Chapter 2133: Mutual Testing

"Facing the sun, born to life; soaring above the clouds, cutting through the void." The clear water in the red clay stove had already boiled. Lady Mei took down the tea cake, placed it in the pot to steep, each movement orderly and unhurried: "The fragrance from high places is exquisite; only those who have experienced it can truly understand."

You Huan's gaze narrowed slightly: "Lady Mei, are you speaking of fragrance?"

"Naturally, it is fragrance." Lady Mei's voice was also pleasant to hear—not clear and ringing, but soft and gentle with a touch of tenderness: "In my place, I burn whatever incense suits the person I see."

This sentence was a subtle blessing for their official careers to flourish and rise high—far more elegant than plain flattery.

You Huan gave a faint smirk: "Lady Mei, you are quite forthright."

Indeed, merchants are all worldly-eyed.

Ordinary merchants come to flatter, and he wouldn't even bother to respond—but this woman is truly beautiful.

"Even ordinary noble heirs cannot smell this fragrance." Lady Mei spoke low and soft: "Both of you, my lords, carry fortune upon your persons. Especially this Lord You—"

She looked at You Huan and smiled faintly: "—a purple aura gathers at your forehead; soon, fortune will shine upon you, and great good fortune is imminent."

Hearing this, You Huan felt pleased and chuckled: "I thank you for your kind words. You are the first to say this to me; if your words come true, I will book the Suzhi Qingxi and treat everyone to seven days of fine tea and seven days of fine opera."

Lady Mei tilted her head in salute: "A word is enough."

Looking at her demeanor, she seemed quite confident.

The incense cake had already been lit outside; now placed in the censer, its fragrance quickly spread.

When people speak of plum blossoms, they always say the scent is dark and icy—but the fragrance of this Lingyun incense is light and faint, while the base notes are instead sharp and heavy, with a hint of cold hardness.

As an analogy, it is like stepping from a warm room into a world of ice and snow—the first breath drawn in freezes the lungs until they feel filled with ice shards.

You Su immediately inhaled sharply and gasped: "Wow, so pungent!"

Lady Mei remained calm and unhurried, continuing to brew tea: "Regulate your breath; it will improve shortly."

You Huan openly stared at her, evaluating her from hairpin to cloud shoes.

As a man of high standing, such an unguarded scrutinizing gaze would be hard for even most men to endure—but Lady Mei seemed unaware, her hand movements steady, not a single drop of tea spilled.

After taking a few more breaths of the incense, they no longer felt the earlier sharpness; instead, a hidden chill seeped into their bodies, and their minds became clear and lucid.

Recently, the weather in Moudu has been stifling and hot, making people feel irritable and restless—but these two breaths of Lingyun incense have dispelled the agitation, and they suddenly felt the surrounding air grow cool.

"Eh, this incense is truly excellent—one feels instantly calm and cool." You Su said curiously: "Where is this recipe from? How come I've never heard of it before?"

"The base formula is from my hometown; I built upon it and made some innovations."

You Su naturally asked: "Where is Lady Mei's hometown?"

"Call me Fifth Aunt." The hot tea had finished steeping. Lady Mei took several medicinal ingredients from the tray, crushed them in a wooden mortar, then first placed a portion of the powder into two cups, and poured the filtered hot tea over them: "Xue Youcheng, a remote rural place, obscure and unknown."

The tea in the porcelain cups formed two standard swirls—ready.

The first cup, Mei Fifth Aunt presented with both hands to You Huan: "Lord You, please."

You Huan's gaze naturally fell upon her hand.

Mei Fifth Aunt's fingertips were pointed and slender, beautifully fine, her nails a healthy pink—first coated with a thin layer of clear polish, then dusted with a little gold powder.

This echoed the gold thread on her skirt, which flashed and sparkled under the spore lamp's light.

As You Huan took the cup, their fingers inevitably touched—Mei Fifth Aunt's nail accidentally brushed his palm mound; of course it didn't hurt, but there was a faint itch.

That fleeting gleam of gold powder seemed as if it wished to linger in the man's eye.

Yet neither showed any change in expression; Mei Fifth Aunt promptly proceeded to offer the second cup to You Su.

"Xue Youcheng is not exactly a small place." You Huan raised his cup, first lightly sniffing the tea aroma, then taking a small sip: "After my mentor, Lord Tao Ying, retired, he resided in Xue Youcheng."

"Oh, the Tao residence, deep in Xing Street." Mei Fifth Aunt pondered: "I've heard his residence was a gift from the Emperor, the largest and most imposing in Xue Youcheng. When I was young, passing by the Tao residence left me a deep impression."

You Huan continued: "I've heard that in recent years, the literary gatherings in Xue Youcheng have all been presided over by my mentor?"

"I'm not entirely sure about that." Mei Fifth Aunt said with some regret: "I left Xue Youcheng when I was very young, and as an adult, I've only returned twice."

You Su took two sips of tea, then steered the conversation back: "What is added to this tea? It tastes slightly oily and crisp, somewhat like butter tea."

Mei Fifth Aunt smiled: "I added the toad secretion from the Lei Yin Arc Toad—different from ordinary toad secretion, non-toxic, but with cooling, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, and ulcer-healing properties."

"Not bad, not bad—drink too much and you might get addicted." You Su was quite adept at flattering beautiful women.

Mei Fifth Aunt then prepared a second kind of medicinal tea for them.

Although more ingredients were added, this time You Huan tasted it in one sip and said: "Huoxiang?"

"Impressive." Mei Fifth Aunt clapped, but used her fingertips to lightly tap her palm, posture elegant: "Lord You, drink two more sips, and you'll have learned my recipe."

You Huan laughed: "Mei Fifth Aunt, you seem somewhat different from a few days ago."

Mei Fifth Aunt startled: "A few days ago?"

You Huan looked at her forehead and said only seven words: "Young Lady Sun startled a horse in the bustling market."

Upon hearing this, a plum blossom-shaped floral ornament appeared on Mei Fifth Aunt's forehead, perfectly covering the wound, adding two touches of charm.

She blinked twice, then suddenly understood: "Oh… so Lord You was also present that day! My sorry state—let you see the joke."

What does that mean? At the time, her gaze had clearly swept over You Huan, but she had paid no attention at all.

Who could remember a background figure?

"That day happened to be my late husband's memorial day." Mei Fifth Aunt sighed: "I went to buy things he loved in life, set them as offerings—never imagining such an accident would occur on the streets of Ducheng."

You Huan chuckled: "Not common; you too suffered an unjust disaster."

Mei Fifth Aunt continued on her own: "To be frank, since I took over this old tea house, I've been plagued by constant misfortune."

You Su finally found a chance to interject: "Is this tea house especially cheap?"

"Yes, I just came to Moudu, unfamiliar with the place; the matchmaker said this tea house happened to be available, large in area and low in price." Mei Fifth Aunt shook her head: "After I came to inspect it, I knew this place must have some problems. Ah, the environment is too good, the facilities too new—not only the buildings are newly constructed, but the furniture and signs are also brand-new, even the entire staff of cooks and assistants have been trained."

Since everything was ready, money and people had been invested—why did the original owner suddenly stop operating the tea house?

"On the eve of opening, the previous owner of this place was murdered, and the opening plans fell through." You Su shook his head: "Three years ago, the prior owner also died suddenly and inexplicably at home—so… this place is cheap."