Chapter 58

"Water is sweet..." Zhu Qiao widened his eyes: "Did you add sugar?"

"You're the one who adds sugar, you really don't know anything." Zhu Shen rolled his eyes and said, "This is called 'empty pot water pouring,' which naturally brings out the tea fragrance. Do you understand?"

As he spoke, Zhu Shen looked smug and said with a sidelong glance, "I bet you don't understand. Let me teach you. This purple clay pot needs to be 'nourished.' After years and years, a thick layer of tea sediment will form inside the pot..."

"Once it reaches this stage, you don't need to put in tea leaves. Just pour in boiling water, and a sweet tea fragrance will naturally rise."

Zhu Shen drank the water and chuckled, "Now you should know how precious my treasure pot is, right?"

Zhu Qiao's face turned ashen, but he couldn't refute it, feeling extremely frustrated.

Seeing this, Zhu Shen added fuel to the fire, smiling and saying, "Right, a few days ago, didn't you buy something? Show it off, let me see and broaden my horizons."

Zhu Qiao gritted his teeth and said word by word, "Why should I show you my things?"

"Stingy..." Zhu Shen pouted, then noticed the scroll in Xiao Ding's hand and said with a sly smile, "Ha, you don't have to say, I know it's this thing, right?"

"…No!" Zhu Qiao said firmly, "This is his thing, he's selling it door-to-door!"

"Your thing?" Zhu Shen glanced at Xiao Ding, his face expressionless.

That glance made Xiao Ding feel immense pressure. Sweat immediately broke out on his forehead, and he quickly handed the scroll to Qi Xiang, trying to distance himself, "It's not mine, it's his..."

This was a classic case of passing the buck. Better to let a friend take the fall than to suffer yourself.

Qi Xiang was speechless, thinking that although Xiao Ding was not hypocritical, he really wanted to slap him.

"Your thing?" Zhu Shen's gaze shifted.

"That's right, it's his." Zhu Qiao insisted, "I was about to kick them out because I thought it was garbage."

"Is that so?" Zhu Shen was skeptical.

"Don't you believe me?" Zhu Qiao's eyes darted around, "Then why don't you buy this painting?"

"Sure, I can." Zhu Shen smiled, "But I need to take a look first... I'm not like someone who buys things without even looking."

"The funniest part is, they thought this would please... but it turned out to be a trap. Someone jumped in without knowing, and ended up a laughingstock."

Zhu Shen gloated, looking very pleased with himself.

"You've had enough! Want to see the thing? Fine, I'll show you until you're satisfied..."

Zhu Qiao fell silent for a moment, then suddenly burst out, grabbing the scroll and throwing it. In an instant, the somewhat heavy scroll hit the teacup on the coffee table, splashing water everywhere.

"Damn!"

Zhu Shen rushed forward, snatching back his tree knot pot and shouted, "Zhu Qiao, you bastard, did you do that on purpose?"

"So what if I did?" Zhu Qiao sneered, "I'll pay for it if it's broken!"

Money talks, and Zhu Qiao was being very任性 (reckless)!

No one doubted Zhu Qiao's ability to pay for the purple clay pot.

"Damn..." Zhu Shen was furious, "You're a scoundrel, if you can't take a loss, don't play!"

"Who said I can't take a loss?" Zhu Qiao huffed, "I have money, so what if I buy garbage? I'm still happy and content, it's no big deal..."

This was pure showing off, and it was very provocative.

Qi Xiang shook his head lightly, his gaze wandering, and suddenly he paused, looking somewhat dazed.

At the same time, Zhu Shen shouted, "This is a treasure pot, you can't afford to pay for it. It takes decades, even generations, to nurture such a treasure pot."

"This is a one-in-a-million treasure. If you don't have the right opportunity, you can't buy it even if you have money."

Zhu Shen huffed, "If you damage this pot, see how you'll pay for it."

Zhu Qiao glanced at him coldly, making dismissive sounds.

Suddenly, Qi Xiang said, "Actually, this pot... isn't that magical. Strictly speaking, it has certain hazards..."

"What?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Zhu Shen was angry and shouted, "Nonsense!"

On the contrary, Zhu Qiao blinked and immediately smiled, saying with interest, "Ignore him, tell me, what hazards does this pot have?"

"…Qi Xiang!" Xiao Ding was anxious, trying to give Qi Xiang a subtle look and shaking his head slightly.

"This is the truth. Even if I don't say it, someone will tell them eventually." Qi Xiang said casually, "You can't hide the truth forever."

