenly became overcast with leaden clouds, fine rain, and a gentle breeze, plunging everything into darkness once again. However, this rain did not dampen the mood of the people of Gaojiazhuang. Since it was just a false alarm, there was no need to make such a big fuss. Taking advantage of the delayed dawn due to the fine rain, Gao Shanshui led everyone to disperse and quietly return to their original farms and villages.

  When Lingyun returned to Gaojiazhuang, many servants in the manor had just gotten up and were bewildered by the sudden return of a large group of people from outside. Some looked confused and didn't know what was going on. Not everyone had left the manor during the relocation last night. Those who were taken away were mostly people who knew Gao's true identity, as well as some guards and maids who came from the north and knew something about it. The local servants who had been working in the manor all along didn't know Gao Shanshan's identity, so no one informed them when they relocated last night. They were even unaware that Gao Shanshan and others had left last night, so when they saw a large group of people returning from outside early this morning, they were shocked.

  Lingyun smiled faintly at them, without explaining. Some self-proclaimed clever servants thought it was just the young master and miss taking people out for a morning horse ride. As soon as they returned to the manor, Gao Shanshuo immediately went with Mingyue and Gao Bo to discuss matters. Originally, Gao Shanshuo had called Lingyun to join them, but he excused himself, saying he was tired and returned to the East Wing. In reality, this was just because he still felt some resistance towards his new identity as a rebel. When forced into a corner with no way out, one has no choice but to rebel. But when things are within one's control, who would choose the most difficult path? Gao Shanshuo didn't seem disappointed by Lingyun's reaction. Perhaps it was because Lingyun's reaction last night had exceeded her expectations, or perhaps it was just that Lingyun's sweet words to her last night had put her at ease with him.

  Returned to the East Wing, called Qinglian and Mulan two little maidservants to serve, washed a hot water bath, then changed into clean clothes sitting under the corridor watching the rain hit the banana leaves, the wind blew peach blossoms.

  Lingyun now has some regrets, last night's performance was a bit too good, so that Gao Qianshuai's attitude towards him is full of expectations. This expectation, he can vaguely sense a little. Perhaps Gao Qianshuai originally married him just because she wanted to have a complete woman's life as a strong woman. A woman who is strong in her bones does not want to find an excellent man, and because of the secret identity of the fallen country princess and that white-haired silver-browed ominous appearance, he has not found a suitable partner in the past. Gao Qianshuai married Lingyun, also did not expect him to be an outstanding man, but it does not mean she did not expect to have an excellent man. It's just that before, Lingyun was amnesiac after all, so there were no more expectations.

  However, Lingyun did not back down at the critical moment last night, but instead said such a thing, which undoubtedly moved Gao Shanshui. In times of hardship, one sees true feelings; knowing the identity of Gaizhuang, knowing the danger, and still being willing to stay by his side without fear or difficulty - this kind of bravery in the face of danger is truly the demeanor of a great man. Gao Shanshui's ability to manage such a large secret force cannot be solely attributed to her status as a fallen princess, nor can it be solely attributed to the support of old ministers like Gao Bo. Being able to prop up such a massive hidden force also requires a shrewd individual; she likely saw that Lingyun was indeed a man worth relying on, which is why she didn't mind his attitude after returning to the manor. This man just needs some time to adapt, which is normal.

  Lingyun indeed did not fear imperial power, and as for rebelling, he didn't have much fear either. But that doesn't mean he was willing to abandon his current peaceful life and take risks. If possible, he naturally hoped to spend the rest of his life in peace and quiet. Of course, he also knew that this kind of life would be hard to maintain. Since he had already discovered Gao Shanshuo's identity, how could he possibly remain uninvolved in ancient times?

  He wasn't a big shot in his past life, just an ordinary person. Coming here, even if he knew some historical trends, it's not like he could point out the overall situation to the people of Gaizhou Village.

  Willows lean on each other, and the rain is misty.

  Lingyun somewhat deceitfully hid under the eaves of the east wing, wanting to seek a moment's peace in his heart. But just because he wanted peace didn't mean he could get it.

  Gao Shanshuo was willing to give him some time to adapt to the change in his new identity, and didn't come to disturb him. Lingyun sat under the corridor directing Mulan and Xiaolian to move out a small stove, watching them brew tea. Lingyun used to like drinking tea more than coffee, but after coming here, he couldn't get used to the way people drank tea in this era. The Sui people drank tea just like they cooked rice, with just one boiling word.

  For Lingyun, who was used to drinking bubble tea, the boiled tea of the Sui people was really not used to drinking. Today, he had nothing to do and carefully watched Qinglian's boiling tea process. According to Mulan Xiaoyutou's introduction, the shy Qinglian was a well-known tea-boiling master in the village, and the tea she boiled had the best taste. Qinglian's boiling tea actually uses the same tea as other Sui people, which is a tea cake that has been initially processed rather than loose tea. The production process of this tea cake is not simple, and it needs to go through many processes such as tea picking, spreading, steaming, crushing, molding, piercing, demolding, initial drying, and secondary drying. There are as many as nine different sizes of square and round tea cakes.

  In the end, this kind of tea cake no longer retains its tea leaf shape, so it is fundamentally impossible to brew tea with modern methods.

  This tea cake is actually similar to a cookie, it's a sticky state of tea powder. Not like tea leaves, more like a solidified coffee.

  When brewing tea, you must first roast the tea. Place the tea cake on the fire to roast, and roasting tea is the most testing of hand skills, emphasizing distance and time to ensure the tea cake has a high and even fragrance. Whether the tea is brewed well or not depends on the roasting. Qinglian's skill in roasting tea is very good, she has a natural talent for it, able to perfectly grasp the fire and timing, roasting out tea cakes with rich and even fragrance. Of course, after roasting the tea cake, it's only the first step in the process.

