Tea-flavored Romance

"Huh? Uncle Jiang...?"

Mr. Jiang was a stern-faced middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses. Even his casual clothes couldn't hide the authority and imposing presence that came with his long-held high position. When he saw Ning Yuan appear, something flickered in his expression, but he simply nodded slightly, indicating that he had heard Ning Yuan greet him.

"Um... Is Manyue home? I need to talk to her about something."

"..."

"Come in and talk."

Even though Mr. Jiang's gaze only swept over him a few times, Master Ning felt as if he had been thoroughly seen through from head to toe, feeling a strong sense of oppression. Under the gaze of his father-in-law, Ning Yuan immediately suppressed his thoughts of causing trouble and obediently followed him into the Jiang family's gate.

The Jiang Family Death Dungeon is open! Let's go!

This was his first time stepping into the Jiang family's door. Needless to say, he was excited, but also felt uneasy. Unlike his father, Gu, who was a refined scholar, Jiang's father was the kind of big shot who had been in a high position for a long time. Even if he didn't say anything or do anything, just standing in front of you would make someone with a weak mentality bow down.

Master Ning certainly didn't want to worship, nor could he—unless he could consider worshipping when he married Manyue someday, otherwise the protagonist's halo wouldn't allow him to be so cowardly!

"Oh, Uncle...we have guests?"

During the journey, Jiang Mufeng, the spy who had infiltrated the organization, very cleverly came over to chat. Jiang's father gave a noncommittal "hmm" and then said, "Go and call your cousin over."

"Okay, I'm going right now!"

Jiang Mufeng nimbly slipped away from the two of them. Jiang's father led Ning Yuan to the reception hall. A middle-aged woman, equally gentle and refined, saw him bring people in but didn't say anything. She just smiled and asked Ning Yuan what kind of tea this guest would like.

Master Ning could roughly guess from her demeanor that she was his future mother-in-law. He was flattered and said that he was not picky about food and could drink green tea.

Jiang's mother nodded and went to boil water for tea. Ning Yuan and Jiang's father sat down one after the other. Before Jiang's father could speak, Master Ning very tactfully stated his purpose:

"Hello Uncle Jiang, I'm Manyue's friend. I wanted to visit you several times during the summer vacation, but I couldn't find a suitable opportunity, so I kept putting it off until now. I think it's a bit impolite..."

"Yes, I recognize you."

"Uncle Jiang, it's good that you recognize me..." Master Ning smiled shyly and said, "This is my first time visiting your home, Uncle and Aunt. I didn't know what to bring, so I asked Manyue about your preferences beforehand and prepared this little gift. It's just some tea and concert tickets. Please don't refuse."

As he spoke, he took out the gift he had prepared and continued, "My parents really liked the small gift I gave them when I met them at the baby's one-month celebration. They also reminded me not to forget to reciprocate. I hope you can give me this opportunity to give them a gift in return."

These words were perfectly worded. They showed that it was a matter of reciprocity, dispelling Mr. and Mrs. Jiang's natural resistance to gift-giving. At the same time, they brought up the name of Jiang Xihua, indicating that they came for her sake and that the gifts were not to ask for anything, but simply to please the parents of the girl they liked.

Just like what your daughter once did.

Your daughter visited my parents and brought two generous gifts, which made them very happy. I think it's perfectly reasonable for me to return the favor with a gift, right?

"I heard Uncle Jiang likes to drink tea. Why don't you brew this tea for me, Aunt Jiang? Try it and see if it tastes good. If it is, I'll bring you some more when I have the chance."

As he spoke, he unwrapped the gift, took out some Da Hong Pao tea, and handed it to Jiang's mother. Jiang's mother took the tea and glanced at her husband, seemingly seeking his opinion.

As a tea connoisseur, Mr. Jiang naturally possessed exceptional insight and experience. He recognized the preciousness of the tea Ningyuan had sent and gently pressed his wife's hand, saying in a deep voice:

"Xiao Ning... your tea must be quite valuable, right?"

"Tea may be expensive, but letting it gather dust in a cabinet is a waste." Master Ning did not deny this point, but replied with a smile: "I think the best treatment for a famous tea is to let people who love to drink it and know how to appreciate it appreciate it. Otherwise, it would be a great pity if it could only be drunk up by people like me."

He knew that deliberately denying the quality of the tea would make his father-in-law think he wasn't sincere, so he simply made the same choice as Jiang Xihua before—admitting that it was a good product, but even if it was good, it wouldn't be as good as giving it to someone who knows its value.

Back then, Ning's father was delighted by Miss Manyue's charm, his face beaming with smiles. Now, times have changed, and his father-in-law's skill level is clearly much higher than his own father's. He gave a nonchalant "hmm," his expression revealing neither joy nor anger, and simply released his wife's hand, replying:

"Tea is meant to be drunk, so there's no question of understanding it or not. Since Xiao Ning says she doesn't understand tea, then she should drink more good tea."

