White tea legend

Chapter 246 Falling into the river
In Chang'an City, the afternoon at the ancient Imperial Tea House is peaceful and warm.

The sunlight shines through the window lattices, sprinkling on the wooden floor in patches, interweaving with the faint scent of tea in the air.

Yao Yunniang sat in the tea shop. Although she was only a teenager, she looked very calm. Her eyes were focused and clear, as if she could see through everything.

Zhuo Laosan was entrusted by Miss Yao Si to teach Yunniang how to appreciate white tea.

He gently raised a cup of freshly brewed white tea. The sunlight shone through the cup, reflecting the clarity and purity of the tea. He took a deep breath, letting the fragrance of the tea penetrate his heart, and slowly said to Yunniang: "To appreciate white tea, the first thing to look at is its color."

Yao Yunniang stared at the tea in the cup. It was a light yellow-green color, like tender leaves in early spring or dewdrops in the morning. She responded softly, "This color is so fresh and refined."

Zhuo Laosan smiled and continued, "The second thing is to smell the fragrance." He gently shook the teacup to let the tea fragrance spread. Yao Yunniang also followed his example, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The fragrance was subtle and lasting, like the breeze in the mountains, or like orchids in the valley.

"This fragrance is so refreshing." Yao Yunniang exclaimed.

Zhuo Laosan nodded and continued, "The last thing is to taste it." He took a sip of the tea and savored the taste carefully. Yao Yunniang also tasted it carefully. The taste was refreshing and pleasant, melting in the mouth, and the sweetness lasted for a long time.

"The quality of this white tea is indeed top-notch." Yao Yunniang exclaimed.

Zhuo Lao San looked at Yao Yunniang with satisfaction. He knew that this clever girl had mastered the key to tasting white tea. He put down the teacup and said calmly, "Tasting tea leaves is not only to identify its quality, but also to feel its charm and emotion. Every pot of good tea is a perfect combination of nature and man, and the crystallization of life and wisdom."

Yao Yunniang listened to Zhuo Laosan's words, and a feeling of respect and gratitude welled up in her heart. Entrusted by her aunt, Zhuo Laosan had taught her how to make and taste tea for some time. She knew that she had not only learned the skills in the process of tasting white tea, but also felt Zhuo Laosan's love and awe for tea. This feeling, like the white tea in the cup, is light but unforgettable.

For Zhuo Laosan, although Yao Yunniang is young, she is a worry-free apprentice.

Under the guidance of Zhuo Laosan, Yao Yunniang gradually mastered the essence of tea making. She followed Zhuo Laosan's hard work, getting up early and staying up late every day, busy with the picking and drying of tea leaves. Although her clothes were soaked with sweat, she never complained, but enjoyed it.

In sharp contrast to Yao Yunniang are her two uncles - second uncle Yao Ziling and third uncle Yao Ziyuan.

Although they also promised Miss Yao Si that they would learn how to make tea well, their actual actions were far from their promise.

They idled around all day, were careless about tea-making techniques, had an extremely impetuous attitude, and did not do their jobs properly. They even had some crooked ideas, always thinking about how to make huge profits by taking shortcuts.

One day, it was a good time to pick tea. Yao Yunniang carried a bamboo basket on her back, stepped on the morning dew, and shuttled between the tea gardens. She carefully picked each piece of tender green tea leaves, her movements were skillful and orderly. Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan hid in the shade of the trees to cool off, occasionally pretending to pick a few leaves, and then began to complain that the sun was too strong and the tea leaves were too sharp.

Madam Yao Si saw it all and was furious.

She had always felt that her two brothers were not of the same ilk as her, and did not want to keep them in the "Gu Yulin" tea shop. However, her two brothers finally had the opportunity to return to Beijing, and they refused to leave.

The "Gu Yulin" tea shop held a tea-making competition among its internal employees. All the servants in the tea shop could participate, including Yao Yunniang, Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan.

The competition began. Yao Yunniang quickly got into the state with her previous efforts and Zhuo Laosan's guidance. She carried out each step in an orderly manner, and handled every detail just right. Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan were in a hurry. They tried to use some unorthodox techniques to cover up their shortcomings, but they were soon discovered.

In the end, when the three servings of dry tea were placed in front of everyone, the winner was immediately clear.

Yao Yunniang's tea is emerald green in color and fragrant, while Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan's tea is dull in color and has a mixed smell.

They don't even know that the production process of white tea is different from that of other teas and there is no such step as frying the tea.

They don’t know that white tea is unique in its unique production method and natural and healthy properties. The most notable feature of its processing is “no frying or kneading”, which is in sharp contrast to the processing technology of other teas such as green tea.

