Meng Fu Yuan didn’t stay long; he left after Chen Qing Wu’s mood improved.

Although there were legitimate reasons, spending the night alone with his brother’s girlfriend could easily be misinterpreted.

After tidying up and washing, Chen Qing Wu went to lie down on her bed.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to Meng Qi Ran:

“I just remembered I have a client meeting tomorrow, so I can’t go shopping. You should head back to Nancheng early and get some rest after the competition.”

She received a reply half an hour later, with just one word: “Okay.”

She thought, Meng Qi Ran must be relieved.

She lay there for a long time but still couldn’t fall asleep.

Chen Qing Wu got up, put on a coat, and went to the work area outside, turning on all the lights.

She took some carefully stored clay from an old freezer left by Teacher Qian, cleaned the workbench and the pottery wheel, and began to shape the clay by hand.

Using the pottery wheel is more efficient, but the process of hand-shaping allows her mind to empty, and she can think of nothing at all.

***

Meng Qi Ran had insomnia all night.

He left for Nancheng the next morning.

His mother, Qi Lin, was surprised by his early return. “Didn’t you say you’d spend the day with Qing Wu and come back in the evening?”

Meng Qi Ran threw his backpack onto the sofa. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m going to take a nap. Don’t call me for lunch, Mom.”

Qi Lin was taken aback, as it was rare to see Meng Qi Ran looking so gloomy.

She didn’t ask more and told him to rest well.

Meng Qi Ran slammed his bedroom door shut and flopped onto his bed.

He draped his arm over his forehead, paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at the wooden display cabinet with glass panels.

A beautiful, clear cup sat quietly under the light.

He stared at it, hoping he could fall asleep soon.

It wasn’t until evening that Meng Qi Ran came downstairs for dinner.

In Nancheng, motorcycles are allowed. He casually picked a Ducati X-Diavel from the garage, put on his helmet, and headed out.

Passing by streetlights one by one, he drove through intersection after intersection, heading towards the mountains.

The wind roared past his ears.

He sped quickly, as if trying to erase the scene from the previous night when he avoided that kiss and saw the hurt, disbelieving look in Qing Wu’s eyes.

The lights grew sparse, and the trees on either side became denser.

After turning several corners, suddenly a vast night sky appeared above the trees.

He stepped on the brakes, realizing that he had reached the summit.

***

A few days later, Chen Qing Wu went with Meng Fu Yuan to visit the owner of a tea house, her first client.

It had rained early in the morning, and the world was shrouded in a white mist.

Meng Fu Yuan drove into the park and saw Chen Qing Wu standing by the roadside with a transparent umbrella from a distance.

She wore a tan work short trench coat over a white T-shirt, black casual pants with the cuffs rolled up, mid-top black Converse sneakers, and a black nylon shoulder bag.

Her outfit was simple and efficient, with a bit of boyishness.

When Chen Qing Wu saw the car, she immediately raised her hand to wave.

Meng Fu Yuan took a slow, deep breath, as if only then could he suppress the inappropriate excitement in his chest.

Chen Qing Wu put away her umbrella and opened the car door. “The umbrella…”

“Put it in the back seat.”

Chen Qing Wu placed the umbrella and sat in the front passenger seat.

A faint fragrance immediately filled the enclosed car, like orange blossoms in the mist, with a hint of green bitterness.

“Actually, I could have taken the subway myself. There’s a subway station near the park,” Chen Qing Wu said.

“It’s fine.”

The subway doesn’t go directly to that place, and you still need to take a taxi after getting off the subway. Plus, it was raining today, which wouldn’t be very convenient.

Of course, these were just excuses.

Meng Fu Yuan glanced at her and then looked away, starting the car.

Her expression was calm, no longer showing the sadness from that night, suggesting that her conflict with Qi Ran might have been resolved.

Young people are like this.

If they make up, he can be at ease.

They chatted casually as the car drove to the tea house.

It was halfway up the mountain, and after parking, they still needed to walk for five minutes.

The rain had stopped, but there was still mist lingering.

The green moss grew from the cracks in the stone steps.

Chen Qing Wu walked ahead, and every few steps, she heard Meng Fu Yuan behind her reminding her to be careful of the slippery road.

The tea house was hidden among the bamboo forest, lush and green, as if dripping with emerald.

As soon as the bamboo curtain was lifted, the fragrance of tea smoke wafted in.

Chen Qing Wu followed Meng Fu Yuan through a corridor of black stone slabs to the innermost room.

The quiet room with floor-to-ceiling glass had no incense burning; the faint remaining scent might have been left by the previous tea guest.

