Chapter 35 Chapter 5 Amazing Reversal

After hearing Mu Qingxiang's words, I looked at her suspiciously, thinking that she must be comforting me, and said discouragedly: "Are you lying to me? He stole Liao Laoer's pumpkin head tea, so it can be said that he is sure of winning. How can we fight the national treasure?" Zhao Shuai became very confident: "You listened to her right, just make your tea and don't think about anything else." I looked at them suspiciously, feeling like I was in a dream. Using tribute tea from the Tang Dynasty to compete with tribute tea from the Qing Dynasty, this was simply a contest of spear and shield.But my strength is too weak, and I didn't cook the purple bamboo shoot tea to the best, so as long as Lan Tian is not too bad, he can easily beat me by far.Unlike Pu-erh tea, purple bamboo shoot tea cannot be boiled for too long. After the tea leaves made a slight clear sound, Mu Qingxiang immediately asked me to put out the fire and scooped out three bowls of tea.

Others cooked the tea soup one after another, and the tea must be drunk while it is hot, so everyone quickly gathered in the lobby of Zhoulao Tea House, waiting for the final result.For a while, the fragrance of tea in the hall overflowed, making people feel ecstatic.For the sake of fairness, the order in which everyone will be served tea is determined by lottery, and sadly I got the first one.No matter what kind of competition it is, whoever draws the first one to play will get a reluctant result and will definitely not gain the upper hand. Lan Tian ranked fifth, Zhou Tea Guy ranked third, and everyone else took their places, expecting the three old men to score.I was not so nervous in the college entrance examination back then, because there was no buddy, so the three of us had to serve tea to the old men separately.When Mu Qingxiang was served to the old man holding white wood, the old man gave Mu Qingxiang a slightly surprised look, but there was not much movement.Zhao Shuai and I hurriedly withdrew, fearing that our retreat would affect the mood of the tea drinkers if we retreated too slowly.

There must be knowledge in tasting and brewing tea, so the tea taster also needs to have a certain morality, otherwise the winner cannot be determined.Under normal circumstances, when a person drinks a drink, the liquid slides from the tip of the tongue along the surface of the tongue into the mouth, a small part slides into the sides of the mouth, and most of it slides into the throat, and the area of ​​the mouth that it contacts is not large.When drinking tea, some people also use this method, so that they are full without even tasting the taste of the tea, which is the so-called cow drink.

The skill of tasting tea is probably: take a small sip slowly, turn the inside of the mouth around, and swallow slowly.When taking tea soup, the mouth should be opened up and down as much as possible, the lips should be closed, and the teeth should be separated up and down to increase the space in the mouth. At the same time, the muscles in the mouth should be relaxed to form a larger gap between the tongue and the upper jaw, so that the tea soup can be soaked. to the lower gums and the underside of the tongue.When swallowing, the scope of the oral cavity is narrowed, and the tea soup is forced into the throat and swallowed.

If you sample tea like this, in the process of narrowing the mouth, the tea soup and air under the tongue will be pressed out, and the bottom of the tongue will feel bubbling. This phenomenon is called Mingquan.Mingquan is achieved by skill, not necessarily drinking tea, but drinking any beverage.Especially when drinking 50-60 year-old Pu-erh tea, the tea soup is already very soft. If you drink it in that way, you will slowly produce fluid under your tongue, as if small bubbles are constantly gushing out. This phenomenon of sublingual fluid production is real. The bottom of the tongue is called spring.

The three old men tasted the tea I made carefully, and I also carefully observed their expressions. I was expecting and nervous, and my heart was about to jump out.On the other hand, the other participants, they are leisurely and calm, they don't seem to care about the result, but only care about the process.Of course, I don't think they are, these appearances are put on, otherwise there would be no backstabbing.These days, the real villains are not the ones who can be seen from the outside, but the hypocrites who claim to be righteous. It's a pity that the three old men didn't show any expressions of surprise, not even satisfaction.Mu Qingxiang didn't mind at all, as if she wanted to watch a good show, she had been quietly observing Ming Zhan's last step.Zhao Shuai saw that I was at a disadvantage, so he hurt me, saying that I was not very good, and he thought I was so good, it seems that he made a wrong bet.Liao's second son had such high expectations for me, but now it was all in vain. Going back and telling him the news, he must be depressed to death.

