“I’m sorry, I don’t know you.” Yuan Zhou didn’t care about the pathetic actions of Division Chief Lin.
“Don’t say like that. My name is Lin Guoli and I work in the tax bureau not far from here. We can be considered working together. How about you sell a cup of the tea to me?” Division Chief Lin didn’t actually use his specific position to give Yuan Zhou pressure. Instead, he said frankly and straightforwardly.
Although the identity might not work well against Yuan Zhou, Division Chief Lin was truly not prepared to tell them.
“Xiaoyun, let’s drink.” Yuan Zhou indicated that he had heard that with a nod, but didn’t answer him anymore. Instead, he turned to look at Mu Xiaoyun and said.
“But it is way too bitter and is not pleasant at all. I prefer the watermelon juice to the tea.” Mu Xiaoyun said honestly.
“Dear me! Little girl, you are still too young to know the taste.” Division Chief Lin answered first before Yuan Zhou.
“Lu Tong, known as the Tea Immortal, said in his work Songs of Seven Bowls of Tea that, ‘After drinking up seven bowls of tea, I feel like moving with the calm serenity of a god.’ This taste can give the feeling of becoming an immortal.” Speaking of the tea, Division Chief Lin shook his head and appeared quite serious.
“But still, it’s bitter.” Mu Xiaoyun stuck out her tongue secretly and then said.
Hearing that, even Yuan Zhou felt it was a pity to give good tea to the little girl to drink.
What a joke! What kind of tea did she think it was? It was the tribute Pre-Ching Ming Tea, as precious as gold and moreover was harvested from the only 18 tea plants. Even the system could only provide 400 grams of the tea every year. It would be used up after making tea twice.
One had to know what kind of existence the system was. It could even provide extinct food ingredients.
Besides, the water used to make tea came from the bamboo forests of Tiantai Mountain. It was the superior water with which Su Shunchen defeated Cai Xiang, not to mention the priceless Eggshell-Thin Delicate Porcelain Cups used to drink tea.
“Ahem ahem. If you don’t like drinking it, you can give it to others.” Yuan Zhou said primly, yet without even looking at Division Chief Lin.
“Yes, exactly. Little girls don’t like drinking bitter things.” On hearing that, Division Chief Lin nodded his head immediately while looking at Mu Xiaoyun with an eager look.
“Huh? Can I?” Mu Xiaoyun looked at Yuan Zhou with puzzlement.
As far as she knew, Yuan Zhou didn’t like giving food that one couldn’t eat up to others.
“Um.” Yuan Zhou nodded lightly, indicating that he didn’t mind.
Good tea could only demonstrate its own value when it was drunk by people who knew about it. Moreover, this couldn’t be considered his treat.
“See? Even Boss Yuan agrees. Little girl, let me drink your tea, ok? Please!” Then, Division Chief Lin got quite impatient. He was now behaving like a wolf that intended to abduct and traffic kids.
“Alright.” With a nod of her head, Mu Xiaoyun drank up the remaining tea in her teacup with a gulp.
“Hiss. It’s so bitter.” After gulping the tea down, Mu Xiaoyun felt it was even bitterer and thus couldn’t help sticking out her tongue.
Yuan Zhou said inwardly, “What a cute girl!”
As for Division Chief Lin, he just waited there for Mu Xiaoyun to give him her teacup without even blinking. Of course, he liked the full cup of the tea on the other side more, but he didn’t dare to take it. After all, Yuan Zhou was sitting steadily beside it.
Most importantly, he wanted to drink the tea again next time. Division Chief Lin was one that always took precautions beforehand.
As an obedient girl, Mu Xiaoyun took up a beautiful cup and filled half a cup with the tea meticulously and then prepared to hand it to Division Chief Lin.
“More, more, please. It’s not full yet, little girl.” Division Chief Lin said anxiously.
“It’s more or less good. If you can’t drink it up, you’ll waste it.” Mu Xiaoyun said seriously.
“No, no, no. I can absolutely drink it up. Even a full cup of the tea is no problem for me.” Division Chief Lin immediately vouched for his determination and said affirmatively.
“No.” Mu Xiaoyun straightened her face and refused. She was now behaving as earnestly as Yuan Zhou.
“Okay. Alright.” Division Chief Lin nodded his head helplessly.
