The man remembered there was a teahouse not far ahead, so he led them there.
At this hour, although the teahouse had its doors removed, there were no customers inside at all.
Upon seeing that a customer had arrived, the waiter, who was wiping the tables and chairs, was taken aback for a moment: "Would you like some tea, sir?"
"Nonsense, do you come to your teahouse to drink alcohol instead of tea? Hurry up and serve us a private room." The man barked arrogantly.
The waiter, seeing that this person didn't seem to be of any high status, was also indignant and wanted to argue back. There were many distinguished old customers in the teahouse who had once said that if any fools came to extort or cause trouble, they could go to them.
However, I remembered what the shopkeeper had said: when you're in business, you should try to be patient and tolerant.
Therefore, the waiter forced a smile and invited the person to a private room upstairs.
After entering the private room, the man ordered two pots of fine tea, some dried fruit and snacks, and also requested that the spring water be carried back before dawn.
"Young lady, please sit down first. I'll go to the tea room and keep an eye on things, making sure they don't try to pass off the water as just ordinary spring water from town," the man said to Hong Xiaoduo as if he had just remembered something.
Hong Xiaoduo immediately nodded and said, "I know that. My father loves drinking tea. He is very particular about the water used to brew tea. In the summer, he goes early to collect the dew from lotus leaves before sunrise."
My mother always says to him, "You've read too many books and become all fussy."
The man smiled and agreed, then hurriedly walked out.
Taking advantage of the moment, Hong Xiaoduo gestured for Tian Shu to come over and whispered to him, "Tell your younger siblings secretly that no matter what kind of tea or snacks are served later, you must pretend to eat them. You can't put them in your mouth or your stomach, understand?"
Tian Shu immediately nodded. Seeing that she had no other instructions, he quickly returned to the table and gave her a series of instructions one by one.
The man soon returned, his hands full, each carrying a large tray with various pastries, dried fruits, and a pot of tea.
"We arrived too early, and not all the waiters in the teahouse have arrived yet. We're short-handed, so I brought it here myself." The man said as he carefully placed the tray on the table and thoughtfully arranged the pastries and desserts in front of the seven children.
“Young master is so kind-hearted, but when it’s time to settle the bill, ask the manager to give us a discount. It’s not fair to make the customers do the work themselves,” Hong Xiaoduo said in a very girlish tone.
The man laughed and said, "No, no, it's just a matter of lending a hand. Gentlemen and ladies, please eat." He then warmly urged Tian Shu and the others to eat.
The children looked at him, reached out to take the snacks, and Tian Shu took the snack to his mouth first, then covered it with his other hand and ate it. The other children followed his example and started eating as well.
Seeing that they had all started eating, the man's smile deepened.
"Hey, tell them to relax and not be so reserved," the man said to Hong Xiaoduo, recalling how the children hadn't been so well-behaved when they ate at the restaurant.
Hong Xiaoduo had naturally observed the children's behavior while eating snacks and was quite impressed with Tian Shu and the other six children.
"Young master, you don't know, they are usually taught very strictly. When guests come to the house, they are expected to stand properly and eat properly. If you weren't sitting at the same table with us, you would definitely not see them like this," Hong Xiaoduo explained with a smile.
"No wonder, no wonder. Come, come, have some tea, don't choke." The man smiled and poured tea into his own teacup first, then got up and poured tea for everyone, starting with Hong Xiaoduo.
Hong Xiaoduo appeared to be looking for dried fruit she wanted to eat, but her attention was always on the man. She saw that when the man finished pouring himself tea, stood up, and turned around, the teapot disappeared from her sight.
It seemed like a very natural and ordinary movement. If one were not on guard, one would not have noticed that his turn was abnormal.
Normally, whether he pours tea clockwise or counterclockwise along the table after getting up, there's no need for him to turn around.
Therefore, his action can only mean that he wanted to use the turning around to do what he had to do.
Another point is, shouldn't the first cup of tea be poured for the guest first? Why did you pour it for yourself first?
For a moment, Hong Xiaoduo really didn't know whether to say that she was smart or that this man was not skilled enough at doing bad things and that his little tricks were too clumsy.
After pouring the tea, the man returned to his seat, refilled the pot with water, and then sat down.
Seeing that Xiaoduo's cups and saucers seemed untouched, he smiled and said, "This first brew of tea has the best aroma. Young lady, please try it."
Seeing how impatient the other party was, it was as if a buyer was already impatient and urging him on.
The children were already eating pastries, so the man focused all his attention on Hong Xiaoduo. Little did he know that the seven little ones were just chewing on the empty food, not even a crumb of pastry touching their lips.
The seven younger ones pretended to eat while watching Hong Xiaoduo and the man. Since they weren't allowed to eat the food this man was offering, it meant that this man wasn't a good person, and there was something wrong with the food!
The seven of them didn't know how Hong Xiaoduo would handle the situation. After all, she was sitting right next to the man, and he was watching her the whole time. If she pretended to drink tea or secretly poured it out, wouldn't it be easy to be discovered?
However, the seven children weren't worried at all, because they knew she was very capable. Furthermore, the fact that she accepted the invitation to have tea with this person, knowing he was a bad guy, only meant she was confident she could handle him.
Hong Xiaoduo smiled and picked up the teacup, bringing it to her nose to smell it. "Hey, it smells really good! This fragrance is a bit like some kind of flower scent, isn't it? Oh, right, I remember now, it smells like that flower." She pointed behind the man.
The man instinctively turned around and looked at the painting of orchids hanging on the wall.
The instant he turned to look, Hong Xiaoduo swiftly switched the teacup in her hand with the one in front of him.
When the man turned around, he saw that she was already seriously sipping her tea.
"The fragrance of orchids is really nice." Hong Xiaoduo said with obvious delight, and then downed the remaining half cup of tea in one gulp.
It was rather unrefined for a young woman to gulp down fine tea like that, but the man watched with a wide grin, his teeth showing. He breathed a sigh of relief. The seven children had eaten their pastries, and the eldest had finished his tea. The matter was settled!
Originally, he was worried that if she didn't eat or drink for a long time, and the effects of the seven small medicines took hold first, he might not be able to handle her if she started making a fuss.
She looked quite imposing with a sword and a whip at her waist, but who knows if she actually knew kung fu?
She said her father was a teacher, but there was no rule that children of teachers couldn't practice martial arts.
Now, all his worries and concerns have vanished. Hahaha, in his excitement, he picked up the teacup in front of him and drank it all in one gulp...
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