Glory

It seemed Lu Guanyi had already sent someone to inform Master Zhineng about acting as an Agent, as the master showed no surprise at their arrival. Nevertheless, Lu Guanyi explained the contract matter to him again.

Master Zhineng expressed his willingness to serve as the Agent.

Thus, Ye Chongming, Lu Guanyi, and Qi Ji signed the contract. After signing, Qi Ji would take it back to the yamen for registration, turning it into an official red-sealed contract.

Once the contract was signed, Lu Guanyi relayed Ye Yaming's words to Master Zhineng.

Master Zhineng appeared far more interested in this matter and, clasping his hands in salute to Ye Yaming, said, "In my humble life, I have few pleasures, but tea is my sole passion. Since the young lady possesses such exceptional tea-brewing skills, might I trouble you to brew a pot of tea for this old man? I would be honored to write a calligraphy piece for you in gratitude."

Not only was Ye Chongming overjoyed upon hearing this, but even Qi Ji was deeply astonished.

Who didn't know that obtaining a single character from Master Zhineng was exceedingly difficult? Only those whose character, temperament, and knowledge earned his genuine admiration would receive a piece of his calligraphy. Otherwise, even royalty could not coax a single stroke from him.

Master Zhineng had been a close friend of Lu Guanyi's grandfather. In his childhood, Lu Guanyi had stayed at Chongshan Temple for a time with his grandfather.

Now that Lu Guanyi's grandfather had passed away, out of respect for his old friend and because Master Zhineng also liked the young man, he treated Lu Guanyi with special regard. However, Qi Ji, as Lu Guanyi's friend and cousin, had once shamelessly asked Lu Guanyi to convey his desire for a calligraphy piece, only to be ignored by Master Zhineng.

Yet now, merely for Ye Yaming's tea—whose quality was still unknown—Master Zhineng was willing to gift her a calligraphy piece. Qi Ji couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Although Ye Yaming didn't know how rare Master Zhineng's calligraphy was, she understood that he was a highly respected and principled figure, difficult to even meet, let alone receive a handwritten piece from. Surely, one of his works was priceless.

Thus, she was also delighted and immediately rose to return the salute, saying, "Then Ming'er will humbly showcase her humble skills."

The young novice Jingchen, having heard of Ye Yaming's tea expertise, was bursting with curiosity. From a young age, he had possessed a keen sense of taste and unparalleled tea-brewing skills. Even Ye Jia's Second Master, renowned for his refined palate, could not match Jingchen's sensitivity or brewing artistry.

Though young and of good temperament, Jingchen took great pride in his unmatched tea skills. Hearing Ye Chongming boast about his granddaughter's abilities, he inwardly scoffed.

Outwardly, however, he showed no trace of this. When he learned Ye Yaming would brew tea, he personally went to light the stove nearby.

Bai Rui, as Ye Yaming's personal maid, had accompanied her to Chongshan Temple and into the Buddha hall. She had carried the tea set prepared by Ye Yaming.

Seeing Ye Yaming sit at the table, Bai Rui hurried forward, opened the rattan case, first laid out the tablecloth, and then handed Ye Yaming the required tea utensils one by one.

To demonstrate the tea art, Ye Yaming had trained Bai Rui thoroughly, and the pair had practiced multiple times at home, mainly to build rapport.

Now, Bai Rui passed the tea utensils to Ye Yaming in the order they had rehearsed.

Ye Yaming accepted each piece and arranged them in their proper positions.

This was the Tea arrangement: ensuring the utensils were conveniently placed for easy access while incorporating aesthetic principles. The Tea arrangement included the tablecloth, table runner, flower arrangements, and other elements, along with tea tools that harmonized with the theme.To match the atmosphere of the meditation room at Chongshan Temple, she had chosen a tablecloth and table runner that were simple and serene, with a floral arrangement consisting of just a single withered branch placed in an extremely ancient-style vase. The tea set was also of a very archaic design, in a plain, warm white color.

When Jingchen saw Ye Yaming casually arrange the tea set with an effortless elegance and functionality, he couldn't help but let out a soft "Huh?" and his expression became unusually serious and focused.

"A true expert reveals their skill with a single move." Without needing further demonstration, just by observing how she arranged the tea set, Jingchen knew that Ye Yaming was a master in the art of tea brewing. And this alone was worth his careful study.

Although servants were common in this era, tea was considered an elegant pursuit, and everyone present had personally brewed tea before. Especially Master Zhineng and Ye Chongming, who had been immersed in tea for decades, naturally recognized the skill in Ye Yaming's movements.

Ye Chongming raised an eyebrow.

His granddaughter always had many surprises for him.

Although Ye Yaming had brewed tea in front of him before, this tea arrangement and these tea utensils were his first time seeing them.

Soon, the water boiled, and Jingchen helped bring it to the table.

Good floral teas require six to nine scenting processes, allowing the floral aroma to fully infuse into the tea leaves. As a result, floral teas are heavily roasted and generally require a water temperature of 90 degrees Celsius for brewing.

Ye Yaming first warmed the teapot and cups, then poured the water into the water bowl. By this time, the water temperature had dropped to 90 degrees Celsius.

She took the tea leaves, poured them into the teapot, and then added water.

Initially, Master Zhineng, Lu Guanyi, and the others watched Ye Yaming brew tea out of respect, quietly and attentively. But as she continued, they were no longer merely polite—they found themselves unconsciously captivated by her.

It was morning, and the sunlight slanted through the doorframe and window lattice into the room. The beautiful woman in a light green dress sat before the tea table draped in dark green cloth, her features as exquisite as a painting, her shoulders, neck, and posture forming graceful curves.

Her movements in brewing tea were elegant, unhurried, and soft, full of rhythmic beauty, and her expression was utterly focused. It was as if she were not brewing the tea everyone commonly drank, but something alive.

She cherished it, contemplated it, and carefully grasped every moment of its living form with her heart. Warming the cups, pouring the tea, adding water—without even looking inside the teapot, they could sense the dry tea leaves gradually unfurling under the moistening of the clear water, revealing their original form, releasing their most beautiful fragrance, and expressing their essence.

Steam rose mistily from the sweet white porcelain teapot, and the aroma of tea and osmanthus instantly filled the air.

Master Zhineng, Lu Guanyi, and Qi Ji fixed their gazes intently on Ye Yaming. Even Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, both young men, felt no frivolous thoughts in their hearts at that moment—they were completely awed by Ye Yaming's attitude toward the tea leaves.

When Ye Yaming finished pouring the tea into the cups and looked up, signaling Jingchen to serve the tea, she saw the young novice's face flushed, his expression excited, his eyes shining brightly as he stared directly at her as if she were some rare treasure. Even when she met his gaze with her signal, he didn't snap out of it.

She had to speak up: "Little Master, please serve the tea."

Only then did Jingchen seem to awaken from a dream, breaking into a wide smile at Ye Yaming and abruptly exclaiming, "Miss Ye, you are truly amazing."

Ye Yaming gave him a slight smile, handed him the tea tray, then stood up, bowed slightly to Master Zhineng, and returned to sit in the seat below Ye Jiaxing.

Master Zhineng took the tea offered by Jingchen, his expression solemn as he observed the color, inhaled the aroma, and then brought it to his lips for a small sip, closing his eyes to savor it carefully.Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji were no exception.