Chapter 28: Asking for Tea

Old Man Feng was the former president of the National Go Association. He had participated in countless tournaments and was a two-time champion of world Go championships, enjoying considerable influence in the Go community.

Shang Ying’s memory of him was neither too deep nor too shallow, as he had only appeared a few times in the early-to-middle sections of the novel. At the beginning of the book, the female lead, Lin Yuan, worked at his house part-time on weekends, responsible for cleaning the courtyard and walking the pet dog.

The work wasn't troublesome, in fact, it was quite easy. Getting this job was mainly due to a neighbor auntie's introduction, serving to establish her character as an independent, hardworking, and resilient "white lotus" heroine before she was recognized and taken back by her family.

And today was a crucial day for the female lead, Lin Yuan, to meet the Lin family.

The Lin family's mother brought the fake heiress, Lin Qian, to visit Old Man Feng, hoping to get his guidance. During their wait, they happened to run into Lin Yuan coming to work. Seeing that face 70% identical to her younger self, Mrs. Lin froze on the spot.

Following that was the cliché paternity test, discovering Lin Yuan was the biological daughter of the Lin family, followed by all the typical fake-versus-real heiress drama.

Upon arriving at the destination, Driver Uncle Chen mentioned he would pick them up at a scheduled time and left. Opening the door for them was an elderly lady wearing a cheongsam, around sixty years old. It was Old Man Feng's wife, Grandma Sun.

"I heard long ago that Little Yi's sister was coming today too! Let me have a look! My, you two really look identical. Fraternal twins are so rare these days!"

Elders of this age almost always loved children. Seeing Shang Ying and Shang Yi standing together, she couldn't smile widely enough, continually examining the two of them.

In the past, she had thought Shang Yi was very handsome. A refined, straight nose, a small tip, thin lips with a pale pink hue, clean sharp lines, and fair skin.

She hadn't expected there to be two such striking children, and the other one was a girl at that! Knowing this through Feng Yu's mouth earlier had made her genuinely excited.

Looking today, the girl was indeed a natural beauty, even prettier than she had imagined. Flawless from every angle, and more importantly, she looked thoroughly endearing and blessed!

Compared to Shang Yi's silent, icy look, a child like Shang Ying, who smiled upon meeting people, won hearts much more easily.

Shang Ying offered an obedient smile, nodding lightly. "Hello, Grandma Sun. My name is Shang Ying. 'Shang' as in the Shang Dynasty, with 'Ying' having an added female radical in the middle."

Before coming here, Shang Heng had nagged her repeatedly not to act wild outside, emphasizing that she must display proper etiquette and upbringing, annoying her to no end.

Did she really need him to tell her that? She wasn't crazy, going around throwing tantrums everywhere.

"Good, good! That's a lovely name, what a good child!"

Shang Ying's well-behaved look pleased Grandma Sun immensely. Smiling even more happily, she patted her shoulder and pulled the two children into the inner courtyard.

The place was somewhat secluded, situated on the mountainside. Several Podocarpus trees grew in the outer yard, creating a grand yet elegant atmosphere. Passing through the corridor into the inner courtyard revealed another scenic view altogether.

Beside a black stone path sat vibrant green bonsai plants. Crape myrtle trees taller than a person had shed red leaves across the ground during this season, while a pond reflected the surrounding scenery, populated by several bright, nimble small fish swimming about.

The doors were wide open. Inside, the layout was refined and elegant, with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. Water was boiling on the tea table, while a nearby porcelain vase held branches of red maple. An old gentleman sat straight-backed on a cushion, staring attentively at an unfinished Go game on the table.

‘That must be Old Man Feng’, Shang Ying thought to herself.

"Stop staring, Little Yi is here."

Grandma Sun called out to him. Immersed in his own world, Old Man Feng finally looked up, saw Shang Ying's face, and smiled warmly.

"You must be the girl Shang Ying. You look truly beautiful."

Shang Ying nodded and politely replied, "Hello, Grandpa Feng."

The older generation had rarely seen fraternal twins. Seeing them in real life, she treated them like precious treasures, looking back and forth between her and Shang Yi endlessly, even comparing their facial features one by one to see if they were identical.

In the end, they found that most features were indeed identical, except for the eyes.

Shang Ying had peach-blossom eyes. Lively, stunning, with slightly upturned corners that were always sparkling bright. Shang Yi, on the other hand, had narrow almond eyes with slightly drooping corners, possessing a unique, gentle melancholy.

After greeting them, business had to be attended to. Old Man Feng took Shang Yi over to sit on the cushions to study Go. Shang Ying didn't care for Go, and finding it boring to watch, she sat nearby, using a withered leaf to tease the small fish in the pond.

She kept her eyes fixed on the inner courtyard's main gate, wanting to know when the female lead would arrive. The novel had spent far too many pages describing the female lead's beauty, heaping praise after praise across half a page, so she genuinely wanted to see just how stunning this female lead was.

Shang Ying raised her head, catching a whiff of tea fragrance. Turning around, she saw Grandma Sun opening a package of tea leaves at the tea table. Shang Ying's nose twitched, carefully taking another whiff before standing up and walking over.

West Lake Longjing, pre-Ming harvest, smelling at least like a second-flush picking—an expensive item. In her past life, the second-generation rich kids around her loved playing with these pretend-sophisticated hobbies, so she had drunk plenty of it and grown to love it over time.

"Grandma Sun, may I ask for a cup of this tea?"

Hearing the voice, Grandma Sun paused her hands, looking up at Shang Ying's cat-like greedy expression, and let out a knowing laugh.

Setting down the tea tongs, a gentle smile graced her face.

"What a sharp nose you have! How about this: you brew this gaiwan tea. If I'm satisfied, I'll let you drink it. What do you think?"

Shang Ying nodded.

"Sure, no problem! Then I'll thank Grandma Sun in advance!"

Grandma Sun tilted her head slightly. Seeing Shang Ying look so confident, a bit of curiosity arose in her, wanting to see how well she could brew it.

Shang Ying washed her hands clean, set the lid of the gaiwan steadily on the tea holder, poured hot water around the rim in a circle, poured it into the fairness cup, and rinsed the tasting cups.

Placing the tea, moistening the leaves, pouring out the liquor all in one fluid motion. Shang Ying's movements were clean and sharp. Though seemingly fast, every single step was distinct and precise. After distributing the tea into the cups from left to right, she finally poured it into the tasting cup.

Shang Ying presented the tea with both hands. Just from the aroma alone, she knew she hadn't wasted these leaves.

"Grandma Sun, please try."

Grandma Sun had been very satisfied watching her movements. Taking the tea, she looked at the color first, nodded, and brought it to her lips. The slight initial astringency rapidly melted away, turning into sweet saliva and a lingering aftertaste.

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes.

"As expected of a child from the Shang family, excellent tea!"

Seeing her satisfaction, Shang Ying eagerly picked up a cup herself, took a sip, and squinted her eyes happily. Expensive tea was indeed fragrant, unmatched by ordinary leaves. Of course, her own excellent tea-brewing skills accounted for a large part of the reason as well.

Brewing and drinking tea revealed a person's nature best. An impatient person would find it hard to control timing, easily producing bitterness; a careless person would spill water or burn their hands. Elegance was a quality few could execute thoroughly.

Yet the tea liquor brewed by Shang Ying was perfectly balanced in strength, with timing and temperature controlled with extreme precision. One look was enough to tell she was a true connoisseur who understood tea.