"Let others say it." Xiao Ding muttered, "Qi Xiang, we can't cut ourselves off from our peers."

"No problem, just tell them I said it, and clear yourself." Qi Xiang smiled, "If someone wants to come after me, let them go to Jinling..."

Qi Xiang was not being nice, deliberately misleading them.

"What are you two whispering about?" Zhu Qiao was confused, "What can't be said?"

"Nothing much, I just want to tell you that such 'treasure pots' are not as rare as they seem. If you search carefully, there are definitely many more..."

Qi Xiang smiled, "Because such pots can be mass-produced, and they show results in three to five years, not decades."

"Impossible..." Zhu Shen naturally didn't believe it, looking fierce, "You're his person, of course you'll speak for him. You're just making things up to belittle my treasure pot. Do you think I'll fall for it?"

"This isn't belittling, it's the truth." Qi Xiang shook his head, "There are many tricks in this industry, and insiders rarely reveal them to outsiders, so you end up being fooled without even knowing it."

"What tricks?" Zhu Qiao asked eagerly, hoping to see Zhu Shen in trouble.

"For example, such pots have a thick layer of tea sediment inside." Qi Xiang explained, "The so-called tea sediment is just a polite term for tea scale. In the eyes of ordinary people, once a pot has this layer of tea sediment, it becomes a treasure. Even an empty pot can emit a tea fragrance when water is poured in."

"Is that not true?" Zhu Qiao asked, somewhat curious.

"Well, have you noticed that this kind of claim is usually found in folk stories, but never in professional books or documents."

Qi Xiang smiled, "If you don't believe me, you can ask some purple clay pot masters or experienced collectors. See what they say..."

"If they are close to you, they will tell the truth. If they are just acquaintances, they will be vague. If they don't know you well, they might even nod and agree."

Qi Xiang said calmly, "The depth of the relationship determines the answer."

"So, I don't know you, who knows if you're lying to me." Zhu Shen argued, his eyes darting around.

"Then ask someone you know well..." Zhu Qiao retorted, then said enthusiastically, "Ignore him, continue. Why is it bad to have tea sediment in the pot?"

"This has to do with the nature of the purple clay pot itself."

Qi Xiang explained, "Since the birth of the purple clay pot, it has become popular worldwide. The reason is that using a purple clay pot to brew tea perfectly preserves the original flavor of the tea, even if it's left overnight, the tea won't spoil."

"This is because the purple clay pot can breathe and is porous, similar to the biological preservation technology in refrigerators."

Qi Xiang said seriously, "It is this permeable breathing effect that makes the purple clay pot far superior to other ordinary teapots, making it the preferred choice for tea brewing."

"But if there is a thick layer of tea sediment inside the pot, it will completely block the water vapor inside. The hot steam condenses into water droplets, which can promote the growth of mold, causing the tea to ferment and spoil..."

Qi Xiang pointed out, "Moreover, the tea sediment contains some substances that can corrode the purple clay pot. The more tea sediment, the greater the damage, making the pot gradually become brittle."

"Over time, even normal force, like placing the pot on a table, could cause it to crack and shatter into pieces!"

Qi Xiang said earnestly, "I'm not exaggerating or making things up. Many experts in the industry are very careful when using purple clay pots."

"They treat the pot like a beloved treasure, never pouring tea into it or soaking it in tea, and never touching it with dirty hands."

Qi Xiang said softly, "After brewing tea, they clean the inside and outside of the pot, then carefully wipe it with a slightly damp tea cloth."

"Through constant wiping, the pot naturally becomes more lustrous and charming. Over time, it becomes the kind of rare item mentioned in ancient notes."

Qi Xiang recited slowly, "They cherish it like a pearl, and after long use, the outside resembles purple jade, and the inside is like green clouds. Such an item is a true treasure..."

After his speech, the room fell silent. After a moment, Zhu Qiao reacted first, clapping and saying, "Well said, you are indeed an expert, I admire you!"

Zhu Qiao smiled and cast a mocking glance at Zhu Shen, "Listen, listen, this is how to appreciate things. Everything is logical and well-analyzed, making it convincing. What do you think?"

"…Hmph!"

Zhu Shen glared at Zhu Qiao, then suddenly let go of the tree knot pot he had cherished, and it immediately fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"Oh, how careless of you, breaking the treasure pot?" Zhu Qiao tsked, "What a pity, such a good thing, now it's broken..."

"I have money, I can do what I want!"

As he spoke, Zhu Shen didn't give Zhu Qiao a chance to mock him and left in a hurry.

He came in a rush and left just as quickly...

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