After sitting on the bamboo chair by the window, Meng Fu Yuan made a phone call.

Soon, there was a knock on the door.

Meng Fu Yuan said, “Come in.”

Chen Qing Wu turned her head and saw two people at the door, a man and a woman. The man was about the same age as Meng Fu Yuan, while the woman seemed older, probably over forty-five.

The man spoke first, smiling, “Meng, your so-called business today is coming here for tea? I’ve caught you.”

Meng Fu Yuan’s expression didn’t change as he introduced them to Chen Qing Wu. “This is Sister An, the owner here. Pei Shao, founding partner and my college classmate.”

Sister An smiled at Chen Qing Wu. “How should I address you?”

“My name is Chen Qing Wu. Sister An can just call me Qing Wu.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Pei Shao sat opposite them, and Sister An brought out the tea set to boil water.

Chen Qing Wu glanced at the stove. “Is this the Yiyun Pot designed by Mr. Chen Jingliang?”

Sister An immediately laughed, “Yes. It seems Miss Chen really knows her stuff.”

Pei Shao asked, “Isn’t this just an ordinary purple clay teapot? What’s special about it?”

Before Chen Qing Wu could speak, Sister An couldn’t help but respond, almost rolling her eyes. “This pot is much more intricately designed than an ordinary purple clay teapot. It automatically pours water when you lift it, and the lid doesn’t fall off when tilted at ninety degrees. When there’s more water, steam comes out of the spout; when there’s less water, steam comes out of the lift hook… These details, you wouldn’t understand if you don’t make tea.”

Pei Shao couldn’t handle Sister An’s rapid-fire explanation and admitted, “I was wrong. I’m an outsider.”

As the water boiled, Sister An asked, “What tea does Miss Chen like the most?”

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “I only know a bit about porcelain, not much about tea. I relatively prefer black tea.”

Sister An nodded, “Black tea isn’t as astringent.” She picked a tea canister from the tray.

Chen Qing Wu observed that Sister An brewed different teas for them, using different tea leaves, water temperatures, and methods, clearly tailored to their preferences.

When the tea was placed before her, Chen Qing Wu took a sip and said, “Is this Jin Jun Mei?“

Jin Jun Mei

Jin Jun Mei (or Jin Junmei) hails from the Wuyi Mountain region, in China’s Fujian Province. It’s a black tea (or red tea in China, referring to the color of the liquid rather than the color of the leaves), and its name apparently—and fittingly—means “golden beautiful eyebrow.”

Sister An said, “I knew Miss Chen was being modest about not knowing tea. You recognized it in one sip.”

Chen Qing Wu said, “I only know a few types of black tea, so I guessed.”

Sister An laughed heartily, “You’re quite sincere.”

Meng Fu Yuan glanced at Chen Qing Wu.

At this moment, Sister An’s phone rang. She glanced at it and said, “You all sit tight, I’ll take this call outside.”

Chen Qing Wu drank two more sips, and then gently placed the cup down, looking directly across. “Mr. Pei, you’ve been watching me. Do you have any advice?”

Pei Shao laughed heartily, “I’m just looking around, pardon me.”

The mountain was especially quiet, with only the sound of raindrops falling on the bamboo leaves.

Pei Shao said casually, “It’s rare to have free time, but now it feels a bit uneasy.”

Chen Qing Wu glanced at Meng Fu Yuan. “Brother Yuan, have you finalized the cooperation with SE?”

Meng Fu Yuan didn’t expect Chen Qing Wu to remember this matter. “We’re still discussing the details. Once finalized, we can sign the contract.”

Pei Shao said, “The main issue is with the research.”

“What’s the problem?”

Meng Fu Yuan saw her sincere look and explained in layman’s terms, “Some parts don’t meet the material standards; strength and precision can’t be balanced.”

Chen Qing Wu nodded thoughtfully.

After a while, Sister An returned to the tea room with a small bamboo basket in hand.

The basket was lined with blue cloth and contained various pastries.

After Sister An sat down, they began the formal discussion about the custom tea set.

Chen Qing Wu asked, “Do you have a general idea of what kind of tea set you want?”

“I’m not sure… The only thing is, I don’t want a matching set. It’s too conventional and a bit boring.”

Chen Qing Wu nodded and asked, “What aspect of tea do you want to highlight? For example, white porcelain is good for appreciating color…”

“No white porcelain, too boring.”

Chen Qing Wu pondered  for a moment, “Do you have any taboos about which cup to use for which tea?”

“No taboos. It’s just tea, no need for so many rules. When I want to drink, even a rice bowl will do.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “Then I roughly understand what you want.”

