Li Ye sat opposite the middle-aged man and looked at him more carefully.
I saw the middle-aged man wearing a thin black cotton shirt, with a belt woven with yellow gold thread around his waist, and a white jade pendant hanging on the belt. His body was slightly thin.
The middle-aged man poured a cup of tea for Li Ye. Li Ye thought for a while and said, "This junior has also learned how to make tea for a few days. Can I just cook a pot of tea for you?"
The middle-aged man was stunned, looked at him and smiled slightly: "I didn't expect that this young gentleman has learned the tea ceremony. If you would please make some tea for me."
After speaking, he gently pushed the tea tray on the stone table in front of Li Ye.
Li Ye stood up, moved the tea tray and kettle towards him, and gently moved the small stove.
The middle-aged man watched Li Ye's every move quietly, smiled faintly, picked up the teacup in front of him, blew gently, and took a shallow sip.
Said: "I heard from the owner of this inn that the young gentleman drank two glasses of wine yesterday and was drunk all night?"
Li Ye was picking up the teacup to drink. Hearing the middle-aged man's words, he gently put down the teacup in his hand.
Looking at him, he replied seriously: "I can't bear to drink too much, so I didn't want to disappoint Brother Nalan, so I drank two glasses of wine, but I didn't want to get drunk all day and night and make my husband laugh."
The middle-aged man made a soft sound, looked at Li Ye and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that the shopkeeper here would treat you to a drink that he himself couldn't bear to drink."
Li Ye was stunned and said, "Sir, have you drank too?"
The middle-aged man smiled faintly and closed his eyes as if he was sniffing the fragrance of the flowers in the garden.
After a while, he said softly: "Yes, I have drunk it too. That kind of taste can only be found in heaven. How can it be found in the world? Little sir, do you still remember that feeling?"
Li Ye lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked up at the sky. Then he closed his eyes and gently smelled the scent of the flowerweed in the garden.
After a long while, he looked at the middle-aged male servant with disappointment and murmured: "I'm sorry, I forgot about that smell after thinking about it carefully. I clearly had a lot of dreams last night, some nightmares and some sweet dreams, but But now I can’t remember any of them, which made my husband laugh!”
The middle-aged man nodded, looked at Li Ye, smiled, and said, "If you can remember last night's dream, this is not drunkenness. This wine is also the unintentional work of an alcoholic. No matter how much money you spend now, let him It’s impossible to brew it for you.”
Li Ye suddenly realized and murmured: "Now I owe Brother Nalan a favor, and it's hard to repay it." After saying this, he frowned.
When the middle-aged man heard this, he laughed loudly and said: "This guy really treats you as a brother before giving you a drink. He will ask you to accept his favor!"
Li Ye added two pieces of charcoal to the stove and some spring water to the silver pot. He frowned slightly and said, "My husband can't say I owe you a favor."
The middle-aged man frowned, thought for a while and said: "Your husband is stupid. How can a person not owe a favor in this world? Is he really thinking that he has become a god? You can scold him for me later." Sometimes I look at him as a master, sometimes I look at him as an idiot."
After speaking, he drank the tea in his hand.
Li Ye was stunned and blurted out: "Sir, this is not how you drink tea..."
"Is there anything special about drinking tea? Does the master in your monastery even have to teach you how to sleep? Haven't you heard that drinking tea is just drinking tea?"
The middle-aged man was a little angry.
Hearing this, Li Ye was very shocked and was speechless for a long time.
Looking at the middle-aged man, he murmured back: "Drinking tea is just tea? Yes, as long as you like it, it doesn't matter what the posture or taste is, as long as you like it. It turns out that the younger generation is persistent."
The middle-aged man was stunned and looked at Li Ye in a daze. He didn't expect that the seemingly dull Li Ye would turn into this. It didn't look like he was flattering him, but like he had an epiphany.
He was also very shocked. He looked at Li Ye and asked, "Sir, how many years have you been studying Buddhism?"
Li Ye picked up the teapot and filled the two of them with tea. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, thinking about what happened between himself, his husband, and the old monk in the Great Buddha Temple.
He replied: "I have read some Buddhist books in my family's academy since I was a child. Later I studied Buddhism with an old monk in the Great Buddha Temple. I am ashamed to say that I practiced in front of him for less than a year."
"You have practiced Buddhism for less than a year, and you have such a deep understanding? It seems that you are indeed destined to Buddhism! Forget it, let's not talk about it. When you see Mr. Mo, tell him that my surname is Xia, and he will naturally know that I am. Who am I?"
Li Ye nodded, gently brought the cup on the table to Mr. Xia, and said, "Please have tea."
Mr. Xia picked up the teacup, took a sip, looked at Li Ye and asked, "Sir, what are your plans after studying Buddhism? Have you ever thought about going to the imperial city to gain fame and start an official career?"
Li Ye shook his head gently and said calmly: "I don't want to be an official or a businessman. I just want to practice hard with my husband and one day be able to overcome the catastrophe and embark on the great road."
"Does being an official and doing business mean that one cannot practice cultivation?" Mr. Xia put down his tea cup and looked at Li Ye.
Li Ye held it up, looked at the sky, and said softly: "It is true that being an official and doing business can help you practice, but after all, there will be many gaps in the state of mind, and it is easy to get into trouble with the worldly affairs, which will affect the speed of practice."
After hearing this, Mr. What will you do at that point?”
Li Ye was stunned and blurted out: "This junior has never thought of this!"
Mr. Xia waved it off and said with a smile: "Think about it carefully and treat it as a hypothesis."
When Li Ye heard this, he felt a little embarrassed at the moment, so he had to put down the teacup in his hand and close his eyes to concentrate.
