Xing Chen helped Lou Zhaonian into the living room.
Just as they sat down on the sofa, Lou Zhaonian glanced at the teacup and teapot on the coffee table, still steaming.
"Are you all drinking tea?" Lou Zhaonian asked, leaning on his cane, looking at Ran Xiangsi who had just followed them in.
Xing Chen naturally knew Lou Zhaonian was somewhat resentful, so he said, "Hmm, Grandpa Lou, would you like to try some?"
Saying this, Xing Chen got up, preparing to personally make some tea for Lou Zhaonian.
But just as he moved, Lou Zhaonian immediately sensed his intention and stopped him, "You must be Xiangsi, right? You do it."
Lou Zhaonian called to Ran Xiangsi who had just come in.
Xiangsi hesitated, looking at Lou Zhaonian, then at Xing Chen. Seeing the latter nod, she walked to the coffee table and sat down.
Making tea... Xiangsi had never learned it formally. She had only seen others performing tea ceremonies online, so she knew the basics.
If she had to make tea in front of everyone, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but making it look beautiful... that was a bit challenging.
At this moment, Lou Xining also walked in, naturally sitting to one side of the sofa. Seeing Ran Xiangsi making tea, he couldn’t resist speaking.
"Sister-in-law knows tea art too? It seems our Young Master Xing really enjoys himself at home." Lou Xining’s words made everyone present think that Ran Xiangsi was truly skilled.
Ran Xiangsi frowned, coldly glancing at Lou Xining, her eyes full of warning.
Will you die if you don’t talk?
Lou Xining felt uncomfortable under Ran Xiangsi’s stare and helplessly scratched his head. Did he say something wrong?
Was his compliment misplaced?
Ran Xiangsi finally made the tea, albeit shakily. To her surprise, Lou Zhaonian took just one sip before starting to nitpick.
"Ah, speaking of making tea, Xinyu is really good at it." Lou Zhaonian sighed, looking at Xiangsi, then turned to Lou Xining, "Xining, if I recall correctly, our Xinyu won an award in a tea art competition, right?"
"Uh, she got first place." Lou Xining nodded, taking a sip himself, finding the taste quite decent.
Grandpa saying this now was clearly aimed at discrediting Ran Xiangsi...
Lou Zhaonian was indeed there to give Ran Xiangsi a hard time. Her presence had blocked Lou Xinyu’s path to marrying into the Wilson family, making Lou Zhaonian naturally unhappy.
Ran Xiangsi had long figured out that the old man was deliberately making things difficult for her, especially by mentioning Lou Xinyu.
Wasn’t this just belittling her to elevate Lou Xinyu?
Ran Xiangsi, unwilling to back down, retorted, "All those flashy moves may look good but aren’t necessarily tasty. And my husband prefers the tea I make. Those fancy shows are just for other men to watch."
It’s not that Ran Xiangsi was being harsh, it’s just that Lou Zhaonian was really going too far. They were meeting for the first time, yet he was being so harsh to a young girl like Ran Xiangsi.
At this, Lou Zhaonian’s face turned unpleasant. He hadn’t expected this girl to be so sharp-tongued.
Lou Xining’s face wasn’t any better. After all, Ran Xiangsi called Lou Xinyu a mere show-off and snapped back at Lou Zhaonian. Lou Xining was, after all, part of the Lou family.
He was quite at ease.
Lou Zhaonian had indeed done him a favor, so he naturally couldn’t be disrespectful, but Ran Xiangsi was different.
She had no relationship with Lou Zhaonian, and those words she said were beautiful!
"Xiangsi, the tea is really good," Xing Chen said with a pleased smile, as if echoing Ran Xiangsi’s earlier words.