si-mexico Chapter 135 Tea Tasting and the Black Market
Chapter 135 Tea Tasting and the Black Market
"Tea? I don't know why it's called that, but its effects are definitely top-notch."
As Kukoc spoke, he couldn't help but pick up one of the dried tea leaves and bring it to his nose, savoring its fragrance.
"Uncle Koch, this is tea from our hometown. I saw you holding it to your nose and smelling it. You might not know how to use our tea very well, so let me teach you."
As a signature product of Daxia, Yufei felt it was necessary to provide excellent after-sales service.
When Kukoc heard that Yufei was going to teach him how to use tea, he nodded quickly, but he secretly wondered, isn't tea supposed to be smelled by holding it to the tip of your nose?
Before his tea philosophy had even taken shape, Yufei had already given him a harsh lesson.
"Uncle Koch, do you have any cups?" It was a pity Grandpa Zhu hadn't prepared a tea set for them; otherwise, she would have shown them what the Great Xia's tea ceremony was all about.
Let them know what the highest aristocratic etiquette is. Aunt Chun taught her tea etiquette, and back then, watching Aunt Chun's fluid and graceful tea tasting, she realized the refinement she exuded was something that someone from a humble background couldn't cultivate.
Kukochina brought out the cups he used for drinking tea and entertaining others—all large iron jars. Yufei even wondered if ceramics existed in their world.
If you don't have the necessary conditions, you can create them. Yufei spent about 10 minutes boiling a kettle of water. Other tea-tasting steps were obviously skipped, but waking the tea leaves was a must.
Kukoc didn't know what this sallow-faced girl with some freckles was doing, but while she was busy, she exuded an air of nobility that even the self-proclaimed powerful people in Area A lacked.
Surprisingly, it added a touch of beauty to her otherwise ordinary appearance. Of course, Yufei's current disguise was for safety, a deliberate attempt to look ugly; she was now eight shades uglier than before.
Kukoc was able to see Yufei's beauty even when she was dressed up, which shows he is someone who can appreciate inner beauty.
"Alright~" After Yufei finished brewing the tea, she poured the brewed tea into everyone's cups and gestured for them to taste it. To be honest, Lei Jun and Qi Huang hadn't drunk tea like they had this time.
Before, they would just put tea leaves in a cup, pour boiling water over them, and start drinking. They had no idea there were so many steps involved in making tea. And let me tell you, the tea they drank after it had been properly prepared tasted much better than their haphazard, unrefined method.
It had lost some of its astringency and gained more sweetness. Kukoc was completely blissful, savoring each sip as if it were the finest nectar from heaven.
Then he slowly sipped the tea, and after finishing the cup, he looked at Yufei with pleading eyes, hoping she would give him another cup.
As Yufei poured tea for Kukoc, she asked...
"How do you feel about your mental energy after drinking tea like this?" Yufei wanted to see if the effects of drinking tea and smelling tea were comparable.
"I feel great now. The irritability is completely gone, and my mind is very peaceful. If smelling that tea earlier could keep me calm for almost an hour, drinking this tea could keep me peaceful for two days. By the way! How many tea leaves did they use for this pot?"
Kukoc asked Yufei with a hint of heartache, "Ten pieces, not many. I've already 'awakened' the tea to bring out its flavor and benefits to the fullest."
Yufei looked at Kukoc with a sly smile.
"Uncle Ku, have you learned it yet?"
Kukoc tried hard to recall Yufei's actions in waking the tea, and nodded somewhat uncertainly.
"I...give it a try?" Kukochi said, recalling Yufei's actions and getting to work. Once the tea was ready, he couldn't wait to pour it for Yufei and the others.
Let them taste the flavor of the tea after he's awakened. After Yufei and the other two finished drinking, they fell silent for a while.
Lei Jun patted Kukoc on the shoulder with a complicated expression and said, "Brother, you should learn from us rough-and-ready men. You probably can't master Yufei's tea-awakening technique."
Lei Jun was being very tactful; the tea he drank, brewed by Kukochi, almost made him look too childish. The tea was bitter and astringent, with absolutely no aftertaste—it was better not to have been brewed at all.
Kukoc finished preparing it and tasted it himself, then fell silent. It was Cambridge tonight. When Lei Jun suggested another method, he readily agreed.
Lei Jun brewed the tea in a rough and straightforward manner, putting the tea leaves in a cup, pouring in boiling water, waiting a few minutes, and then drinking it. Kukoc tasted it.
It's not as good as the tea that Yufei awakened, but it's much better than the tea that he awakened. As for the effects... if the effect of this girl's awakened tea lasts for two days, theirs lasts for one and a half days, and the tea that he awakened has no effect even for one day!
That's no better than just smelling the tea leaves! Kukoc reluctantly used another 10 tea leaves and brewed the tea again using Lei Jun's method. Indeed, simple and direct is the best approach.
The tea leaves were almost as good as Lei Jun's, and Kukoc was satisfied as he put them away and continued drinking the tea that Lei Jun and he had made using Lei Jun's method.
By the time it was almost time for their black market to open, the aroma of the tea had almost completely dissipated. Yufei strongly insisted that there was hardly any tea left and that brewing more would be pointless.
Kukochi reluctantly poured the tea leaves into the trash can. Around 10 p.m., they arrived in front of a dilapidated gate.
Everyone knows the black market is a place where it's hard to be seen in the light of day. Kukoc reminded Fie and the others to prepare masks. When they arrived, Kukoc wore a mask that covered most of his face with black, leaving only one eye and the area around it visible.
It just so happens that when Yufei was on Blue Star, she was learning to paint Peking Opera masks with Aunt Qiuju and made some out of boredom, which came in handy today.
Yufei wore a mask with a blue face and fangs, Lei Jun wore a white-faced mask with a smiling face and red cheeks, and Qi Huang wore a fox mask.
Where Kukoc led them, two burly men were standing in front.
Kukoc seemed to be a regular, quite friendly with the people standing there. He spoke to the gatekeeper, who nodded at the three of them and opened the black market gate.
Inside, it was a completely different world; compared to the desolation outside, this black market was surprisingly bustling and brightly lit.
Many vendors, wearing various masks, sat on the ground, with a burlap sack laid out in front of them, displaying their wares.
The black market is much busier at night than during the day, filled with the sounds of people hawking their wares and haggling with vendors.
Yufei, Lei Jun, and the other two strolled through the night market, browsing the shops. Their goal was clear: they wanted to buy radiation protection suits. Although radiation protection was practically useless in the city, they had a group of comrades guarding their supplies outside.
They didn't know what the situation was outside, and they didn't dare leave just one or two people guarding the outside. They noticed that most of the stalls belonged to people selling meat from exotic beasts.
There were also a few people buying vegetables and wild fruits, which were ridiculously expensive. While looking at them, they realized one thing... they didn't have the money of this world. -_-||