After a while of searching around, we finally found the place.
Shosha Tea Shop.
It was a tiny shop at the center of the village, and despite being in the middle of heavy footfall, it didn’t have any custors. It was completely empty as we entered and it kind of reminded of The Laughing Goose Tavern. ’Man, I should’ve at least tried to grab a takeaway parcel,’ I thought.
We walked into the beautifully decorated shop. It sure was tiny, but immaculate, with warm lighting, polished counters and delicate paintings lining the walls.
"Welco!" chirped a short and cheerful man with a squeaky voice. "How may I help you all today?"
"You sure can serve us all with a cup of tea," Longwei said, settling himself into one of the wooden chairs that surrounded the shop’s main table. He sat like he was there to casually collect taxes, crossing his legs and drumming his fingers on the table.
"Sure can!" said the little guy behind the counter. He didn’t even look up. His enthusiasm bubbled over as he imdiately got to work. He began clattering about with ceramic cups and a kettle that looked like it had seen better centuries.
We shuffled around the table like a dysfunctional family gathering, the kind where everyone’s secretly hoping soone else will start the inevitable argunt.
We were there for an interrogation afterall.
I watched i drift toward the walls with Yanyin trailing behind her like a curious shadow, both of them absorbed in studying the paintings that decorated the cramped space. The artwork seed oddly deliberate because each fra was perfectly positioned with extra care.
"Is that him?" Jian whispered, leaning in close.
"Mhm." Longwei’s eyes hadn’t left Wan since we’d entered, tracking the tea maker’s movents.
"Master Longwei," Liangyu started, and I could already hear the ass-kissing tone coloring his words before he’d even gotten to the actual suggestion.
He leaned forward, animating his words with his hands, with the eager expression of soone who thinks they’ve just co up with a master plan. "If I may, I’d like to suggest a strategy. As soon as he gets here with the tea, I say we all each take a cup, and splash it all on his face imdiately. Scalding hot. Boom.
As he’s in extre pain and surprise, blinded with confusion, we can ask him anything we want. He’ll be so shocked he’ll most definitely answer truthfully just to make it stop."
I sat there staring at him, my face involuntarily contorting into what must have looked like soone trying to solve advanced mathematics while constipated. I couldn’t believe- actually, scratch that, I totally could believe that Liangyu would suggest sothing that stupidly cruel.
The guy’s entire personality could be summarized as ’desperately seeking approval’ with a minor in ’questionable decision-making.’ Still, hearing him propose torturing what appeared to be the human embodint of a cheerful dumpling caught off guard.
"I kind of love his plan," Qinyue chid in without even a second’s hesitation, like soone had asked her opinion on her favorite dessert rather than casual violence against a tea shop owner. "I say we go for it.
The shop doesn’t even look that busy. Nobody’s gonna barge in. Worst case scenario, Liangyu and Jian can lock up this place with tree roots or sothing."
Longwei’s face split into a grin so wide, I could see it right through his mask. He looked like a proud father watching his children take their first steps toward becoming sociopaths.
and Jian exchanged concerned looks. It was a look of shared sanity in a group slowly losing theirs.
"No!" we said in unison.
"Why not?" Longwei asked, and the genuine confusion in his voice sohow made it worse.
"Are you serious?!" The words burst out of before I could moderate my tone. I gestured frantically toward Wan, who was humming so cheerful tune which sounded like sothing a grandmother would hum while knitting, as he prepared our tea, completely oblivious to the debate about his imminent torture happening just a few feet away. "Look at him! I haven’t seen him without a smile since we walked in! That guy probably apologizes to furniture when he bumps into it!"
"Dude, looks don’t an shit!" Liangyu hissed, pointing a finger at the humming man. "He built a prison! You know, those places specifically designed to make people miserable?"
"Ugh, co on!" I could feel my frustration building up. "What, engineers can’t be good guys? That’s your argunt? Besides, why do you think he’s even ’hiding’ like Longwei said? Maybe he’s got so kind of depressing backstory where his brilliant mind was exploited by the authorities around here and then they ordered soone to kill him to ensure no loose ends or sothing! That happens in stories all the ti!"
