Chapter 294 - 278: This Could Work

Chapter 294: Chapter 278: This Could Work

Then, he walked out of the restaurant, handed the tea to Guyi, and said, "Ancient, please!"

Guyi took it and sniffed it gently. His face wreathed in a smile, he said, "This tea’s aroma is superb."

After a moment, he added, "A single bud and a newly unfurled leaf. The angle between them is narrow, the bud is longer than the leaf, and they are uniform, plump, and robust. Both are about two centimeters long. This is the absolute highest grade of West Lake Longjing Tea, a true gem among the special-grade varieties. This kind of tea is hard to buy even if you have the money. Boss Li You is always full of surprises."

Li You couldn’t understand any of what Guyi was saying.

Still, it sounded incredibly professional. ’Very impressive,’ he thought.

’Guyi is so knowledgeable about tea. He must really be a connoisseur.’

Li You smiled. "So you’re a tea expert as well, Ancient. Please, try the tea."

Guyi nodded, brought the cup to his lips, blew on the surface, and then took a small, gentle sip.

An expression of shock, quickly followed by delighted surprise, appeared on his face.

’This tea... It’s far better than I imagined.’

’An absolute masterpiece among teas!’

After savoring the aftertaste for a long moment, Guyi took another small sip.

After savoring the flavor for another long moment, he said, "It truly is a gem among West Lake Longjing Teas. Ordinary special-grade West Lake Longjing can’t even compare to this flavor. In fact, forget West Lake Longjing—this is the absolute finest of the fine, even when considering all teas in existence."

Guyi was truly delighted. He never expected to drink such an exquisite tea here.

’This tea definitely isn’t something you can just buy with money.’

’Even I can’t get my hands on tea leaves like these.’

Yet Li You had such tea. Guyi found it truly hard to believe.

He longed to ask Li You where this tea came from, but in the end, he held his tongue.

’For Li You to be able to get this tea, he must have some extraordinary, hidden means.’

’It’s his secret.’

’And it would be far too impolite to pry into someone’s secrets.’

And so, Guyi refrained from asking.

Of course, Guyi already knew that Li You possessed some hidden talents.

An ordinary person could never have produced that sublime wine he served.

Guyi’s praise for the tea leaves, in turn, made Li You very happy.

’So this tea really is superior to the special-grade West Lake Longjing Tea from the real world.’

’Ancient has definitely had special-grade West Lake Longjing Tea. If he says so, it must be true.’

Moreover, Guyi’s assessment indicated that he had never tasted such a fine tea before. This made Li You feel rather proud, and he said, "If you like this tea, Ancient, I’ll give you a few pounds."

’A few pounds of this tea would surely fetch a high price on the market,’ Li You thought. ’But compared to the painting Guyi gifted me, it’s a mere drop in the bucket.’

’I have 1,000 pounds of this tea, so what’s the big deal about giving a few pounds to Ancient?’

Guyi, however, was once again incredulous.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t believe Li You would offer him tea; it was that he couldn’t believe Li You had so casually said, "give you a few pounds."

’What did that imply?’

’It meant that Li You had a lot of this tea—at least ten pounds of it.’

’Shouldn’t this kind of top-grade West Lake Longjing Tea be measured by the ounce, or even by the gram?’

’Yet Boss Li You measures it by the pound?’

The offer of a few pounds of such tea was incredibly tempting to Guyi. But he reasoned that it couldn’t have been easy for Li You to obtain such a superb product, so he couldn’t ask for too much.

So, Guyi said, "That much isn’t necessary. If Boss Li You could spare a few ounces, or maybe half a pound, that would be more than enough."

Li You said, "A few ounces or half a pound? That’s nothing! Don’t be so formal, Ancient. I have tons of this tea. I’ll just give you a good five or six pounds, maybe even seven or eight."

"You have tons of it?" Seeing that Li You wasn’t joking, Guyi was once again overcome with disbelief.

This time, however, he didn’t refuse. He laughed heartily and said, "Well then, thank you very much, Boss Li You. To acquire such a fine West Lake Longjing Tea, you must be a tea lover yourself."

