Don't show the mountains, don't show the water

Liuzhuang is quite famous in Yangzhou. It is not only famous for its tea, but also for its style, scenery and decoration. In Yangzhou, the beauty of Liuzhuang surpasses countless scenic spots and historical sites, and Liuzhuang is the only private courtyard that can stand out. Even Xia Shang had heard of the name of Liuzhuang. Those literati and scholars were eager to be guests in Liuzhuang. If they could take a scene somewhere in Liuzhuang and write two poems, they would surely win a good reputation. It's a pity that Mrs. Liu was eccentric and didn't like to interact with others. No matter what famous literati you were, as long as Mrs. Liu didn't want to see you, she would refuse you.

Speaking of Mrs. Liu, she was also a strange woman. When she first got married, Liuzhuang was just a small mountain village outside Yangzhou City, which made a living by receiving foreign merchants. Later, her husband died of illness, leaving behind a son and a daughter. Only Mrs. Liu, a woman, was in charge. Because she was worried that opening Liuzhuang would attract idle people, she closed the manor and opened up a mountain garden to grow tea. Unexpectedly, with Mrs. Liu's management, the tea business of the small Liuzhuang became bigger and bigger, and soon surpassed the tea gardens of the older generation and became a banner of Huachao tribute tea.

It is said that Mrs. Liu has only two or three close friends, and few people can come to Liuzhuang to visit. I never thought that Xia Shang had such a blessing and lived in Liuzhuang for a long time.

Look at Mrs. Liu walking over, her face is like a spring peach, her eyebrows are shining, her cherry mouth is like the color of the paper, her plump breasts and hips move with her steps, and her slender waist is only a hand's length. She is rich, charming, and beautiful. She is a noble lady like a peony among flowers.

Although they did not communicate, the previous greeting was quite friendly, which is completely different from the loneliness rumored by the outside world.

"Mr. Xia has just recovered from a serious illness. It's really a cause for celebration. My name is Liu, and my given name is Qi."

Mrs. Liu came to Xia Shang and said with a simple bow.

Xia Shang felt a little abrupt. Mrs. Liu was a little too respectful to him. He quickly clasped his fists and returned the greeting: "Xia Shang."

"Mr. Xia's name has long been heard of. Today I see that he is a hero in his youth."

Xia Shang had just recovered from a serious illness and had no time to show off his charm. It seemed abrupt to be praised by a beautiful woman. He touched his nose awkwardly: "Madam, you are too kind. I just don't know when I was sent to Liuzhuang? Where is the person who sent me here?"

Mrs. Liu did not answer, but still kept a smile: "Mr. Xia, don't worry. I have sent someone to Liuzhuang before. The servants are preparing medicinal food to regulate the blood and qi. Please follow the lady to the pavilion on Yuehu Lake to taste it. "

Although Xia Shang was very concerned about Shangguan Chan's whereabouts, as a guest, he could not make too many requests. He followed Madam Liu through the hanging flower fan door, entered a corridor, walked around the hall, and saw a large marble screen with a rosewood frame. After walking around the screen, a pebble-paved path extended all the way to the lakeside where new willows stood. Yellow and white camellias were planted on both sides, stacked layer by layer, with a faint fragrance, but very pleasant. It seemed that they had left the courtyard and arrived at the mountain of Liuzhuang Tea Garden.

Looking back again, you can see the pavilions and towers in Liuzhuang from afar, all of which are carved beams and painted buildings, and colorful corridors.

After walking more than 20 meters along the pebble road, through the cover of several layers of new willows, a piece of open mountain terraces jumped out.

Looking up, the sky is high and the clouds are vast, and the mountains and waters are green. Who would have thought that behind a few new willows there is such a fresh and magnificent landscape?

The terraces are square and just like tofu blocks, one layer higher than the other, like a ladder that can lead all the way to heaven. Looking up, clusters of fresh tea trees are sprouting tender green buds. Hundreds of tea pickers with flower-weight buns are working hard in the fields. Every time they pick a leaf, the juice from the tea trees will emit a faint tea fragrance and float in the air, adding a refreshing tea flavor to the world.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a vast half-moon-shaped lake, like the arms of the earth embracing the green mountains full of fragrant tea. The lake is clear, reflecting the green mountains and blue sky. Scattered birds walk and stop on the water, playing and fighting.

A U-shaped corridor winds through the mountain towards the center of the lake. There is a small pavilion without curtains in the center of the lake. You can see a few tea girls setting up wine and food on the stone table in the pavilion. There are also a few parrots and birds hanging on the wooden railings beside the pavilion, chirping and chirping happily.

People say that the "elegance" of Liuzhuang Tea Garden is better than the imperial garden of the palace. Today, it is true.

Xia Shang noticed that there is a stone tablet by the lake with the words "Yuehu" engraved on it.

What I saw today once again refreshed Xia Shang's understanding of the ancient "rich family". It turns out that the wealth of the ancients could buy a mountain, a lake, and a world!

Seeing the surprise in Xia Shang's eyes, Mrs. Liu smiled slightly complacently.

That's right, a woman who can rely on herself to develop a small manor to this day, what else is there to be proud of?

"Mr. Xia, please come to the pavilion."

Looking all the way to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, I saw a steaming nourishing meal on the stone table, and a pot of warm osmanthus wine still had a faint floral fragrance.

Madam Liu stepped forward and made another gesture of invitation: "Mr. Xia, you are welcome. I will pour you a glass of wine."

Faced with Madam Liu's enthusiasm, Xia Shang couldn't refuse. After a glass of osmanthus wine, he was much more energetic.

Then the two sat down.

Madam Liu covered her sleeves with her left hand and used silver chopsticks with her right hand to pick up food for Xia Shang, very politely.

Xia Shang felt very uncomfortable, thinking that Madam Liu was famous in Yangzhou, and all the officials and businessmen in Jiangnan would give her some face. How could she be so polite to a young man like him who was unknown?

"Madam, Xia is incompetent and immoral. Your politeness really kills me."

Xia Shang pretended to be terrified, looking forward to Madam Liu's response.

Madam Liu smiled and said, "Mr. Xia, you are too kind. You risked your life to get rid of a great threat to the people of the world. I should thank you on behalf of the people of the world."

"Great threat? Are you talking about 6 Xun?"

"That's right."

Speaking of 6 Xun, Xia Shang felt a little uneasy.

Speaking of which, the other party had no grudge against him. He killed him because of Shangguan Chan. If you think about it carefully, this can be regarded as a wanton killing of innocent people, right?

This was the first time Xia Shang killed someone. Only after experiencing it can you know what it feels like after killing someone.

Perhaps he needed some comfort from Madam Liu to calm his heart and hope that everything he did was to act in the name of justice.

But...

The sentence "From now on, you are me" lingered in his mind, and what did the tiger-head waist badge represent?

What did 6 Xun want to express in the end?

"Don't you know, Master Xia? That Lu Xun is a murderous devil known as the Ghost Supervisor. As the head of the Supervisory Council, he specializes in killing people for the emperor, and countless loyal and brave generals have died in his hands. He is only less famous in Yangzhou. If he were in the capital, wherever Lu Xun goes, there would be blood and rain. It is said that whenever he goes to someone's house, it is like a 'ghost knocking on the door'. Now that Lu Xun is dead, I don't know how many people will be grateful to you!"