Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

"The tea that Manager Hu is using today is Beiyuan early spring tea. As the saying goes, pre-Qingming tea is as precious as gold."

The person who had just spoken on behalf of Manager Hu decided to avoid bothering two people, and he was the one who spoke on behalf of Manager Hu during the tea competition.

After showing the tea to Zhao Pan'er and the other two women, he returned to his side.

After nodding to the other party, Zhao Pan'er smiled and said, "We come from Qiantang, so naturally we should use the pre-rain tea from Qiantang."

Although Sun San Niang had never experienced a tea competition, she imitated the other people and showed them the tea leaves.

"The water that Manager Hu used today is the Zen Spring from Tiantai Mountain."

This immediately caused the tea drinkers to gasp in surprise.

I never expected that Manager Hu would be so particular.

On ordinary days, when they go to Qingmingfang, they can taste the tea personally ordered by Manager Hu, but they rarely get to drink such exquisite tea.

The main reason was their lack of funds. Most of these tea drinkers were scholars, and their family's wealth was mostly used to purchase writing implements and books.

"We can use ordinary rainwater here."

Zhao Pan'er smiled casually.

Although the tea ceremony may not be as refined as the tea ceremony, it is not just about the raw materials; it is also about the techniques used by both parties.

"Tsk tsk tsk... I think this half-face covering is slightly inferior."

"Yes, Beiyuan Xianchun is this year's tribute tea. This is the first time I've ever heard of Jingshan tea, and it's even before the rains."

"That's right! Lu Yu's Classic of Tea states that tea should be brewed with mountain spring water, the best being spring water. How can rainwater compare to the Zen spring water of Mount Tiantai?"

"Shh—keep your voices down!"

The person next to them interrupted quietly, then gave a look to Zhou Feng, who was still standing behind Zhao Pan'er.

The two immediately shut their mouths.

We can't afford to mess with them!

Immediately afterwards, the shopkeeper picked up the tea grinder on Shopkeeper Hu's table, a hint of pride on his face: "Shopkeeper Hu uses the golden grinder passed down from the Tea Immortal Lu Tong. Gold is the king of all utensils, free from impurities and flavors. Tea ground with it is fine, delicate, and fragrant."

As he carried the golden millstone around, all the tea drinkers around him were amazed.

This was the first time they had ever seen a tea grinder made of gold.

Actually, if this tea competition hadn't been so significant, Manager Hu wouldn't have used such utensils.

With this golden millstone and jade in front of them, the small millstone on Zhao Pan'er's table looks rather shabby.

Zhao Pan'er chuckled as she watched the other person's movements, then suddenly stood up and danced lightly, gently grinding tea leaves with the dance steps.

The tea drinkers watching from upstairs and downstairs immediately widened their eyes and exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey! Grinding tea is fine, but why the dancing? Really... ugh!"

One of the shopkeepers standing behind Manager Hu was speaking when someone next to him covered his mouth and pinched him hard on the waist: "Are you crazy? You want to be sent to the yamen by that important person like Manager Hu?"

Only after being reminded did the person realize that they had been so focused on the scene that they had forgotten that this tea competition was not just a duel between Ban Zhai Mian and Tea Soup Alley.

If they continue to speak recklessly and anger that important person, they might not be able to leave this house.

But everyone's attention still turned to Zhou Feng.

Zhao Pan'er's dance was truly breathtaking, but she was, after all, the wife of that nobleman.

Performing a dance in public would be somewhat disrespectful to the nobleman, and might even anger him, leading him to reject the marriage proposal outright.

Unfortunately, while they looked at Zhao Pan'er with slightly expectant eyes, Zhou Feng's eyes were filled with only admiration as he watched her actions.

After all, they are people from 1000 years in the future.

Zhao Pan'er was wearing a silk dress, and only her wrists were slightly exposed when she danced. What's the big deal about that?

Moreover, this classical dance is graceful in its movements, unlike the flamboyant dances of later K-pop groups.

Such beautiful dance moves, just admire them and that's it, why think about them so much?

Instead, the scholar in the blue robe cleared his throat among the tea drinkers: "Madam Zhao's dance is graceful and elegant, unlike that Manager Hu, who uses gold tea to grind vulgar tea, which loses the elegance of the tea ceremony and falls into inferiority."

Everyone chimed in with agreement.

These tea drinkers were people who valued elegance highly. Although they were impressed by Manager Hu's meticulousness, they were all scholars, and when faced with the choice between elegance and money, they would choose elegance.

What's more, the word "elegance" is added after it!

Amid the expectant gazes of the tea drinkers, the two parties began to order tea.

Although Manager Hu was mercenary and even extremely concerned with the ways of commerce, his tea-making skills were quite good.