  A good bowl of cooked tea requires good mountain spring water and a bad ceramic teacup, of course, also needs a good stove.

  After the tea cakes are baked, it is another crucial process, rolling tea.

  After the roasted tea cakes have cooled, they are pounded into small pieces and then sifted through a sieve to select tea grains of suitable size. The resulting tea soup is clear and bright, with a pure and authentic tea flavor that does not have any bitter taste.

  Qinglian's roasted tea and rolled tea movements were elegant and free, like a dance, as if it were an art. Later generations' tea brewing was always very convenient, although there were some performing arts teas, but they wouldn't be too complicated. He never thought that the Sui Dynasty tea soup he wasn't adapted to would have such complex craftsmanship.

  "The most important thing is to grasp the fire when brewing tea, and coordinate the ratio of tea, water, and salt." Qinglian said with a smile while grinding tea, seeing Lingyun seemingly immersed in her tea art. She was happy but also a little shy, since yesterday's incident when she helped her brother-in-law bathe, she didn't dare to look at Lingyun straight, and when she saw the young lady, she felt even more guilty, thinking that she had done something wrong behind the young lady's back.

  Qinglian saw that the water had reached a temperature of around 80 degrees, and when it first boiled, she added some salt in a certain proportion. After a while, the steam increased again, and when the second boil began, she picked up the ladle and scooped out a ladle of boiling water for later use. She then stirred the water in the same direction with a rhythm until a whirlpool appeared in the center, at which point she started adding tea leaves that had been sifted into the pot. When the tea water was churning and foaming, during the third boil, she added back the ladle of water she had scooped out earlier to stop the boiling. She then took down the teapot and divided the tea into three bowls. Qinglian smiled at Lingyun and said: "The tea is ready! Now let's enjoy it with some snacks, savoring the flavor and delighting in the joy of tea."

  Qinglian is very satisfied with his craftsmanship and likes brewing tea even more. He especially enjoys it when customers praise the tea he brews himself.

  Unfortunately, the exquisite ceramic teacup on the cloud platform was only taken for a sip before it became unbearable to drink. Can tea with added salt still be called tea? However, looking at Qinglian's expectant gaze, he could only pretend to smile and force down the very salty tea soup. But when he turned his head, he found that Mulan hadn't hurried to drink, thinking he had found a companion, but it turned out that Mulan wasn't in a hurry because she didn't like it, but her taste was even heavier.

  She took out a small box, which was divided into many small grids, containing scallions, ginger, tangerine peel, mint and other seasonings. Then Lingyun looked at Mulan with some astonishment as she put these spicy seasonings into the teacup in front of her.

  You're kidding, do you think this is a sweet coffee? Drinking tea with salt is already bad enough, but you've also added scallions, ginger, orange peel and mint. Are you sure you're drinking tea? As if responding to Lingyun's doubts, Mulan picked up her teacup and took a sip, then closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of enjoyment.

  He almost turned to stone, can such a strong tea really be drunk? He curiously picked up Mulan's cup of tea and took a sip. Then, he regretted it. All sorts of flavors swirled in his mouth, this was simply a bowl of spicy soup.

  Apart from being able to sigh at the true heaviness of his taste, he couldn't think of any other words to sigh about. Thinking that in the future, it might only be possible to have such a heavy taste, Lingyun couldn't help but feel a faint sense of melancholy.

  "Qinglian, I have a new way of brewing tea called 'steeping', want to learn?" For his own future taste, Lingyun started with Qinglian little loli.

  Lingyun doesn't like drinking the tea made by Little Loli, but he likes watching her make tea.

  Qinglian had already sensed that her tea-brewing skills, which she took great pride in, were not to the liking of her husband. This realization caused a pang of disappointment in her heart. For as long as she could remember, her tea-brewing techniques had been considered the best in the manor, with both Miss and Master Gao singing her praises. She had always taken this as a badge of honor, never thinking that her pride and joy would not be appreciated by her husband.

  Boiling tea and steeping tea are actually two completely different arts, but the biggest difference between them is not the difference between boiling and steeping, but rather the difference in processing of the tea leaves before they are used. The pre-processing techniques for boiled tea include cutting, spreading out, steaming, pounding, and pressing into a mold to ultimately form a tea cake. In contrast, the tea leaves for steeped tea are loose-leaf teas, with the most critical step being the pan-frying of the tea after it is harvested.

  After the new tea is picked, it also needs to be sun-dried, which is called withering. This reduces the water content and makes the leaves soft and pliable, making them easier to shape. Then comes the most critical step of killing green, followed by rolling, drying, pressing, and refining.

  The most critical and the biggest difference from the early stages of tea production is the stir-frying of green tea. Stir-frying actually refers to the entire process of stir-frying tea, using a small fire in a pot to make the tea leaves wither, through manual rubbing to make the tea leaves' moisture evaporate quickly, blocking the fermentation process of the tea leaves, and preserving the essence of the tea completely. This is a leap forward in the production of tea. If one can't master the stir-frying technique, it's impossible to produce qualified loose-leaf tea, let alone brew tea.

  Lingyun would then fry the tea, his aunt's house had a small tea field before, using all manual frying techniques. He often went to his aunt's house when he was young and was very familiar with his aunt's tea field, and the not-so-secret frying technique he also fully grasped.

  Lingyun felt that brewing tea was a hundred times better than boiling it, and he believed that if he could make tea leaves using modern roasting techniques, he would definitely be able to replace this primitive boiled tea. Anyway, on rainy days when there's nothing else to do, he decided to give it a try.

  P.S: Seeking recommendation votes!