The actor stood up, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him. Gong Jie took it and asked curiously, âWhat kind of tea is this?â
âI donât know. I think thatâs the only box in the liquor cabinet.â
âDa Hong Pao?â All Gong Jie could remember was that there was a reserve of Da Hong Pao and Taiping Houkui on the jet. They were tea set aside for VIPs.
âDa Hong Pao?â The actor was amazed to hear that. âIs this a real Da Hong Pao or a fake one?â
!!
The reason he asked this was not because he doubted Gong Jie, but because the Da Hong Pao was really the noblest among the tea leaves and was extremely rare.
Da Hong Pao, produced in the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian Province, is a oolong tea of excellent quality. There were very few Da Hong Pao in history to begin with, and the most recognized Da Hong Pao were only those few trees on the Nine Dragon Wall in the Forbidden City.
Because the Da Hong Pao tea trees grow on the cliffs, no one could climb them. Every year, during harvest time, the monks would use fruits as bait to train the monkeys to pick these tea leaves. Therefore, some people called it âmonkey picked teaâ. Because of this, there is only a very small production.
The Da Hong Pao tea tree is a hundred feet tall, and its leaves are as big as a palm. It grows on the cliffs and the wind blows the leaves down. The monks made it into tea that could cure many illnesses.
In the best years, the tea production is no more than a few hundred grams, not even enough to make up a kilogram. The vast majority of it is provided to the powerful. The Da Hong Pao on the market is not considered pure.
No wonder there was only so little of it. Heâd thought it was just remains of what Gong Jie had drunk, so heâd steeped all of it. No wonder it was so strong. At this thought, Hua Jin became uneasy!
Da Hong Pao was so rare. Oh God! It was actually a Da Hong Pao! If it were the real deal⦠then wouldnât he have been awfully wasteful?
âYou think Iâll drink fake tea leaves?â
âNo⦠noâ¦â
He had steeped dozens of grams of tea leaves in one go. He felt like he had drunk a 100 million yuan worth of tea.
âItâs too thick.â Gong Jie muttered something, then asked casually, âDonât tell me youâve steeped all of it?â
Blushing guiltily, Hua Jin said, âYes.â Looking embarrassed, he continued, âI thought⦠they were just ordinary tea leaves.â
Gong Jieâs expression darkened. âYou think my tea leaves are ordinary? â¦â
âNo, I didnât mean it that wayâ¦â The actor looked down guiltily. âI can always make it up to youâ¦â
âI bought this tea from an auction. Five million for 50 grams. Youâll make it up to me?â
The actorâs breath caught in his throat, making it hard to breathe. However, he didnât want Gong Jie to think too little of him. He braced himself. âIâll pay for it. Itâs not like I canât afford it.â
After being in the entertainment industry for so many years, it would be unreasonable to say that he was not of monied background. Although this five million yuan was not a sky-high price, just these few dozen grams of tea leaves made all his internal organs squirm with pain.
The actor bargained, âFive million. Iâll pay you two and a half million.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWhy two and a half million?â Gong Jie asked, confused.
The actor pursed his lips and motioned to the teacup in his brotherâs hand. âYouâve had your share, havenât you? The drinker pays his share.â
âIs that how you calculate?â Gong Jie was not pleased. âYouâve steeped all the excellent tea leaves in one go and theyâve lost all their essence. And you have the nerve to say that the drinker pays his share?â
The actor felt even more guilty. He muttered something to himself, but it was hard to make out what he was muttering.
How painful!
Gong Jie was suddenly amused to see Hua Jin sitting there like a pincushion, and his anger immediately subsided.