Chapter 489: Buying Tea
Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
There came the sound of the boiling water, “Puff Puff Puff.” The water in the pottery urn that Yuan Zhou had placed on the red clay stove started to boil.
“Tea making is especially particular with the temperature of the cups,” said Yuan Zhou while taking the pottery urn off.
“Um.” Mu Xiaoyun liked learning things beside Yuan Zhou very much. She stared at Yuan Zhou’s hands without even blinking.
“Hua La”. With the slight sound of flowing water, Yuan Zhou rinsed and washed all the glass teaware. Of course, he also didn’t forget to wash the set of the precious Eggshell-Thin Delicate Porcelain Cups.
When the water was poured, it emitted a little water vapor, which smelled slightly fragrant and pleasant.
“Boss Yuan feels like so professional when he’s making tea.” Mu Xiaoyun thought proudly in the heart.
It was also the first time that Mu Xiaoyun had seen Yuan Zhou make tea. She never thought Yuan Zhou could make tea. After all, when she was working here, the grandpa once got greatly infuriated due to the Keemun Black Tea being used to boil the Tea Eggs.
At that time, the grandpa pointed to Yuan Zhou’s nose and scolded him, “You brat, you are recklessly wasting God’s good gifts. You don’t know anything about tea.”
“It turns out that Boss Yuan knows everything.” Mu Xiaoyun looked at the earnest man and thought inwardly.
Yuan Zhou was warming the cups meticulously with the top-quality bamboo water, which was most suitable to make tea.
Lu Yu once said in Book of Tea, “Of the water used to make tea, the mountain spring water is superior, the river water is of medium-quality and the well water inferior.”
In Tang Dynasty, Zhang Youxin regarded the water from Kangwang Valley of Lushan Mountain to be the first, the spring from Huishan Mountain in Wuxi the second and the stone water of Lan stream in Jizhou the third in his work Report On Water For Brewing Tea.
The bamboo water was originated in the Song Dynasty, when tea competition was quite popular among the nobles and refined scholars.
Therefore, for the tea to be the best, the teaware must be the top-quality as well as the water used to make tea. Only in that way could they make the best tea.
“Hua La.” Yuan Zhou poured all the remaining water after the cups were warmed.
“Boss Yuan, why did you pour all the water?” Mu Xiaoyun tilted her head and looked at Yuan Zhou with puzzlement.
“Because the water has just been boiled up to the extent of producing big bubbles and the oxygen no longer exists in such water. Therefore, the tea won’t be satisfactory.” Yuan Zhou was quite patient with the little girl who didn’t work here anymore and explained carefully to her.
“Oh, oh.” Mu Xiaoyun nodded her head continuously, but she didn’t really understand him.
After all, she didn’t know how to make tea at all. All the puzzling explanatory words didn’t actually affect Mu Xiaoyun feeling that Yuan Zhou was so awesome.
After that, Yuan Zhou filled the pottery urn with the fresh bamboo water and placed it over the charcoal fire again and then started to boil the water.
This time, Yuan Zhou looked carefully at the fire. When the water began to boil and produced small bubbles, he immediately took the pottery urn off the red clay stove and started to make tea.
“Hua Hua”. Yuan Zhou poured the water into the glass cup, which was of the established brand, Fuguang, and made specifically for making tea. The transmittance and transparency were far beyond imagination.
Once the water was poured in, the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea floated up first and then went down slowly. During the process of going down, it danced and sank to the bottom slowly like a charming and soft beauty.
It was graceful and charming and meanwhile emitting a delicate fragrance gently. With the tea leaves stretching slowly in the cup, they floated up and down as the water turned green. The fragrance was also becoming stronger.
Even before drinking, it had made the people who liked drinking tea intoxicated. After all, it was the Pre-Ching Ming Tea, more specifically, the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tribute Tea harvested from the 18 tea plants.
“It looks so beautiful.” Mu Xiaoyun looked at the beautiful green leaves in the cup and said.
“It’s indeed too beautiful to be absorbed all at once.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head seriously.
After they appreciated silently for a while, Yuan Zhou said again.
“Alright. Time to drink now.” Yuan Zhou said.
“Um, um.” Mu Xiaoyun carried up the cup in front of her obediently and waited for Yuan Zhou to pour the tea.
“You behave quite well.” Yuan Zhou praised her.