One of the old men in black commented: "Purple bamboo shoots are not Pu'er, and the water temperature should not be too high, otherwise the taste and nutrition in the tea will deteriorate. It may be better if you remove the charcoal fire a little. Your utensils are not perfect either. But I heard that there was a problem in Liao Fugui's tea plantation, so the materials were gone. It's really not easy for you to use it to this extent, and you are so young." Another black-clothed old man savored the tea, and added: "The tea should not be Jinsha Spring. Has the water been running around all the time, and hasn't let it rest?"

These three old men are really good, and they can even taste this thing. Everyone looked at me, and I answered truthfully: "Because there was something wrong with the water prepared by the tea house, so I went to Laoshan Shenshuiquan to get it, and the time was short." Not enough, so..." The old man holding white wood did not speak all the time, but just tasted the tea carefully. The old man in black finally said: "Although you have limited conditions, you can do well, but this is a tea fight, and you can't take sides just because of your materials. Everyone should protect the materials they have prepared."

I had expected this result a long time ago, and I would definitely not be able to win against Lan Tian, ​​but Mu Qingxiang still had the cheek to lie to me.Because I didn't hug him, I wasn't too disappointed. I was just worried about how to explain to Liao Laoer.Next, they tasted tea one after another, and the tea master who came in second offered Bijian tea, which was produced in Xiachuan in ancient times, which is now Yichang, Hubei.Although the second person received good reviews, he was criticized for having a slightly weaker taste.When the Zhou tea master offered the tea he cooked, his tea was the first of the fourteen kinds of tribute tea in the Tang Dynasty - Mengdingshihua.This kind of tea is very rare. It is originally produced in the Mengshan area of ​​Sichuan. Few people have found the real tea. It can be seen that Zhou tea masters have also put a lot of thought into it.After tasting the tea, the three old men nodded in unison. Judging from their expressions, they knew that the tea was very good.

The old man in black praised: "Zhou tea man, you added some salt when the water boiled for the first time, and the taste of the tea became more mellow. Did you also consider that we are getting older and our tongues are dull? Well done, very good!" Zhao Shuai whispered in my ear, he said that since I failed, I hope Zhou Cha Guy can beat Lan Tian, ​​as long as Lan Tian loses, it doesn't matter who wins.Zhou Chalao's tea is indeed very fragrant, even considering the judge's body, he added a little salt.However, Lan Tian uses more than 150-year-old pumpkin head tribute tea, which is also the top tribute tea in the Qing Dynasty. I am afraid that Mengdingshihua can't stand up to this antique tea.

