Lu Guanyi had likely already sent someone to inform Master Zhineng about serving as a mediator, as the master showed no surprise at their arrival. Nevertheless, Lu Guanyi still explained the matter of the contract signing to him again.

Master Zhineng expressed his willingness to serve as mediator.

So Ye Chongming, Lu Guanyi, and Qi Ji signed the contract. After signing, Qi Ji would take it back to the government office to have it officially registered, converting it into a red contract.

Once the contract was signed, Lu Guanyi repeated to Master Zhineng what Ye Yaming had said earlier.

Master Zhineng was more interested in this matter and clasped his hands in respect to Ye Yaming, saying: “This old man has few interests in life, except for tea. Since the young lady possesses superior tea brewing skills, would you be willing to brew a pot of tea for this old man? I would be happy to offer you a piece of calligraphy as a token of my gratitude.”

Not only was Ye Chongming delighted to hear this, but even Qi Ji was deeply surprised.

Who didn’t know that Master Zhineng’s calligraphy was extremely difficult to obtain? Only those whom he particularly admired, whose character, temperament, and scholarship all impressed him, would receive a piece of his calligraphy. Otherwise, even imperial relatives and nobles couldn’t hope to get a single character from him.

Master Zhineng had been good friends with Lu Guanyi’s grandfather, and Lu Guanyi had spent some time living at Chongshan Temple with his grandfather when he was young.

Now that Lu’s grandfather had passed away, out of respect for his old friend and also because Master Zhineng liked the young man, he was willing to treat Lu Guanyi differently. However, when Qi Ji, as Lu’s good friend and cousin, had once shamelessly asked Lu Guanyi to express his desire for a piece of calligraphy, he had been completely ignored by Master Zhineng.

Yet now, just for Ye Yaming’s tea that he hadn’t even tasted yet, Master Zhineng was willing to give her a piece of calligraphy, which made Qi Ji intensely jealous.

Although Ye Yaming didn’t know how difficult it was to obtain Master Zhineng’s calligraphy, she understood that the Master’s status was noble and that he lived a pure and simple life. It was difficult enough just to meet him, let alone receive his calligraphy. His work was undoubtedly priceless.

Therefore, she was also greatly delighted and immediately stood up to bow, saying: “Then Ming’er will humbly present my poor skills.”

The young novice monk Jingchen, upon hearing that Ye Yaming was skilled at brewing tea, had been bursting with curiosity. From a young age, he had possessed a keen sense of taste and exceptional tea brewing skills. Even Ye Jiaxing, the Second Master of the Ye family, known for his excellent sense of taste, couldn’t match him in taste sensitivity or tea brewing skills.

Although he was young and good-natured, Jingchen was quite proud of his unrivaled tea brewing skills. When he heard Ye Chongming boasting about his granddaughter’s tea brewing abilities, he was inwardly dismissive.

However, he didn’t show any of this on the surface. Upon hearing that Ye Yaming was going to brew tea, he went to light the stove set up nearby.

Bai Rui, as Ye Yaming’s maid, had accompanied her to Chongshan Temple and entered the Buddha hall. She carried the tea utensils that Ye Yaming had prepared.

Now, seeing Ye Yaming sit at the table, she quickly stepped forward, opened the bamboo chest, first taking out the tablecloth to spread on the table, then handing Ye Yaming the tea utensils one by one as needed.

To demonstrate her tea art, Ye Yaming had trained Bai Rui thoroughly, and the mistress and servant had practiced together several times at home, mainly to develop their coordination.

Now, Bai Rui handed the tea utensils to Ye Yaming in the order they had practiced at home.

Ye Yaming accepted each utensil and placed it in its respective position.

This was the arrangement of the tea ceremony, designed both for convenient handling of the utensils and for aesthetic appeal. The tea ceremony arrangement included the tablecloth, table runner, flower arrangement, and other items, along with the matching tea utensils for the theme.

To harmonize with the ambiance of the meditation room at Chongshan Temple, she had chosen a simple and steady tablecloth and table runner. For the flower arrangement, she used only a single dried branch in a very rustic vase; the style of the tea utensils was also very simple, in a clean, warm white color.

Jingchen watched as Ye Yaming casually arranged the tea utensils, creating an elegant beauty, with everything placed conveniently at hand. He couldn’t help but let out a light “hmm” of surprise, his expression becoming extraordinarily serious and focused.

“An expert reveals their skill with just one move.” Without needing further demonstration, just from the way she arranged the tea utensils, Jingchen could tell that Ye Yaming was a true expert in tea brewing. This alone was worth learning from her.

Although servants were common in this era, tea was considered a refined pursuit, and everyone present had brewed tea before. Especially Master Zhineng and Ye Chongming, who had been immersed in tea for decades, naturally noticed Ye Yaming’s skillful movements.

Ye Chongming raised an eyebrow.

His granddaughter was always full of surprises for him.

Although Ye Yaming had brewed tea for him before, this tea ceremony setup and these tea utensils were new to him.

Soon, the water came to a boil, and Jingchen helped bring it to the table.

Good floral teas required six to nine scenting processes for the flower’s fragrance to permeate the tea, which was why floral teas were heavily roasted. Generally, the water temperature for brewing needs to be around ninety degrees Celsius.

Ye Yaming first warmed the teapot and cups, then poured the water into the water vessel. By then, the water temperature had dropped to ninety degrees Celsius.

She took the tea leaves and poured them into the pot, then added water.

Master Zhineng, Lu Guanyi, and the others had initially been quietly and attentively watching Ye Yaming brew tea out of respect. But with this movement, they were no longer merely being polite but were unconsciously drawn to her.

It was currently mid-morning, and the sun shone obliquely through the doorframe and window lattice into the room. The beautiful young woman in a light green dress was sitting at the tea table covered with a dark green cloth, her features as delicate as a painting, her shoulders, neck, and figure presenting beautiful curves.

Her tea brewing movements were exceedingly elegant, gentle yet graceful, with a beautiful rhythm, and her expression was so focused. It was as if she wasn’t brewing the ordinary tea that everyone was accustomed to drinking, but something with life.

She treasured it, contemplated it, and carefully and mindfully grasped every moment of its life form. Warming the cups, pouring the tea, adding water—without even seeing what was happening inside the pot, they could sense the dry tea leaves gradually unfurling under the moistening of the clear water, revealing their original form, permeating their most beautiful fragrance, and releasing their essence.

Steam rose from the sweet white porcelain teapot, and the fragrance of tea and osmanthus instantly spread through the air.

Master Zhineng, Lu Guanyi, and Qi Ji fixed their gazes on Ye Yaming. Even these two young men, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, had no romantic thoughts at this moment; they were completely overwhelmed by Ye Yaming’s attitude toward the tea.

When Ye Yaming poured the tea into the cups and looked up to signal Jingchen to serve the tea, she saw that the young novice’s face was flushed, his expression excited, his eyes astonishingly bright, staring directly at her as if she were some rare treasure. Even when he met her signaling gaze, he didn’t snap out of it.

She had to speak: “Young master, please serve the tea.”

Only then did Jingchen seem to awaken from a dream. He beamed a big smile at Ye Yaming and blurted out: “Miss Ye, you are truly amazing.”

Ye Yaming smiled gently at him, handed over the tea tray, then rose to bow to Master Zhineng before returning to sit below Ye Jiaxing.

Master Zhineng accepted the tea served by Jingchen and solemnly observed its color and inhaled its aroma before bringing it to his lips, taking a small sip, and closing his eyes to savor it carefully.

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji did the same.