At this moment, there were some specially made tea leaves in front of her, as well as a set of floral-themed ceramic cups that had been imported from England. The white cups exuded a faint glow which made them look exquisite and beautiful.
Xia Ruya sat gracefully in front of the desk, exuding the poise that she had developed after living a life of luxury ever since she was a child.
She chuckled and said, “It’s only half-past three now. I shall make some afternoon tea that we can enjoy over a chat. Not only would it help soothe the throat, but it can also relieve tension and stress so that we can all relax.”
The first thing that Xia Ruya did was to heat the cup. “The best tea for afternoon tea will require chamomile, coix, and lavender. It may seem like a simple technique, but it’s rather tedious and complicated.”
Her next step was to appreciate the tea leaves by scrutinizing, sniffing and tasting them so as to distinguish the breed of the floral tea and to deduce the quality.
At the start, the heiresses did not seem too interested and had merely taken a few glances at what she was doing. After all, there was nothing much to perform since tea brewing was just a fancy art.
However, they began to see Xia Ruya’s skills, for she had gradually started to showcase complicated techniques with a unique grace and beauty. Her actions encapsulated the refined prestige and poise that belonged to Chinese women. Although she did not possess the grace of the art of tea brewing, she exuded an inexplicable vibe.
Someone remarked out of the blue, “Very interesting!”
Her comment represented the voices of many of the other heiresses. Gradually, more and more people began to show their interest in Xia Ruya’s performance.
The amazing techniques of tea brewing were interesting and inexplicable. There were also numerous complicated styles that were difficult to learn. Hence, it was a remarkable achievement to be able to master one or two of those techniques, especially in today’s superficial and fickle society. Despite being members of intellectual families, barely any of them would be willing to find out more.
However, it was different for floral tea. One would be able to master the art of brewing floral tea as long as he or she was familiar with the sequence of steps and techniques. All women loved flowers and would cover themselves in floral scents.
Du Ruoxin suddenly snorted with laughter and said shrewdly, “Not only is your enemy full of tricks and scheming, but she’s also smarter than you. It’s no wonder that she’s like a cockroach that can’t be killed.”
The veins on Wen Xinya’s forehead began to bulge and throb. She did not wish to talk to Du Ruoxin at all.
Du Ruoxin was not bothered by her reaction at all. She said coldly, “But, I like you more.”
Wen Xinya hissed and retorted. “Pardon me for my ignorance, but I really can’t tell that you like me at all.”
Du Ruo guffawed sarcastically and said, “You’re right, I don’t like you. What I mean is, I prefer you to Xia Ruya. Don’t get me wrong.”
Get you wrong, my foot!
I’ve never gotten anything wrong before!
Wen Xinya could not help but wish that she could flip the table. “Hehe, it’s my honor to be ‘liked’ by you, Miss Du!”
Extremely annoyed, Wen Xinya decided to stress on the word “like”, as if she had a feud with that word. She did not sound sincere at all.
Du Ruoxin nodded candidly and exclaimed, “It indeed is your honor!”
Is it really appropriate of her to be so thick-skinned? Ugh!
Wen Xinya could never keep her emotions in control whenever she was with Du Ruoxin. She felt that she was on the verge of losing her temper and hence, pursed her lips before looking away.
Du Ruoxin stared at the porch and mumbled to herself, “The art of floral tea-brewing. Ha!”
Wen Xinya was calm because Du Ruoxin was not speaking to her.
She had also expected that to be the outcome. Xia Ruya was indeed rather unpredictable. She believed that Xia Ruya’s floral tea brewing technique would begin to spread and become popular in the upper-class society. Xia Ruya would then become a trendsetter.
At the same time, Xia Ruya’s reputation would also improve and she would gradually get to clear her name as well. After all, plenty of things happened every day in the Capital city and it was only normal for everyone to be involved in a scandal at some point. As long as the scandals had nothing to do with them, they would treat it as a form of entertainment and not take it to heart.
Given Xia Ruya’s immaculate technique and her scheming tricks, she would definitely be able to secure her footing in the upper-class society again.
About ten minutes later, Xia Ruya was done with brewing the tea. Seh gracefully poured some tea into each of the judges’ cups. “Please give it a try, Teachers.”
The host took the lead and grabbed the teacup. She complimented. “It’s fragrant, clear and bright. The floral tea leaves are floating on the surface of the water beautifully. Not only is it refined, it’s also very interesting. Wonderful!”
The rest of the judges followed suit and praised Xia Ruya.
“The art of floral tea brewing originated in the Song Dynasty and is one of the arts that wealthy heiresses used to master in order to serve their guests well. It’s proof of the heiress’ virtue, grace, and solemnness. Miss Xia has truly given me an eyeopener today by showcasing the elaborate techniques of this art!”
The compliment was for Xia Ruya’s technique as well as the art of floral tea.
Smiling tenderly, Xia Ruya said, “You flatter me, Teachers. It’s my honor to have been able to earn your approval with my mediocre techniques.”
Lin Yingxin smiled and said, “Don’t be too humble. The tea that had been served with the snacks today were all brewed by you. I’m sure everyone knows whether your skills are superb or mediocre.”
Lin Yingxin’s words caught everyone by surprise, for they did not expect that Xia Ruya was the one who had brewed the tea that was served to them. It was no wonder that the tea tasted fragrant and different from the usual tea. It turned out it was floral tea!
How interesting!
Xia Ruya was at a loss for words.
Staring at her, Lin Yingxin smiled and said, “I’m very interested in brewing floral tea too. Please guide me along, Miss Xia.”
Lin Yingxin had expressed the intentions of many of the guests. After all, the techniques were rather interesting and not only did Xia Ruya manage to earn the compliment of the host, even the judges were in awe and support. Besides, it tasted wonderful as well. Hence, everyone naturally wanted to learn a thing or two.
Xia Ruya nodded and said, “Of course. We’ll exchange tips when the time comes.”
The conversation between Xia Ruya and Lin Yingxin managed to pique everyone’s interest. Compared to the art of brewing Chinese tea, the techniques of brewing floral tea were much more graceful and beautiful, thus catering to their needs and interests.
