She nodded and let out a long sigh of relief, her face brimming with happiness and satisfaction.
"It's good."
Though it was only a two-word evaluation, it was the highest praise Venus could offer.
The look in her eyes as she regarded Li Yuan shifted, gaining a few more degrees of appreciation.
"This skill of yours is no less than that of the tea masters in the Imperial Court—it might even be greater."
Li Yuan didn't show any exaggerated reaction to her words, simply replying warmly.
"You flatter me."
"No, this isn't just polite conversation."
Venus nodded seriously in approval.
"The people in the court are obsessed with rules. Their requirements for the tea set, the steps, the timing, and everything else are extremely rigid. Their superficial work is fine, but the tea they brew isn't necessarily interesting to drink. This thing of yours has a strange name, but it's comfortable to drink."
She paused, then asked again.
"Which makes me understand it even less. With this kind of skill, why do you choose to open a teahouse in a place like this, at a time like this?"
Li Yuan seemed to have anticipated her question and smiled.
"The answer remains the same as before."
Venus looked at him.
"Just a hobby?"
"Yes. Just a hobby. There's no special reason."
Venus stared into his eyes for a moment. He spoke with such sincerity that it didn't seem like a perfunctory excuse.
She originally wanted to press him further, but the words reached the tip of her tongue and she dismissed the idea.
Well, everyone has their own quirks after all.
Though this 'hobby' teahouse was a bit strange, there were far stranger things in this world. Thinking of it that way, everything here could actually be considered normal.
At least this milk tea was good and suited her taste perfectly.
As she thought this, her gaze suddenly fell on a shelf filled with books to the side.
"Are those books just for decoration?"
"No," Li Yuan said, following her gaze. "They are for the guests to read, free of charge."
"Free?"
"Yes. The shop doesn't get many guests. If someone is willing to sit down, drink tea, and read, it's quite nice."
Venus's interest was piqued again. She stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and casually browsed through them.
"Can I read any of these?"
"Of course."
Li Yuan stepped out from behind the bar and came to the bookshelf.
"What genre would you like to read?"
Venus thought for a moment.
She usually read quite a bit; she had flipped through more than half of the Imperial Palace's library. History, military affairs, theology, combat theory, records related to the Abyss—she had read almost everything available.
But when it came to what she actually wanted to read now, she didn't have a clear answer. So, she gave a very broad response.
"Anything interesting."
This made things a bit difficult for Li Yuan—'interesting' was the hardest standard to gauge.
Some people found history interesting, others found adventure stories interesting, and some even found advanced algebra interesting... tastes varied so much that there was no unified standard.
He stood there thinking for a while, looking over the shelf, before finally taking down a book from the middle shelf that Setis had already finished.
《Chronicles of Kyushu》.
The original had been lost when the previous teahouse was destroyed; this was the second copy. When he collected books, he had a habit: he would record all of them using the Record of Ten Thousand Words.
In his words—he wanted both a digital edition and a physical edition.
After the teahouse was destroyed, hadn't the digital edition come in handy? This copy of 《Chronicles of Kyushu》 was exactly that: a reprinted copy.
Li Yuan handed the book to her.
"This one might be suitable. It records some rumors, figures, and past events. It can't be considered a serious history book, but it's not boring."
Venus took the book and looked down at the cover.
"Chronicles of Kyushu?"
The name sounded somewhat interesting.
She had originally intended to just flip through it casually to pass the time. But after opening the first page, her gaze was instantly captured by the content.
The opening described an ancient sect in a strange world.
The writing wasn't flowery—it was actually quite plain—but with just a few words, it sketched out a world completely different from the Ogu Continent.
There were no mages, no knights, and no empires or kingdoms; it was a world beyond her cognition.
There, people cultivated spiritual qi, flew on swords, established sects, and strove for longevity.
Venus clutched the book and sat back down in the seat by the window. After Li Yuan took away the empty Collins glass, he served her a cup of green tea. She simply took it reflexively, her eyes never leaving the pages.
Time in the teahouse flowed slowly. The night grew deeper, and outside, it was the dead of night.
Li Yuan sat back behind the bar and began organizing the tea sets.
Venus had already flipped through dozens of pages, her expression exceptionally focused. She had clearly been ensnared by the book's content, looking for all the world like she was determined to finish it in one sitting.
She was quite similar to Setis when she had first read 《Chronicles of Kyushu》. It seemed that unofficial history held the same attraction for different people.
Time flew like a white stallion passing a crevice, slipping away bit by bit through the sound of turning pages. Outside the window, the sky gradually shifted from pitch black to a golden hue.
Venus still showed no intention of closing the book, but it was now almost closing time.
It wasn't until the first faint sound of morning birdsong came from the distance that Venus slowly raised her head, looking out the window at the early morning light in a slight daze.
Li Yuan stood behind the bar with a freshly brewed cup of green tea, looking at the new customer by the window who had been reading for an entire night, feeling a bit of sentiment.
It seemed... he was about to have another regular guest. A cause for celebration, indeed.
Venus brought the book to the bar, let out a long breath, and asked with a look of lingering interest.
"How much in total?"
Since the guest wanted to settle the bill, Li Yuan stopped his work and instantly transformed into a shrewd bookkeeper.
"Fourteen gold coins. The milk tea is two coins per cup."
She nodded and said softly.
"Hmm... that's reasonable."
Compared to other teahouses, the price was certainly expensive, but considering the tea skill and the service attitude, it was quite a bargain.
She then tossed a small bag of gold coins onto the bar and asked.
"Is this book for sale?"
"I'm sorry, the books in this shop are not for sale."
Actually, it wasn't that the book couldn't be sold, but for every copy he sold, he would have to reprint another one. Including the time spent organizing it, the gain wasn't worth the effort.
So, to avoid creating trouble for himself, he wouldn't sell the books unless absolutely necessary... or unless the buyer offered a lot of money.
"Not for sale... alright then."
Venus didn't ask further and nodded.
"What are your usual business hours?"
Hearing her ask this, Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he replied.
"From dusk until dawn the next day, roughly starting around seven in the evening."
"Alright. Keep the book safe; I'll be back."
"Understood. We look forward to your next visit."
She then pointed at the bag of gold coins on the bar as she turned to leave.
"The extra is a tip. Next time, recommend some other teas for me."
"Thank you for your generosity."
After watching the guest leave, Li Yuan happily hefted the coin bag in his hand. Based on the weight, there were at least thirty gold coins.
To be able to gain such a generous new guest made the effort of developing a new product worthwhile.
Rate on N.U.