Yuan Zhou watched them at the side and felt it quite interesting.
At first glance, Division Chief Lin must be in a high position. Although he didn’t introduce his title, it was definitely not a low one. On this point, Yuan Zhou was very clear. However, he was surprisingly controlled by the little girl, Mu Xiaoyun, now.
“The Pre-Ching Ming Tea seems to be really powerful.” Yuan Zhou sipped the tea lightly and felt complacent in his heart.
“Uncle, you can’t waste even a drop of the tea. Otherwise, you can no longer drink Brother Yuan’s tea, nor eat his delicacies next time.” Mu Xiaoyun told him with an expression of solemnity.
Mu Xiaoyun didn’t like drinking tea, but judging from Division Chief Lin’s manner, she knew the tea was definitely very precious. The main point was that everything served by Yuan Zhou wasn’t cheap, on which Mu Xiaoyun was fairly experienced.
“Yes, sure.” Division Chief Lin received the teacup meticulously.
The thin milky white porcelain surface was painted with the orchids and the dark green tea water inside the cup was slightly revealed. It appeared as if the orchids were growing on a vast grassland. However, only the orchid flower in front of him appeared to be unique and exceedingly beautiful.
When it was held close, the Longjing Tea emitted a fascinating fragrance, which stimulated Division Chief Lin so much that he almost wanted to drink it up in one gulp. However, he tried to resist the urge to do that and looked carefully at the tea water in the cup.
“Good tea! It’s really good tea.” Division Chief Lin couldn’t help saying that.
“It’s good tea only after you drink it.” Yuan Zhou drank a mouthful of the tea lightly and then said.
He behaved as if he were just drinking something very ordinary, but his actions were elegant and good-looking. He totally appeared to be a great master of the tea ceremony.
“You are right.” Division Chief Lin nodded approvingly, but still stared at the tea water in the cup carefully.
At first glance, the tea wasn’t extraordinary. It was really a waste to drink it up like this.
“There really is some soybean fragrance. What a luxury it is to use the soybean to fertilize the Longjing Tea!” Division Chief Lin sighed with emotion revealing an intoxicated look.
“Moreover, the fragrance was like orchid flowers, but is better than that. It’s really like an ancient plum blossom revealing its most delicate fragrance to me.” Division Chief Lin narrowed his eyes and just stood there with an intoxicated expression.
The quality of the tea was supposed to be graded as per its color, fragrance, taste, and shape. And Division Chief Lin had just reached the stage of taste now.
“Absorb.” He took the teacup up and sipped it lightly.
Immediately, he closed his eyes and mouth, leaving the fragrance and tea water fermenting slowly in his mouth. Only after that did he gulp the tea down quickly.
“Surprisingly, I have a warm feeling like spring in such weather.” Division Chief Lin instantly opened his eyes and looked at Yuan Zhou with his eyes brimming with radiating vigour.
“This is absolutely not the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea, is it?” Division Chief Lin asked extremely anxiously.
“How is it possible that the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea is so elegant and authentic? It’s simply the strengthened version of the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea. No, even that couldn’t describe such good tea as this.” Division Chief Lin said to himself and denied his own speculations ceaselessly.
“It’s indeed the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea, yet with a slightly better quality.” Yuan Zhou answered him lightly as if it weren’t so surprising.
“You say it’s just slightly better? Oh God, I have really been through half a lifetime in vain. Though I’m a government official, I ended up in failure. Can you believe it’s only the first time that I drank such good tea? Only this can be called tea. Only this can be called Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea.” Division Chief Lin first contradicted Yuan Zhou loudly and then he looked at the remaining little tea in the teacup expectantly.
“Xiaoyun, fill my teacup again.” Having paid no attention to Division Chief Lin that was obsessed with the tea, Yuan Zhou contrarily said that.
“Oh. Okay.” Mu Xiaoyun revealed a proud look.
“Look! How calm Brother Yuan is! Even if it’s good tea, one can’t forget himself.” Looking at Yuan Zhou, Mu Xiaoyun thought like this.
Of course, it was because Mu Xiaoyun didn’t know the value of the tea at all. If she had known that, she would probably choke Yuan Zhou, who always postured in front of others, to death like what Division Chief Lin was intending to do now.