お茶を鑑賞する美学の道

[-] Sure, that's one kind of tea ceremony.
[player] What makes you say that?
[-] Fei Ming smiles, then points to the teapot with his fan.
[Fei Ming] Brewing directly in boiled water is a tea ceremony. Grinding it into a powder and adding boiled water to turn it into a paste is a tea ceremony. Gulping it down to quench your thirst is a tea ceremony, as is tasting it in small sips.
[Fei Ming] Tea ceremony is an art of the heart. It doesn't matter what form you practice it in.
[Fei Ming] So, I suggest you make a fresh pot. Don't waste the fine tea she picked out for you.
[Yuan Xiao] Hehe, you're the one who told me to pick out whatever I wanted. You better not dock it from my pay later!
[Fei Ming] Since you have time for chitchat, how about fetching your new friend here some fresh spring water? As for you... why don't you start by getting to know this tea a little.
[player] How do I do that?
[Fei Ming] What does the scent make you think of?
[player] Forests, mountains, mountain streams... Stuff like that.
[Fei Ming] Oolong tea is produced in mountainous regions interlaced with rivers. So, your description is actually quite fitting.
[Fei Ming] Once the tea leaves are harvested, they must be sun withered, or dried. The sun is just right for this at around four or five o'clock in the afternoon. The leaves are spread out evenly to allow the moisture to evaporate...
[player] Between four and five p.m., the sun is...
[-] Fei Ming's descriptions are so immersive that I feel like I'm actually experiencing the process of making tea.
[-] In a tea field halfway up the mountainside, tea pickers quickly pluck young shoots from branch after branch. Meanwhile, in a farmhouse nearby, tea leaves are being neatly arranged stack by stack...
[Fei Ming] There's no hard and fast rule for making tea. The best approach is whichever suits the tea in front of you.
A while later
[-] By the time I've made a new pot of tea, everyone's been quiet for a while now. Many have their eyes fixed on the amber-colored tea before me, which fills the room with a lingering, faintly floral fragrance.
[-] Before I know it, Mr. Zhao is already in the seat in front of me. Without saying a word, he raises one of the cups of tea I've poured and takes a sip.
[Mr. Zhao] Premium Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong. The poor climate in Nanxiang these last couple of years led to a decline in production, so you can hardly get it anywhere on Champion Street. And here you used it in the competition, hmph.
[Fei Ming] I think you have praise for more than just the tea.
[Mr. Zhao] Unbelievable. Who would've thought someone so unremarkable was actually a little tea genius.
[player] Wait, is that praise?
[Mr. Zhao] Hmph! It's a nice thought, but there's nothing I despise more than a phony tea expert. You may have gotten lucky this time, but this is where your luck runs out.
[-] Having said his piece, Mr. Zhao raises the other cup and finishes it in a single gulp. He then departs just as swiftly.
[Yuan Xiao] He's... leaving? How is his tea then?
[Yuan Xiao] What the heck! This is like having someone barge in while I'm doing my homework, rip up my notebook, and run off!
[player] Could Mr. Zhao... actually be a tsundere?
[Fei Ming] Heh. Vulgar people and high society just don't mix.
[-] Mr. Zhao's sudden departure whips the crowd into a frenzy. Yuan Feng promptly stands up and politely directs a question to the judges.
[Yuan Feng] Excuse me, but since the other competitor has left, may I ask if the winner is...?
[Mr. Dong] The three of us were just discussing this. The fact is, each had their strengths and weaknesses. Mr. Zhao's tea was refined and consistent--perfect, even. But too much perfection is a flaw in itself. It makes the tea too inaccessible.
[Mr. Wang] Indeed. On the other hand, our young friend here--though slightly clumsy in technique--managed to resonate with tea and adapt to the circumstances under Fei Ming's direction. This actually brought out the greatest possible fragrance... It's hard to determine the winner.
[Mr. Wu] Why don't we call this round a draw then?
[San Niang] With all due respect, Magical Dream did not brew their tea using the proper methods. How could it be a draw?
[Mr. Dong] That's not entirely accurate, San Niang. Of the two competitors from Magical Dream, one pursued an ancient technique and the other engaged in a dance of sorts with the tea. It serves to remind us just what the art of tea brewing is.
[Mr. Dong] It's either immutable and cautious or showcases the tea leaves' true charm. The three of us subscribe to the latter interpretation.
[Mr. Wu] Shameful as it is, after studying tea ceremony my entire life, it was the younger generation that really taught me this lesson.
[San Niang] But...
[-] Paying no further attention to San Niang, the judges--waxing poetic and exchanging impassioned interjections--walk off together.
[-] San Niang glares fiercely at me through the crowd. She then grabs hold of Mr. Li--who's been slumped over dejectedly ever since they lost the first round--and drags him out of the tea house with her.
[Yuan Feng] See, what did I tell you? You have a grudge being held against you now.
[player] ...
[Yuan Xiao] So, did we win?
[Fu Ji] Yep, you won.
[Yuan Xiao] Hurray! We won, kind soul! We won!
[player] I guess that makes me something of a hero then.
[-] I take a few steps back, whip out the contract I prepared well in advance, and present it to him with a standard professional smile.
[player] If you'd please take a look, Mr. Fei Ming...
[-] To my surprise, Fei Ming doesn't take it. Instead, he waves it away, tosses a seal stamp to Yuan Xiao, and heads up to the third floor.
[Yuan Xiao] Deal.
[player] Huh?
[Yuan Xiao] The boss's seal! Hurry, where do I stamp? Aww... If I'd known, I would have made another contract to give me a raise and given it a good stamp.
[player] That's dangerous thinking, I'd stop if I were you.
[player] Still, Mr. Fei Ming is much easier to talk to than I imagined.
[Yuan Feng] Not so. Had Fuuka Minami come here instead, I'm afraid there'd be no hope for your partnership.
[player] Why?
[Yuan Feng] Firstly, New Moon bends over backward for her for fear of doing anything to offend her--behavior which Fei Ming himself despises.
[Yuan Feng] Secondly, as a businesswoman, Fuuka Minami is an expert in cost-benefit analysis. Were this tea competition mishandled, both parties would take offense, and she'd most certainly find an excuse to wash her hands off the whole affair--naturally leaving the proposed partnership with Fei Ming dead in the water.
[Yuan Feng] So, my friend... you really were the hero of the day in every respect.
[player] Hehe, aw shucks, all these compliments are embarrassing me. It's fine though, you can keep going. I can take it.
[Yuan Feng] Haha, you really are something.
[Yuan Feng] The truth is, this should have been an uneventful matter, but your involvement breathed life back into it. It's quite interesting, really. I think Fei Ming realized that as well, which is why he agreed to cooperate with you.
[Yuan Xiao] Okay. I've had a quick look at the contract, and Fei Ming will decide which tea to supply. He'll hash out the other details with your boss.
[Yuan Xiao] Now all you have to do is go back, enjoy a well-deserved rest, and pick up the tea samples tomorrow so you can report back.
[player] You mean... I'm done with work for the day?
[Yuan Xiao] No, silly! We're ALL done with work for the day! Hurray for clocking out! Hurray for no more tea competition!
[Ichihime] Hurray for food, nyaa!
[Mai Aihara] Huh? Then... um, h-hurray for d-dinner with Master!