Watching his movements, the tea drinkers couldn't help but exclaim, "His skill in whisking the tea is like a silver dragon, his movements fluid and effortless. This Manager Hu truly deserves to be called the number one tea master in Tea Soup Alley!"

In Zhou Feng's eyes, the other party's movements were nothing special, not even as impressive as those of the staff in the teahouse that Zhou Ming went to in later years.

At least she's good-looking, and her movements are incredibly graceful.

Unlike this guy, whose face was chubby on one side and even chubbier on the other, just looking at him made Zhou Feng lose all desire to drink tea.

"Oh my! Zhao Niangzi's flicking technique is just like the plucking of the strings in the zither! Elegant! Absolutely elegant!"

An elderly tea drinker sitting on the judging panel stared wide-eyed at Zhao Pan'er's actions and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

His close friend sitting next to him glanced at him sideways.

Although they had never seen this method before, they were not that surprised. It seemed that their close friend had ulterior motives and was bowing down to power!

Who could blame Zhao Pan'er when she had such a powerful figure standing behind her?

But how can the tea ceremony be influenced by the powerful and wealthy?

Today he...

His gaze swept over Zhou Feng's satisfied expression behind Zhao Pan'er, and he suddenly slapped his best friend beside him: "Shut your mouth!"

Apart from the two people who were ordering tea, everyone's attention was focused on him.

He didn't even glance at Zhou Feng, but simply stood up from his chair, sweeping a disdainful look over the crowd around him: "What are you all arguing about? Listen carefully, Zhao Niang is playing Yangguan Sandie right now! She actually played a piece on the zither with this teacup, it's simply unprecedented and unparalleled! To witness such skill today has truly broadened my horizons!"

hiss--

His close friend beside him stared wide-eyed at him, as if he were seeing him in a completely new light.

Another person has had their eyes opened today; it's true what they say, you can know a person's face but not their heart!

You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, who usually speaks of elegance and integrity, actually managed to say something like that!

The man, however, kept his head held high. Only after Zhou Feng smiled and nodded at him did he lightly flick his sleeve and gracefully sit down.

Finally, amidst everyone's expectant gazes, the two finished ordering their tea at the same time.

Sun San Niang and another shopkeeper picked up their teacups and showed them to everyone around them.

"The so-called tea color, watermarks, and tea flavor mean that tea competitions not only involve the flavor of the tea, but also the color and the appearance of the tea leaves, which determine the winner."

The person holding Manager Hu's teacup had trembling hands, but gritted their teeth and forced themselves to calm down.

This cup of tea is no ordinary tea; it concerns the fate of more than 20 people. If he spills it, even if that nobleman spares them, he probably won't be able to return to Tea Soup Alley.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong during this round.

"Both teas are pure white and of superior quality, so the color of the tea is a tie."

After discussing it for a while, the five people came to this conclusion.

The person chosen to be announced looked nervously at Zhou Feng behind Zhao Pan'er, fearing that the other party would step forward.

But the distinguished person remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't heard their conclusion at all.

Zhou Feng showed absolutely no concern about this matter.

In the original storyline, Zhao Pan'er was able to defeat Manager Hu, let alone with Zhou Feng's help.

Although he doesn't understand tea ceremony, given his status, even if he can't add much, it shouldn't lower Zhao Pan'er's level, right?

"The next step is to see how the tea leaves are handled."

The two started operating at the same time.

The five people walked to the table between Zhao Pan'er and Manager Hu, and carefully observed their actions.

When they saw Zhao Pan'er's tea froth disperse first, they both gasped and exchanged a glance.

In a situation like this, with so many tea drinkers watching, even if they wanted to favor Zhao Pan'er, they couldn't!

"This...this...this Madam Zhao, look at this...this watermark situation..."

They dared not judge Zhao Pan'er to be the loser in front of Zhou Feng, so they could only leave it at that and let Zhao Pan'er make it clear herself.

Unfortunately, Zhao Pan'er showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, she raised her hand and said, "Please wait a moment and watch carefully."

Everyone crowded around, and they saw that the tea froth in front of Zhao Pan'er began to change, revealing a picture of flowers and the moon.

"Oh my! Isn't this a tea art performance using tea leaves as the subject of paintings? I haven't seen this in ages!"

"Madam Zhao, your skills are truly remarkable! We..."

"This is truly an eye-opening experience for us!"

The person whose words were interrupted glanced at their best friend, a slight smile playing on their lips.

I won't repeat the same words a second time.

"We are utterly astonished!"

???

No one around them noticed the surprised and smug expressions on their faces.

Little did they know that two old friends who had known each other for decades had actually engaged in several rounds of scheming and intrigue in that instant.

