It was not easy waiting until the old man had his fill of food and drink before Dan was allowed to speak.
Dan, having held his patience for half the day and losing it, directly asked: "Are you really a clothing designer?"
The old tailor squinted his eyes, sipped his Pu’er Tea mixed with Snow Lotus, and comfortably sighed long, "No."
Dan imdiately turned his face to Wan Chu’er, visibly upset.
Wan Chu’er, caught between laughter and tears, said to the old tailor: "Please don’t tease him anymore, he has been keeping you company all night."
The old tailor picked up a new cup, poured the tea he brewed, and pushed it towards Dan, "Drink."
Dan clenched his breath, devoid of any grace, grabbed the cup, and gulped it down. Only when he set the cup down did he appreciate the refreshing and fragrant aftertaste; his eyes hesitantly looked at the empty cup before him, recalling the old man’s tea brewing process.
He savored again, tasting a faint sweetness in his mouth that gradually faded until none remained.
Dan reassessed the old man in his mind; the tea alone proved that this old man was not so unrefined country bumpkin.
He fidgeted, his facial muscles softened, and he gently pushed the cup back to the old man, "Could you please pour another cup?"
The old man finally looked straight at Dan and happily poured another cup, saying, "Kid, consider yourself lucky today. Normally, others can’t even get a sip of this."
"Thank you then," Dan said elegantly, bringing the teacup to his lips, sipping gently. Imdiately, his mouth felt refreshed. After slowly finishing the cup, Dan humbly asked, "Is there any secret to your tea?"
The old man scoffed without any reservation: "Can secrets be just casually revealed?"
Although his words were stifling, Dan suppressed his feelings, thinking to himself that talented people often have their quirks.
Wan Chu’er noticed the old tailor continuously targeting Dan and thought it should be enough not to actually drive Dan away, as it would be troubleso for her later, and thus she spoke out:
"Dan really likes the clothes you make."
The old man choked out, resentfully: "I guess you’re the only one who doesn’t like my clothes, too bad I don’t love making them for others."
Wan Chu’er, caught between laughter and tears, finished her pitch and then lowered her head to drink tea.
Dan’s eyes lit up, saying: "Miss Wan has a good body proportion, indeed a perfect mannequin."
The old man scoffed: "What mannequin? It’s the aura she carries that matches the clothes I make."
This was a novel idea, clothes matching one’s aura; illuminated by this, Dan’s eyes sparkled, his mind loosened, and he found himself deep in thought, feeling more convinced by this idea and its sensibility.
At this point, Dan started to believe that those clothes might indeed be crafted by the old man before him, and the cells in his blood slowly ignited, his gaze towards the old man growing more fervent.
At first, the old man didn’t think much of this person who was neither male nor female and liked wearing makeup and using hair oil. But later, when he realized this fellow had so real substance, his attitude towards Dan started to improve. The old man even wanted to understand the so-called global trends, and they got along better and better as they chatted more.
Dan beca more and more apprehensive and increasingly respectful towards the old tailor, who had apprenticed as a tailor in his youth when there was hardly any fashion or technique to speak of, just standard stuff. The old man managed to craft those splendid outfits solely based on his montary inspirations; a sudden burst of inspiration would enable him to conjure up a garnt entirely—a true genius, no! More like a marvel!
The two talked until ten o’clock that night, and Dan hadn’t had enough yet when the old man suddenly said, "Alright, that’s it for today, I’m going ho."
Dan was stunned, then cautiously probed, "Shall we et up again soti?"
The old man replied bluntly, "No need, I already know what I wanted to know." He had lost interest in Dan and naturally wouldn’t et him again to waste ti. But this didn’t need to be said—for Miss Chu’s sake.
Dan wanted to cry without tears; I still want to learn more from you,c he pleaded with a look towards Wan Chu’er.
Wan Chu’er naturally sided with the old tailor, smiling, "He needs to sleep early every day, today was already an exception. Mr. Dan, I’ll send Mai Qiqi over to your place in a few days. That’s all for tonight, goodbye."
After saying this, she walked out with the old tailor. Wan Chu’er went to the front desk to check out and pay, while Dan hurriedly followed and signed the bill, then respectfully saw the old man off.
"Really can’t we et again? Could you at least tell how to brew that tea?" Dan persisted.
The old man curtly replied, "A big man shouldn’t nag." After saying this, he realized this person was not a big man but soone neither male nor female, so he added, "You do quite well; we’re not on the sa path, eting again wouldn’t make sense." That should stop the nagging, right?
But Dan, as if injected with chicken blood, asked incredulously, "Do you really think I did well?" Getting approval from this esteed senior felt like the highest honor.
"Yeah, yep, that’s it, no more etings," said the old man, eager to dismiss him and signaling Wan Chu’er to drive.
Wan Chu’er stifled her laughter until they had driven so distance away, then burst out laughing. Looking in the rearview mirror, she saw Dan still standing there watching them.
"You really know how to toy with people."
The old tailor proudly remarked, "Didn’t create any trouble for you, did I? From now on, that kid will surely attend to your needs."
Wan Chu’er chuckled, "Besides being a designer, he is also a decent businessman, and you should know what businessn are like."
The old tailor frowned, "If needed, I’ll et him again."
"Thank you, sir," Wan Chu’er felt warmly inside as the old tailor treated her like his granddaughter.
Two days later, Mai Qiqi went to Dan’s workshop to report, and perhaps due to their last eting, Dan was unexpectedly generous and directly appointed her as the manager’s assistant, letting her truly participate in the managent and operations of the studio.
After learning this, Wan Chu’er got the recipe for Pu’er Tea with Snow Lotus from the old tailor and had Mai Qiqi deliver it to Dan.
From then on, Dan couldn’t do without the tea, and after drinking it for a while, he even discovered his skin had beco smoother—an unexpected joy that made him cherish the tea even more, feeling like he had struck gold in his dealings with Wan Chu’er.
Thanks to the tea, when Wan Chu’er and the others’ "Ti" opened, Dan willingly lent a hand several tis.
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