Chapter 595: Financial Crisis
Outside Yundu City, by the roadside tea stall, a jujube-red horse stood obediently by the road and grazed on the grass.
The tea sold here was a local blend made from handmade black tea grown in the nearby mountains, brewed together with plums and green tangerines. A bit of salt and sugar was added, though if you didn’t taste it carefully, you could barely tell whether it was salty or sweet.
The salt seemed to serve only to accentuate the fruity tartness of the plums and tangerines in the tea, just like how some regions sprinkle salt on fruit. The sugar, on the other hand, softened the sharp sourness, giving the tea a more mellow flavor.
It cost only three wen for a large bowl.
The Daoist already had a bowl in front of him.
“Huff...” He picked it up and took a sip.
The tea leaves hadn’t been processed with much finesse, so the tea was not particularly clear in color. But since it was served in a coarse bowl with a dark brown interior, clarity didn’t matter, even the clearest tea would look muddy in it.
Nonetheless, the fragrance was remarkably strong. The fruity and honeyed aromas inherent to the tea blended perfectly with the scent of plums and tangerines. A touch of sweetness from the sugar made the taste match the smell almost exactly. Even someone like Song You, who was used to drinking pure, unflavored tea, found it surprisingly pleasant.
Lady Calico sat across from him, dressed in a robe of three colors. She wasn’t drinking tea; instead, she stared at him seriously, her feet swinging restlessly under the table.
Around them, the clamor of the road continued unabated, punctuated by the jingling of bells.
Caravans headed toward Yundu City ahead, while others came from it. Some paused briefly at the tea stall, stopping for a bowl of tea or to pack some to go. Others simply passed by the Daoist, their attention caught either by the jujube-red horse or the strikingly pretty little girl with him, casting curious glances their way.
Under Yunzou’s blazing sun, most merchants who spent the year traveling were deeply tanned. Their skin was dark with a reddish glow and glistened in the sunlight, while their eyes squinted against the harsh light.