"Not at all, young master. Only when Red Jade saw you did she understand that a man could be so handsome."
Red Jade seemed to be in quite a good mood at Fu Hua's praise. Though she often heard such words from others, this was the first time they had come from a beautiful man like Fu Hua.
The moment she saw Fu Hua, she too had been stunned. She had never imagined there could be such an unparalleled young master in this world. Combined with the poem that had impressed her earlier, he was a man blessed with both talent and looks.
But unlike the others, although she was astonished by Fu Hua's appearance, she could still treat him with an ordinary heart.
"Let's sit and chat! I wouldn't want you to think I've been a poor host. What would you like to drink, young master? I have tea and fine wine from the Western Regions." Red Jade slowly walked to the table beside Fu Hua and took out a tea cake and some wine.
"Wine..."
Fu Hua also walked over and sat opposite Red Jade. She did not choose wine because she wanted anything ambiguous to happen with Red Jade, but because... Tang people boiled their tea with ginger and salt.
Unlike the later custom of steeping tea to drink, people of the Tang Dynasty did not call it drinking tea, but eating tea. The Tang Dynasty valued wild tea, and when Lu Yu discussed tea, he put forth the view that "wild is best, cultivated is second."
Thus, tea leaves at the time were pressed into round tea cakes and had to be boiled before drinking, which was called preparing boiled tea. Moreover, Tang people added seasonings such as salt and ginger when drinking tea. In any