After a long while, he looked at Mr. I'm worried about you, I don't want to do either, I just want to be a practitioner, and I hope I can work hard to achieve this: not to be happy with things, not to be sad with myself."
"A good person should worry about the world's worries first, and then rejoice in the world's happiness. This is indeed the way to be a king. ... If people in the world can really do this: don't be happy with things, and don't be sad with yourself. That's still there What does a saint do?”
Mr. Xia tapped the table gently, with infinite joy on his face, as if he had made a major decision in a moment.
Li Ye picked up Zisha and poured hot tea for him, and whispered: "Although there is no fixed way to drink tea, only by drinking it while it is hot can you feel the fragrance of the tea leaves and let the sweetness of the tea leaves linger in your mouth for a long time. Sir, please have some tea."
When Mr. Xia heard this, he patted the stone table hard and said: "Okay, okay! If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Xia is still practicing, I really want to ask you to follow me now... Forget it, we will meet again in the future. Opportunity."
After speaking, he picked up the teacup on the table and brought it to his mouth.
...
"After three courses of tea, it's time for me to leave. I'm very happy to meet Mr. Xia today. I hope you won't dislike me, Mr. Xia, when we meet now. This jade pendant is a meeting gift from me, so please keep it."
After speaking, he took off the white and delicate jade pendant from his belt and handed it to Li Ye.
Li Ye was startled, and quickly stood up and put his hands in his hands, saying, "This junior and sir have just met each other, how dare you accept such an expensive gift?"
Mr. Xia smiled lightly and said: "Your husband and I are old friends. If he were here, he would let you accept my gift. That's it. I look forward to seeing you again next time."
After speaking, he put the jade pendant into Li Ye's hand, turned around and waved, and walked towards the back door of the courtyard.
Li Ye couldn't laugh or cry while holding the jade pendant in his hand, so he could only follow him to the back door of the small courtyard.
I saw a black carriage parked on the side of the road. There were four guards in black beside the carriage. They looked nervously at Mr. Xia who walked out of the courtyard and protected him to the carriage.
Mr. Xia turned his head and looked at Li Ye who was sent to the roadside. He patted his little hand, smiled and said, "Don't take it too seriously. I like your temperament very much. We will meet again next time."
After saying that, he got on the carriage, and the four guards in black saluted Li Ye, got on their horses, and followed the carriage.
I saw the driver flicking his whip, the wheels rattling, and the carriage drove away.
Li Ye waved to the departing carriage, turned and walked into the small courtyard, closing the back door.
...
While walking with his head lowered, he looked at the jade pendant in his hand. He saw that it was an almost transparent, round jade pendant as big as the palm of his hand without a trace of impurities.
A circle of dragon patterns is carved on the front, and four words are engraved: Jishou Yongchang. There is an exquisite flying dragon carved on the back, with the word "Xia" carved in the middle.
Just thinking about how Mr.
"Brother Nalan, the wine you gave me yesterday was too strong, and I'm still dizzy now." Li Ye walked up to him, sat across from him, and said with a smile.
Nalan Yu shook his head and said: "This wine is something external to the body. It can be compared with the feelings between you and my brother. I tell you that only the wine you drink into your stomach is your wine."
When Li Ye heard this, he was startled and said, "It makes sense, just like the tea on this table."
After saying that, he looked at Nalan Yu and said with a smile: "I was thinking just now, why am I the only one in this yard and no one like you, big brother? I never expected to meet Mr. Xia in this pavilion and chat with him. After a while, he gave me this jade pendant when he left. Brother, I don’t know him either, so I’ll give this jade pendant to you.”
Nalanyu took the jade pendant from Li Ye's hand and looked at it. He was extremely shocked and quickly stuffed the jade pendant back into Li Ye's hand.
He said nervously: "Brother, you must put this jade pendant away. Don't lose it. Maybe it will come in handy one day."
After saying this, he actually broke out in a cold sweat, wondering what the old man wanted to do, to actually give such an important thing to Li Ye, whom he met for the first time. It seemed that the brother he had made was indeed a big shot.
Li Ye was stunned after hearing this. He stared at Nalan Yu's face seriously. He was silent and thinking for a long time. He looked at the jade pendant in his hand and said excitedly, "Are you kidding me?"
Nalan Yu smiled, looked at him and said, "You are the first brother I, Nalan Yu, recognize, how could I make a joke with you!"
Li Ye frowned slightly, took out a silk scarf, wrapped the jade pendant in his hand, and put it into the space ring.
After a pause, he continued: "I have to ask Mr. Xia about this. Mr. Xia said that he is an old friend of mine."
Nalan Yu pointed to the teapot on the table and said, "For the sake of getting you drunk yesterday, make me some tea."
Li Ye grinned and said, "Thank you, brother."
"Brother, remember we are brothers!" Nalan Yu looked at him and said seriously.
"Although I understand this truth, even Mr. Xia just now said that drunken life and dreaming are the last jug of wine in this world. Even he can't ask for it. I owe you a favor!"
Looking at Nalan Yu, Li Ye thought about what the middle-aged man said, and his tone was a little excited.
"Isn't it just wine? I won't mind sharing it with you if you like it. I promised you at the inn on the road!" Nalan Yu looked at him and smiled.
Just kidding, this brother is a guy who is valued by his master. Maybe one day I will follow him to travel around the world and do something earth-shattering.
"But to be honest, this drunken dream is really a jar of good wine, which is rare in this life." Li Ye looked at him and said leisurely.
"It's good that you know!" Nalan Yu looked at him and said happily.
"Brother, do you know the middle-aged man just now? Can you tell me what he does so that I can remember his kindness." Looking at Nalan Yu, Li Ye said softly.
"No." Nalanyu shook his head.
