"Of course," I said calmly, gently gesturing for Mozhu to present the glass tea set. The slit of the spout, illuminated by the tea light, shone mysteriously, as if concealing boundless wisdom. "But a simple demonstration would be boring. How about a competition with Miss Lin?" I said with a smile, my eyes firm and confident, like a calm lake concealing a surging power.

"Oh?" Lin Wanyue raised her eyebrows slightly. The old scholar beside her stroked his beard and sneered, "What do you want to compete with, Miss Su?" His eyes were full of contempt, as if he didn't take me seriously at all.

"Let's just improvise a poem." I held the teapot steadily, my eyes sweeping across Lin Wanyue's instantly stiff face like a sharp sword, "As for the title - how about "Sour Grapes"? " My voice was clear and loud, echoing in the teahouse like a huge bell.

As soon as I finished speaking, laughter erupted. Lin Wanyue's expression darkened. She clutched the handkerchief tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, as if she were about to crush it. "Let's compete!" she said through gritted teeth, a flicker of determination in her eyes.

While she was still deep in thought, I, teapot in hand, walked lightly towards the rice paper. Tea flowed from the spout, flowing smoothly across the paper like golden threads, outlining the vines of the Chinese character "葡" (grape). At the same time, I spoke aloud, "Everyone says grapes are sour, but I say that even the sourness can be sweet." As I finished the second line, the grass tip of the character "葡萄" (grape) caught a drop of tea, as if by divine intervention. "If all the sweetness entered my mouth, how could the flavor linger on my lips?" My voice was crisp and melodious, like pearls falling on a plate, each word imbued with poetry and power.

"Great!" Boss Wang clapped his hands excitedly on the counter, cheering loudly. The beads on his abacus bounced high, as if applauding me as well. Lin Wanyue, after a long pause, finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Sour grapes, sour grapes. If you can't have them, you say they're sour." Her voice, tinged with resignation and embarrassment, stood out in the quiet teahouse.

The entire room erupted in an uproar, their gazes filled with disappointment and disdain for Lin Wanyue. Just then, like a savior, the eldest sister burst into the teahouse, accompanied by the studio owner and the accountant. She spread the account book and IOUs on the table and spoke in a firm and forceful voice: "Please see, Miss Lin purchased the drawings in March and the wine on credit in May, and now she's distorting the truth and slandering others!" Her words were like a hammer, hammering down on Lin Wanyue.

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanyue's face instantly turned pale. She screamed, as if struck in the heart, and in her panic, she knocked over the tea table and ran out the door. The sapphire hairpin on her temples fell to the ground, ruthlessly crushed into pieces by the hurried footsteps of the crowd, just like her shattered dream of being a "talented woman." Liu rushed out of the crowd and was about to say a few words in Lin Wanyue's defense, but was nailed to the spot by Su Xiang's cold gaze. My father had been standing at the door without me noticing, wearing a purple robe and jade belt, and the cold light in the tea light reflected on him was like a majestic mountain, intimidating.

When the poetry reading ended, night had quietly fallen. Jiang Yan, like a warm guardian, leaned quietly under the old locust tree at the door of the teahouse. He was holding a food box in his hand, swaying gently, as if waiting for something. "I heard that someone has solved the problem again?" He said with a smile, and that smile was like the warm sunshine in spring, warm and charming. He opened the food box, and there were twelve pieces of sugar cakes neatly arranged inside, each of which was made into the shape of a bunch of grapes, lifelike. A smiling face was painted on each sugar cake with delicate icing, as if conveying endless joy and blessings. "Since I didn't help today, how about punishing me by making me deliver sugar cakes for a month?" There was a hint of pampering and apology in his voice.

"As a punishment..." I gently took the candy cake, my fingertips inadvertently touching the warmth of his palm. It spread like an electric current through my body, sending a surge of warmth through my heart. "As a punishment, make ten more of these moving phoenix sugar paintings," I said, pointing to the one perched on his shoulder. The phoenix, its wings expertly propped up with thin bamboo strips, trembled slightly, its tail feathers shimmering like starlight on his moon-white brocade robe.

Jiang Yan chuckled softly, and that laughter was like the notes flowing from the strings of a piano, so pleasant to the ears. He took out a small bamboo basket from his sleeve, in which lay quietly ten sugar-painted phoenixes of various shapes. Each one seemed to be given life, some spreading their wings to fly, some lowering their heads to look for food, and they were lifelike. "It's been prepared a long time ago." He leaned closer, and the tassel of the bamboo flute was like a naughty elf, gently brushing past my ear, bringing a slight itchy feeling. "Jinli, I will take care of these troubles in the future. You--" He gently pointed at the orchid hairpin in my hair, his eyes full of tenderness and love, "be responsible for using this pen to draw your beautiful articles, and my..."

"And your what?" I tilted my head slightly, with curiosity glittering in my eyes, as if waiting for him to give that sweet answer.

"And the rest of my life." His eyes reflected the light of the lantern, a light three times sweeter than a candy cake, as if the whole world had become incomparably beautiful in his eyes. His voice was low and gentle, like the stars in the night sky, illuminating every corner of my heart.

The evening breeze blew gently, picking up a few locust leaves, which landed lightly like butterflies in the food box. From afar, the young marquis's voice, carrying a wooden sword, called out, "Sister! Jiang Zhuangyuan! I asked you to go back and try the new rouge!" My eldest sister's voice drifted over, "And Dad asked the accountant to allocate five thousand taels to the bookstore. Don't be stingy with it!" That voice, filled with family love and support, warmed our hearts like a warm spring breeze.

I quietly watched the stars in Jiang Yan's eyes, then glanced at the satisfied smile on Boss Wang's face as he counted his banknotes in the teahouse. Suddenly, I felt as if the early autumn breeze itself carried the scent of honey, sweet and warm. In this world filled with love and support, the schemes and machinations of the frustrated are but specks of dust in a splendid life, dispelled with a gentle breeze. The support of my family and the protection of my loved ones are the eternally warm sugar cakes in my hands, sweet and solid, warm and reassuring. They are like a solid backing, allowing me to move forward fearlessly on the road of life. I know that no matter how many storms the future holds, as long as they are by my side, I can write my own wonderful chapter and live a sweet and beautiful life.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!