Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 645 - 643

Chapter 645: Chapter 643

Xiao’er looked at everyone’s skilled movements, expecting the surface of the teacup to transform into various ink paintings of landscapes, misty mountains, and flowers, birds, insects and fishes.

In the end, the only ones who could truly bring out the imagery were Gao Ping and Lin Miaoyan, the daughter of the magistrate’s wife.

How aggravating! Xiao’er had thought all the elite tea artisans of the country had gathered in Shengping County!

A vibrant horse was depicted on Gao Ping’s teacup.

Lin Miaoyan’s tea soup bloomed into an exceptionally lively image of a pine tree with a crane, symbolizing longevity.

There was a flash of pride on Gao Ping’s face as she examined the other ladies’ teacups, which quickly turned into annoyance when she looked at Lin Miaoyan’s.

Her tea merely depicted a horse, while Lin Miaoyan had created a water painting complete with animals, a tree, the moonlight, and two well-shaped cranes.

The winner was clear to all.

The image on the tea quickly disappeared.

Everyone came back to their senses, and a man on their side praised: "Miss Lin’s skill is extraordinary."

Gao Ping’s face sunk even more. Seeing Jingrui also casting a glance at Lin Miaoyan put her even more in a foul mood. Lin Miaoyan, at the last banquet, her tea art was not even comparable to hers. As for today, she even transmuted a painting from her tea. She must’ve been hiding her abilities before.

Unable to contain herself, she loudly said, "One failure doesn’t mean anything. Let’s do it again!"

Xiao’er glanced at Gao Ping. did she think she could perform on this stage however she pleased, leaving the other girls without a chance to even enjoy themselves? Xiao’er was just about to interject when she considered Mrs. Liu’s intentions. After some thought, she chose to restrain herself.

Lin Miaoyan shook her head at Gao Ping, "No need for another round. I’m not particularly good at any other designs. This is the only one I can do. Compared to you, my water painting skills are inferior.".

At Lin Miaoyan’s words, Gao Ping choked. Had she not admitted her defeat, she would have been fine, but Lin Miaoyan’s admittance made Gao Ping look like a sore loser who wanted another round.

Gao Ping secretly glanced at Jingrui who was in another pavilion. Seeing that he was no longer paying attention to here, only talking to Lin Miaoyan’s brother, Lin Miaojie, she sighed in relief.

At this moment, Zhu Yan, the daughter of the richest man in Shengping County, spoke, "In the art of tea, none of us can compare to Miss Lin and Miss Gao. I can’t even make a shape. I’m willing to take the loss and accept punishment. Miss Rui’an, since you’re the referee, what should my punishment be?"

"Choose one from qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, or personally grill something for everyone to feast on," Xiao’er suggested.

"Then, I’ll play a piece on the guqin." Zhu Yan responded to Xiao’er’s suggestion with a smile.

Upon hearing that, Xiao’er instructed a maid to fetch the guqin.

The guqin was quickly presented to Zhu Yan who delicately made her way to it and bowed, "I hope you will pardon my skills."

Then, she sat down and gently strummed the strings to test the sound before she began to play.

Zhu Yan played the tune called "Three Variations of Plum Blossom." Despite repeating the same tune three times, it conjured in everyone’s minds a scene as if they were in a snowy landscape, lost and directionless, until they caught a faint floral scent. Tracking it, they found a vast plum forest. Even under the extreme cold, the plum blossoms in the forest revealed their beauty one by one, spreading their scent further. Soon, it started to snow, and the plum blossom "rain" began to fall. It created a momentary illusion where people were unsure if it was the snowflakes or the plum blossom falling – an astonishing sight that is universally acclaimed as stunningly beautiful.

The weather increasingly grew colder, yet the strong personality and the upward spirit of plum blossoms made them more invincible, blooming one by one. Their fragrance was so enchanting that made it hard for one to leave.

At the end of the piece, Xiao’er applauded enthusiastically.

The crisp applause awakened everyone from their reverie. Some realized they had involuntarily stretched out their hands to catch the imaginary rain of flower petals. Coming back to reality, they hurriedly withdrew their hands, blushing as they said, "Miss Zhu, your qin skills are impressive."

"Sir Jingrui, what’s your opinion of this qin performance?" Zhu Yan’s brother Zhu Jun asked Jingrui.

"It’s entrancing, utterly captivating." Jingrui praised sincerely.

Zhu Yan stood up and courteously thanked them, her voice trembling slightly from excitement, "Thank you for your kind praises."

Today, she had indeed come prepared. As the daughter of a merchant, her opportunities to interact with the nobility were scarce. Therefore, she utilized this opportunity to make the family of Marquis Shengping notice her.

Not to curry favor with the powerful, but to save the entire Zhu family.

She claimed she had practiced hard to learn to play the "Three Variations of Plum Blossom", a piece that is considered to be captivating and can allure everyone. She was satisfied with her performance today.

She returned to her seat. The other ladies couldn’t help but praise her and asked for advice.

Zhu Yan responded to each one with a smile.

"Brother Jiang, your favorite plum brew." Liu Zhiwen handed a cup of wine to Jiang Zijian, the son of the newly appointed county magistrate of Shengping County.

Jiang Zijian reluctantly withdrew his gaze from a certain lady, accepted the cup Liu Zhiwen handed to him, and downed it in one gulp. He was drunk, not by the liquor, but by love.

Having heard Jingrui praise Zhu Yan, Gao Ping’s displeasure grew. She never imagined that her admired tea art would lose out to Lin Miaoyan’s and surprisingly, a despised merchant woman would seize an opportunity to gain popularity, even evoking praise from Marquis Shengping’s son.

She grumbled in a low voice, "It’s just playing the qin. Who can’t? It’s no big deal."

Xiao’er glanced at Jingrui and then at the plum forest. She was sure that this was a plum blossom and not a peach blossom, but how did her eldest brother provoke such a peach blossom?

The lamb had been roasted well by then, the aroma was so tempting that it stirred one’s appetite.

The cook from Liu Mansion started to carve the lamb and distribute the meat to everyone.

Jingrui sliced the most flavorful parts for Xiao’er and Yun’er, their favorite.

Gao Ping watched as Jingrui doted on his sisters, even taking the time to personally slice the lamb for them, and decided to take an indirect approach.

"The food grilled with the seasoning from Rui’an county tastes so good. This whole lamb would certainly taste delicious."

"That’s all right, Miss Gao. You should also have some." Xiao’er pointed to the meat in her own dish.

This roasted sheep meat was well cooked, tender on the inside, and crispy on the outer surface. The taste was lingering in the mouth even after being finished. However, even if Miss Gao stared a hole into her plate, she still had no intentions to share the lamb Jingrui had personally cut for her, thought Xiao’er.

"I have no hobbies in life. The only thing I enjoy is studying food. Could Lord Rui’an teach me how to make this barbecue seasoning?"

Xiao’er shook her head, "Regrettably Miss Gao, my family runs a restaurant, and this seasoning is a secret recipe that should not be shared publicly."

Hearing this, Gao Ping’s smile froze. She managed to muster a forced, awkward smile, "I see. I was too forward."

However, inwardly, Gao Ping begrudged Xiao’er. Her family didn’t run a restaurant, so taking a recipe wouldn’t have any impact, but the daughter of a Marquis was stingy to even share a barbecue recipe.