"If that’s really the case," Liangyu countered, leaning back with false confidence, "why would he hide here? In the sa town? Why not fuck off to a distant land where nobody knows his face?"
"Maybe because the authorities would assu just like you!" I said as I got frantic, probably looking ridiculous, but I was committed to the argunt at that point. "They’d think, ’Oh, he surely ran far away,’ and not even bother to check the tea shop down the street!"
"That might actually be true," Longwei added thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "It took longer than it should have, to find him. Had to call in several favors, cross-reference old construction records, bribe a clerk..."
"See?" I shrugged at Liangyu with perhaps more smugness than was strictly necessary. "Regardless, let’s just talk to him gently first. We are not splashing boiling water on a happy little tea maker until we know for sure he deserves it."
"Party-pooper," Qinyue muttered, crossing her arms and slumping back in her chair as the two of them backed down from their stupid little plan.
"Tea’s ready!" Wan announced with the enthusiasm of soone who genuinely believed he was about to make people’s day better.
He brought over a wooden tray laden with ceramic cups, each one slightly different from the others, and settled himself on a chair facing our group. His smile was so genuine it was almost painful to look at.
i and Yanyin remained absorbed in their painting examination, murmuring to each other about brushwork and symbolism or whatever it is people who actually appreciate art talk about.
Wan watched all of us with eager anticipation, vibrating with the hope that we’d enjoy his creation. And honestly, we hadn’t had a decent cup of tea since morning, so we each took a cup.
"Cheers," I muttered, as the warmth felt nice against my palms. We raised them to our lips in near-unison and took a sip.
The liquid hit my tongue and I froze. It wasn’t even just bad. It was an assault!
We spat it out imdiately.
A synchronized spray of brown liquid hit the floor.
"This tastes like dog piss!" Jian yelled, coughing, like the tea had personally offended his ancestors. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, unable to help his brutal honesty, though I’d say he was entirely justified in the case.
"It does?" Wan’s face fell so fast it was almost comical. The smile that had seed permanently affixed to his features vanished completely, replaced by crushing disappointnt. He looked like soone had just told him his puppy died.
"Yeah, I say give up making tea and find another profession," Liangyu added bluntly, because apparently he’d decided ’subtle’ wasn’t in his vocabulary that day. "Maybe sothing that doesn’t involve taste buds. For the sake of humanity."
Wan looked like he was approximately three seconds away from bursting into tears. His lower lip actually trembled.
"Whoa, ease up," I cut in, shooting glares at both Jian and Liangyu. "No need to be so harsh to the man." I turned towards Wan, clearing my throat, trying to find a diplomatic way to describe the atrocity I had just absorbed. "Critically speaking, your tea just needs so improvent. Heavy improvent. Like, significant amounts of improvent. Other than that... you’re cool. I’m really fond of the ambience."
Wan considered this for a mont, his expression shifting as he processed the marginally less devastating feedback. Then, like a sunrise breaking through storm clouds, his smile returned. "So that’s why I haven’t been getting any custors! I wonder why nobody told this before."
"Maybe you should look in the mirror," I said. "You look like the word ’pillow’."
"What do you an no custors?" Liangyu added, looking around the empty shop. "Is tea the only thing you sell?"
"It’s literally called ’Shosha Tea Shop’, you genius," I responded without looking at him.
Liangyu chuckled, looking at Wan with mocking disbelief. "And you’re wondering why you don’t have custors? Buddy, you suck at making tea and running a business and you chose to do exactly those two? Haha! That is a special kind of failure.
You always gotta pair tea with other things like hot cakes or sothing. Though I still believe you shouldn’t be touching anything that involves culinary arts."
"Says the guy who sucks at cultivating wind but calls himself an earth cultivator," I shot back without missing a beat.
"You don’t have to attack personally, Ziyang."
Wan decided to switch subjects, sensing the rising tension between us. He clasped his hands together on his lap. "So! Are you all new to town? I’ve never seen any of you before. Travelers? rchants?"
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