“Yue er greets uncle Shu. How was your journey here?”
Smiling gently as she instructed a maidservant to pour tea for the elderly man, Yue er slowly lifted her own cup of tea to her lips, halting as a familiar fragrance hit her nose. Complexion turning darker by the minute as the faint floral fragrance of oleanders wafted through the air, Yue er wetted her lips. Not sparing the tea another glance as the bitter aftertaste of hot honey lingered in her mouth, she directly signaled for a maidservant to dispose of the teapot and cup. Whispering into the maid servant's ear, Yue er’s eyes were frosty.
“Is the tea not to your taste, Yue xiaojie?”
Not minding Yue er’s frosty expression, uncle Shu observantly handed off his own untouched cup of tea to a maidservant and resumed observing the busy street market below. Spring had just arrived and once in a while, a gentle breeze would bring in the alluring fragrance of blossoms. Up in the sky, the sun was still in its early stages, providing just enough sunlight to make one feel warm yet not stifled by the heat.
“West Pavilion prides itself in its high quality goods. Yue er merely thought...this tea is of too inferior grade for an esteemed person such as Uncle Shu.”
As Yue er spoke, a smile lifted up her face, accentuating her youthful features and disguising the subtle chilliness of her eyes. Serenely nodding his head, uncle Shu no longer commented on Yue er’s actions. Perhaps too much time had passed by that uncle Shu had forgotten the identity of the prestigious lady before him, making him think she was someone soft, barely having come of age. Compared to the noble ladies of the capital, however, how could someone connected to Lan Manor be naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world?
“If this old man is correct, West Pavilion purchases most of its raw materials from Chen Clan. If Yue xiaojie thinks the quality of goods does not meet West Pavilion’s standards, this old man will inform the mistress.”
Raising her brows in sudden interest, Yue er looked down at the street market, following Uncle Shu’s gaze to the grand herbal shop located directly across from West Pavilion. It had long been an eyesore of West Pavilion’s. Not letting her gaze off the shop, an entertained look flashed through Yue er’s eyes as a merry giggle escaped her mouth, “Biaojie finally decided to make a move?”
Uncle Shu merely returned a mysterious smile, his face of calm indifference. At the entrance, a maidservant had re-entered, carrying with her a wooden tray. Skillfully, the maidservant made her way across the room and poured Uncle Shu a new cup of tea. The tea set had been changed into porcelain blue.
Uncle Shu took a sip. There was no taste of honey. The tea was scentless and left a lingering bittersweet aftertaste. It was not light yet not too heavy on the stomach.
“Oh? I don’t recall West Pavilion having this type of tea?”
“This is a new product produced by Ming jie. West Pavilion will be offering it as a gift to the first ten patrons who purchase the spring collection that will be released soon. Afterwards, Yue er intends to sell the tea as a specialty of West Pavilion and garner it towards patrons who do not like the fragrance of tea. Ming jie said that the tea has medicinal properties and will be good for patrons with allergies and digestion issues. Ming jie said it will also help soothe pregnant women.”
Uncle Shu nodded his head thoughtfully as a solemn and disheveled An Ming Xia appeared in his mind. Although the Lady An was eccentric and kept to herself most of the time, rarely remembering to care for herself properly, Uncle Shu knew that she and his mistress held a bond as tight as blood sisters. Whatever An Mingxia wanted, his mistress would grant and whatever her mistress needed, An Mingxia had the ability to produce. Although the two rarely conversed, when they met Uncle Shu would note the sudden smiles and knowing looks that flitted across their faces. During such times, a word or three would be said before silence fell and the two were lost in their own world to communicate through solemn eyes. Such was their relationship.
Only once, when Uncle Shu had first entered Lan Manor, had he overheard his mistress and the Lady An converse for a period of time, but even then, they had conversed in such an unfamiliar tongue and voices so silent, it was as if the two harbored the secrets of the universe. It was only a long time after Uncle Shu had familiarised himself with Lan Manor did he learn that the strange language his mistress had spoken in was a secret code taught only to the innermost members of Lan Manor. By then, Uncle Shu had forgotten the contents of what his mistress said. He only knew that on that day, his mistress seemed especially lonely and as if she would disappear if one only blinked. It was then, that Uncle Shu had forsaken the Chen name and fully accepted a new master.
“...Uncle Shu? Is something wrong?”
Coming out of his daze, Uncle Shu smiled reassuringly at Yue er before setting the cooled porcelain tea cup down on the table. The sun had reached its peak, and emitted a gentle warmth. The breeze slowed and turned to warm air that caressed his skin. Perhaps the weather had made him too sentimental. When Uncle Shu first arrived at the barren Northern Borders, the land that should have been enthralling and mystical seemed as if it was cursed to an eternal sleep and what met him were but children whose eyes blazed with unknown emotions and haunting ghosts. Now, those children had grown and learned to hide their fangs behind smiles and glass masks.
He had truly grown old.
“Before arriving at West Pavilion, the mistress had tasked this old one with delivering a certain item for Yue xiaojie. The mistress hopes that Yue xiaojie will be able to achieve her desires.”
From his sleeve, Uncle Shu pulled out a simple wooden box not much larger than a palm’s width. As Yue er felt the smooth edges of the wood on her fingertips, Uncle Shu silently waited for her to lift the lid and peer inside. She never did. As if Yue er already knew what the inside of the wooden box held, a genuine smile graced her lips and she reached for her cup to take another sip.
“Tell biaojie, Yue er shall be eternally grateful.”
