PCJ – Chapter 578 Come and Taste the Tea

Just as class ended, Xu Chuan’an immediately latched onto Zhang Jiaohua.

“Jiaohua, Jiaohua, do that magic trick again!”

Zhang Jiaohua had no choice but to toss his ballpoint pen into the air and quickly flick it with his hand to make it spin in mid-air.

“That’s not right. It wasn’t like that just now,” Xu Chuan’an immediately shook his head. “Earlier, the pen was floating still in the air. You just gave it a gentle tap and it started spinning slowly. Your hand wasn’t even moving fast.”

“Then you show me how you think it’s done. I can’t perform it myself anyway,” Zhang Jiaohua replied, not agreeing.

“So strange… Did I just imagine it?” Xu Chuan’an scratched his head in confusion.

When school ended, Xu Chuan’an still wouldn’t let Zhang Jiaohua go and chased after him all the way to the school gate.

“Hey, Zhang Jiaohua!” A pretty figure stood not far away, waving enthusiastically. Ji Jiaxin had been standing there smiling, waiting for Zhang Jiaohua to come over.

Xu Chuan’an, still pestering Zhang Jiaohua, was stunned. “This guy really is lucky with the ladies. Why are so many pretty girls into him? If Xu Xiaoting showed up too, now that would be something.”

Xu Chuan’an turned to check behind him. Xu Xiaoting hadn’t come out yet. She hadn’t been talking much to Zhang Jiaohua these past few days—could it be because of that girl?

While Xu Chuan’an was lost in thought, Zhang Jiaohua had already reached Ji Jiaxin.

“What are you doing here?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in surprise.

“I took a leave of absence. Otherwise, you’d have vanished the moment school ended. I’ve been waiting here for a while,” Ji Jiaxin said with a smile.

“Did you need something from me?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, puzzled.

Ji Jiaxin frowned. “What? I can’t look for you unless I have a reason?”

Zhang Jiaohua quickly explained, “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I just thought it was a bit unexpected.”

Ji Jiaxin pulled an invitation from her pocket. “Your tea factory has a new tea out? Is it your own creation?”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “Yeah, made a bit of new tea. Just putting it up for auction to see how it goes.”

“I knew it! I figured the tea being auctioned by Xu Xiaoting’s auction house must’ve come from you,” Ji Jiaxin grinned.

“So you came just for that?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Nope. The tea just reminded me of you. You said you’d come find me to hang out, but I haven’t seen you at all,” Ji Jiaxin said, a little annoyed.

“You skipped class just to confront me?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, surprised.

“Of course not. You told me that if you made a new tea, I’d get a share. I haven’t tasted your new tea yet!” Ji Jiaxin said.

“That’s easy. Let’s go to Koufu Restaurant. I’ll have Fatty brew some for you to try,” Zhang Jiaohua offered.

The two of them were more mature than their peers, talking like grown-ups. Still, they got along well—Ji Jiaxin was bold and straightforward, and Zhang Jiaohua was carefree and open.

Xu Xiaoting came out much later. Xu Chuan’an was still waiting at the gate. At first, he’d intended to cover for Zhang Jiaohua, but now he hesitated—should he tell Xu Xiaoting the truth? As Zhang Jiaohua’s brother, he felt guilty, but he thought maybe it was time to “sacrifice personal loyalty for the greater good.”

“Xu Chuan’an, it’s been a while since school ended. Why are you still here?” Xu Xiaoting asked.

“Uh, I wasn’t just with Zhang Jiaohua,” Xu Chuan’an stammered nervously and almost slipped.

“Zhang Jiaohua? He hasn’t left yet?” Xu Xiaoting looked around.

“He’s gone. They’ve already left,” Xu Chuan’an replied.

“They?” Xu Xiaoting asked, puzzled. Zhang Jiaohua usually walked home alone.

“Yeah, seems like the girl lives in Guluba Hutong too,” Xu Chuan’an said awkwardly.

“Oh, that makes sense. Zhang Jiaohua must know all the folks in Guluba Hutong,” Xu Xiaoting said casually. But she felt something was off with Xu Chuan’an today. Was there more to it?

“Xu Chuan’an, are you waiting for someone else?” she asked offhandedly.

“No, not waiting for anyone!” Xu Chuan’an stammered and ran off in a panic.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua and Ji Jiaxin walked side by side toward Koufu Restaurant.

“Why did you name this tea ‘Spirit Tea’? You used to call it names like ‘Jade Immortal Brew’ and ‘Red Jade Immortal Brew.’ ‘Jade Spirit Tea’ sounds kind of plain in comparison,” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“You’ll understand after you try it. This Spirit Tea is way better than anything I’ve made before,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Even better! That means skipping class was totally worth it,” Ji Jiaxin said, then realized she slipped up.

When Zhang Jiaohua noticed, she sheepishly admitted, “I didn’t mean to skip class. The teacher sent me out earlier to run an errand, and I didn’t want to go back to school. Then I thought of you and came by.”

Zhang Jiaohua laughed. “No need to be nervous. I’m not going to tattle on you.”

“Who’s nervous? Back when I was overseas, the teachers didn’t care what we did in class. Now I feel like a dumb duck getting force-fed all day long. I’m starting to hate school. It’s my parents’ fault—they insisted on bringing me back,” Ji Jiaxin said, clearly frustrated.

As they chatted, they arrived at Koufu Restaurant.

Wu Yuan, who was greeting guests at the door, smiled brightly. “Jiaohua, brought a friend?”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “This is the guy I told you about, Fatty. His real name is Wu Yuan.”

He turned to Wu Yuan again. “This is the friend I told you about from the International Food Tasting Expo I went to as a kid. Her family helped me a lot. She wants to try our Spirit Tea—go brew her some.”

“Got it, I’ll take care of it,” Wu Yuan said and quickly got to work.

Zhang Jiaohua and Ji Jiaxin had only just sat down when Wu Yuan returned with two cups of tea. Even the fragrance wafting from the cups was intoxicating.

“Wow, this smells amazing!”

“It’s like celestial tea!”

“What kind of tea is this? I’ve never smelled anything like it!”

The aroma of the Spirit Tea caught the attention of nearby diners.

Ji Jiaxin hadn’t even taken a sip yet. Just from the smell, she said, “I’m scared to drink it now. I worry that once I do, I won’t be able to enjoy any other tea ever again.”

“If you like it, you can have as much as you want. You can even take the leftovers home,” Zhang Jiaohua said generously.