NOVEL WEB Chapter 97: Teahouse in the Hidden Fog
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After resting for five minutes, Zhang Zian struggled to stand up and followed Jiang Qianxue hiking up the mountain.
The carrier interested the fans even more. Many teahouses used high-end mineral water to make tea; however, a teahouse located on top of a mountain that still used high-end water seemed quite distinctive.
How much does one pot of tea cost?
As they hiked up further, the fog seemed thicker and the humidity was very high. The sky was dark. It looked like it was going to rain soon. Maybe the street vendors down the hill were right about the rain.
When Zhang Zian almost died climbing up the stairs, the path took a sharp turn to the right and there was a flat area looking extremely like the mountaintop.
In fact, they were about 20 or 30 meters away from the top. The real mountaintop was so narrow that it wasn’t suitable for tourists. As a result, most people would stop there and call it the mountaintop. Not many people had reached the top. Although it seemed awfully quiet on their way up, there were actually quite a few tourists up there. A few college kids were taking pictures of the fog using some expensive cameras; two families who seemed to know each other were resting on the stone bench, chatting and laughing; a young couple was hiding under the trees…Zhang Zian reached into his pocket. It was too bad that he didn’t bring a lighter, otherwise he would scare the crap out of those two annoying lovebirds.
A group of strong-looking older people who hiked there every day were about to go down. When they saw how tired Zhang Zian was, they all laughed at him. “Young man, you have to get some more exercise! Look at that girl, she is much better than you!”
There were a few gazebos and stores selling food, drinks and souvenirs. Not many people would spend money there though.
There, the mysterious teahouse was standing right in front of Jiang Qianxue and Zhang Zian – Teahouse in Hidden Fog.
It was a two-level Chinese traditional style building that looked like the teahouses in old Chinese movies. Small but elegant, it looked exceptionally attractive among the other old buildings. There were some antique lanterns hanging along the eaves of the veranda. The signboard also seemed to come from some famous calligrapher. It was a beautiful piece of art.
Even though Mt. Hidden Fog wasn’t too high, building a teahouse like this had to be costly. All the building materials had to be transported up by the carriers. How long would it take for the return on investment?
Jiang Qianxue pointed her cell phone at the teahouse so her fans could see it. Zhang Zian also was using his cell phone and looking around. People thought he was taking a picture, but in fact he was searching for the elfin.
There were barely any buildings there so the elfin was very likely hiding in the teahouse.
Someone came out from the teahouse. It was the carrier they saw on their way up. Now he looked relaxed and happy with only an empty pole on his shoulder, since those four cartons of mineral water had turned into cash in his pocket. He walked around, pulled out a plastic bag and picked up the empty bottles people left behind. After, he nodded at Zhang Zian and Snowy with a smile, then followed the older group down the hill.
The college kids saw Zhang Zian and Snowy at the gate of the teahouse. They came over to tell them, “That teahouse is crazy expensive. We checked out the prices a minute ago.”
Jiang Qianxue didn’t really care. “Well, it should be a bit more expensive. The water was moved up here by the carriers.”
The kids came to tell her because she was pretty and looked like she was the same age as them. If there was only Zhang Zian, they wouldn’t have bothered.
“It is a lot more expensive,” they laughed.
Snowy was more curious after talking to them. She spoke to Zhang Zian, “Mr. Manager, want to take a look?”
Zhang Zian wiped off some sweat, “You go first. I want to take a breath out here.”
She couldn’t wait to walk in the teahouse happily.
The kids saw that Snowy walked in. They immediately turned around, but Zhang Zian stopped one of them, “How expensive is it?”
“Well, go check it out yourself,” they walked away and continued taking pictures.
Are they really taking pictures? Zhang Zian suspected that those kids came up to pretend they were taking pictures. Their real purpose was to attract pretty girls. The high-end cameras might not even belong to them.
He walked in the teahouse after cooling down for a bit.
“Welcome. How many guests in the group?” a young girl wearing a waitress uniform came up with a big smile on her face.
The décor in the teahouse was fresh and elegant. There were six sets of Chinese redwood tables and chairs. Each set was separated by a folding screen with Chinese painting. It provided privacy for each party. Wooden windows with carved patterns were wide open so the customers could look at the beautiful mountaintop view as they enjoyed the tea. Some Chinese calligraphy was hanging on the wall between the windows. However, Zhang Zian wasn’t good at art, so he could not tell what they were about. Some antique lanterns were hanging inside to light up the teahouse.
Behind the counter stood a lady in her 30swearing a traditional Chinese Qipao.
To look good in a traditional Chinese Qipao is not easy. A normal person usually could not carry it well. A high-end Qipao is usually tailored for a perfect fit.
This lady looked great in her Qipao. She looked like a classical Chinese beauty. Behind her, there was a padauk shelf which listed various kinds of tea making tools. She smiled and nodded at Zhang Zian as their eyes met.
There were no more customers.
The aroma of tea filled the teahouse.
Jiang Qianxue was showing her fans the décor in the teahouse and talking to them quietly. The female owner didn’t stop her. Zhang Zian relaxed. Not like the jewelry store, taking pictures and filming was allowed here.
The waitress understood immediately. She pointed at Snowy and asked, “are you guys together?”
Zhang Zian nodded, “yeah.”
The waitress said, “please take a seat. Let me know whenever you are ready.” She then returned to the counter and stood next to the owner. They were chatting from time to time. There was a mini copper stove with charcoal burning inside. Four different color teapots were laying on the counter side by side. They were silver, copper, black and brown.
Zhang Zian pulled out his cell phone and scanned around the teahouse. His target was found immediately.
[Game Tip]: Target confirmed – the benevolent and righteous cat.