“Brother Yuan, you are also very young.” Mu Xiaoyun stuck out her tongue and said with a mischievous tone.
“Well, yes.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head as if it were real.
As for the matter that everyone called Yuan Zhou “uncle”, he had forgotten about that selectively.
“Ah, hiss.” Mu Xiaoyun carried up the teacup and drank a mouthful of it directly.
“This is so bitter.” Mu Xiaoyun said discontentedly with her white frowned face severely wrinkled.
Yuan Zhou was about to make fun of her when he was interrupted by a loud voice.
“Bitter? Why don’t you give me a cup of the tea? I’m not afraid of bitterness. Instead, I like bitter things very much.” The words were uttered quite firmly.
Mu Xiaoyun and Yuan Zhou turned their head at the same time and then saw a middle-aged man with an eager look.
The person was about 50 years old. He was dressed in the black business suit with a neat white shirt inside. He was also wearing a tie and black leather shoes. The attire just made him appear spirited. He was now staring straight at the teacup of Mu Xiaoyun and occasionally revealed a look of annoyance and pity.
“Who are you?” Yuan Zhou stood up and stood in front of Mu Xiaoyun.
“Boss Yuan, is the tea for sale?” Apparently, this person knew Yuan Zhou, but Yuan Zhou didn’t really remember him.
“No.” Yuan Zhou said cleanly.
“No? Why not sell such good tea? Sell a little to me, ok?” The middle-aged man craned his neck and looked straight at the teaware.
“I’m saying it seriously. The tea isn’t for sale.” Yuan Zhou got seated again after he said that.
Yuan Zhou also realized that this person behaved so eagerly because of the Pre-Ching Ming Tea on the table. On this point, he was more or less the same to the grandpa who had almost exchanged blows with Yuan Zhou for the Keemun Black Tea. He was supposed to be a person who loved tea very much.
This person was the Division Chief Lin from the tax bureau. He happened to pass by Yuan Zhou’s restaurant today and thus wanted to come for a visit. He had only been here for meals two times and this was the third time. He would visit occasionally as he was concern about this large taxpayer.
Once he walked for 100 meters into the side street, however, Division Chief Lin perceived sensitively that somebody was making tea.
Nowadays, the government officials all liked drinking tea, keeping pet birds, growing flowers to show they were highly civilized and cultured. Coincidentally, Division Chief Lin liked drinking tea very much. He liked it so much that he couldn’t smell anything else but the fragrance of the tea. On this aspect, he was doing no worse than Chu Xiao who had a very sharp nose.
Following the fragrance of the tea, Division Chief Lin walked to the door of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant. As soon as he stopped, he heard Mu Xiaoyun complain about the bitter taste of the tea.
Then, Division Chief Lin had no time to attend to other affairs. Though the little girl was afraid of bitter taste, he wasn’t. For such superior green tea, he had never even heard of it, not to mention smelling it.
“It doesn’t matter that you don’t sell the tea. Boss Yuan, why don’t you treat me to a cup of the tea? Only one cup is good.” If it were other occasions, Division Chief Lin would care a lot more about his prestige and wouldn’t say that. However, the more he looked at the tea, the more eager he was for it. Anyhow, it was the best-quality Longjing Tea that he had never drunk before. As for his missing prestige, he could try to find it back tomorrow.
“Uncle, do you want to drink the tea?” Mu Xiaoyun asked obediently.
“Right on. I like nothing but drinking tea. Judging from the flavor, it’s really like the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea.” Division Chief Lin just stared at the graceful and charming green tea in the glass cup without raising his eyes and then said.
“You have to ask Boss Yuan. But Boss Yuan is called Compass by others.” Mu Xiaoyun smiled mischievously.
Of course, Mu Xiaoyun was aware that Yuan Zhou didn’t really dislike the person and hence said so.
“It’s indeed the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing Tea.” Yuan Zhou took a look at Mu Xiaoyun solemnly before he answered primly.
Naturally, he omitted the two characters of “tribute tea” in the latter part considerately.
“I’m way too pathetic. Not to mention drinking it, it’s the first time that I saw the Pre-Ching Ming Longjing tea. Little brother, just let me taste a cup of the tea, will you?” Despite his age, Division Chief Lin asked for mercy quite deftly.
It was unknown if he had mastered the technique from asking for expenditures during normal times.
…