Sisterly Bonds

"... I am doing this out of respect for my teacher; please, teacher, go first."

"You're so glib; I hate students like you who aren't serious."

Yuezheng Yao rolled her eyes at Si Ming and pouted without any regard for her image, but the moment she stepped into the classroom and was bathed in the gaze of many students, she immediately transformed into that kind, gentle, and amiable idol.

"What are you doing standing at the door, classmate? Hurry up and come in, or I'll think you're late." Yuezheng Yao turned around and waved to Si Ming.

"Teacher Yuezheng is so considerate!"

"As expected of a superstar, she has no airs at all. I'm so touched!"

"Damn it, I should have come into the classroom a little later, so that everyone could have gotten a few more glances from Yuezheng."

Amidst the sycophantic comments from the students, Si Ming found a seat in the last row of the classroom and then carefully observed Yuezheng Yao's behavior during the rest of the lesson, but still couldn't find anything suspicious.

"Looks like I was overthinking it... That's true, there are so many people in Linked Mountains City, it doesn't make sense to suspect someone just because we speak with the same tone. I'd better hurry up and review my flute textbook, otherwise I'll embarrass myself at tonight's performance."

At night, in the park, Si Ming and Yuezheng Qiong, wearing masks, finished their performance, and a continuous round of applause immediately rang out.

This is only the duo's fifth performance, and they already have more than 20 regular audience members. Including other tourists who come and go, there can be around 80 people at peak times, enough to form a large circle around them.

Yuezheng Qiong was satisfied with the results. Street performances are not formal performances. There is no stage, no band, no backup dancers, no lighting, and no loudspeakers. It's good that she wasn't mistaken for begging. You know, after the second performance, some people came up and asked why there were no bowls or jars for putting money.

Si Ming, being an outsider, disagreed. Comparing his memories from his previous life, he felt that even a slightly decent square dance team had around two hundred people, making his masked group seem incredibly shabby in comparison.

After leaving the park, Yuezheng Qiong subconsciously took out a cigarette, but before she could even light it, it was sliced in half by Si Ming's Sword Qi. Helpless, she could only say, "There's a teahouse over there, let's go sit down for a bit."

Si Ming didn't refuse. After playing for so long, it would be good to have some tea to soothe his throat, so he followed Yuezheng Qiong to a teahouse—the teahouse was simply called "One Family".

Yuezheng Qiong was clearly a regular customer here. The owner seemed to know her identity and personally took on the role of a waiter, warmly leading the two of them into a private room.

"Same as before, one pot of Dongding Feilong," Yuezheng Qiong asked Si Ming, "Would you like to order?"

"I'm just an ordinary person. I only know how to brew tea, not how to drink it. Whatever."

Yuezheng Qiong removed the Vermilion Bird mask and laughed, "Being able to brew tea already makes one a refined person. Of the people I know, nine out of ten only know how to drink tea, not how to brew it. When they meet for tea, they talk at length about the aroma and taste of tea, pretending to be elegant people. In reality, they've only learned it from books. Drinking tea only requires using your mouth, but brewing tea requires effort to learn. The two are not comparable in difficulty. I've never seen anyone like you who can brew tea but doesn't know how to drink it before."

Si Ming, "It seems I have no choice but to show off my skills today, otherwise people will think I'm just bragging."

"I'm not that petty. Fine, then I'll just order two pots of Dong Ding Fei Long tea, not pre-brewed, just prepare the teaware."

The beautiful proprietress, dressed in ancient costume, covered her mouth and chuckled, "Alright, then I won't disturb you two any longer." Then she whispered a few words mysteriously into Yuezheng Qiong's ear.

Yuezheng Qiong rolled her eyes at her and laughed, "What nonsense! Do I look like the kind of person who would date a young girl? Look at his face, it's so tender you could squeeze water out of it. Is that my type?"

"That's true. You like mature, sophisticated men. I thought you wanted to try something different."

The beautiful boss was a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up, walked up behind Si Ming, and whispered sweetly in his ear, "Little brother, she doesn't want you, but your older sister likes you. Do you want to know what it's like to be an adult?"

Yuezheng Qiong feigned anger and said, "Get away from me, you vixen! Don't seduce my little brother, he's still a student!"

"Tch, so what if you're a student? I've seen college students who are parents all the time. You're the one with outdated ideas."

The beautiful boss snorted but didn't press the matter further. She turned and left the private room, and soon sent someone to bring tea and teaware.

So Si Ming showed off his skills, completing each step of the tea-making process in a nimble and methodical manner without making the slightest mistake. However, since he was using tea leaves instead of tea powder, he couldn't demonstrate the technique of "biting the cup," which was a bit of a pity.

Yuezheng Qiong had originally planned to show off her tea-making skills, but after seeing Si Ming's technique, she decided against it and exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing! This skill is comparable to a tea-making expert!"

