At dawn the next day.
The Tea Tasting Convention continued.
Just as Zhou Qi had said, an unforeseen problem erupted during the tea whisking contest between the Fang and Lin families, resulting in the Tao and Wei families stepping in to compete first instead. The result of the match was predictable; the Wei family also produced aged tea, but their craftsmanship and technique lagged far behind “Floating Clouds Emerging from the Mountains,” leaving them no possibility of victory.
Wang Xiuhe had changed into a light-colored long dress with a pale orchid pattern today and sat at the Fang family’s tea table fiddling with the tea-whisking utensils prepared by the young tea boy. The match was still thirty minutes from the start. Lord Song, who was robust and lively for his age, had taken two young children down a hillside to watch the independent merchants brew tea, and he wasn’t expected back anytime soon.
Dressed in a brown robe, Hu Yunshan stood with his hands behind his back beside Wang Xiuhe and asked, “Does Madam have any further instructions?”
Wang Xiuhe said, “No, you just need to steady your mind and proceed as usual.” She did not know Hu Yunshan’s real name, nor did she care whether the name he gave was true or false; in her eyes, Hu Yunshan was merely an unrecognized hermit from the mountains who wanted to use her to participate in the Tea Tasting Convention, win the top prize, and become world-famous. There were far too many of them; ever since she started preparing for this grand event, she had encountered fourteen or fifteen tea-brewing hermits each year during the selection process. As for why such a young hermit could whisk a “white froth,” she found it even less remarkable. Although Wang Xiuhe wasn’t of noble birth, she entered the tea market at the highest echelon; upon her first arrival in Chuzhou City from her hometown, she was personally guided by Fang Changru, the patriarch of the four families. She spent her days observing Xie Junlan triumph over thousands of tea masters as a woman and witnessing Fang Zesheng grow from a young child into a boy on the cusp of adulthood. Having inherited all the strengths of his father and mother, he stood out among the younger generation of the entire tea market, truly peerless in the world.
With these three legendary figures of the tea market standing on their pedestals before her every day, she naturally came to believe that the “white froth,” which others spent their entire lives chasing in vain, was not insurmountable. After all, there is always heaven beyond heaven and always someone better than the best.
Strictly speaking, the Fang family treated her with great kindness. Though she was a distant relative, so remote she could hardly be considered part of the family, the Fang couple had treated her as if she were their own younger sister, and Fang Zesheng regarded her as a biological paternal aunt.
But so what?
Wang Xiuhe gently rotated the rim of a hare’s-fur glazed bowl, smiled, and then stood up to give her seat to Hu Yunshan.
The sky was clear today. A soft breeze drifted through the Mount Yuming pass, causing the century-old pines and cypresses on the towering peaks to sway, yet it could not disturb Tao Xianzhi’s rigid stance as he stood at the summit at all.
Young Master Tao stared into the distance for miles; his eyes filled with tears and a storm of emotions. He had endured a tremendous injustice; biting his lower lip with his upper lip with a single tear, recently dislodged by the wind, still hung at the corner of his mouth.
Fu Jingyuan stood with him for a while but grew tired. He casually found a round stool, moved it over, and sat down beside him. Young Master Tao turned to look at him; his face filled with an unspeakable sorrow. He paced a circle around Fu Jingyuan and said with trembling hands, “You actually understood everything! I’m the only one who understood nothing!”
Fu Jingyuan burst into loud laughter at the sight of him. Tao Xianzhi said angrily, “What are you laughing at!”
Fu Jingyuan stood up and said, “It was my fault for not explaining it to you clearly. I’ll treat you to a drink when we head down the mountain.”
Tao Xianzhi was seething. “One drink and it’s over? I regarded you as a close friend! And yet you couldn’t even share this with me!”
Fu Jingxuan said sincerely, “It wasn’t a deliberate deception; there simply wasn’t a proper opportunity to tell you.”
“How was there no opportunity? If you had told me sooner, I wouldn’t have…!”
“Wouldn’t have treated me as a close friend?” Fu Jingxuan cut him off before pulling the fan from his lower back and asking with a smile.
Tao Xianzhi frowned. “Well, it wouldn’t have mattered either way, but you’ve kept this from me for years; of course, I feel wronged.”
Fu Jingxuan apologized candidly. “It is my fault. I won’t make excuses.”
Tao Xianzhi was most helpless against this kind of person; everything that needed to be said had been said, and the apology had also been made. As friends for so many years, he couldn’t very well sever ties and end their relationship forever over this, could he?
When all was said and done, it came down to his own incompetence.
Tao Xianzhi shook his head and sighed. “I suppose I should also blame my own lack of talent for identifying tea. I’m the only one holding everyone back in our generation.”
Fu Jingxuan said, “You shouldn’t say that. While you may not have a knack for identifying tea, you have a great talent for business.”
Tao Xianzhi’s eyes lit up. He leaned in toward Fu Jingxuan and asked, “Really?”
Fu Jingxuan said, “Of course it’s true. Old Master Tao is no ordinary man; since he personally takes you along on business trips, he has naturally seen your worth.”
Tao Xianzhi instantly regained a bit of face and offered a mock-modest pleasantry. “Not at all, not at all. I just help the family break even, that’s all.”
Seeing him beaming with joy, Fu Jingxuan tapped his fan and glanced at the tea-whisking match that was about to begin.
Lord Song had already returned from the foot of the mountain and sat in the primary seat facing south waiting for the tea boy to strike the gong. Wang Xiuhe was in high spirits; seeing Liu Ruyan, who had been so furious she fainted yesterday, she couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Second Madam Liu did not disappoint her; since Fu Jingxuan’s tea tasting ended, she had worn a somber face and was short-tempered with everyone. Hu Ruosong, the head of the Hu family, had also arrived early; he stood among the crowd observing Hu Yunshan, occasionally frowning or letting out a long sigh. Hu Yunshan’s fists were tightly clenched, his gaze unwavering as if overflowing with confidence.
Fu Jingxuan suddenly called out while watching everyone’s every move, “Tao Xianzhi.”
“Hmm?”
“I want to do a piece of business with you. Tell me, will you take it?”
