The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 49 Li Erniang

"General Li, this is my master!"

The middle-aged man quickly came out from the inner room, followed by a woman wearing a veil with a black silk veil. Her face and age could not be seen clearly.

"I have met General Li. I apologize for any negligence I may have shown you!"

The woman in the veiled hat bowed gently to Li Yirou. Her voice was clear and pleasant, like the chirping of an oriole. She didn't sound very old.

"My lady, you are too kind."

Li Yi returned the greeting and said, "I wonder what the deal is with buying wine? If there are any difficulties, then forget it."

He said this, but he was actually a little surprised.

Unexpectedly, the host the middle-aged man was talking about was actually a young woman.

However, seeing that the other person was a woman and her attitude was very polite, he didn't want to argue with her.

"If anyone else wants to buy this Jade Flower Liquid, they might not be able to buy it no matter how much money they have, but if it is General Li, I will naturally do my best to satisfy you."

What the woman in the veil said was indeed very respectful to Li Yi.

But Ma Renyu on the side interrupted impatiently: "What are you talking about? Just now you were looking down on me, and now you have changed your face. Ugh!"

"If you want to sell it, then bring out the wine quickly. We'll buy it and leave. We don't have time to chat with you..."

"The wine will naturally be sold to General Li..." The woman in the veiled hat was not angry. She didn't even look at Ma Renyu, but only focused her eyes on Li Yi.

As she spoke, she chuckled and said, "But I have a humble request. I wonder if General Li would be so kind as to try the new Shu tea we have in our shop."

Have tea?

Li Yi felt puzzled and had no idea what the other party was up to.

He subconsciously wanted to refuse, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly remembered the purpose of buying wine.

If this shop can really provide high-quality liquor on a stable basis, I might consider doing long-term business with them.

Li Yi nodded immediately and said, "Then I will bother you for a while."

"Brother Yi, we..."

Ma Renyu wanted to ask, but Li Yi stopped him with a look.

"General Li, please come in."

The woman in the veil made a gesture to invite him in. Seeing that Ma Renyu was about to follow her in, she quickly said, "Sir, please wait in the store for a moment."

It was clear that what she meant was that she was only going to invite Li Yi in for tea.

"Why? Can't I drink that tea?" Ma Renyu said unhappily, "Do you have any intentions towards my brother? Are you trying to get rid of me on purpose?"

The woman in the veil seemed stunned by the question and stood there for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Fortunately, Li Yi came to her rescue and said, "Brother Yu, just wait here for a while, I'll be out soon."

Since the other party wants to be alone with him, he wants to see what tricks the other party can play.

Li Yi was now also aroused by the woman's words and actions.

"Then I'll wait for you outside." Ma Renyu finally gave up. "If anything goes wrong, just call me inside and I'll rush in to help you immediately."

"Don't worry, I think no one in Kaifeng City dares to provoke the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards."

Li Yi replied with a smile. He was not only saying this to Ma Renyu, but also to remind the woman in the veiled hat not to have any unnecessary thoughts.

Only after following the woman into the backyard did Li Yi discover a different world.

The yard has obviously been specially renovated, with many green plants placed there, and running water flowing through the hole in the courtyard wall and into the Longjin River behind it. The overall layout is very stylish.

The area is not as big as the back garden of Li Yi's house, but it is just as exquisite. It can be said that although it is small, it has everything.

Li Yi followed the woman in the veiled hat into a private room in the backyard.

As he entered the room, he smelled a light and elegant fragrance. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was indeed pleasant.

Li Yi glanced at the layout. There were gauze curtains hanging on all four sides. With the wind blowing in through the window, the curtains swayed slightly, creating layers of ripples.

On the left side of the middle of the room, there is a complete tea table with a charcoal stove, teapot, teacups and kettle, etc., with all the utensils needed.

"General Li, please take a seat."

Li Yi sat down at the tea table upon hearing this. A gentle breeze blew through the room. Although it was July, it was refreshing and pleasant. It seemed that the orientation and ventilation of this room had been carefully designed.

