"Li’s Tea House..."
Reading the shop name softly from the horizontal plaque next to the cloth banner, the young man felt his brain short-circuiting.
The tea house’s storefront wasn’t very large, spanning three bays wide. Its white walls and black tiles weren’t much different from the other buildings on the street. The only difference was that this shop’s wooden panel doors had been completely taken down, opening the entire space to the street. It formed a stark contrast with the other tightly shuttered shops.
But the problem was that, according to the travel guides, while the original West City Street wasn’t short, not a single shop was open along the entire street, save for the Yongtong Bridge in the middle. So what was the deal with this tea house that looked like it had been pulled straight out of a period piece movie?
He was now starting to believe what the guy at the ticket office had said. The Ancient City’s recent construction and renovation of West City Street—no, he should call it Qinghe Street now—was a massive upgrade. Aside from the gravel and dirt road underfoot that took some getting used to, the atmosphere, the architecture, and even Li’s Tea House with its fluttering cloth banner just ahead all gave him the inexplicable illusion of having traveled through time!
"Hey, there’s someone over there. Let’s go take a look!"
Compared to the young man, who was used to observing and analyzing, the young woman’s reaction was much more direct. Seeing a person standing at the entrance of the tea house, she immediately pulled her boyfriend over.
"Good morning, esteemed guests!"
As they approached, Si, who had spotted them long ago, immediately came forward and greeted them enthusiastically. "Would you like to come in and sit for a cup of tea? The tea leaves are freshly ground and whisked on the spot. We have Yuqian and Xianchun varieties. Whatever suits your fancy!"
His tone of voice was noticeably different from the staff at other tourist attractions. It carried a familiar, street-smart warmth, and his voice was particularly clear and bright.
The young couple, on the other hand, was left a bit bewildered by his enthusiasm. Their first impression was that this man—dressed in period clothing like an ancient waiter—had a very strange accent. If it was a local accent, some of the intonations and vocabulary were quite different. Instead, it sounded more like the speech of ancient people in movies and TV shows, only much more authentic.
"Do you want to go in and sit for a bit?" the young woman asked softly after a moment of hesitation.
The young man didn’t speak. Instead, he swept a glance over the interior of the shop. The lighting inside was a bit dimmer than outside. There were a few old square tables and a few wooden benches. Sitting behind the counter was a man in his fifties who looked like the Shopkeeper, flipping through a blue-covered booklet.
A scent mingling charcoal and tea powder drifted out from the shop. The young man sniffed; it was faintly fragrant and very pleasant to smell. But he was still a bit hesitant. Whenever he traveled, he was the type to visit the core attractions first before exploring other things. The Yongtong Bridge was right in front of him, and he didn’t want to alter his plans for a tea house.
The young woman, however, didn’t give him much time to think. She stepped right into the shop. Seeing this, the young man had no choice but to hurry after her.
Led by Si, the two sat down at a table by the window. As soon as they sat, they were drawn to the items on the table.
The first things that caught their eyes were four upturned bowls. The young woman curiously picked one up. Upon closer inspection, she found the bowl’s shape a bit odd. It was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, feeling slightly heavy in her hand. It seemed to be made of pottery, but the finish looked aged, as if it had been used for many years. Putting the bowl down, she looked at the small woven basket to the side, which contained several perfectly square tea cakes.
"Please wait a moment, you two. I will whisk up a bowl for you to see right away."
Temporarily ignoring the two curious guests, Si left those words behind and walked briskly back to the tea-whisking station next to the counter to get to work.
The tea-whisking station wasn’t large. On it sat a small iron mortar, a silk sieve, a few tea canisters, and a small charcoal stove. Under the young couple’s curious gazes, he scooped a spoonful of coarse tea powder from one of the canisters, poured it into the iron mortar, and gripped the grinding wheel, pushing it back and forth a few times.
A moment later, once the tea powder was ground, he poured it into the silk sieve. Tapping his fingers lightly along the rim of the sieve, he waited until the finest powder drifted into the bowl below. Then he lifted the Copper Pot, picked up an empty bowl, poured in boiling water to warm the inside, and dumped it out.
Next, he picked up a bamboo tea spoon, scooped a spoonful of the newly sifted fine tea powder into the warm, empty bowl, added a small amount of boiling water, and stirred it a few times until it formed a paste.
Then, he held an ewer in one hand—it was made of copper, with a long spout and a slender neck, its opening only as wide as the eye of a needle. In his other hand, he held a bamboo tea whisk. As he tilted the ewer, a thin stream of water poured into the bowl while his whisk began to rapidly beat the mixture.
SWISH, SWISH, SWISH...
The tea whisk made a swishing sound against the bowl. Si’s wrist turned extremely fast, and under his rapid whisking, a layer of fine, white, milky foam gradually rose over the tea.
The young couple stared unblinkingly at this tea-whisking process. The young woman, in particular, had her mouth slightly open, entirely forgetting to pull out her phone to record it. While the young man also watched with extreme focus, his attention was mainly on Si’s hands. He had never seen such steady hands; the wrists turned quickly and evenly. It felt like it must have taken at least a decade of practice to master.
Just as the two were won over by Si’s tea-whisking skills, Si brought the finished bowl of tea over and gently set it on the table.
Looking at the light green tea inside the bowl, and especially the delicate white milky foam on top, the young woman took a deep sniff, only to feel a rich aroma assault her senses.
"Wait a second, I need to take a picture!"
The young woman already felt deep regret for failing to record Si’s tea-whisking process earlier. Now that the tea was on the table, she insisted on taking a picture first no matter what. Watching the young woman snap photos non-stop with her phone—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK—Si didn’t dodge, only turning his face slightly away.
He didn’t know what this glowing board was used for, but he remembered the Shopkeeper’s words—work more, meddle less, and ask no questions.
"Is this... the ’whisked tea’ you mentioned?" the young man couldn’t help but ask Si, taking advantage of his girlfriend being busy taking photos.
"Exactly." Smiling and nodding, Si made an inviting gesture. "Would you care for a taste, esteemed guests? This bowl is on the house, just to show you something new. If you find it to your liking, please come again next time."
Hearing this, the young man wanted to say something, but the young woman, having finished her photos, couldn’t hold back any longer. She picked up the tea bowl and carefully took a sip.
"What a... unique flavor."
With some milky foam stuck to her lips, the young woman remained completely oblivious after her sip. "It doesn’t taste much like tea. It’s a bit rich, yet very smooth. Slightly bitter upon entering the mouth, but the aftertaste is a bit fragrant..."
As she spoke, she took another sip, then gave her final verdict with a face full of smiles: "It’s delicious!"
Hearing that, the young man couldn’t resist taking a sip as well. He then frowned in thought, seemingly searching his brain for something to compare this flavor to.
"It feels a bit like matcha..." After a moment of thought, he finally found his answer. But soon, he shook his head again. "No, matcha still isn’t quite like this. I can’t get used to drinking matcha at all, but this whisked tea..."
Looking at the tea bowl that the two of them had nearly finished, he was absolutely certain in his heart. If he had the chance, he would definitely come back to taste this intricately crafted whisked tea again.