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Chapter 259: Chapter 127: Another Cup_2
Old Fox!
You are the god, and you are the ghost...
Su Huai could clearly sense Professor Wang’s emotions, which were generally a sincere gratitude and faint admiration, but there was still discordance—Wang had put a lot of effort into observing him.
That scrutiny was evident, far exceeding the normal attention paid to an ordinary guest.
It was certain that Su Huai had entertained him greatly, but he had not truly won over Professor Wang completely.
The previous heap of introductions could be understood as a novel form of a test.
What exactly was the test about?
What kind of answer was Wang looking for?
What traits did Wang hope to observe in him?
Su Huai had no clue.
All he could do was to sense a deep meaning in those implications, hidden deeply, perceived deeply, suggested deeply.
How should he respond?
An ordinary young person might be eager to start showing off: those with knowledge flaunt their knowledge, those with thoughts flaunt their thoughts, those without anything flaunt their attitude.
Whether modest or shrewd, you can’t let the conversation drop to the ground.
But Su Huai decided to do the opposite.
So his response was "I feel like I’m not even worthy of drinking it," rather than being overwhelmed by favor.
You want to see what kind of person I am, I’ll let you see.
If you don’t understand, don’t blame me.
...
Professor Wang indeed didn’t understand; he just felt that Su Huai, this kid, was a bit special... Ah, to strengthen the description, very special.
Exactly where he was special, Wang did not have a definite conclusion for the time being, just that he was different from the ordinary child.
For example, now, he was eagerly waiting for Su Huai’s response, but Su Huai, unhurried, just smiled shyly and thoughtfully, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
What is this kid thinking?
"Professor Wang."
Before Wang could figure it out, Su Huai finally began to speak calmly and sincerely.
"Good tea should be drunk by those who truly appreciate it. I am just a student, not yet of the age to understand the true essence of tea.
The ’unworthy’ I mentioned is not about status but about the levels of interest and taste being vastly different from yours.
To let me drink such good tea is somewhat like a waste of precious things.
How about you take it back and we switch to some high-grade jasmine tea instead?"
Professor Wang was stunned.
Was Su Huai right?
Very right, especially right.
Young people not liking tea, unable to appreciate its true flavor, is too common.
Forced sharing is not necessarily a good thing.
There are many ways to be kind to someone; imposing what you think is good on them may not be truly kind.
Upon earnestly understanding Su Huai’s response, Wang felt such a deep meaning.
’Am I overanalyzing?’
Wang fell into self-doubt.
Nonetheless, whether it was an overinterpretation or not, Su Huai’s attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, and his reason for refusal was strong and compelling, already reflecting some extraordinary quality.
"Hahaha!"
Wang burst into laughter, his spirits suddenly lifted, and he looked at Su Huai with a few more degrees of satisfaction in his gaze.
"High-grade jasmine tea is out of the question; if you’re hosting an esteemed guest, you need to meet high standards. Let’s drink this. Granddaughter, bring me my tea knife!"
A forced melon isn’t sweet?
I don’t care; I have to give it a twist!
Wang Yuqing, in his late sixties and almost seventy years old, was as stubborn as an old naughty boy, carefully opening the cotton paper and receiving the tea knife handed over by Gu Jiuyue. He gently peeled off a small piece and picked a bit of broken leaves, totaling about six or seven grams.
"To brew this Red Seal Old Tea, a high crystalline purple clay teapot is a must. The water needs to be hot, 100 degrees as a basis, and you should wake up the tea before brewing..."
He stopped probing Su Huai and began brewing tea with single-minded dedication.
Well, his actions were extremely careful. Su Huai didn’t know if it was professional, but it was certainly done with great care.
He controlled the temperature on an electric stove and boiled Quanyang Spring Water in a thick-walled iron kettle; he then placed the purple clay teapot filled with tea leaves on top of the kettle’s mouth to steam for half a minute, after which he took down the teapot, covered it, and poured boiling water over and over again on the body of the teapot.
"This step is to increase the temperature of the pot, to stimulate the nature of the tea."
Su Huai and Gu Jiuyue exchanged glances, inquiring with their eyes: Does your grandpa usually make such a fuss when drinking tea?
Gu Jiuyue seemed to understand, she pursed her lips and smiled shallowly, nodding her head.
Apparently finding the wait uninteresting, she picked up a book, resting her cheek in her hand, flipping through it nonchalantly.
So beautiful.
Uh, what Gou Huai meant was... she was beautiful.
He thought she would help, or show something, but instead, she was beautifully aloof and indifferent, which was quite unexpected.
But it was rare for her not to sit so upright and stiff; with one hand propping her cheek and the other flipping through a book, the calmness, laziness, and ease made the whole space more beautiful.
Gradually, Su Huai stopped paying attention to Wang’s complex techniques and stared at her as if in a daze.
The focal point of his gaze, an inch higher and it would be her face, an eighth of an inch lower and it would be her chest, so... he was looking at her collarbone and neck, feeling the aura and magnetic field.
This girl is like me, not of an ordinary mold.
Su Huai thought crazily while musing over Professor Wang’s attitude.
Professor Cheng’s attitude was an open hand, hopeful that his granddaughter would make more friends. From Zhang Yaowen’s hints, she even wouldn’t mind if her granddaughter found a boyfriend to date in college.
And what about Professor Wang?
Did he hold the same thoughts but wanted to test whether Su Huai was "worthy enough"?
Or did he oppose the idea of Gu Jiuyue dating but did not want to outright contradict Professor Cheng, so he hoped that the boys approaching her would know to back off?
Judging by his immediate production of a Red Seal tea cake, the latter was more likely.