Sister An quickly asked, “Tell me.”

Chen Qing Wu shook her head, “Let me keep it a secret for now. I’ll bring the finished product for you to see. If you don’t like it, we can discuss it then.”

Sister An smiled at Meng Fu Yuan, “I really like your little friend here. She has personality.”

Meng Fu Yuan lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea without responding.

Of course, who wouldn’t like her.

After drinking tea, it suddenly started raining heavily again.

Sister An suggested they stay for lunch before leaving.

They continued chatting and sipping tea to pass the time. By noon, Sister An invited them to the dining room.

The walk to the dining room was through an outdoor corridor, and the rain mist brushed against their faces.

Meng Fu Yuan listened to the rain hitting the treetops, grateful for the weather that kept him and Qing Wu here longer.

Lunch was simple, with local mountain flavors.

Chen Qing Wu noticed that the mashed yam was served on a blue-glazed plate, which seemed to be the one Teacher Qian had asked Meng Fu Yuan to retrieve.

So its destination was here.

The kitchen had an earth stove with sweet potatoes buried in the ashes. When the meal was ready, the sweet potatoes were also baked.

The sweet potatoes weren’t peeled, and their aroma was tempting. Chen Qing Wu reached out to grab one but quickly retracted her hand because it was too hot. She pinched her earlobe and decided to peel it later.

Sister An, while picking up food, asked Chen Qing Wu, “I heard from Fu Yuan that your favorite ceramic artist is Du Furen? I don’t know much about him. What are his works like?”

Chen Qing Wu was slightly stunned.

In fact, even Meng Qi Ran might not clearly remember who her favorite ceramic artist was.

She put down her chopsticks and smiled, “I like Mr. Du Furen’s philosophy of pottery. The function of an object is not fixed. For example, a plate can be a flower holder, a utensil, or a decoration. He likes to use dark, thick glazes, making his works simple and heavy, like a blunt sword in martial arts novels.”

She trailed off at the last word, noticing that Meng Fu Yuan had placed a bowl with two peeled sweet potatoes in front of her.

His actions were as casual as if they were having a family meal and he had just passed her a chicken wing from a distant plate, not drawing much attention.

Sister An listened intently, “This philosophy suits my taste.”

Chen Qing Wu nodded, “Du Furen’s studio is called ‘Nihuan Lanruo,’ all Buddhist terms. His pottery is somewhat influenced by Buddhist thoughts.”

Sister An laughed, “What’s your studio called?”

“Me?…” Chen Qing Wu felt a bit embarrassed, “I feel like the name of a studio is like a name for roaming the world. I’m not worthy of having one yet.”

“When you sell your own work in the future, you’ll need a name.”

“I’ll think about it slowly.”

Sister An laughed, “Let’s all brainstorm together and help you come up with one.”

Chen Qing Wu also laughed, “Sure.”

Since she had been talking to Sister An, Chen Qing Wu hadn’t moved her chopsticks.

Meng Fu Yuan noticed and asked, “How is your kid doing with the study abroad application?”

Sister An said, “Don’t mention it…”

Chen Qing Wu was naturally excluded from the conversation.

She picked up her chopsticks and reached for the sweet potatoes in the bowl.

After the meal, the rain had lightened, and they were ready to head down the mountain.

Sister An asked Meng Fu Yuan to stay back, saying she had something for him.

Chen Qing Wu waited with Pei Shao in the porch at the entrance.

Pei Shao looked at Chen Qing Wu and laughed, “I’m sorry for my earlier rudeness. I was just curious about your relationship with Meng Fu Yuan.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “Our families have been friends for generations.”

“Oh, childhood sweethearts.”

“…” Thinking carefully, this broadly seemed correct.

Chen Qing Wu found Pei Shao to be a bit familiar but saw the upside, “Do you know if Brother Yuan lacks anything?”

“Want to give him a gift?”

Chen Qing Wu nodded.

Pei Shao thought for a moment, “A girlfriend?”

“……”

Pei Shao laughed, “Just kidding. Seriously, he did mention wanting to customize a tea set for the company to entertain distinguished guests.”

Chen Qing Wu felt a spark of inspiration.

She had felt that Meng Fu Yuan had helped her a lot recently and didn’t know how to repay him. Making a tea set for him seemed appropriate.

“What kind of tea do you usually serve to guests at your company?”

“The company doesn’t have a specific preference, but I know Meng himself has one. What he drank today.”

“What is it?”

Pei Shao looked at her with a meaningful smile, “A green tea. It’s called ‘Mist Green.'”