I smell the fragrance that penetrates into my heart and lungs, and when I smell it, I feel that my whole body melts into the fragrance, as if I am a part of the fragrance.This is the aroma of tea cooked by Lan Tian. He uses the pumpkin head tea we found from the demon house. Although I have a great prejudice against him, I have to admit that this tea aroma can completely overwhelm the crowd.I sighed and blamed myself, I never thought that Mu Qingxiang would not give up, she told me not to be discouraged, no one knows how to win or lose until the last moment. "Hey, I know you're kind enough to comfort people, but the result is all in front of you." I said disappointedly. Standing by Mu Qingxiang's side, Zhao Shuai was also very confident: "Just wait and watch the show, Lan Tian will definitely not be able to win against you." "You don't know much about tea. I can smell the taste of tea. It's on par with Zhou Chaguo, but it's definitely better than me." I was very distressed. "Just watch it. I said if you can win, you will win. Let's wait until the end." Mu Qingxiang's expression was dull. It was hard to see what she was thinking, but it didn't look like she was lying. Lan Tian proudly asked the waiter to serve the tea. He had been warming the bowl before, and he was very careful in all steps.I want to leave immediately. Although the final result has not been announced, it can already be guessed.But there are so many people present, I don't want to run away in front of them, it would be too embarrassing, even if I lose, I have to lose with grace.After Lan Tian's tea was brought to the hands of the three old men, Lan Tian waited expectantly for the result, but his expression seemed to say that he was the number one. However, an astonishing reversal happened next, at least Lan Tian and I found it unbelievable.The old man holding white wood held the tea hesitantly, but did not drink it right away. The other two old men in black also sniffed it hesitantly. They looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes.When I saw this, I snorted coldly. I’m not so surprised. These teas are the tribute tea with pumpkin and human head that is more than 150 years old. We worked so hard to find it from Yunnan.Now I'm giving you three old men a drink, I'm really pissed off, you know, Zhao Shuai and I haven't even had a sip. In the end, one of the old men in black drank tea lightly, and the other old man in black hesitated for a long time before deciding to drink tea.Strangely, the old man in white has been refusing to drink, he seems to be suspicious of something.I really want to shout loudly, don't doubt it, it is indeed a genuine national treasure tea, it is older than your age, if you don't drink it, you will have no chance.The aroma of this tea is so charming that I almost want to rush to grab the tea, and others seem to have the same impulse, which is all due to the intoxicating, even drunken fragrance of the tea. Just when the second old man in black was about to drink tea, the first old man in black who drank the tea actually spit out blood, his limbs trembled like an electric shock, and then he was completely out of breath.Seeing this situation, everyone woke up from the intoxicating fragrance of tea. The old man in white and the old man in black immediately put down their tea and glared at Lan Tian who was still very proud just now.Lan Tian couldn't argue, even I couldn't believe that Lan Tian would poison the tea, didn't he really want to take the first place? The scene that followed was very chaotic, the Ming battle was forced to stop, Lan Tian was quickly taken away by the public security organs, and even we were taken for questioning.Soon, we were released again, only Lan Tian was kept locked up.Due to the loss of life, everyone's tea was not offered, and the old man in white told everyone that he would announce the follow-up in three days. Back in the hospital, Mu Qingxiang finally told the truth, and Liao's second child laughed from ear to ear.It turned out that Lyle, a foreign devil, was not simple. Knowing that he was likely to die at the hands of bandits, he not only sealed up the tea, but also sprinkled a poison on the tea.If Lyle dies, the person who killed him and took the tea will die because of his greed for tea.I was afraid for a while after hearing this, but fortunately I didn't share the tea with Liao Lao Er at that time, otherwise Zhao Shuai and I would have boiled and drank it all. Fortunately, I was very angry: "How do you know that tea leaves are poisonous? Now that you know, why didn't you say it earlier, and now you have killed a person instead!" "She said it..." Zhao Shuai whispered. Mu Qingxiang didn't deny it, but rather readily admitted: "That's right, I've known for a long time that pumpkin head tea is poisonous." "Then why didn't you say it earlier?" I blamed. Mu Qingxiang looked at me very strangely: "If Lan Tian didn't play tricks, then he wouldn't get the tea leaves, let alone what happened today. In the cycle of karma, he has to blame himself, and he can't blame others." "But... an innocent old man was killed!" I was still very angry, "If you said it in advance, that old man wouldn't have to die!" "Xiaolu..." Liao's second son who was lying down excused Mu Qingxiang, "Actually, it was my idea. She came to me and said she would help you. When I heard her mention that tea leaves are poisonous, I asked her to hide it temporarily. , if this is not the case, no one can cure Lan Tian. He is too cunning. If you don't