White tea legend

Chapter 241 White Peony

Li Laosi was previously an ordinary official in the Wuhou Shop in Liquanfang. Why did he suddenly become the small leader of the Royal Forest Army?
Li Laosi, who came from a humble background, has had a keen interest in martial arts since he was a child, but his impoverished life did not allow him to have too many dreams. His parents died young, leaving him only a dilapidated hut and a rusty sword. In order to make a living, he could only devote himself to Wuhoupu and become a policeman there.

Day after day, year after year, Li Laosi performed his tasks in Wuhou Pu in obscurity. His figure always appeared in the most dangerous places, but few people remembered his name. Until that unexpected mission completely changed his destiny.

It was a stormy night when a group of gangsters robbed the manor of a wealthy businessman. When the news reached Wuhoupu, Li Laosi was the first person to step forward and ask for the hunt. He knew that this was an opportunity and a test.

In the rainy night, Li Laosi relied on his familiarity with the terrain and keen intuition to lead his men to avoid the ambush of the bandits. A fierce battle was inevitable. Just when the battle was at its fiercest, Li Laosi was one against ten and was seriously injured. However, the long sword in his hand was like lightning in the night, hitting the enemy's vital points accurately. In the end, the gangster was captured, and Li Laosi became famous.

Afterwards, the imperial court learned of Li Laosi's heroic deeds and decided to promote him to the Jinwu Guard of the Imperial Forest Army Nanya. For an ordinary police officer, this is undoubtedly a great honor, but it also means greater challenges and responsibilities.

After entering Jinwu Guard, Li Laosi did not become complacent, but trained even harder. He knew that he shouldered the important task of protecting the imperial city. His martial arts became more and more refined, and his resourcefulness became more profound. In many operations to defend the imperial city, Li Laosi performed outstandingly and won the respect of his colleagues and the trust of his superiors.

In a blink of an eye, Li Laosi has been serving in Jinwu Guard for some time, and the wealthy businessman Mr. Tian who he rescued when he was in Wuhou Pu has also been closely associated with him.

Recently, Mr. Tian wanted to buy a batch of tea to reward the commanders of the Royal Forest Army, so Li Laosi volunteered to take on the task of selecting and purchasing tea.

Tea, as an elegant thing in life, has long penetrated into the blood of Chang'an people. Among the many types of tea, Mengding Mountain tea is especially loved by saints because of its sweet taste and elegant aroma, and has become a symbol of noble status.

In Chang'an City, tea shop signs can be seen everywhere. From the East Market to the West Market, from the foot of the Imperial City to the alleys, the fragrance of tea overflows and people come in an endless stream. Among them, the most famous tea shops have brought their own unique flavors to the extreme.

"Biquan Tea Garden" is one of the most prestigious tea shops in the city. There are many types of tea here, but Mengding Mountain tea is the most outstanding. The shopkeeper has almost strict standards for the selection of tea leaves. Every tea leaf comes from the alpine tea garden in Mengding Mountain. All the tea leaves are picked from the tips of the young buds, and must be picked by hand in the early morning in spring when the dew is still wet. After careful frying, these tea leaves are fragrant and sweet, and are deeply loved by the nobles of Chang'an.

"Yunshangxuan" focuses on famous teas from all over the Yangtze River. They bring together high-quality teas from all over the country, and Mengding Mountain tea is still the main product. The tea art performance here is also a major feature, attracting countless literati to come to enjoy tea and appreciate the art. The tea masters are skilled in making a cup of ordinary Mengding Mountain tea fragrant and refreshing.

Another tea shop called "Youlanzhai" is famous for its unique tea and food combinations. They have selected a variety of snacks to match with Mengding Mountain tea, allowing people to enjoy delicious refreshments while tasting the aroma of tea. This combination caused a stir in Chang'an City, attracting many diners to come here.

Of course, in addition to these large tea shops, there are many small tea stalls in the corners of Chang'an. They may not be famous, but they each have their own characteristics. Most of these small tea stalls sell homemade tea, but some also sell Mengding Mountain tea secretly. Although the quality varies, it is popular among ordinary people because of its affordable price.

In such a social atmosphere, the nobles in Chang'an City regarded drinking Mengding Mountain tea as fashionable. Whether in court or at private banquets, cups of emerald-green Mengding Mountain tea have become a status symbol.

Chang'an's tea culture has become more and more prosperous with the popularity of Mengding Mountain tea. Various tea banquets, tea parties, and tea art performances have emerged in endlessly. The style of tea ceremony permeates every corner of Chang'an. Against this background, the tea shop's business became increasingly prosperous, and the supply of Mengding Mountain tea was once in short supply.

When Li Laosi helped Mr. Tian choose tea, he should have gone to big tea shops such as "Biquan Tea Garden", "Yunshangxuan" and "Youlanzhai" to buy Mengding Mountain tea. However, no, Li Laosi arrived at this tea shop. The newly opened "Ancient Yulin" tea shop.

And this tea shop does not sell Mengding Mountain tea, which has become popular in Chang'an City.

