There were about seven or eight waitresses in the lobby, all dressed in antique-style cheongsams reminiscent of the Qing Dynasty. When Zhuang Rui entered, a young woman who seemed to be the supervisor came over and greeted him, "Sir, how many people are in your party? Would you like a private room or to stay in the lobby?"
Zhuang Rui looked around and saw that there were quite a few people in the lobby, mostly middle-aged people, chatting quietly at tables of three or five with a pot of tea and a few plates of snacks. Just as he was about to reply, Liu Chuan's thunderous voice rang in his ears.
"Wood, why are you so late? We've been waiting for over 10 minutes. Oh, and you're wearing glasses too. You think I won't recognize you just because you're wearing a vest..."
Liu Chuan's loud voice disrupted the tranquility of the teahouse, drawing everyone's attention to them. Zhuang Rui noticed that Lei Lei's small hand lingered subtly on Liu Chuan's waist for a moment, and the waiter immediately shut his mouth, baring his teeth in disgust.
"My eye injury hasn't fully healed yet, and it's been feeling a bit uncomfortable these past few days. I just got new glasses last night to keep out the wind. But hey kid, I put my glasses on when I left home, and you're only just realizing it now, Lei Lei? It seems like Comrade Liu Chuan's heart isn't with him anymore."
Zhuang Rui offered a few casual explanations and teased Lei Lei. As for Liu Chuan, that guy was just grinning shamelessly, and Zhuang Rui didn't bother to say anything to him.
Lei Lei blushed slightly, withdrew her small hand from Liu Chuan's waist, and said generously, "I heard that some people don't welcome us, Xuanxuan, why don't we leave first?"
Upon hearing Lei Lei's words, Qin Xuanbing, who had been sitting in the corner, stood up. Before she could even speak, she drew the attention of the entire hall. Even Zhuang Rui, who considered himself to be quite immune to such things, stared at her with slightly wide eyes.
Chapter 33 Amazing
It's not that the people in the teahouse and Zhuang Rui were short-sighted; it's just that Qin Xuanbing's outfit today was truly stunning.
Although it was still freezing cold outside, Qin Xuanbing was wearing a gorgeous Western-style floor-length dress. Her high breasts rose and fell slightly beneath the dress, extending down to her firm and high buttocks. She wore a pair of silver high heels, and with her height of 1.7 meters, her whole figure formed a perfect S-shaped curve.
Her smooth black hair was tied up in a high bun, and Qin Xuanbing's stunningly beautiful face, as if sculpted from white jade, appeared even more noble and charming against the backdrop of her high-bun hairstyle. For a moment, everyone in the hall had a strange feeling, wondering if they had come to the wrong place. Was this some kind of gathering of a wealthy or royal family from abroad?
Lei Lei was dressed very beautifully today, but standing next to Qin Xuanbing, she became inconspicuous.
Looking at Zhuang Rui, who was in a daze, Qin Xuanbing felt a sense of pleasure. This was the kind of behavior she was familiar with, and she was used to the stares from those around her. "I don't believe he won't fall at my feet," Qin Xuanbing suddenly thought, then she was startled by her own words, a blush spreading across her face, which made her even more radiant.
Zhuang Rui also came to his senses at this moment. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. Didn't he see that all the men in the hall were staring blankly at Qin Xuanbing? Compared to them, he was doing alright.
Knowing that Qin Xuanbing didn't have much affection for him, Zhuang Rui simply nodded to her in greeting before pulling Liu Chuan aside and asking, "Where are Boss Song and the others? Why aren't you with them now that you're here?"
It was almost 10 o'clock, and as the host, Boss Song shouldn't have arrived yet, so Zhuang Rui was slightly surprised to see them all sitting in the lobby.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chuan gave a wry smile and said, "I've been waiting for you here since I came in. How could I dare to go to them if you didn't come? You don't know Old Man Lü's temper. He was being polite to you yesterday, but if he gets angry today, he could kick me out. Let me tell you, that old man..."