Upon hearing this, Mother Jiang smiled and picked up the priceless Da Hong Pao tea to boil water again and brew tea: "Should we have Manyue brew it? She brews it better than I do."

"I just sent Mufeng to call her, she should be here soon."

"Okay, then I'll boil water and wash the teaware first."

Seeing that his flattery hadn't been very effective, Master Ning was somewhat disappointed but not surprised. His father-in-law, in his high position, had seen all sorts of flattery; his own skills weren't enough to move him. So, Ning Yuan shifted his focus to Jiang's mother, who was standing nearby.

“Aunt Jiang, I originally wanted to give you cosmetics as a gift, but after meeting you, I was suddenly glad that I didn’t choose those things that are completely useless to your temperament.” Master Ning continued shamelessly, “Luckily, Manyue told me that you were in a cultural troupe when you were young. I thought you would be more interested in classical music, so I bought you two concert tickets. They happen to be during the Lunar New Year holiday. If you like, you can go with Uncle Jiang.”

Mother Jiang put down her teacup, took the ticket, glanced at it, looked Master Ning up and down, and smiled as she replied, "Yes, Little Ning, you're very thoughtful."

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Master Ning had humbled himself to offer a gift, and as elders, they could not possibly refuse, especially since his reasons were so sufficient and reasonable.

"Oh, not at all. The gift she gave me for her full moon celebration was much more thoughtful than mine... cough cough... hasn't she come out yet?"

"Should I go take a look?"

"Alright," Jiang's father replied, "Let's see if he's feeling unwell."

Upon hearing this, Master Ning immediately sensed that his father-in-law's words had a hidden meaning. He thought to himself, "Are you implying that if things don't go well when my mother-in-law comes out, you'll use this excuse to send me away?"

I've already given the gift, so I can't really wait until tomorrow's New Year's Eve dinner to see Miss Manyue, can I? Wouldn't I just die a bloody death at the New Year's Eve dinner?

So, Master Ning once again put on his best acting skills and asked with concern:

"Has the baby been feeling unwell lately? Is it serious? Has she seen a doctor?"

"The weather might have changed a bit too quickly, and you might have caught a chill. If so, you'll be fine after lying down for a while." Mother Jiang began to lay the groundwork for seeing the guests off later.

"This is not something to be taken lightly," Master Ning said seriously. "Uncle and Aunt, to be honest, I know a little about medicine. I've even helped with Old Master Gu's illness. If you don't mind, I can go and take a look for you."

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

"Don't worry, it's no trouble at all. My relationship with Manyue is far from troublesome." Master Ning said solemnly, "Please trust me, Uncle and Aunt, I dare not say that the medicine will cure the disease completely, but at the very least, it will be a miraculous cure!"

Father Jiang: "..."

Mother Jiang: "..."

Has this kid become so thick-skinned that he can ignore subtext?

Chapter 337: It's not me who's wronged, it's Sister Manyue who's wronged!

"The full moon should be coming soon, let's wait a little longer," Mr. Jiang said in a deep voice. "Just have your Aunt Jiang make some tea."

“Oh dear, Uncle Jiang, Manyue isn’t usually this unreasonable.” Master Ning said seriously, “Normally, she should at least come out to see me, her guest. She’s acting so strangely today. Could she really be sick? Perhaps I should go and take a look at her?”

Father Jiang: "..."

Mother Jiang: "..."

"Like I said before, please don't find it troublesome. You can all see the relationship between me and Manyue. I feel sorry for her when she's sick... Anyway, which direction is Manyue's room in? Auntie, could you show me the way?"

Jiang's mother paused slightly, then looked to her husband for his opinion again. Jiang's father, having lived most of his life, had rarely encountered someone so unpredictable in their moves. He frowned slightly, somewhat helpless, but thankfully his brow quickly relaxed, and he nodded, saying:

"Then you should go and see for yourself..."

The unspoken message was: if you're so capable, go find my daughter's room and try to break in. Don't try to use us as a shield to attract attention. Your Aunt Jiang is here enjoying tea with me. Whatever the problem is, you young people should handle it yourselves; it's none of our business.

Master Ning is a smart man, and the advantage of communication between smart people is that it's simple and easy to understand, unless one party is deliberately feigning ignorance. Ning Yuan had already feigned ignorance once, but it was clearly unwise to do so repeatedly. So he nodded, stood up, and said:

"Then I'll go see the full moon. Uncle and Aunt, please have some tea first. I'll be right back."

"Go."