The production of green tea requires high-temperature stir-frying, which is the step of "killing the green" to prevent reddening and rusting, and maintain the greenness and fresh taste of the tea leaves. On the other hand, white tea is made by withering and drying, thus preserving more natural properties and health-preserving essence.

In the process of making green tea, the key is to "kill the green". This process uses fire or steam to block the activity in the leaves, ensuring that the leaves are always green and locking in the fresh and refreshing tea flavor. Through this process, green tea can maintain its unique color and light aroma, making people feel relaxed and happy when tasting it.

The art of making white tea relies more on nature. The first step is withering, during which the leaves slowly lose water and ferment slightly, gradually revealing a sweet and fragrant taste. Then, they are dried in a warm and dry state without fire or kneading, so that the leaves are naturally in shape and have a unique flavor. The white tea made by this method not only retains the true nature of tea, but also shows the meticulous craftsmanship. It is fragrant and rich in flavor, and drinking it for a long time is good for your health.

In short, the frying of green tea fixes its color and preserves its freshness, while the natural drying of white tea leaves reveals the beauty of its original ecology. The two each hold one end of the tea ceremony and together they paint a beautiful picture of tea art.

In front of everyone, Zhuo Lao San repeated to the two masters the differences between white tea and green tea, as well as the key points of white tea production process. Amid the laughter of everyone, Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan were ashamed and annoyed, and they became angry with Zhuo Lao San.

And then Zhuo Lao San happened to discover an important confidential matter of the two masters, which made them even more murderous.

That day, Zhuo Laosan was looking through the account book with a frown on his face and discovered something unusual.

Seeing this, Yunniang asked him, "Master Zhuo, what's wrong with the tea shop's accounts?"

"Yun Niang, the account is wrong. Someone has falsified the account."

When Yao Yunniang heard this, a sharp look flashed in her eyes, "We have to get to the bottom of this."

The two of them already had the answer in their hearts. After secretly investigating, it turned out to be the work of Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan. They had always had the ambition to swallow up the tea business that Yao Si Niangzi had worked so hard to run.

Yao Ziling and Yao Ziyuan were terrified when Zhuo Lao San discovered their secret. They decided to kill Zhuo Lao San and silence him.

Yao Yunniang noticed the unusual movements of her two uncles, and she quietly followed them, trying to find out the whereabouts of Zhuo Lao San. However, she was accidentally discovered by the two men, and a sack was put over her head and locked in a small dark room.

In the darkness, Yao Yunniang heard the conversation of the guards outside. They planned to sell her to a trafficker, and Zhuo Laosan would be sold as a slave. Although she was afraid, Yao Yunniang did not give up hope. She secretly observed the surroundings, looking for a chance to escape.

……

Zhuo Laosan woke up in a small dark room and found Yao Yunniang next to him.

"Master Zhuo, I'm scared. The uncles are going to sell us out." Yao Yunniang was just a child after all. She was already panicked and crying.

Although Zhuo Lao San was also nervous, he knew that he couldn't panic at this time. He gently comforted Yao Yunniang: "Don't be afraid, Master Zhuo is here. Let's take a look at the surrounding situation first, and we will definitely find a way to escape."

He looked around carefully and found that the walls of the small dark room were made of rough wooden boards, and some shabby furniture was piled in the corner. Zhuo Laosan's heart moved. He remembered that he had learned some simple carpentry skills, which might come in handy. He carefully moved to the corner and dismantled the shabby furniture with his hands tied behind his back. After a while, he had a simple tool made of wooden strips in his hand. He first untied the rope on his hand, returned to Yao Yunniang, and whispered: "Yunniang, listen carefully, I will find a way to open this door later, you take the opportunity to run out, keep running forward, don't look back."

Yao Yunniang nodded, with a determined light in her eyes.

Zhuo Laosan took a deep breath and began to pry the door lock with the wooden stick in his hand. After some effort, he heard a "click" and the door lock was actually opened by him.

Zhuo Laosan quickly opened the door and winked at Yao Yunniang, who understood and immediately rushed out of the room and ran forward.

The two guards outside the door naturally came up to stop people, but they were restrained by Zhuo Laosan, and Yao Yunniang was able to successfully escape from the gloomy little dark room.

Yao Yunniang ran from dusk till dawn. In order to escape danger, the little girl didn't care about her fear and ran back to Chang'an City to inform Yao Si Niangzi.

Madam Yao Si didn't expect that her two brothers would do such a stupid thing. She was furious and immediately took her men to rescue Zhuo Lao San.