"Liu Chuan, you little brat, you're talking about this old man behind his back again. Tomorrow I'll go and talk to the management office. The market management fee you pay is too low. It needs to be doubled."
A loud, clear voice suddenly rang out, and six or seven men walked in through the center of the gate. The one in the lead was the old man Lü that Liu Chuan had mentioned. Song Jun and Boss Wang were also among them, so they must have made an appointment together. Behind them were several people that Zhuang Rui did not recognize. They were all carrying some items wrapped in boxes or silk or similar cloth.
"Hey, Uncle Lü, Grandpa Lü, we've always had a good relationship, haven't we? You can't trip me up, can you? Watch my foul mouth..."
Liu Chuan greeted her with a grin and jokes, opening his arms as if to give her a hug. This startled Manager Lü, who quickly stepped aside. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes fell on Qin Xuanbing standing to the side. After a careful look, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Seeing that Old Man Lü probably recognized Qin Xuanbing, Liu Chuan quickly started winking at Zhuang Rui.
"Elder Lü..."
"Hello, miss. My name is Xu Wei, and I am the general manager of Xu's Jewelry in East China. Are you also here for today's tea tasting and jewelry appraisal? Would you mind getting to know me? You know, your outfit would be perfectly complemented by jewelry from our company."
Zhuang Rui went to greet him, but before he could finish speaking, a young man stepped out from beside Manager Lü and went straight to Qin Xuanbing, interrupting Zhuang Rui. However, his flirting skills were indeed not very good, and several people in the room were already secretly laughing. But he was right about one thing: if Qin Xuanbing had a diamond necklace on her fair neck, it would better accentuate her noble temperament.
Well, there's no need for me to say anything more. The people that Old Master Lü brought were so enthusiastic, he probably wouldn't dare to chase Qin Xuanbing away. Zhuang Rui smiled, not caring that he was interrupted, and turned to look at the young man.
The man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with fair skin and a pair of exquisite gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He was quite handsome and dressed in a well-fitting Armani casual suit. Zhuang Rui worked at a pawnshop and was somewhat familiar with foreign luxury brands. He knew that the man in front of him, just by wearing this outfit alone, was almost worth the same amount of money as the gourd from Sanhe Liu yesterday.
"Xu's Jewelry? I've never even heard of that name..."
Looking at the attentive and well-dressed man in front of her, Qin Xuanbing knew he must be a young master from some family in the mainland. She curled her lips slightly, feeling a sense of powerlessness. There were just too many self-important people in this world.
It's important to understand that Qin Xuanbing is no ordinary pretty face. Due to her family background, she has been exposed to diamonds and jade since childhood, developing a keen eye for jewelry. She later studied jewelry design abroad for two years and even received an order from the British royal family. Qin Xuanbing is quite famous in the jewelry industry in Hong Kong and even in countries like the UK and the US. Jewelry designed and crafted by her is often in high demand, with any piece worth over a million. So why would she be interested in the Xu's Jewelry that this man in front of her is talking about?
Qin Xuanbing came to the mainland for two reasons. First, she wanted to avoid the entanglements of those wealthy young men. Second, she wanted to investigate the mainland market and see what the demand for jewelry was like, so as to decide whether her family business should enter the mainland market. If she had only come to the mainland for the former reason, she probably would have been arrested and taken back by her father long ago.
Although the jewelry industry and the antique trade have many similarities, they also have many differences. Otherwise, Qin Xuanbing wouldn't have made a rash offer and broken the rules in that kind of setting yesterday.
“I’m not a jewelry display model, so I don’t need to wear those things.”
Qin Xuanbing said calmly, the meaning of which was very clear: I don't want to know you.
Upon hearing this, Xu Wei's smile faltered slightly, but it quickly returned to its usual cheerful expression. He turned to Boss Song, who was arranging the private room, and said, "Boss Song, you're the host today, aren't you going to help with the introductions?"
Song Jun chuckled, seemingly not too impressed with this person either. He stepped forward and introduced Liu Chuan and Zhuang Rui, then led the group into a large private room. He had no idea about Qin Xuanbing's background, so how could he introduce her? However, Xu Wei noticed that Qin Xuanbing and Lei Lei seemed to be Liu Chuan's female companions. His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, carefully scrutinized Liu Chuan.