Watching the shameless young man leave, Mother Jiang gently put down the teacup she was carrying, glanced at Master Ning, and casually said:

"This child's personality is quite suitable for a full moon celebration; at least the two of them won't both stay silent."

“What good is being suitable? If Manyue likes him, then everything will be fine. But look at him now, Manyue doesn’t even want to see him. In my opinion, things are hopeless.”

"Perhaps his involvement with the Gu family has upset your daughter. You know your daughter's temper; no one can persuade her."

"Heh, let that kid have his own luck. I'm not really optimistic about him."

"You say you're not optimistic, but you still accept the tea they give you without any hesitation," Jiang's mother scolded. "You don't even know how to make your daughter proud."

"We already gave it to his family before the full moon celebration, so what's wrong with returning the favor? ... Put less tea in... Drink it sparingly."

"If Manyue knew that her father sold her for a few ounces of tea, I don't know how angry she would be with you." Mother Jiang sighed softly, "Although he asked Manyue in advance, he still tried to please us, and the gifts he prepared were so thoughtful... I still have a bad feeling."

What's this feeling of unease?

"I don't know, it's just a feeling." Mother Jiang said casually, "Forget it, I'll just be like you and not see it and not worry about it. Anyway, Manyue has always been opinionated. As long as she feels that she is doing well, that's enough."

"Too."

Seeing that the conversation in the living room hadn't reached Ning Yuan's ears, and having received Jiang's father's permission, Master Ning finally felt more confident. He left the front living room and strode confidently towards Jiang Xihua's room. Judging from the layout of the houses, Manyue's room and Xuebao's room faced each other, meaning that if Ning Yuan could find Gu Guanxue's room in the connected backyard of the Gu and Jiang families, then he could…

That sounds like a lot of trouble. Let's just call in the mole.

[With strength to uproot mountains and an aura that overshadows the world!]

Unfortunately, even with such a classic code summoning him, the mole seemed unwilling to come out and lead Ning Yuan in such a dangerous dungeon.

Having no other choice, Master Ning could only bite the bullet and start searching. Along the way, he didn't see Miss Manyue, but he did bump into other members of the Jiang family one after another.

Seeing Ning Yuan appear in their home, most of the Jiang family members understood what was going on. They didn't think about helping the lost scumbag. They just glanced at him with slight surprise, nodded as if to say hello, and then continued with their own business.

Master Ning: I've wanted to ask this for a long time, why do the Gu family and the Jiang family all seem to have seen me before... It's one thing for the Gu family, but when Xuebao asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, the photos were definitely seen by the entire Gu family, but Manyue...

Could it be that every time I walked Jiang Xihua home during that entire summer vacation, dozens of eyes were lurking in the darkness watching my every move?

Thinking about it this way, Master Ning suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. As he trembled, the previously silent Undercover Agent Number One suddenly responded with the coded message:

The times are against me, and my steed will not go.

【Dusk Wind! Come find me quickly, your cousin-in-law is lost... Your Jiang family's yard seems quite big, huh...】

Okay. Where are you now?

Comrade Xiao Jiang replied quickly, and Master Ning, without suspecting anything, simply took a picture of the scenery in front of him and sent it over.

Turn left, walk straight for 20 meters, then turn right; it's the first door.

[Alright! Your brother-in-law hasn't been spoiling you for nothing! He'll send you a 50 RMB discount coupon for a Bugatti Veyron later!]

Having successfully secured the address of the Full Moon room, Master Ning was overjoyed and hurried over there. However, he had only just reached the bottom of the stairs when he heard a heartbroken wail from the second floor:

“Sister Manyue, this is really my first offense. He provoked me first! I really wanted to refuse at first, but I couldn't help it. Under his coercion and enticement, I made a mistake and did this wrong thing… I regret it, I really regret it…”

"Nonsense! Sister Manyue, don't listen to him, that old bastard is siding with outsiders! I saw the two of them huddled together at the door for a long time!"

"Jiang Muyu! Do you have a grudge against me? You actually stalked me!"

"Who's following you? You've been gone for ages picking up my package, is it wrong for me to go out and check on you? Don't you know how important the joy of unpacking a package is to a little girl like me?"

"You!!! Sister Manyue, please give me another chance! I'll become a counter-espionage agent! From now on, I've been turned! I'm wholeheartedly loyal to the Jiang family and will never give them another chance! I'll atone for my crimes! Please, organization, give me another chance!"

Master Ning: "..."

My mole, who hadn't even been planted for more than an hour, was exposed just like that?

He didn't even have a chance to say that classic line, "Three years later, then another three years," before he tragically sacrificed himself in Master Ning's harem endeavors, becoming a heavy responsibility on Ning Yuan's shoulders, urging him to relentlessly strive for that lofty and great goal...

So how was he discovered this time? From the conversation, it seems like his sister ganked and found him?