"Alright." Gu Jingtian didn't know exactly what Zhu Yanyi planned to do, but she went to communicate with the staff anyway.
Zhu Yanyi smiled and asked everyone to sit down. "Mr. George, since you are from the UK, you probably haven't truly tasted our Chinese Gongfu tea. I will personally brew it for you soon, as a welcome to our China."
"I want to see," George said, "what the difference is between this Chinese Gongfu tea and Chinese martial arts."
Zhu Yanyi laughed. "Gongfu tea is just about using the right water temperature and brewing time to bring out the best flavor of the tea leaves. It is a completely different concept from Chinese martial arts. However, there is one rule that applies to both: practice makes perfect. Brewing Gongfu tea requires long-term learning, just as martial arts require persistent practice to be effective."
"(⊙o⊙)…" George was slightly stunned. "Isn't Chinese martial arts called Kung Fu?"
"Yes, but that is martial arts Kung Fu. What I am about to show you is the Kung Fu of tea ceremony," Zhu Yanyi explained with a smile, seeming in a good mood.
Gu Jingtian returned quickly, accompanied by two staff members. One carried the tea set, and the other brought the tea leaves and water.
"I thought that since you are brewing tea and have specific requirements for water, it would be best to boil it yourself. So, I brought a small charcoal stove and some smokeless white charcoal. This should be enough for you to use for the rest of the afternoon," Gu Jingtian said with a smile. For some reason, he felt that the afternoon would likely be spent in conversation.
Zhu Yanyi gave Gu Jingtian a thumbs-up. She then inspected the small charcoal stove, placed two pieces of white charcoal inside, and brought over a clean kettle. She filled it with three parts spring water and seven parts rainwater, then placed it on the stove to boil. While the water heated up, Zhu Yanyi began preparing the tea leaves.
Looking at the leaves, a smile appeared on Zhu Yanyi's face. "It’s actually Sparrow’s Tongue, specifically Meitan Cuiya. I guess this is this year’s tribute tea."
"What is tribute tea?" George asked curiously. "And why is this tea called Sparrow’s Tongue?"
Zhu Yanyi took out a leaf and slowly unfolded it. "Look, doesn't it look like a sparrow's tongue?" Zhu Yanyi didn't mind George's questions and answered patiently. "The name 'Sparrow’s Tongue' comes from the shape of the brewed leaves, which are small and resemble a sparrow's tongue. This tea has a very unique and rich aroma. It is a high-grade bud tea made from tender shoots, and the aftertaste is quite good.
I imagine the staff chose this because they were worried you might not be used to other types of tea. Of course, Sparrow’s Tongue has different grades. The one we are drinking now is of a very top-tier quality.
As for why it’s called tribute tea, in ancient times, this Sparrow’s Tongue was reserved for the Emperor. It was offered to the royal family, and only relatives of the emperor could drink it. Ordinary people rarely got to taste it, so it was called tribute tea. Nowadays, 'tribute tea' is just a title; basically, everyone can drink it." She naturally didn't explain everything. This tribute tea had been distributed from above, and she didn't know who had provided these Sparrow’s Tongue leaves.
Having prepared the tea leaves, Zhu Yanyi checked the water and smiled. "It will be a few more minutes before it's ready. In the meantime, let me tell you about the philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Specifically, the idea I mentioned earlier: different people with the same illness require different prescriptions."