Everyone's attention was focused on Zhao Pan'er's tea ceremony.

"Gentlemen, who wins and who loses this round with Watermark?"

Zhao Pan'er looked at the judges with a smile.

"Of course, Lady Zhao wins!"

The five of them shouted it out almost in unison.

They couldn't tell the difference in the color of the soup just now, but the watermarks clearly showed that Zhao Pan'er had won, so of course she had to shout it out.

"Zhao Niangzi is amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"I never imagined that Madam Zhao's tea ceremony skills were so superb! They're truly rare even in this capital city of Dongjing!"

...

Listening to the praises of the tea drinkers around them, the backs of the twenty-odd shopkeepers were almost soaked with cold sweat.

This trend is not right!

At present, the best outcome would be for Manager Hu to fight to a draw with this Lady Zhao!

If the tea flavor is lost again, things will get really messy!

Manager Hu kept wiping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

Especially when the sweat dripped down his fatter side, it constantly caused him a stinging sensation.

The final tea ceremony was quite simple: the two participants each shared their tea with the five judges.

"Master Celestial, would you like to have a taste first?"

The judge received the tea but didn't taste it. Instead, he asked Zhou Feng a question, to which Zhou Feng simply waved his hand and said, "No need. I believe Pan'er can win."

This was the first time he had ever watched the entire tea ceremony of the Song Dynasty.

How could someone who would even skim off the foam when drinking sugary drinks possibly want to savor tea foam?

Upon seeing his refusal, the five judges began to taste it themselves.

After tasting it, the other four looked at the middle-aged man who was knowledgeable about Song Dynasty law.

He had just had contact with that important person, and one could even say that he spoke on behalf of that important person.

Therefore, it is most appropriate to give this task to Manager Hu.

The man's gaze swept hatefully across their faces, but he still stood up and sighed softly.

"This early spring tea from Beiyuan has a rich and mellow aroma, exuding a regal air; it is truly a rare gem among teas!"

It must be said that Manager Hu is quite capable.

In all his years of tea tasting, he has never encountered anything that surpasses the quality of today's Beiyuan Xianchun tea.

Hearing his words, all the shopkeepers in Tea Soup Alley breathed a sigh of relief. Even Shopkeeper Hu, despite the pain on his face, gasped and forced a smile.

Zhao Pan'er was not in a hurry and had San Niang serve the tea to everyone.

The five people took the teacups, first smelled the aroma, then put them in their mouths, closed their eyes, and savored them carefully.

Before the other four could speak, the middle-aged scholar suddenly stood up: "This tea is wonderful! This is my first time drinking Jingshan tea, but it has no astringency, and a refreshing fragrance lingers, like appreciating chrysanthemums at home, giving a sense of crisp autumn air! Absolutely wonderful!"

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after being praised.

The man beside him, only a step behind, chimed in, "Brother, you're absolutely right! The moment this tea touches your lips, before you can even savor its aroma and flavor, you feel as if you've entered a dream, drifting away to another world!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Please listen to me, everyone. Just as there are levels of understanding in people, there are also levels of understanding in tea. It's not simply a matter of using the best tea leaves with the best water to brew the best tea. Only through the harmonious combination of tea leaves and tea leaves can one reach a higher level!"

...

Hearing the five people praising Zhao Pan'er's tea, the tea shopkeepers who had been smiling suddenly turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

Both received praise, but only one person stood up to comment on their tea, while five people stood up and took turns praising Zhao Pan'er's tea, describing it as if it were rare in heaven and unparalleled on earth.

If this is the attitude, then the outcome of this tea competition is probably already obvious.

"Gentlemen, isn't the point of drinking tea simply to enjoy its flavor? The concept of 'realm' is rather abstract. Please, tell me clearly, who won this round?"

The man standing next to Manager Hu gritted his teeth, still clinging to a sliver of hope for his side.

The five of them exchanged glances.

To be fair, Manager Hu's skills were not much worse than Zhao Pan'er's, and in fact, because he had been in Tokyo for many years, the tea he ordered was more in line with their tastes.

However... it's not necessarily true that Zhao Pan'er lost. At least the tea color was even, and Zhao Pan'er was ahead by 10% in terms of water stains. Even if the tea flavor was slightly inferior, it was still just a draw.

"Gentlemen! Manager Hu's tea is excellent, but even if you don't go to Tea Soup Alley, I can invite a tea master to my home to brew it for you. However, Madam Zhao's tea is unique and one of a kind, found only in this half-covered tea shop, so I chose the half-covered tea shop."

"What you say makes sense, brother!"

With this stepping stone, the other four people also stood behind Zhao Pan'er.

Finished!

Manager Hu's legs went weak and he collapsed under the tea table. The other managers were also devastated!