play tricks with him, we have to finish playing. You didn't see that I was already lying here, almost lying in the morgue! He He caused me to go to such a field, should he be spared?" "This..." I was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Old man Liao is right, and Mu Qingxiang is right. That guy Lan Tian just deserves a beating. If you don't show some color, you won't know who is in charge!" Zhao Shuai said bitterly. But I still don't understand why Lan Tian doesn't know if the tea leaves are poisonous.We don't know if it's justifiable, because these two months are in the return period, so we haven't tried the taste of tea.When Lan Tian stole the tea, the return had already been completed. If the tea was already poisonous when he tried it, wouldn't he know it? "When a person's self-esteem reaches a certain level, he will be unreasonable, so Lan Tian would not try tea the day before. What's more, it is a pumpkin head tea, which you have worked so hard to find. Lan Tian naturally believes it." Mu Mu Qingxiang said without emotion, "So, I said you will definitely beat him, no matter how poorly you cook, can you be worse than a cup of poisonous tea?" "No wonder the three old men hesitated at the beginning. They must think that there is something wrong with the tea, but they don't believe that someone will offer poisoned tea in the rare tea battle." I said soberly, "They are too old, they may think It's because of my sense of taste, isn't tea man Zhou also worried that their sense of taste will deteriorate, so he added salt to the tea?" But I still feel that human life is at stake, and it shouldn't be a joke, so I said: "You can find a compromise and tell the judges secretly, and they won't let Lan Tian continue to participate." "Why don't you understand?" Mu Qingxiang looked at me like a monster, "If the blue sky is not removed, the other tea masters will never be at peace. If he is forced to retreat halfway this time, he will definitely retaliate against Liao in the future." Wealthy." I suddenly felt that Mu Qingxiang might not have any feelings, she could still be so calm after killing someone, she was just like a lunatic.However, Zhao Shuai said that I have never seen the world, and he also listed that his family's business failed miserably back then because of the ghosts of competitors.At that time, Zhao Shuai's father was almost killed by the blow. Isn't the competitor considered an indirect murder? There are too many indirect murders these days. Just because you can't bear it doesn't mean others will let you go.I sighed again, tea is a kind of peaceful enjoyment, but now it has become a tool for pursuing fame and fortune, isn't it a great sorrow?Everyone is killing you to the death just for a victory, what's the point of that? Unexpectedly, Mu Qingxiang said: "Who told you that Yangzishan, who tastes tea, is a good person? He deserves to die as well." "You know those three old men?" I was curious. "The ones in black are Yangzishan and Yangqingshan. They are the brothers of the missing tea king of the previous generation. The one who was poisoned to death is Yangzishan." Mu Qingxiang said like an endorsement, "Yangzishan is Lantian's backer. The upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked, all because of the protection of Yangzi Mountain, that's why Lan Tiancai acted so boldly." The second Liao interjected: "She's right. Yangzishan is also famously bad, more terrifying than Lantian. After his death, many people will applaud him. These three people are the judges of the provinces, and many of them are talented. It's so unfair! Do you think Mr. Zhou Cha will win? It's impossible. If Yang Zishan doesn't die, he will definitely try his best to keep Lantian from taking the first place." "That's right, history will always repeat itself. Yang Zishan is destined to be poisoned to death in public just like Yang Wudao in the Song Dynasty." Mu Qingxiang said quietly. "Is this what you mean by history repeating itself?" After being reminded, I remembered that Liao Laoer said on the train to Yunnan that a tea king named Yang Wudao was also poisoned to death while tasting tea in the Song Dynasty. After thinking for a while, I asked: "Aren't the tea kings very powerful? They can tell the origin of the spring water and the type of tea leaves. Could it be that they can't smell the poison?" "Poisoning someone to death doesn't necessarily mean how powerful the poison is. Sometimes psychological tricks make them hard to guard against." Mu Qingxiang said patiently, "For example, will you guard against Zhao Shuai? Will you guard against your father, mother, and wife? ? Naturally, they will not guard against those who participate in the tea battle, because those people want to win the first place, who would poison in front of everyone?" I was overwhelmed by Mu Qingxiang's repeated questions. What she said was not unreasonable. I really don't guard against my relatives and friends. If they want to harm me, it's really easy to do so.If you think about it carefully, the only person you can trust in the world is yourself, but this kind of life is too tiring.In the final analysis, a person must be worthy of his conscience at ordinary times, otherwise he would have to worry every day to prevent being victimized. "By the way, why did you suddenly appear here? You wouldn't simply eliminate harm for the people, would you?" I asked Mu Qingxiang. Mu Qingxiang didn't evade, and told me directly, but her answer surprised me, Zhao Shuai and Liao Erer.