"Xu Wei, that's more like hypocrisy. He can still laugh after being rejected to his face. What a piece of trash."
Liu Chuan, who was walking at the back, whispered in Zhuang Rui's ear that the way Xu Wei looked at Lei Lei earlier had made him very unhappy.
Chapter 34 Tea Tasting (Part 1)
Jingmingxuan's private rooms are quite unique, with small lattice doors and windows. There's also a lattice bar at the entrance, and the walls are mostly covered with lattice antique shelves displaying ceramic jars. In the center of the room, there's a long pearwood square table surrounded by six huanghuali chairs, giving the entire room a Ming and Qing dynasty architectural style.
The private room was quite spacious, easily seventy or eighty square meters. Near the bar by the entrance, there was a small living room area with a circle of bright red leather sofas surrounding a glass coffee table. On the wall opposite the sofas hung a large 70-inch high-definition LCD TV. Inconspicuous small speakers were placed in every corner of the room, creating a setup somewhat like a movie theater, yet it blended well into the overall room. This could be considered a combination of old and new, East and West.
At the doorway stood a shrine to Guan Yu, with three sticks of sandalwood burning above it. Wisps of smoke filled the room, and upon entering, one was greeted by a refreshing fragrance. Coupled with the sounds of the guzheng playing in the background, it created a sense of tranquility and peace. "Hehe, this private room of Xiao Song's is not a place for just anyone. These tea table and chairs alone are worth at least a hundred thousand. He usually doesn't let us sit here. And this incense is special too. You don't know, do you? This is the finest sandalwood that Xiao Song obtained from the Great Buddha Temple every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It must be burned until the fifteenth without interruption."
After entering the private room, Manager Song took a deep breath and then ignored the items on the antique shelves. Instead, he walked to the square table and carefully stroked the chairs and table that Liu Chuan and the others found insignificant, with a look of great affection on his face.
Zhuang Rui's heart stirred. Ever since the spiritual energy in his eyes turned orange-yellow, he could see through the wood to a thickness of about one centimeter. Since Manager Lü was so proud of these chairs, could they be antiques? Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui followed the example of Old Master Lü and carefully examined the rosewood chair beside him.
Wearing glasses, Zhuang Rui wasn't afraid of being stared at. In the instant he lowered his head, he released the spiritual energy in his eyes. The spiritual energy quickly seeped into the delicate patterns on the surface of the golden chair back. Although it couldn't penetrate completely, Zhuang Rui still felt a very faint aura merging with the spiritual energy as it entered the rosewood.
The aura was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, much weaker than the spiritual energy he absorbed from the Liu gourd in Sanhe yesterday. If Zhuang Rui hadn't been so focused, he wouldn't have been able to sense it. It wasn't until Zhuang Rui looked at the second rosewood chair that he truly felt the amount of spiritual energy in his eyes had indeed increased slightly.
After making this discovery, Zhuang Rui disregarded everyone else and pretended to be very interested in these antique chairs. He circled the square table, examining all six chairs and absorbing all their spiritual energy. The amount of spiritual energy absorbed from the six rosewood chairs was roughly the same as the amount absorbed from the cricket gourd yesterday. Clearly, the spiritual energy contained in these antiques is not determined by their size.
"Grandpa, please don't make me uncomfortable. How about we visit your residence sometime and let these younger generations broaden their horizons? Oh, Brother Zhuang, you're also interested in Ming and Qing dynasty furniture?"
As Boss Song was smiling and inviting everyone to sit down, he saw Zhuang Rui circling around the table as soon as he entered and couldn't help but ask him a question.
"I've often heard that antique huanghuali furniture is valuable, but I've never actually seen any. I'm about to sit on something worth hundreds of thousands, so I have to take a good look now..."
Zhuang Rui raised his head, pretending to be a greedy man, which made everyone laugh. He then prepared to sit down. After some polite exchanges, he let Old Master Lü sit in the seat of honor, with Song Jun accompanying him in the main seat. Everyone sat down, but there were still two seats missing.
