Chapter 83 The Health-Preserving Tea Ceremony of Yunshui Pavilion

"Are you all full? If you are, let's go back."

The second floor of Yunshui Pavilion.

Ouyang Rong, whose head was throbbing from the shock of his girlfriend's call, immediately nodded in agreement.

"I'm full."

"Brother Lianghan, even the mildest spicy flavor is quite potent."

Su Dalang, Yan Liulang, and the other two put down their chopsticks, wiped their mouths, and agreed.

He said he was leaving, but there was something on the table...

Ouyang Rong, Yan Liulang, and Liu Ashan remained motionless, sitting upright.

Su Dalang, who was halfway up his feet, looked puzzled.

"Hey, weren't we supposed to leave? Why aren't we leaving?"

But his companions either looked over, stared straight ahead, or admired the beautiful scenery outside the window, and still did not get up.

Su Dalang was a little confused until he saw a maid from Yunshui Pavilion walking towards him with a bill in the distance, and then he suddenly came to his senses.

"Oh, oh, oh, I'll pay, I'll pay."

The other three were immediately awakened from their 'dormant state' and shook their heads, saying:

"It should have been me who came. Hey, Dalang is still as generous as ever. Alright, I'll treat you to the next meal. Nobody's allowed to take it from me."

This is Ouyang Rong sighing with dissatisfaction.

"I can't accept this, Brother Su, you're too kind. The prices at Yunshui Pavilion seem quite high... If you ever visit my hometown on Taogong Street, I, Xiao Liu, will definitely treat you well!"

This is Yan Liulang, a man of honor.

“The magistrate is right, and Brother Yan is right.”

This is Liu Ashan, who finally managed to utter a sentence after holding it in for a long time.

Su Dalang listened, completely stunned.

He nodded, a little touched, feeling that everyone was really great; not only did they take him out to have fun, but they were also all so honest and loyal.

It seems this trip wasn't in vain, and I didn't make any bad friends. These are definitely not the fair-weather friends my mother talked about.

Su Jia Dalang promptly took out his money to pay the bill.

The waitress, who was holding a menu and waiting nearby, glanced at the four people enjoying themselves in a harmonious atmosphere, smiled, and seemed used to it.

Clearly, I've seen this combination many times.

When men go out to play, there are always a few fixed members in the group:

One was a rich and simple man, another was a smooth talker, another was an honest and simple man, and the third was incredibly handsome.

Isn't it obvious from this table right now?

"Miss, how much does it cost?"

Su Dalang asked politely.

A waitress, dressed in a cheaply made uniform provided by the stingy restaurant, bent down and handed over a bill:

"Thank you for your patronage, young master. I'll round it down to six hundred and eighty coins."

Su Jia Dalang seemed to have no concept of how much money a single dinner could cost. He glanced at the bill almost as if he hadn't looked at it at all, and without saying a word, he took out a silver bean and handed it over.

The maid's smile grew even brighter.

Ouyang Rong had clearly seen her come over carrying only a bill, and her clothes didn't seem to have any pockets. But then she flipped her hands behind her back and pulled out a new menu from somewhere, which she then placed on the table in front of them.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will go find Ling. Also, there is some tea on the third floor, which is suitable for digestion after a meal. You may take a look."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Su Dalang curiously picked up the new menu and looked at it, asking:

"Brother Lianghan, Brother Yan, Brother Liu, shall we go upstairs for a drink? Tea is on me. Isn't it too early to go back now?"

Although he could see that Ouyang Rong was reluctant to go home so soon, he still shook his head, though he was a little distracted.

"Never mind, maybe next time. I'm feeling a bit dizzy, I'm going back to rest."

"All right……"

Su Dalang looked slightly disappointed. He was about to nod and stand up with the others, but then his eyes seemed to notice something, and he immediately transformed into a curious child, muttering to himself:

"Huh, why is the tea upstairs so expensive?"

At this moment, the maid returned and politely handed the change wrapped in red cloth to Su Dalang.

Su Dalang looked up, pointed to the few lines of small print at the bottom of the new menu, and asked with great curiosity:

"Excuse me, what kind of tea is this? Why does a pot cost one string of cash? And what about this 'Winter Warmth'? A pot costs two strings of cash?"

Even though he was completely unaware of the high prices of rice, oil, salt, and other necessities, he couldn't help but gasp. How could it be more expensive than the tea his father drank? Was a pot of tea worth the same as gold?

