Chapter 28
Chen Yan's overly straightforward words and the normal question that followed were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing huge ripples in Lin Qi's heart.
She quickly pulled her hand away from his as if she had been scalded. The temperature of her cheek was even higher than the heat from the stew pot in the kitchen.
She didn't dare to look into his eyes again. She could only lower her head, looking at the piece of beef that had been tied up, and answered his question about "business" in a voice almost as soft as a mosquito.
"...Well, it's time to put it in the pot."
Chen Yan saw all her reactions—her hand that pulled away instantly, her red cheeks and ears, and her somewhat stammering answer.
There was a very soft, smiling understanding in his eyes.
"Okay." He responded without saying anything else. He naturally picked up the piece of beef and put it steadily into the soup pot with a rich aroma.
Covering the pot, he turned down the heat.
"Alright," he turned and said to Lin Qi, who was still frozen in place, "This needs to be simmered over low heat for an hour and a half. Our teaching mission is now complete."
He wiped his hands and said in a relaxed tone, "Let's go, Teacher Lin. Let's go to the living room to inspect the snacks you brought. By the way, let your students have a rest."
With a joke and a change of scene, he very considerately helped her get over her previous confusion.
Lin Qi turned and walked towards the living room, sitting down on the soft sofa. She felt her heartbeat was still a little fast. She suddenly raised her head and said to Chen Yan who had followed her out, "I want to have a cup of tea, is that okay?"
This sudden request, which seemed to be taken for granted, not only did not offend Chen Yan, but instead made him completely relax from his previous romantic thoughts.
He liked her like this. He liked the ease and casualness she showed in his space.
He smiled, his tone full of indulgence: "Of course."
"It was my negligence. I should have gotten you hooked earlier."
He walked to the tea cabinet in the corner of the living room and opened the door. Inside was a neat row of tea cans. He took out two of them and turned back to ask her:
"What would you like to drink? Or the white tea from last time, or..."
He picked up another celadon jar and added, "...would you like to try the Longjing tea my father just brought back from Hangzhou a while ago?"
He very naturally revealed to her some small details about his family.
"Okay, let's drink Longjing," Lin Qi agreed. Watching him deftly take out the tea set and prepare to brew tea, she continued to share her thoughts enthusiastically, "I usually like green tea, but my favorite isn't Longjing. It's Lushan Yunwu and Huangshan Maofeng. I've also recently tried Lu'an Guapian, which is lighter and more fragrant. If you like it, I'll bring you a can next time."
She suddenly thought of something and stuck out her tongue embarrassedly: "Oh, I forgot, do you like white tea?"
Her series of detailed reviews of various green teas made him slow down his preparations to brew Longjing tea because he was so engrossed in listening.
He raised his head and looked at her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, and her embarrassed look as she suddenly remembered something, with complete admiration and an unconcealable smile on his face.
"It sounds like," he said with a smile, "Teacher Lin is much more professional than I am in the field of tea."
He did not answer her question directly, but first used a joke to easily rescue her from that little self-denial of "Oh, I forgot".
Seeing her relax, Chen Yan continued to answer her seriously in a very gentle tone: "I don't have a fixed preference. White tea is elegant, Longjing is mellow. It depends on my mood and who I drink it with."
As he spoke, he deftly heated the cup, placed the tea leaves in the pot, and poured in hot water. His movements were smooth and flowing, a feast for the eyes.
"But, Lushan Clouds and Mist..." He poured out the water used to wash the tea and refilled it, as if talking to himself, "We are guarding Lushan. I haven't had it in a while."
His words cleverly and quietly pointed out the city where they lived together.
He poured the first brewed tea into her cup. The tea was clear in color and filled with the aroma of beans.
"Okay." He pushed the teacup in front of her and accepted her proposal without hesitation. "Then I'd like to thank you in advance for the 'Liu'an Guapian'."
Lin Qi took the cup and laughed self-deprecatingly, "I'm not a professional. I'm just a lazy tea drinker. Tea tasting is all about feeling, whether it tastes good or not, whether I like it or not. So I can't tell the difference between sweet aftertaste, freshness, orchid fragrance, fruity aroma, softness, smoothness, etc."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Yan, who was about to pour tea for herself, stopped in mid-air.
He raised his head and looked at her, with a knowing smile on his face, as if to say "as expected".
"These words..." He slowly filled his teacup, a hint of laughter in his tone. "I think I heard a very similar version not long ago."
He put the teapot down, looked at her, and helped her connect all the previous "theories":
“When listening to music, just feel the melody and don’t worry about the lyrics.”
“When you look at photography, you only care about light and shadow, but you don’t understand life.”
“Now, when I drink tea, I just rely on my feelings and don’t analyze the aroma.”
He picked up his teacup and gestured towards her cup.
"Lin Qi," he looked into her eyes, his expression full of complete and undisguised admiration and approval, "Do you know?"
"Set aside all the standards defined by others and just follow your own most direct feelings. This isn't actually 'laziness', it's a talent, and the ultimate luxury of freedom."
He took a sip of tea and gave his final conclusion with great certainty:
"This is much more advanced than knowing 10,000 tea-tasting terms."
Lin Qi was stunned for a moment, then smiled sheepishly: "You are the first one to say that, thank you."
She suddenly realized that in front of this man, she could be completely herself and honestly reveal all her "unprofessionalism" and "laziness" without worrying about being questioned or judged. This made her feel very safe.
Her stunned look and the shy thank you made him pause for a moment while holding the teacup.
He looked at her, his eyes were calm and deep.
"I'm just, telling the truth." His voice was soft, as if he was stating a very simple fact.
He was silent for a moment, and then, in a very firm tone, he made her a promise:
"You can say whatever you want and do whatever you want in front of me."
After saying this, he seemed to feel that the atmosphere was a little too serious and solemn, so as usual, he naturally brought the topic back to the present. He raised his chin, gestured to the teacup in her hand, and his tone returned to a relaxed state:
"Okay, let's get back to our teacher Lin's 'appreciation' itself."
"Try it and see if this treasure of my father's is suitable for your taste."
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