The group of people who entered the teahouse with them left after placing their belongings on the square table. However, if you include Xu Wei, Lei Lei, and Qin Xuanbing, who arrived uninvited, there were still eight people in the private room, and the six rosewood chairs were not enough to accommodate them.
"Leilei, let's sit on the sofa. What's the point of that broken chair? It's so cold, sitting on that thing is uncomfortable..."
Seeing that Qin Xuanbing and Xu Wei had unceremoniously found a chair and sat down, Liu Chuan pulled Lei Lei to the sofa and sat down, chatting intimately. The two of them weren't interested in the antiques and manuscripts; if Qin Xuanbing hadn't insisted on coming, they wouldn't have joined in the fun.
After everyone was seated, Song Jun waved to the door, and two slender and pretty waitresses came in. One carried a tea set and placed it on the square table, while the other carried a small red clay stove and placed it on a round wooden stool next to the square table. The red clay stove was long and about six or seven inches high. The charcoal inside was already lit, and the stove also had a lid and a door. It was very well made.
The tea set was also exquisite, a Yixing purple clay teapot, about the size of a fist, in an antique iron chestnut color, with six small teacups distributed around the four sides, white as jade and as thin as paper. Zhuang Rui was quite suspicious that if he picked it up and used a little more force, he might be able to crush it.
"There are no outsiders here. To be honest, even though I run a teahouse, I actually brew my tea in a large teacup. I'm not that particular about it. I recently found some top-quality Tieguanyin from Anxi, so let's try some of the popular Kung Fu tea from Guangdong today."
While greeting everyone, Boss Song gestured to the two waiters to boil water and brew tea. Since tea tasting and antique appraisal were to be done first, everyone present except Zhuang Rui was a seasoned and shrewd person who had been in the business for many years. No one was in a hurry to touch the antiques that they had brought to the square table. They all watched the two waiters brew tea with great interest. Only Zhuang Rui was a little impatient, but he was immediately drawn to the waiters' tea-making activities.
Although the small red clay stove was tiny, the fire was very strong. In no time, the water boiled. After the water boiled, a waiter picked up the small kettle, and another waiter immediately placed another kettle on it, introducing to everyone: "The water we use to brew tea in our teahouse is all taken from the natural spring water on Yunlong Mountain. Su Dongpo once said, 'Living water must be boiled with a living fire,' which means that the spring water in the kettle must be boiled with a strong fire."
The waiter first used a teaspoon to take an appropriate amount of tea leaves and place them on the tea appreciation tray. Then he served them to everyone to taste and introduced the origin of Tieguanyin. After everyone had looked around, the waiter did not put the tea leaves into the Yixing teapot. Instead, he picked up the kettle and poured boiling water into the empty teapot. According to the waiter, the purpose of this action was to warm the teapot, which is called "warming the teapot" or Mengchen Linlin.
After "warming the pot," the waiter uses a teaspoon to scoop tea leaves into the Yixing teapot, starting with the finer leaves, then moving to the coarser ones, and finally the tea stems. This is called "Oolong Entering the Palace." Then, water is poured into the pot, stopping when the water reaches the rim. The waiter then extends two fingers to pick up the lid and scrape off the foam from the rim. After that, the lid is put back on, and boiling water is used to rinse off any remaining foam on the top of the pot. The movements are extremely elegant and pleasing to the eye.
According to the waiter, this process is called "rinsing the pot." The purpose of rinsing the pot is twofold: first, to clean the pot, and second, to heat the pot inside and out, so as to facilitate the release of the tea's aroma.
Zhuang Rui's nose twitched. He could already smell the rich aroma of tea at the tip of his nose. He thought, "Now I can finally drink it, right?" But to his surprise, the waiter poured all the water out of the teapot, saying that this was called "washing the tea" to remove the dust from the surface of the tea leaves. Zhuang Rui rolled his eyes at the sight.