The maid's expression remained unchanged as she politely nodded.

"Oh, this is our Yunshui Pavilion's health-preserving tea ceremony, which is especially suitable for gentlemen to aid digestion. It is a bit pricey, but the service is first-class and attentive."

"How thoughtful is it?" Su Dalang couldn't help but ask.

The maid spoke softly and gently, recounting the details as if they were her own treasures:

"That depends on what kind of tea you want. Our Yunshui Pavilion on the third floor is featuring four health-preserving teas this month. Please take a look, young master."

"This one is called 'Spring Charm,' and this one is called 'Summer Refreshment,' both lasting for 45 minutes."

"The next one is called 'Autumn's Delight' and the last one is called 'Winter's Warmth'. They are a bit more expensive, but they last longer, about half an hour, which is enough to enjoy them to the fullest."

"Each type of health-preserving tea ceremony will have a separate tea ceremony room and a corresponding highly skilled tea master to brew and prepare the tea."

"Young masters can close their eyes and rest on the couch without doing anything; they can also sit around the stove with the tea master and brew tea themselves; they can also move to the chessboard and play chess and discuss philosophy with the tea master... It's all fine, depending on your mood. Our third floor focuses on an elegant and healthy lifestyle."

After listening to this explanation, which was both detailed and concise, seemingly covering everything yet also saying nothing at all.

Su Dalang, who was seeing this for the first time, was speechless.

He couldn't help but glance at the politely smiling maid, then turned to look at Ouyang Rong and the others with strange expressions.

The maid asked with a calm expression, "Would the gentlemen like to go upstairs for tea?"

Having listened in for so long, Yan Liulang, standing behind Ouyang Rong, seemed to have become more humble and eager to learn. He humbly asked for guidance:

"Excuse me, are your tea masters male or female?"

The maidservant said calmly:

"Of course there are both women and men, but women are definitely more skillful, but if you have any requirements, we also have men."

Su Dalang and Yan Liulang looked at each other, their eyes exchanging glances that revealed a mixture of understanding and confusion.

Only Liu Ashan remained puzzled, looking around.

As for Ouyang Rong, who remained silent throughout... he couldn't help himself and snatched the menu from Su Dalang's reluctant hand, stuffing it back into the maid's arms.

"Why drink something so expensive? There'll be plenty of tea to drink when we get home."

Ouyang Rong was the first to tug at Su Dalang and Yan Liulang's sleeves and turn to go downstairs:

"Let's go, let's go back. We've all eaten, what are we doing here? Let's walk back to Luming Street from here, it'll help us digest, isn't that healthier... Hey, you two, move around a bit."

Upon noticing the two people behind him moving slowly, Ouyang Rong turned around speechlessly.

He sighed and said to Su Dalang and Yan Liulang, who were still hesitating:

"I feel a bit dizzy, I'd like to go back and rest."

Ouyang Rong spoke seriously, and the two of them had no choice but to obediently follow along, even though they still had a strong thirst for knowledge.

The waitress wasn't annoyed. She put away the menu and smiled politely, "Thank you for your patronage. Please come again."

Ouyang Rong led the way downstairs, followed by Su Dalang, Yan Liulang, and Liu Ashan.

Ouyang Rong thought he could finally catch his breath, but little did he know that this was just the beginning.

“Brother Lianghan, something’s not right. It’s just a few pots of tea, and they didn’t even say whether it’s some kind of rare Longjing tea. How could it be so expensive? One guan per pot starts at one guan. Are the tea leaves made of gold? There must be something fishy going on…”

Behind him, Su Dalang frowned, leaned close to his ear, and whispered his analysis.

Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly.

Nonsense, don't you even look at the names they've come up with? What kind of bullshit is this "Spring Charm" or "Summer Refreshment"? Who would name a proper tea like that?

Su Dalang slammed his right fist against his left and asked, "Brother Lianghan, did you say there might be some hidden service here that we don't know about? Something's definitely fishy!"

Ouyang Rong shook his head. "I don't know."

But Su Dalang seemed completely unconcerned about his answer, and continued to mutter to himself with furrowed brows:

"But, Brother Lianghan, just before I left, I saw two beautiful and graceful young women carrying tea sets upstairs. Maybe they are tea masters. I never expected that they would be so young and yet so skilled in tea art. They are truly beautiful women, much more capable than the old ladies in my courtyard who boil tea and pour water... Wait, I understand now, so it is this kind of elegant service!"

