Chapter 75: The Symphony of Tea

It seems that Lu Guanyi had already informed Master Zhineng about acting as a mediator, so Master Zhineng was not surprised when they arrived. However, Lu Guanyi still explained the signing of the contract to him.

Master Zhineng expressed his willingness to act as the mediator.

Thus, Ye Chongming, Lu Guanyi, and Qi Ji signed the contract. After signing, Qi Ji would take it back to the government office to have it recorded and turned into an official contract.

After the contract was signed, Lu Guanyi repeated what Ye Yaming had said to Master Zhineng.

Master Zhineng was clearly more interested in this matter. He respectfully greeted Ye Yaming and said, “I have few hobbies in life, but I love tea. Since you have excellent tea-making skills, would you be willing to brew a pot of tea for me? I would be happy to write a piece of calligraphy for you as a token of my appreciation.”

Not only was Ye Chongming overjoyed, but even Qi Ji was deeply surprised. Everyone knew that it was extremely difficult to obtain a piece of calligraphy from Master Zhineng. Only those he particularly admired, whose character, temperament, and knowledge met his high standards, would receive a piece of his calligraphy. Otherwise, even if you were of royal blood, you wouldn’t be able to get a single word from him.

Master Zhineng was a close friend of Lu Guanyi’s grandfather, and Lu Guanyi had stayed at Chongshan Temple with his grandfather when he was young.

Now that Lu Guanyi’s grandfather had passed away, Master Zhineng, out of respect for his old friend and his fondness for Lu Guanyi, was willing to treat him differently. However, when Qi Ji, as Lu Guanyi’s friend and cousin, had thick-skinnedly asked Lu Guanyi to request a piece of calligraphy for him, Master Zhineng had ignored the request.

But now, just for Ye Yaming’s tea, which might not even be good, Master Zhineng was willing to give her a piece of calligraphy. Qi Ji was genuinely jealous.

Although Ye Yaming didn’t know how difficult it was to obtain Master Zhineng’s calligraphy, she knew that his high status and integrity made it hard to even meet him, let alone get a piece of his calligraphy. She guessed that his calligraphy was priceless.

Therefore, she was also overjoyed and immediately stood up, bowed, and said, “Then I will do my best.”

The young monk Jingchen, having heard that Ye Yaming was skilled in tea-making, was already bursting with curiosity. He had a keen sense of taste since childhood and was exceptionally skilled in tea-making. Even the Ye family’s second master, known for his excellent sense of taste, couldn’t match him in tea-making skills.

Although he was young and had a good temperament, he was very proud of his unmatched tea-making skills. Hearing Ye Chongming boast about his granddaughter’s tea-making skills, he was inwardly dismissive. However, he didn’t show it on the surface. When he heard that Ye Yaming was going to make tea, he personally lit the stove nearby.

Bai Xin, as Ye Yaming’s personal maid, had accompanied her to Chongshan Temple and brought the tea utensils that Ye Yaming had prepared.

Seeing Ye Yaming sit at the table, Bai Xin quickly stepped forward, opened the rattan box, took out the tablecloth, and spread it on the table. She then handed the tea utensils to Ye Yaming one by one.

To showcase her tea-making skills, Ye Yaming had trained Bai Xin, and they had practiced several times at home to develop a good rapport. Now, Bai Xin handed the tea utensils to Ye Yaming in the order they had practiced at home.

Ye Yaming took the tea utensils one by one and placed them in their respective positions. This was the arrangement of the tea set, making the utensils convenient to use and aesthetically pleasing. The tea set included the tablecloth, table runner, flower arrangement, and other items that matched the theme.

She chose a simple and calm tablecloth and table runner to match the atmosphere of Chongshan Temple’s meditation room. She used a single dry branch in a very simple vase for the flower arrangement, and the tea utensils were also very simple in a warm white color.

Seeing Ye Yaming casually arrange the tea utensils with an elegant beauty and convenience, Jingchen couldn’t help but let out a light ‘hmm’ and became exceptionally serious and focused.

‘A master can be recognized by their actions,’ and without much display, just by arranging the tea utensils, Jingchen knew that Ye Yaming was a master in tea-making. This alone was worth learning from.

Although there were servants, tea-making was an elegant affair, and everyone present had made tea themselves. Especially Master Zhineng and Ye Chongming, who had been immersed in tea for decades, could see Ye Yaming’s skill in her actions.

Ye Chongming raised an eyebrow. His granddaughter always had many surprises for him. Although Ye Yaming had made tea in front of him before, this tea set and these tea utensils were new to him.

Soon, the water boiled, and Jingchen brought it to the table.

Good flower tea requires six to nine infusions for the fragrance to penetrate the tea, so flower tea is heavily roasted, and the water temperature for brewing generally needs to be around 90 degrees Celsius.

Ye Yaming first warmed the pot and cups, pouring the water into the water bowl. By then, the water temperature had dropped to 90 degrees Celsius.

She took the tea, poured it, and then added water to the pot.

Initially, Master Zhineng, Lu Guanyi, and the others watched Ye Yaming make tea out of respect, but her actions soon captivated them.

It was mid-morning, and the sun slanted through the door frame and window, illuminating the room. The beautiful woman in a light green dress sat at the tea table covered with dark green cloth. Her features were delicate, and her shoulders and neck formed graceful curves. Her tea-making movements were elegant, slow, and gentle, full of rhythm and beauty, and her expression was so focused. It was as if she was not brewing ordinary tea but something alive.

She cherished it, understood it, and carefully grasped its every moment of life. Warming the cups, pouring the tea, adding water—they didn’t need to see inside the pot to feel the dry tea leaves gradually unfurling under the clear water, revealing their original form, releasing their finest fragrance, and expressing their essence.

Steam rose from the sweet white porcelain teapot, and the fragrance of tea and osmanthus filled the air.

Master Zhineng, Lu Guanyi, and Qi Ji stared intently at Ye Yaming. Even the two young men, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, had no romantic thoughts at this moment; they were completely captivated by Ye Yaming’s attitude towards tea.

When Ye Yaming poured the tea into the cups and signaled Jingchen to serve the tea, she saw the young monk’s face flushed, his expression excited, his eyes bright, staring at her as if she were a rare treasure. Even when she signaled him, he didn’t snap out of it.

She had to speak, “Young monk, please serve the tea.”

Jingchen finally woke up as if from a dream, gave Ye Yaming a big smile, and blurted out, “Miss Ye, you are amazing.”

Ye Yaming smiled at him, handed over the tea tray, then stood up, bowed to Master Zhineng, and returned to her seat next to Ye Jiaxing.

Master Zhineng took the tea from Jingchen, solemnly observed its color and fragrance, then brought it to his lips, took a sip, and closed his eyes to savor it.

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji did the same.