Richest Rag-picker

Chapter 509: Chapter 481: I Really Didn’t Mean to Show Off

"Well, I’ll be. My friend, you’re really something else. I didn’t think much of it at first, but now that you’ve pointed it out, the changes might be subtle, but they’re the perfect finishing touch."

Brother Xiaoma was now completely won over. He never would have guessed—never—that Fang Chenyi had achieved such mastery in design.

After all, when he’d had this courtyard of his designed, he had commissioned some of the most elite designers in the world.

He’d also brought in researchers from The Palace Museum, not to mention the very designers who had worked on the museum’s renovation!

But now, it seemed Fang Chenyi’s skill was absolutely on their level, perhaps even a cut above.

This couldn’t help but make Brother Xiaoma re-evaluate Fang Chenyi entirely.

’Young, wealthy, influential... and now, it seemed, incredibly talented as well. Just how many other brilliant facets does he have that I don’t know about?’

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the group entered a spacious study together.

This time, Qi Xiaotian didn’t sit down with them, insisting instead on standing guard at the doorway.

Seeing this, Fang Chenyi didn’t press the issue. He simply sat down with Brother Xiaoma before a large tea table:

"Haha, my friend, I have you to thank for this. I went to great lengths to get my hands on some top-quality Da Hong Pao Tea a while back.

Although it’s not from those few mother trees, the quality isn’t far off.

After all, the yield from those few mother trees is minuscule, and the tea hasn’t been sold publicly for many years. You know, I actually had it once, the real stuff from the mother trees. It was a long, long time ago, but the memory is still vivid.

This batch is the closest in quality to the tea from the mother trees, and it’s not sold publicly anymore either. I’ve been saving it, couldn’t bring myself to drink it. But since you’re here today, I’m finally breaking it out, which means I get to enjoy some too. So, what do you say, my friend? Will you do the honors, or shall I?"

Once they were seated, Brother Xiaoma very carefully picked up an exquisite sandalwood box from the tea table. He opened it gently, revealing the small quantity of tea leaves inside.

Brother Xiaoma gazed at the tea leaves as if they were priceless treasures. He lifted the box, took a long, appreciative sniff of the aroma, and only then did he gently slide it across to Fang Chenyi before asking his question.

By all conventions, the host should prepare tea for his guest. Brother Xiaoma knew, however, that if Fang Chenyi was also a tea aficionado, his hands would be itching to brew such a fine tea himself.

It’s like when a car enthusiast sees a supercar; they’re never content to just ride shotgun. They’ll always want to get behind the wheel and take it for a spin.

It’s the same for people who love appreciating tea. Brother Xiaoma, for instance, was exactly that type of person. Whenever he came across fine tea, he couldn’t wait to prepare it with his own hands.

And the tea he had just brought out was something he had acquired at a considerable cost.

At Brother Xiaoma’s words, however, Fang Chenyi just smiled and waved his hand dismissively, looking completely unfazed:

"Haha, let’s not. The finest tea in the world would be wasted on me. I don’t know the first thing about tea; I’m the kind of guy who just throws some leaves in a big mug and adds hot water. I wouldn’t be able to appreciate how good it is. You’d better do it. I’m afraid I’d ruin your fine tea."

Brother Xiaoma could see that Fang Chenyi wasn’t just being polite, so he smiled, drew the tea back in front of him, and began the brewing process.

A short while later, Brother Xiaoma finished his meticulous process. A small cup of reddish-brown liquid now sat before Fang Chenyi.

"Here, my friend, have a taste. The tea itself is excellent, but my brewing skills might not be up to par. I’m afraid I haven’t done it justice, haha."

Despite his words, Fang Chenyi could tell. This Brother Xiaoma was extremely confident in both his tea and his brewing technique.

In Fang Chenyi’s eyes, however, this was all just a complete waste of time. ’With all this fuss, why not just give everyone a big mug, toss in a fistful of tea leaves, and pour boiling water over them? Wouldn’t that do the trick?’

Though that’s what he was thinking, Fang Chenyi would never say it aloud. He simply picked up the teacup with a cheerful smile, tossed the entire contents into his mouth, and swallowed it with a single GULP.

He smacked his lips. ’Honestly, I can’t taste any difference between this and just brewing it in a big mug,’ he thought. ’At least the big mug quenches your thirst.’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Fang Chenyi suddenly paused. ’Wait a minute... tea?’

’Didn’t I get a special reward that included some tea before?’

The more he thought about it, the clearer the memory became. He *had* received a special reward with a large quantity of tea. He just couldn’t quite remember the exact amount or the specific variety.

With that thought, Fang Chenyi reached into his jacket and pulled out a leather pouch. He opened it, unzipped the woven bag inside, and after a moment of searching, produced a small packet of tea.

At the same time, he said casually:

"Hey, watching you drink tea just reminded me. I happen to have a packet of tea on me that someone gave me a while back. I have no idea if it’s any good—haven’t had a chance to try it. Since you’re the expert, my friend, why don’t you take a look? If it’s decent, we can just drink this today."

As he spoke, Fang Chenyi held out the yellow, oil-paper-wrapped packet to Brother Xiaoma.

Brother Xiaoma was momentarily speechless when he saw the oil-paper packet. ’What kind of decent tea comes wrapped in paper like this?’ he thought wryly.

’It wasn’t that good tea couldn’t be wrapped in paper, but if it were truly exceptional, no one would be so cavalier with it.’

’Still, this was from Fang Chenyi, so he couldn’t very well criticize it. Even if the tea was terrible, he couldn’t say so—not when he was still hoping to ask the man for a favor.’

So, he gently set down his teacup, accepted the packet with careful hands, and said with a smile:

"Haha, well then, I’m truly honored, my friend. Tea from you couldn’t possibly be bad! Once we’re done with my tea, we absolutely must try this, haha."

As he spoke, Brother Xiaoma’s hands had already begun to absentmindedly unwrap the paper packet. In the very next instant, however, his laughter died in his throat.

His eyes, which were fixed on the tea leaves inside, suddenly lit up, and a gasp of astonishment escaped his lips:

"Oh my god! My friend... this is..."

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