"Han Shun, go and serve the tea to the customers!" Bai Shijue raised his voice so Han Shun would hear him.
"Yes, Bai Gege!" Han Shun quickly halted washing the ceramic cup, wiped his hand, and did a small jog to Bai Gege.
Bai Shijue brewed the tea for the customer, and Han Shun was the one who brought it on a tray to the two old men sitting on the porch.
"Excuse me, distinguished wise gentlemen, I'm here with the tea," Han Shun said as he carefully put the tea on the table. The two old men chuckled when they saw the cute young boy serving tea to them, but they were also pleasantly surprised because the kid knew the noble tea etiquette and how to serve tea properly.
The way Han Shun acted looked more like a young kid from a noble family than a servant in a tea house.
After Han Shun finished setting up the table for the tea, Han Shun said, "Excuse me, wise gentlemen, the rice cake will be ready in a minute. Master Bai is still making it."
"Sure, sure. Take your time, say thank you to Master Bai. He really makes a great tea," one old man said.
"True, the tea he brewed is just amazing. It makes me feel so warm and vigorous throughout the day!" The other old man added.
Han Shun smiled with his teeth showing, and he bowed politely once more before returning to the kitchen,
Bai Shijue was sitting in a space near the kitchen. He personally brewed all the tea here, even though he was the master of the house and he could hire someone else to brew tea, but he decided to make it by himself. Because of his magical touch, of course.
"Bai Gege, they like it, as always!" Han Shun said as he put the tray carefully, ready to return to the kitchen for washing.
Bai Shijue smiled and patted another chair beside him, "Take a rest first. Sit here with me. There wouldn't be any other customer for a while."
Han Shun didn't really like delaying work. But since Bai Gege requested, he nodded willingly and sat beside Bai Gege on a smaller chair.
"Is there something I can do, Bai Gege?" Han Shun asked innocently.
Bai Shijue gazed at the young boy's face, and he felt a warmth deep inside his heart. Because Bai Shijue had fattened up after a while.
It had been two months since Bai Shijue took Han Shun inside his residence. The young boy was allowed to live in a separate courtyard. He got his own courtyard, but for an exchange, he was tasked to clean his and Bai Shijue's courtyard every morning, which Han Shun did willingly.
The kid was also very diligent. He learned the etiquette of serving tea for the nobles and was generally a nimble, hard-working boy.
He worked very hard every day, doing everything Bai Shijue asked without any complaint. They would eat together every morning and night.
Bai Shijue always forced Han Shun to eat meat because he was worryingly thin. And those force-feeding finally came into fruition when he saw how the scrawny kid became vigorous with chubby cheeks, which was normal for a kid his age.
"I don't need you to do anything. Just sit and rest for a second before delivering the rice cake to the customer," Bai Shijue said.
"Um, okay, Bai Gege…." Han Shun nodded obediently.
Two months had passed, and the tea shop had become a sort of exclusive teahouse. Bai Shijue refused to call it a teahouse because it was small, and he didn't plan on upgrading it. The price of the tea was also 5x higher than a regular teahouse for the commoners.
But, in exchange for such a high price, the taste of the tea was heavenly, a tea that was unmatched in terms of taste, and once someone had tasted it, it would be the best tea they would ever taste.
The tea shop was also located a bit far from the bustling center, facing a big koi pond.
So it became an exclusive teahouse for the upper class. Most of Bai Shijue's costumer were old, rich men, landlords, Generals, and even the Mayor of the city and his wife.
Because they wanted an exclusive, quiet place to spend their free time, not the bustling city with the crowd.
[Hehe, they become my regulars because of the tea, of course!]
[Pupa: Yeah, you literally used the power of heaven to brew tea, let that sink it.]
[Hey! Business is cutthroat! I got to find a way to make my living, so this teahouse won't get deserted!]
[Pupa: That's just because you refused to make a regular teahouse for the common folks.]
[Aish, I'm just afraid that some bad guys will harass Han Shun. Besides, I don't like a crowded teahouse. It doesn't relive my fantasy of some historical movie about a serene and peaceful teahouse.]
[Pupa: Fair enough, I guess.]
Han Shun was wondering what was inside Bai Gege's mind right now. He had been staying in Bai Gege's residence for two months. Bai Gege even gave him his own courtyard.
All he needed to do was clean the two courtyards, wash their robes, and clean the teahouse. He also had to be the servant in the teahouse, even though the place was mostly empty. Unless there was a customer that paid so much for a cup of tea here.
Han Shun often asked what he should do to repay for all the kindness, but Bai Gege only smiled and said he didn't need to pay for anything.
But he knew there was something right now because Bai Gege had been looking so distraught these days.
"Bai Gege…"
"Hm?"
"You have been thinking about something these days. Are you sure there is no problem? I… I will try my best to help," Han Shun said, offering his help for Bai Gege.
Bai Shijue shook his head. He didn't want to tell it to Han Shun too soon. He took two plates of rice cakes and put them on the tray, "You shouldn't think much about it. If I have something to tell you, then I will tell you.. Just focus on what you're doing right now and eat well," Bai Shijue said.
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