When Zhuang Rui worked at the pawnshop, he often drank tea with Uncle De. However, Uncle De was not so particular about tea. His tea set consisted of only a pot and two cups. Unlike now, almost 20 minutes have passed and he still hasn't had a cup of tea.
After pouring boiling water into the teapot again, the waiter used the first brew of tea to scald the cups. He rotated the cups with two fingers, a process called "warming the cups." Naturally, the tea was poured out again in the end, and Zhuang Rui still couldn't drink any.
During the second infusion, the waiter holds the teapot in one hand and pours tea into each cup in a circular motion, keeping the spout of the teapot close to the teacup. This is called "Guan Yu's Patrol," and its purpose is to ensure that the tea in the cups is of uniform strength. Pouring at a low position is also to prevent too much aroma from dissipating. When the tea in the pot is almost gone, the remaining tea is poured into each cup. This is the essence of the entire pot of tea and should be poured out drop by drop, hence the nickname "Han Xin's Troops."
At this point, the entire process was demonstrated. At Mr. Song's instruction, the first cup of tea was served to Mr. Lü.
The second cup of tea was offered to the lady. Qin Xuanbing accepted it without ceremony, holding the rim of the cup with her thumb and forefinger and supporting the bottom with her middle finger. Instead of drinking it directly, she first brought it to her nose to smell it before taking three sips and slowly drinking it. The whole process was smooth and natural, leaving Zhuang Rui stunned.
"Good, it takes three sips to appreciate its flavor, and three times to truly appreciate it. Young lady, you are indeed a connoisseur of tea. I misjudged you yesterday."
After seeing Qin Xuanbing's actions, Grandpa Lü praised her repeatedly. His previous dissatisfaction with Qin Xuanbing vanished. After all, tea ceremony is a traditional Chinese culture, but nowadays not many young people understand it. Just like Liu Chuan sitting on the sofa, who was happily drinking a bottle of cola.
Chapter 35 Tea Tasting (Part 2)
"You flatter me, senior. My grandfather was fond of drinking tea, and I often accompanied him to drink tea in my spare time. I've seen a lot of it and know only a little bit about it. As for tea culture, Hong Kong's tea culture originated from the mainland, so the mainland's tea culture is naturally more profound and extensive."
Qin Xuanbing smiled slightly and replied modestly, "Actually, Kung Fu tea is most popular in the Guangdong and Hong Kong regions, especially in the Chaoshan region. In these areas, eating breakfast is called drinking morning tea, and there is also noon tea and afternoon tea, which shows the importance of tea in their lives. When Qin Xuanbing was a few years old, she watched her grandfather brew tea every day. If we talk about the techniques of brewing tea, Qin Xuanbing is confident that she is much more skilled than the current tea master."
As the two were talking, the tea master handed out the brewed tea to everyone. Zhuang Rui followed suit, holding the teacup with three fingers, bringing it to his nose and taking a gentle sniff. The refreshing aroma of the tea immediately filled his lungs, and the previous impatience of waiting was swept away, replaced by a clear mind. Even the turbulent thoughts in his heart seemed to have become much clearer.
Forcing himself to gulp down the tea in his hand, Zhuang Rui carefully took a small sip from the rim of the cup. A bitter taste immediately filled his taste buds. He frowned slightly, then took a second sip. The feeling was immediately different; the previous bitterness seemed to have turned into sweetness. By the time he finished the third sip, Zhuang Rui felt a lingering fragrance in his mouth. He couldn't help but close his eyes and savor the experience.
Zhuang Rui disliked carbonated drinks and had loved drinking tea since childhood. However, he had never tasted three different flavors in a small cup of tea like he did today. He had often heard people say that tea is like life, but he didn't understand it then. Now, however, he felt it. The first sip of tea was bitter, which reminded him of the setbacks he had encountered after graduating from university. Wasn't his mood at that time extremely similar to that sip of tea?
The second sip of tea turned sweet and delicious, much like his own experience. Since starting work at the pawnshop, everything had gone smoothly, and the previous robbery was just an accident. The subsequent change in his eyes also gave Zhuang Rui a huge surprise.
