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“Generally, the upper class doesn’t add sugar,” Hedy stirred the foam slowly. “They think only the lower-class workers would add two spoons, and they make the tea strong and bitter.”
“There’s even a class distinction for this?” Leonardo laughed. “What about milk?”
“Best to add little, or it becomes ‘builder’s tea,’” Hedy raised an eyebrow and demonstrated the way she held her cup.
The milk-white porcelain cup was delicately picked up, like a noble display piece.
“You should only pinch the handle with your thumb and index finger, and when stirring the tea, it should only move forward and backward, not making the cup rattle against the sides…” She spoke with a slight American accent, tinged with playful sarcasm. “It’s all quite refined.”
“You like iced tea too?” Leonardo took the hot tea she offered, took a sip, and his expression changed. “It tastes quite good—and it’s completely different from wine.”
“Easterners usually choose to drink tea; alcohol is only for banquets,” she said as she sat beside him, propping her chin with a hint of nostalgia for the past. “Americans like a lot of things iced—iced tea, ice cream, even ice cakes.”
“If I have the chance… I should go back to the Alps with you.” She gazed out the window at the warm sunlight, instinctively sighing. “It’s been ten years since I came here, and I haven’t seen a single snowfall.”
The entire border of Italy is surrounded by three mountain ranges, and just beyond them to the north lies Switzerland.
Now, to the north of their territory is Switzerland and Austria, to the east are Slovenia and Croatia, and to the west lies France.
If she were to follow the northeastern direction over that mountain peak, she could return to her homeland—but at this moment, it had nothing to do with her, nor with Mozart and the Blue Danube.
Leonardo took a sip of tea and softly said, “Every time you make that expression, I just feel like giving Austria to you.”
The last time he said this, the entire Gulf of Genoa had fallen under his control.
Hedy smiled and lightly tapped him, gesturing for him to try some other fruits from the East.
When Columbus returned with his fleet this time, he had also bought a large quantity of canned fruits—
This revolutionary product completely redefined the concept of dessert, so much so that it was considered a royal exclusive offering.
When Hedy first saw those ten boxes of canned fruits, she briefly found herself questioning the meaning of life.
To appease and reward the nobles from various regions and local governments, she distributed seven boxes as gifts and sent many jars to the nobles within Florence.
By the time it reached them, only about half a box remained.
It had been a long time since Hedy tasted such sweetness.
At this point, Europe’s sugarcane and beet sugar production techniques were still not fully developed, and people mainly used honey to experience sweetness.
Because of this, such fresh and sweet food felt like a divine gift.
Together, they opened two small cans, one containing lychees and the other tender peaches.
Lychee is a fruit unique to China, with a shape resembling a round white pearl.
When Hedy first opened the can, Leonardo looked at it withsuspicion and caution, saying, "This... is really fruit?"
She smiled without answering and forked a piece for him to taste the flavor.
Leonardo instinctively opened his mouth to receive it, and the moment he tasted the sweetness, his eyes widened in surprise.
It was—so sweet!
It was both refreshing and sweet, and it had a particularly strange texture when chewed!
He had never eaten anything like this before, and the sensation was completely different from honey or syrup!