"Tea Master" is just an honorific title for a tea master, not a real doctoral degree. It is generally only held by masters with exceptional skills. Every high-end teahouse will hire a Tea Master to oversee the business. Without a Tea Master, no matter how luxurious the decor, it will be considered lacking in substance and unable to attract upper-class or self-proclaimed upper-class customers.

Sometimes, when conflicts arise between teahouses, they will send out tea masters to compete in tea tasting. Of course, more often than not, it's a pre-arranged publicity stunt rather than a genuine conflict.

Seeing the tea boiling, Si Ming poured the first cup of tea, then poured it away, before brewing the second cup. This is what is known as "pouring out the first cup of tea."

The practice of pouring tea to the head is not a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, nor is it a rule established by our ancestors. In fact, all etiquette originally had very practical reasons. For example, high heels and wide-brimmed hats were not originally for fashion, but because medieval Europe cities were full of garbage and excrement. High heels could reduce the chance of trousers and socks coming into contact with filth, and wide-brimmed hats could protect the lace on clothes from being soiled by garbage and excrement thrown down from upstairs.

The purpose of "rinsing the tea leaves" is threefold: first, to wash away dirt and grime from the tea leaves; second, to warm and loosen the leaves so that the tea liquor can be extracted; and third, to awaken the tea's character.

Of course, not all teas should have their first brew discarded. Fresh green tea, black tea, or yellow tea, for example, do not need to be discarded. The first brew can be drunk directly because these teas, especially high-grade teas made from tender raw materials, are not very durable for multiple brews. A large amount of tea essence is extracted in the first brew, and the first brew is often the best in flavor. Discarding it would be a waste. If someone does this, it proves that this person not only does not understand tea, but also likes to pretend to be cultured.

The type of oolong tea that needs to be rinsed first is granular oolong tea, such as the famous Tieguanyin. This type of tea is rolled and rolled into a ball shape, and the tea quality is not easily extracted before the leaves unfold. In addition, there is Pu'er tea. The first brew is also to wake up the tea, because Pu'er is heavily fermented when stored, and its tea properties are hidden over time, so it needs to be "awakened" before drinking.

Yuezheng Qiong took the second cup that Si Ming had brewed, took a sip, and savored it. "The timing and aroma are perfectly controlled. This skill is comparable to that of a master tea brewer I drank with last year who claimed to have fifty years of experience. Do all geniuses learn things this quickly?"

Why do you say that?

"Didn't you change your instrument today and switch to the flute?" Yuezheng Qiong pointed to the flute placed to the side. This was the instrument that Si Ming had specially changed to in order to cultivate the No-Emptiness Sound Flow. "When you first started playing tonight, you were still a little rusty, but by the last piece, you were on par with a veteran with five or six years of experience. If I didn't know that you weren't a vain person, I would definitely think that you did it on purpose."

Chapter 447 Sisterhood

Si Ming felt a little embarrassed. Actually, he also liked to show off in front of others. However, as his cultivation level increased, his experience accumulated, and his horizons broadened, he lost interest in ordinary displays. Otherwise, wouldn't it be much simpler and more effective for him to just punch the ground and amaze others with his martial arts skills than playing music?

The saying goes, "He who has no desires is invincible." He neither wanted to provoke Yuezheng Qiong nor bothered to show off in front of ordinary passersby, so he could naturally put on a nonchalant attitude. If he had the chance to show off in front of Spirit Transformation expert, he would not miss it, just like last night when he played around with Lin Qingtong almost to the point of being carried away.

As one's social standing rises, one's standards for showing off must also rise. If someone is worth over a hundred million and still picks fights with a salesperson, trying every possible way to humiliate them, how pathetic must that person be?

In addition, Si Ming also noticed something: the person Yuezheng Qiong was truly lamenting about was not himself. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to take a step forward.

"You just said 'you geniuses,' which means there are others who have surpassed you in talent?"

Yuezheng Qiong was silent for a while, then smiled bitterly and said, "She's my sister. She's an absolute genius, the kind of genius that makes you feel no jealousy. Whether it's music, martial arts, or simply studying, as long as she wants to learn, she can surpass her peers in an instant and quickly widen the gap, making it impossible for her competitors to catch up."

When we were little, she learned the guzheng, and I learned the guqin. Although I always heard others praising her, I never took it to heart. I felt that she was her, and I was me. There was no need to be jealous of my sister. I just needed to do my best. I also had talents to be proud of. Until one day, Yao became interested in the guqin. She asked me to teach her the techniques...

Yuezheng Qiong seemed to treat the tea like wine, gulping it down in one go. The astringent taste made him frown, and even his tone became bitter. "Then, after ten years of studying this skill, she surpassed me in three months and won first place in the piano competition, while I could only come in second... Yao thanked me after winning the award, but I wasn't happy at all. I only guided her for a few days, explaining a few tricks, and she immediately grasped them..."