"Yuan'er, Chan'er." The woman in the veiled hat called softly.

Then, two beautiful girls walked in quickly, holding a few things.

After putting the things down, the two girls quickly retreated.

At the same time, the woman in the veil hat sat opposite Li Yi and slowly took off the veil hat she was wearing.

In an instant, a beautiful face appeared. Judging from her appearance, she was no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.

Li Yi couldn't help but be surprised that the other party was so young, yet he could run a business on his own.

Although it is not uncommon for women to appear in public these days, most of them come from poor families like Guo.

The girl in front of him was obviously from a wealthy family, and her words and actions were all dignified, so she would not fall to the point of being seen in public.

At this time, the young girl said, "What a coincidence, I have the same last name as General Li."

As she spoke, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, she smiled brightly, and continued, "I am the second child in the family, so you can just call me Second Mother, General."

Uh... Li Yi thought to himself, the other person not only has the same surname as him, but is also ranked second in the family.

Isn't this too much of a coincidence?
He suddenly felt that he had a connection with the number two. He was the second child, Zhao Da was also the second child, and Zhao Er Niang was also the second child.

Now there's this Li Erniang... Am I really that stupid?
However, these thoughts only flashed through his mind. Li Yi still had a smile on his face as he said, "So it's Madam Li Er. I wonder what brings you here?"

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by General Li. Although I'm a woman, I've always loved hearing stories about heroes since I was little."

Li Erniang did not give a direct answer, but shifted the topic to Li Yi.

"General Li's heroic deeds at the battles of Gaoping and Xinkou have long been known throughout the land. I admire General Li's heroism and would like to ask him to share his experiences on those battlefields. I hope you will forgive my abruptness."

"Mrs. Li Er, you are too kind. I am just lucky. It is not a heroic feat."

Li Yi's face was calm, and he thought to himself: She is young but looks quite mature, and her words and actions are graceful. This woman is not a simple person.

After hearing this, Li Erniang smiled slightly and did not insist on anything else. Instead, she introduced to Li Yi the things that the two maids brought in.

"This is mountain spring water that was just delivered this morning. It's clear and sweet, perfect for making tea. It must be used immediately. If it's left overnight, it loses its flavor."

As she spoke, she opened the porcelain jar again, revealing the huddled tea leaves inside.

"This is the first buds of new tea from several old trees in Shu. After being picked, it's air-dried for three days, then kneaded over a slow fire until it forms a ball. It's air-dried for another three days, and finally sealed in a ceramic jar for preservation. Only a few jars are produced each year."

"And these pickled plum blossoms. Adding some to the tea will add a touch of flavor."

Listening to Li Erniang's introduction, Li Yi couldn't help but nod secretly. It turned out that she was from a wealthy family, and there were so many rules to pay attention to even when drinking tea.

If it were him, he would just rinse and soak and be done with it.

Compared to this, I really feel like a country bumpkin.

However, Li Yi vaguely remembered that what is popular nowadays are tea cakes and tea balls, which are made by boiling tea or making tea, and paired with some miscellaneous condiments.

Loose tea like this kind of rolled tea does not seem to be very popular and is rarely used to entertain guests in formal occasions.

Of course, Li Yi was not used to drinking tea made with those condiments, so the loose tea leaves that Li Er Niang took out were quite to his liking.

After the introduction, Li Erniang began to prepare the tea seriously.

I saw her adding some new charcoal to the bottom fire of the charcoal stove, and then using a copper rod to level the charcoal.

After the new charcoal was lit, she poured mountain spring water into the pot and put it on the charcoal stove to cook.

After a while, the water began to boil. She picked up a handful of tea leaves, put them into the pot, and then stirred them gently with a tea whisk.

After stirring it a few times, she picked up a handful of grains, which she didn't know whether they were sugar or salt, from the porcelain bowl next to her and slowly sprinkled them into the pot.

　Ugh!

　　I'm still in Hefei typing away today. I haven't returned to my hometown for the New Year yet. I'll go back on the morning of New Year's Eve...

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(End of this chapter)