However, Zhuo Laosan had already been moved from that small dark room.

Madam Yao Si led her men all the way to the riverside. The two brothers had already sold Zhuo Lao San, and the buyer was taking Zhuo Lao San away on a boat.

Seeing the boat carrying Zhuo Laosan sailing away, Miss Yao Si, not knowing where she got the courage from, jumped into the river.

Madam Yao Si jumped into the river, and Zhuo Lao San also jumped into the river. Madam Yao Si couldn't swim, but Zhuo Lao San could swim, but his hands were tied behind his back, so he couldn't swim. The pair of miserable mandarin ducks struggled in the water and both sank into the water...

……

When Zhuo Laosan woke up, he found himself lying on a soft bed, and Yao Yunniang was sitting beside the bed taking care of him.

"Master Zhuo, are you awake?"

Seeing Zhuo Laosan waking up, Yao Yunniang shouted with joy.

"Where is your aunt?" The first thing Zhuo Lao San asked was Madam Yao Si, completely ignoring the splitting headache he had.

"Aunt is fine, you and aunt are fine, it was Master Li from the Southern Court who saved you two."

Coincidentally, that day when Li Laosi was on official business and passed by the river, he saw the thrilling scene of Yao Si Niangzi and Zhuo Laosan falling into the river. So he led his men and rescued the ill-fated pair of mandarin ducks from the river.

"Where is your aunt now?"

Zhuo Laosan didn't care who the Lord Li who saved him was. He only cared about where Miss Yao Si was at this moment and whether she was safe.

"Master Zhuo, drink this bowl of medicine first, and I will take you to find your aunt."

Yao Yunniang said this while holding up a bowl of medicine soup in both hands.

Zhuo Laosan quickly drank the medicine and got out of bed in a hurry, but he felt dizzy for a while.

"Master Zhuo, go slowly. When you fell into the river that day, your head hit a reef in the river. The doctor said that you need to rest well after you wake up. You don't have to go see your aunt. I will go and call her to see you."

As Yao Yunniang said this, she asked Zhuo Laosan to lie down and went to invite Yao Siniang.

Madam Yao Si was in the tea room, and there was another person in the tea room: Zhang.

Yao Yunniang walked to the door of the tea room, but did not dare to go in, because she could feel the tense atmosphere in the tea room even when she was standing outside the door.

Yao Si Niang looked solemn, while Zhang looked anxious. Yao Yun Niang's heart tightened, knowing that something was wrong, and she dared not enter the house.

"Fourth Mother, although your second and third brothers made mistakes, they are still family members after all. Please forgive them this time and don't send them to see the officials."

Yao Si Niang frowned. She knew that her sister-in-law was kind-hearted, but at this moment she felt that she was not able to distinguish right from wrong. She was silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "Sister-in-law, do you know what they did? They kidnapped Yun Niang and Zhuo Lao San. If we hadn't rescued them in time, Yun Niang and Zhuo Lao San would have been sold by them. Can you tolerate such a thing?"

Zhang was startled, then burst into tears: "I know they are wrong, but he is your brother after all! Fourth Mother, please give them a chance to mend their ways for the sake of our brother-sister relationship."

Outside the door, Yao Yunniang couldn't help but hear this, so she pushed the door open and said, "Mom, the two uncles are your relatives, so am I not your relative? They kidnapped me and wanted to sell me! If it weren't for Master Zhuo who saved me, you would never see me again!"

Zhang was speechless when Yunniang questioned her.

"Sister-in-law, I know you mean well. But the country has its laws and the family has its rules. Since they have made mistakes, they should be punished accordingly. I can't cover up their crimes just because they are my brothers." Madam Yao Si said in a firm voice.

Zhang wanted to plead again, but Yao Yunniang told Yao Si Niangzi: "Aunt, Master Zhuo has woken up."

Madam Yao Si immediately left Zhang and walked out of the tea room.

"Fourth Lady, Fourth Lady..."

How could Zhang call back Miss Yao Si?
"Why is this Fourth Lady so ungrateful? A guy named Zhuo is more important than two guys named Yao. Are they still close?" Zhang murmured.

"Mom, this is the first time I've discovered that you're so pedantic. In your heart, am I, a Yao, no match for the other two Yaos? I'm your biological daughter, and my two uncles are going to sell me out!"

Yunniang really couldn't understand Zhang at this time.

"You are fine, aren't you? Forgive others when you can."

Zhang had her own difficulties. Last night she dreamed that her dead husband, Guanglu Doctor Yao Ziyi, came to plead for her two younger brothers.

You don’t have to respect people, but you have to respect ghosts, right?