The three sips left only a faint aftertaste, which seemed to imply that after the hustle and bustle of the world fades away, true happiness lies in simplicity. Although he couldn't fully grasp the meaning yet, Zhuang Rui's state of mind became much calmer at this moment, and the suppressed and long-dormant desires in his heart no longer seemed so intense.
After Zhuang Rui opened his eyes, the waiter had already taken the cup back with tea tongs, rinsed it with boiling water, and started the second brew. Judging from the expressions of everyone at the table, they all seemed to be immersed in the fragrant tea. Even Qin Xuanbing, who was usually indifferent in front of others, had a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Xiao Zhuang, how is my tea? Not bad, right..."
Song Jun's words broke the silence in the room and interrupted everyone's thoughts. Qin Xuanbing frowned slightly, seemingly a little dissatisfied.
"Brother Song, to be honest, I drink tea every day, but compared to the tea I drink now, that's like guzzling it down. It's incomparable. It wasn't until I came here that I learned what tea appreciation is all about. I've truly benefited a lot..."
Zhuang Rui is not afraid to expose his shortcomings; if he doesn't know something, he doesn't know it, and there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Upon hearing this, Song Jun burst into laughter, saying, "I like Xiao Zhuang's character. He doesn't pretend to know what he doesn't. Old Master Lü often says that one should sip slowly and savor the tea, for there is much to appreciate in the process. But I, Old Song, have been drinking tea for so many years, and I still haven't figured out any special flavor. I still prefer your method of guzzling it down like a cow. That's much more enjoyable, unlike Old Wang, who's always concerned with all those formalities, hahaha..."
"That's called tradition. Without this whole process, how could you enjoy such fragrant tea? I really don't know how you started your teahouse and how it hasn't gone out of business yet."
Seeing that Song Jun had brought up the topic of himself, Boss Wang, who hadn't said much until now, laughed and scolded, but he wasn't really angry. It seemed that the two of them were used to joking around.
"The art of tea has been passed down since ancient times. Most people can't appreciate its flavor after only one or two tries. Mr. Zhuang has a very high level of understanding. He understood what tea tasting is after just one cup. Could you tell us about it?"
Qin Xuanbing unexpectedly interjected, surprising everyone. Her words were clearly confrontational. Weren't Xiao Zhuang and this girl friends?
In fact, Qin Xuanbing didn't know why she said those words. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted her rashness. However, when she heard Boss Song praising Zhuang Rui, she felt uncomfortable and the words just slipped out involuntarily.
"Yes, yes, Miss Qin is right. China's tea culture has a long history and cannot be understood in a short time. Mr. Zhuang, what insights do you have about the tea ceremony? Why don't you share them so we can discuss them together?"
As soon as Qin Xuanbing finished speaking, Xu Wei chimed in. He said this partly to curry favor with Qin Xuanbing, and partly because he was somewhat resentful about the occasion. Normally, Xu Wei, who was young, rich, and the general manager of Xu's Jewelry East China, would be the center of attention at any event. But today, he was first turned away by a woman, and then his limelight was stolen by this ordinary-looking young man. Seeing an opportunity to ridicule Zhuang Rui, he naturally wanted to add fuel to the fire.
In fact, Xu Wei is not the kind of spoiled brat that everyone imagines. Although he comes from a good family, he is also hardworking enough. After returning from studying abroad, he started as an ordinary shop assistant in a small jewelry store in his family and rose to become the general manager of Xu's Jewelry in East China in just five years. Although his background is related to this, it also reflects his personal ability. He can be regarded as a leader among the younger generation in this industry.
In recent years, Pengcheng, an ancient city in northern Jiangsu, has developed very rapidly, and people's living standards have improved a lot. Xu Wei wants to bring Xu's Jewelry chain stores into the Pengcheng market. Grandpa Lü is not only the president of the Pengcheng Collectors Association, but also the executive director of the Pengcheng Jewelry Association. He has a lot of influence in these two industries. With his word, doing business in the jewelry industry will undoubtedly be much smoother.