“You understand.” The Madam said, lifting her teapot to refill her own cup.
Mu Hua watched her Madam thoughtfully. After a moment, she brought her teacup to her lips, blew away the rising steam, and said, “Mother, you say… this tea is truly fragrant.” She then smiled cautiously.
The Madam picked up her teacup and, seeing Mu Hua’s apprehensive expression, asked, “What are you thinking about?” She had noticed something amiss with Mu Hua since a while ago.
Mu Hua’s expression stiffened. She forced a smile and replied, “Nothing, Mother.”
“Nothing,” the Madam took a sip of tea. “This tea isn’t fragrant at all.”
“Mother, it really is fragrant,” Mu Hua continued with a strained smile.
The Madam looked at Mu Hua’s forced expression, then put down her teacup. With a casual gesture, she lifted the teapot lid, gazing at the tea leaves that nearly filled the pot. “For those who know how to appreciate tea, it’s a delicacy. But for those who don’t…”
“Mother, what are you trying to say?” Mu Hua sensed a hidden meaning in her Madam’s words.
The Madam smiled faintly and placed the lid back beside the teapot. “Let me finish speaking. Interrupting an elder is a sign of ill manners.”
Mu Hua lowered her eyes slightly.
The Madam continued, “But those who don’t know how to appreciate tea, simply won’t come to like it. To them, this tea is just one flavor – bitter, unpleasant. Of course,” she pursed her lips and smiled, “I am one of those who cannot appreciate tea.”
In Mu Hua’s eyes, her Madam had always loved the art of tea, possessing a deep understanding of tea leaves. Especially with Mu Gui, her Madam always knew what to say. Every time Mu Hua witnessed it, she felt her mother was truly formidable.
But now, her Madam had suddenly said this, which surprised Mu Hua greatly. “Mother, you’re lying.”
“Your mother is not lying to you. In truth,” the Madam took a deep breath, “I detest tea.”
Mu Hua’s eyes widened. “Mother, you always said you liked it.”
“I lied to you.”
“Lied…” Mu Hua uttered the word, tears welling up in her eyes. “Mother, you must be joking.”
All along, in Mu Hua’s eyes, her Madam was the most capable woman, for whom nothing was insurmountable. Now, she had exposed herself in such a manner.
This caused a sense of disillusionment in Mu Hua, who had always admired her.
“I am not lying to you,” the Madam said, glancing towards the door. “Remember this, you are a young lady of noble birth. A girl who disregards rules will naturally be punished.”
“Mother, how many more things are you keeping from me?” Mu Hua wanted to be completely disappointed at once.
The Madam smiled. “Only this one.”
Hearing this, Mu Hua breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Really?”
“Really,” the Madam nodded, then asked, “Did you understand what I said?”
Mu Hua’s eyes darkened, and she fell silent.
The Madam observed Mu Hua’s hesitant expression and frowned slightly, her tone hardening. “When I speak to you, do you not hear, or are you deliberately choosing not to listen?”
“I heard you,” Mu Hua replied softly.
“Then why aren’t you responding?” the Madam asked coldly, her free hand clenching into a fist.
Mu Hua hesitated, then looked up at her Madam, who was glaring at her with an intimidating gaze. “Mother, she… will live, won’t she?”
“Even now, you’re still worried about that wretched girl’s life,” the Madam said, narrowing her eyes. “Let me remind you, child, it’s best to put away that kind heart of yours. Keeping such a girl around will only bring trouble.”
“Mother, I’m asking you, she won’t die, will she?” Mu Hua became anxious.
The Madam sighed, lowered her eyes slightly, and gently touched the patterns on her teacup. “There are some things you shouldn’t concern yourself with.”
“Mother…”
“Enough,” the Madam interrupted, looking up at Mu Hua with impatience. “Mu Hua, I advise you not to be so indecisive. If you continue like this, you will only harm yourself.”
“Mother, I know. Right now, I just want to ask you, she…” Mu Hua leaned forward slightly, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at her Madam. “Has she died or not?”
“I do not kill easily, but a lesson,” the Madam picked up her teacup, “must be taught.” She then raised the teacup to her eyes, examining the patterns on it.
Mu Hua breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, the Madam shifted her gaze from the teacup to the visibly relieved Mu Hua. “Remember what I told you, Mu Hua.”
Mu Hua nodded, picked up her teacup, paused, and then put it down again.
The Madam looked at Mu Hua’s action and frowned slightly. “Didn’t you say the tea was fragrant? Why aren’t you drinking it?”
After hearing her Madam’s words, Mu Hua had completely relaxed. When her Madam asked this, she smiled. “Mother, actually, I don’t like drinking tea either. This tea,” she looked down at her teacup, “is truly bitter.”
The Madam’s face darkened.
Seeing her Madam’s sudden change in expression, Mu Hua became nervous again. “Mother, did I say something wrong?”
The Madam replied coldly, “What do you think?”
“I’m telling the truth. This tea is…”
“From now on, you are not allowed to speak the truth,” the Madam interrupted coldly, her tone firm. “Do you understand?”
“Mother, you spoke the truth, so it wouldn’t be right for me not to,” Mu Hua said naively.
The Madam narrowed her eyes and countered, “Did you know my secret before today?”
Mu Hua heard this and honestly shook her head.
“If you hadn’t made such a mistake today, I wouldn’t have told you this,” the Madam said, putting down her teacup. “Remember, even if you don’t like something in the future, you mustn’t show it.”
“Why? If you don’t like something, you don’t like it. Why should you restrain yourself? This…” Mu Hua’s eyes darted away. “It’s so uncomfortable.”
“If it’s uncomfortable, then endure it.”
“But I can’t endure it,” Mu Hua said softly.
The Madam’s eyes widened. “Do you know why I persevered and learned this tea ceremony?”
When Mu Hua was very young, her Madam had told her that one could only excel at things they enjoyed. It was for this reason that Mu Hua had always believed her Madam genuinely loved drinking tea.
However, the outcome was this.
Thus, she felt confused. “Mother, why?”
“In things you dislike, find even a tiny bit of enjoyment, and that will be your motivation to persevere,” the Madam said faintly.
Mu Hua touched the back of her head with her hand and said, “Mother, I don’t understand.”
“You don’t understand,” the Madam said, sighing softly, and picked up her teacup. “Do you know why I like making tea?”
Mu Hua shook her head.
The Madam wanted Mu Hua’s ignorance, and then she pointed to the pattern on the teacup. “See here.”
Mu Hua leaned in to stare at the teacup, nodded, then shook her head, asking, “Mother, why are you pointing at the cup?” She looked up to meet her Madam’s eyes.