"Well..." Li You cleared his throat. "To be honest with you, Ancient, I can’t say I’m particularly fond of tea, much less that I’ve studied it. I actually got these tea leaves for a recipe."

"For a recipe?" Guyi was completely taken aback.

But his surprise quickly faded. He then said, "Don’t tell me it’s for Longjing Shrimp?"

Li You nodded. "Exactly. Longjing Shrimp."

Upon hearing this, Guyi felt a mix of emotions: it seemed a criminal waste of a precious treasure, yet at the same time, he was thoroughly intrigued.

It was a criminal waste from a tea lover’s perspective, but a delightful surprise from a gourmand’s.

’What would Longjing Shrimp made with these tea leaves taste like?’ The anticipation was thrilling.

So, Guyi asked, "Have you added Longjing Shrimp to the menu, Boss Li You? Quick, bring me an order."

Li You replied, "I’m still preparing to add Longjing Shrimp; it’s not on the menu just yet. However, since your last visit, Ancient, I have indeed added another new dish: Chopped Pepper Fish Head."

"Chopped Pepper Fish Head?" Guyi was still pleasantly surprised. "That’s a famous dish from Xiang Province, and an excellent one at that. In that case, I’ll have an order of Chopped Pepper Fish Head to start. I haven’t had lunch yet."

"Oh, really?" said Li You. "Then I’ll go prepare it right away."

Guyi nodded. "Excellent."

Li You went into the kitchen and began to cook, while Guyi continued to savor his tea.

Before long, an order of Chopped Pepper Fish Head was ready.

"Ancient, it’s ready."

"Coming! And ladle me a bowl of wine."

"Already poured."

Guyi laughed heartily and added, "You know me best, Boss Li You."

As he sat down, Guyi nodded repeatedly. "Visually," he said, "this is the most appealing Chopped Pepper Fish Head I have ever seen."

Then he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

After finishing a piece of fish, he sampled some of the chopped peppers, then took a sip of wine.

A wave of unprecedented satisfaction washed over him.

Unsurprisingly, the dish was far more delicious than the best Chopped Pepper Fish Head he had ever tasted before.

’The food, the wine, the tea... all of it is of the utmost quality.’

’This is true indulgence.’

Guyi savored his meal immensely. After eating for a while, he asked Li You, "So, when do you plan on launching the Longjing Shrimp, Boss Li You?"

Guyi certainly hadn’t forgotten about that dish.

Li You said, "The day after tomorrow. However, I can make a sample portion for you to taste tomorrow, Ancient. You’re not leaving today, are you?"

"No, no, of course not! I’ll be leaving in a few days," Guyi said quickly.

Guyi was delighted and full of anticipation for the Longjing Shrimp tasting. He added, "Then it’s settled, much to my delight."

Li You smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

After a moment, he asked, "Would you like any other dishes, Ancient?"

Guyi replied, "I’ll have an order of Mapo Tofu, one Huoxiang Crucian Carp, and an order of Cabbage in Supreme Broth."

Li You nodded. "Alright."

He then went back into the kitchen to cook. After preparing all three dishes and serving them to Guyi, he said, "Ancient, please take your time and enjoy your meal. I’m going to start working on building a Tea Garden outside."

"A Tea Garden?" Guyi’s eyes lit up. "Are you planning to grow, harvest, and process your own tea, Boss Li You?"

Li You chuckled. "That’s the plan. But right now, I don’t know the first thing about harvesting or processing tea. It’s hard to say whether I’ll be successful."

Guyi smiled. "No matter. I happen to know a thing or two about tea harvesting and processing. When the time comes, if you wouldn’t mind, Boss Li You, I’d be happy to share some pointers with you."

Li You’s eyes widened. ’That would be perfect!’

’Guyi saying he "knows a thing or two" was clearly him being modest. He must be an expert in harvesting and processing tea.’

’With his help, the twenty tea bushes provided by the system are certain to produce some truly excellent tea leaves.’

’I can’t wait!’

...