With a serious expression, he said earnestly, "Brother Lianghan, it seems that this health-preserving tea ceremony is not too expensive. Being able to enjoy tea with a beautiful woman is indeed elegant. Spending a string of cash is quite worthwhile. It can cultivate one's character and refine one's temperament. What do you think?"

"I don't know, don't ask me." Ouyang Rong said expressionlessly.

At this moment, he couldn't help but curse inwardly at how long the stairs to Yunshui Pavilion were. He hadn't even reached the bottom yet, and he was already being driven crazy by that nagging guy.

The young magistrate took a deep breath:

"Big Brother, can you please stop talking..."

“Brother Lianghan, I think my parents wouldn’t object to this kind of refined pursuit of self-cultivation, even if they knew about it. What do you think? Isn’t this a kind of refined lifestyle? It seems that the famous scholars in books all cultivated their character in this way… Choosing a beautiful woman, sitting around a stove to brew tea, and discussing philosophy—what a beautiful image! What do you think?”

Behind him, Su Dalang still frowned deeply, his tone full of longing and anticipation.

“…” Ouyang Rong.

Immediately afterwards, without stopping, another murmur came from behind:

"Brother Lianghan, now I know why I'm so tired of studying. It turns out I've been focusing on the form and using the wrong method. I didn't realize before that studying can actually be a lot of fun, provided you find the right way. Like the health tea ceremony on the third floor, you can combine work and rest, enjoy tea while reading, and easily and happily increase your knowledge... Alas, my pedantic teacher has misled me!"

Ouyang Rong's face gradually hardened.

"The charm of spring, the coolness of summer, the richness of autumn, the warmth of winter... it's truly evocative."

Su Dalang sighed, then muttered to himself with curiosity:

"Well, Brother Lianghan, if you had to choose, which one would you pick? I prefer the last one. I don't mean anything by it, I'm just curious about how the Winter Warmth works..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly stopped, and the three people behind him also stopped.

Su Dalang immediately shut his mouth, as if his lips were locked, and became completely silent.

There was a moment of silence. Yan Liulang coughed, covering his mouth with his fist, his tone slightly reproachful:

"Brother Su, please stop. The Prefect has already said he's not feeling well and needs to go back to rest. Let's postpone anything else..."

Su Dalang whispered:

“That’s true… no, wouldn’t it be better to go upstairs? Anyway, I brought some silver with me. We can find a quiet tea room for Brother Lianghan, let him lie on the soft couch, close his eyes and rest, and drink some hot tea served by a beautiful woman to relax. It’s not too late to go back when his dizziness has subsided. We can also book a few rooms nearby to wait for Brother Lianghan.”

Yan Liulang seemed to realize something, took a breath and nodded: "Oh, that makes sense."

“?” Ouyang Rong.

Just as the two behind him were putting on an act, the young magistrate suddenly turned around, and they immediately fell silent and behaved themselves.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the two people who were looking around for a while, then calmly nodded, turned around, and went upstairs.

Su Dalang and Yan Liulang stood there, stunned, looking up at him.

Ouyang Rong said without turning his head:

"What are you standing there for? Come on, let's get warm in winter, right? Come on."

"..."

Su Dalang and Yan Liulang were overjoyed and immediately followed.

Ouyang Rong, who was leading the way upstairs, let out a long sigh of relief.

He finally understood that if he didn't take these two guys up to take a look, he wouldn't have a peaceful journey.

It's said that Su Dalang's mouth is like Tang Sanzang's, isn't it? He mutters to himself, and then he comes over and gives you a whole bunch of serious analysis.

Alright, alright, let's go to the third floor to open the blessing box... It's also a way of repaying the favor from the Su family last time, plus Liu Lang and A Shan have really done a great job these days, they deserve a reward... Besides, he wants to see what kind of health regimen this is... Finally...

"You're paying the bill, kid."

Ouyang Rong turned around and glared at Su Dalang, who hurriedly nodded and patted his chest. This enthusiasm made Ouyang Rong's lips twitch again.

Before long, four more private rooms with their doors tightly closed appeared on the third floor of Yunshui Pavilion...

My left eyelid has been twitching while I'm typing, I don't know why. Hmm, could it be that my good fortune is finally coming my way...?

(End of this chapter)