It sells Changxi white tea, and also sells green tea such as jasmine tea and Tanyang Gongfu black tea.

The reason why Li Laosi came to "Ancient Yulin" white tea was because the "Ancient Yulin" tea shop was located in Chang'an City.

For some reason, Li Laosi always had a vague impression in his mind. It seemed that there had once been a white tea shop at the location of the "Ancient Yulin" tea shop.

Today's Chang'an City has no idea what white tea is.

When Bai Cha, Lu Yu and his entourage left Chang'an City and headed for southeastern Fujian, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Green Snake revealed its true form and had no choice but to erase the Chang'an City people's memories of White Tea and the "Elegance of Fragrant Ming". Therefore, Lu Yu, Bai Cha and his wife were in Chang'an City. All efforts to promote white tea were in vain.

They worked hard to get white tea recognized by the saints, and the white tea tea art was favored by the saints. The saints also used white tea as a tea to entertain foreign envoys.

White tea, in this prosperous Li Dynasty, also reached its peak moment.

However, no one will remember it.

Regarding white tea, it is no longer in the memory of people in Chang'an City.
However, there is a vague memory about white tea in Li Laosi's memory. In Li Laosi's memory, white tea is not a cup of tea, but a woman. This woman is an expert in the apricot forest. She runs a thatched cottage, treats diseases, and can also make tea.

She gently picked up a bunch of white clouds, and the orchid danced lightly between her fingers. The jade pot hummed softly, and the steaming hot air spiraled into the sky, seeming to penetrate the thin layer of sky. Her movements were elegant and calm, as if time had frozen at this moment, and the fragrance of tea spread thinly in the air, as sweet and moving as the sound of fairy music.

This scene always lingers in Li Laosi's dreams.

Although Li Laosi arrived at the Jinwu Guards of the Royal Forest Army, he would still pass by Liquanfang frequently. The former "Lu Yu Thatched Cottage" there was no longer there, and other shops had been opened.

Li Laosi went to the place where "Xiang Ming Yaxu" once opened on Zhuque Street. It was closed down for a time, but now a new tea shop called "Gu Yulin" has been opened.

Li Laosi walked in, dressed in the uniform of the Jinwu Guards of the Royal Forest Army, which made Zhuo Laosan in the store not dare to neglect.

"My lord, if you want to drink tea, you can go to the 'Guyulin' teahouse next door. There will be fine white tea for you there."

Zhuo Laosan looked at Li Laosi and felt that he should be a distinguished guest who came to drink tea, but he just walked into the wrong store.

However, Li Laosi came not to drink tea, but to buy tea.

"Do you sell Mengding Mountain tea in your store?"

"Our 'Gu Yulin' is a tea shop that specializes in high mountain white tea."

"High mountain white tea?"

Zhuo Laosan had already taken a tea with silvery white color and clear veins from the container, and said to Li Laosi in detail: "This is the treasure of Changxi white tea - White Peony. It is produced by the county magistrate of central Minzhong Xi County, it is made from fat and tender buds and leaves, and is refined through withering, drying and other processes. You see, the leaves are as silver as snow and shaped like peony petals, so it is named 'White Peony'."

Li Laosi reached out and picked up a piece of tea leaf. He saw a white peony with a green back and a silver heart, resembling a flower.

"White Peony's dry tea is usually made from one bud and one or two leaves from the young shoots of the Dabai tea or Narcissus tea trees. It looks relatively uniform. Although there are some broken leaves, this will not have a big impact on the quality of the tea soup."

As Zhuo Laosan said, he brewed a white peony for Li Laosi. After brewing, the green leaves of the white peony held the young buds, just like the first blooming buds, which was very beautiful.

"Sir, please smell it."

When Li Laosi smelled it, there was a faint aroma of flowers and fruits. He took another sip and found that it was sweet, full and comfortable. The tea soup was light yellow, bright and very clean.

"In Changxi White Tea, the white peony has both the nobility of silver needles and the soaring aroma of longevity eyebrows. Therefore, it is very popular among new and old tea drinkers. If you want to give something as a gift, give this white peony as a gift. It’s easy to take.”

Zhuo Laosan continued to introduce, and at the same time skillfully picked up the purple clay pot on the side and began to brew it for Li Laosi.

I saw that he was skillful in putting the tea leaves into the pot, and then took the hot water that had just been boiled and poured it into the pot. For a moment, the steam was rising and the aroma of tea overflowed. After a while, he poured out the first tea water, poured hot water into it, covered the pot, and let it sit for a while.

At this time, he turned to Li Laosi and said: "This tea needs to be brewed many times to better show its flavor. Each time it is brewed, there will be different changes."

Li Laosi was fascinated by what he heard. He looked at Zhuo Laosan's skillful techniques and smelled the gradually spreading fragrance of tea. He couldn't help but ask: "I wonder who this man's tea master is from?"

"My master is the developer of Changxi White Tea making technology: Lu Yu and the White Tea couple."

Li Laosi's hand holding the teacup paused. This name seemed so familiar.