On the night of the winter solstice, Zining slept very well. Before falling asleep, standing at the door of the house, facing the inky sky, silently mourning for her deceased family, it can be regarded as fulfilling her filial piety and mourning.

On the second day, there were snowflakes floating in the air again, and before the sky was bright, Zi Ning wrapped himself in a heavy ochre-colored mattress jacket and a dark dark green cotton jacket and prepared to go to Aunt Qiao's house. As soon as the door was opened, the north wind brought snowflakes in.

There is a rule in the palace, the palace maids in each courtyard must take turns to cook a morning tea for the new aunt to show filial piety, if the service is good, it will be used exclusively for the aunt in the future, not to say who can make good tea, serve well, but also depends on whether she can enter the eyes of the aunt, whether the aunt is willing to take you, the same is true of the Huanyi Bureau. Ziqing in the pulp washing room was picked by Aunt Tao, **** to serve her aunt's living, only wash some clothes in her free time, and the people in the whole courtyard treated her politely. Today is Zining's turn to cook tea.

When Zining was in Ji Mansion before, **** had to drink tea early in the morning, and occasionally brewed it a few times by herself, making tea is a kung fu, and Mrs. Ji also invited someone to teach a few girls in the house before. In addition to making tea, the female master mostly talks about some tea ceremonies, these truths can be understood by looking at the book, Zining is annoyed after learning a few times, this tea still has to be used more, and you can't learn it just by looking at it. She also made good tea in the moon white in the house before, and after watching it twice a day, she felt that she had already understood it, and after doing it herself, she knew that this matter was not so simple.

The lights in Aunt Qiao's room were not turned on yet, so Zi Ning came to the ear room and took the utensils for making tea. My aunt didn't pay much attention to drinking tea, after all, she was not the master of the harem, and those tea utensils, tea dispensers, and tea brewing utensils were all uneven, teaspoons, tea spoons, tea needles, and tea leaks were not there, and the utensils for burning tea were only a clay kettle and a purple clay pot, and some Pu'er cakes were filled in the wooden jars.

Zi Ning first lit a small stove on the side, she had never done this thing before, and she tossed for a long time, but fortunately she got up early, otherwise she would have made a mistake, and then put a clay pot of water on the stove. She took a small tea knife and thinly cut some dried tea leaves along the tea cake, and grinded them carefully with a pestle. This tea cake must be boiled to have a fragrance before it can come out, and it would be better if there were red dates here.

A pot of water is boiled, the teapot and the teacup are boiled twice, although the tools are simple, the process is indispensable. The most important thing in this tea brewing is the heat and time. Zi Ning refilled the clay pot, and while the water was boiling, he ran outside the house to take a look, and Aunt Qiao's house was already dimly lit, and it seemed that she had gotten up.

As soon as the water boiled, Zining hurriedly poured the tea powder into the pot, stirred it with wooden chopsticks, waited for the water to roll up again, and quickly poured it into the purple clay pot with a tea sieve, shook it three times, skimmed off the foam, and this was regarded as waking up tea. Taking advantage of the temperature, he hurriedly took the teapot and teacup and went to knock on the door outside Aunt Qiao's room.

"Slave Zining, I made a cup of tea and came to say good morning to my aunt."

I only heard Aunt Qiao's voice from the house: "Come in." ”

Zi Ning carefully took the saucer and stepped into the house, a warmth hit inside, she put down the tray and quickly turned around to close the door, keeping the cold wind out.

I saw Aunt Qiao combing her hair in a fine bun in front of the small wooden makeup table, and using hair oil to wipe her hair flat and shiny.

Aunt Qiao looked at Zi Ning, who was standing beside her, and nodded with satisfaction, "The tea was served so quickly, but you didn't get up before Shen arrived?" ”

Zining nodded": The slave saw that her aunt was asleep, so she didn't bother, and went to the ear room to make morning tea first. ”

Aunt Qiao looked left and right in the mirror, and when she saw that her hair was meticulously pulled, she stood up with satisfaction: "Then you can hurry up and make tea." ”

As soon as Zining heard this, he stepped forward and pulled out a chair to invite his aunt to sit down, took three cups of tea and lined them up, quickly passed them with the water in the purple clay pot, poured out the first tea, and then poured the second one, and then carefully brought it to Aunt Qiao": Auntie, please drink tea. ”

Aunt Qiao took the tea and smelled it, and then glanced at Zining, I didn't expect a little palace maid to have such kung fu, just looking at this gesture and process, it is extremely standard, and the maid who specializes in making tea around the master is almost the same, Aunt Qiao carefully held the tea cup and sipped it, and couldn't help but sigh: "This tea is well cooked, but it is hard for you." ”

Zining's heart has been hanging, for fear that it will not suit Aunt Qiao's taste, and she is also relieved to get Aunt Qiao's affirmation.

After Aunt Qiao finished drinking one cup, picked up another cup, and raised her chin at the teacup, she said to Zining, "After a hard morning, you can also sit down and have a drink." ”

Zining was a little happy to get her aunt's words, but she felt that it was not proper to sit with her aunt.

"You don't have to be stubborn, we are all working for the master, I am only older than you, and I am also a slave in front of the master, you respect me for one thing, but I don't want you to be afraid of me." When Aunt Qiao saw Zining for the first time, she felt that she had eyes, but it was not because of her delicate little face, but because she did not have the servility and vanity of ordinary palace maids, she always had some modesty and piety, and there was a little tenacity in her eyes, which made people feel a little distressed.

Zining felt that this Aunt Qiao was much more amiable than other aunts, except for the harshness that she should have when she lectured and did things, she would not be harsh on them at other times. Zi Ning sat down beside Aunt Qiao obediently, took a sip of the tea cup, and had not made tea for a long time, which still tasted good.

"Auntie, did you eat dumplings and mutton soup on the winter solstice yesterday?" Zi Ning pouted his tea and looked for the conversation.

"I'm old, my body bones are hard, it snowed today and it began to change yesterday, and I couldn't even get out of bed, I ate a few dumplings, or the girl sent it to my bedside, it snowed today, and my body bones can still move."

"My aunt is a few years younger than my mother, so she is older. My mother also has a labor disease, and she has a sore back, and I have learned to knock her on the back, and if my aunt's body is not good one day, I will help you rub it. ”

"Is your mother in the palace?"

Zining's eyes darkened when she heard this, "She looked at me from the sky, and I was punished a few days ago because of this......"

When Aunt Qiao saw Zining like this, she understood everything, but she was also a poor child": Life is unsatisfactory, and it is not all smooth sailing. ”

Zining didn't expect Aunt Qiao to be able to say such a thing, thinking that before coming to her aunt, she must be literate and read articles, she nodded gratefully: "If my aunt doesn't dislike it, I can make a deputy waist support for my aunt, and it can be useful in rainy weather." ”

Aunt Qiao was a little moved, not for her flattery, but because of her sincerity. (To be continued.) )