Chapter 21: Tea Ceremony II
Wang Gege immediately lowered her head.
She had only arrived in this world a few days ago and already managed to make the family elders wait. Well, not a great start.
Just as she was preparing herself for another round of criticism, a calm voice suddenly sounded beside her.
"Taotao was not feeling well this morning."
The words were spoken so naturally that for a moment, Wang Gege nearly believed them herself. But when she finally registered, her eyes widened.
She immediately turned toward the man standing beside her.
’What? Why is he lying?’
She had spent the entire morning complaining about him in her head. The only thing wrong with her was the lack of sleep caused by a certain cold-hearted Ancient CEO or maybe the back pain from sleeping on the wooden long chair?
Meanwhile, Xie Rong remained completely calm. His expression did not change in the slightest.
If Wang Gege had not been standing beside him, she might have believed him as well.
The room instantly became quiet.
But, to Wang Gege’s surprise, the stern expression on Old Madam Xie disappeared.
"Not feeling well?" Old Madam Xie, Xie Yulan, immediately put down her teacup.
The sharpness in her eyes was replaced by concern, "What happened?"
Before Wang Gege could answer, the elderly woman had already stood up. "Come here and let Grandmother take a look."
Wang Gege blinked, ’Did I hear that correctly?’
She then glanced behind her, wondering if there was another granddaughter standing somewhere nearby.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t. Old Madam Xie was indeed looking directly at her.
Actually, it was not just Wang Gege who was stunned. Madam Liu, who had been standing quietly to the side, looked equally baffled.
The faint smile on her face had long since disappeared. She had clearly expected Old Madam Xie to reprimand the two youngsters for arriving late.
Instead, with a single sentence from Xie Rong, the entire situation had been turned around. Not only did the scolding disappear, but Old Madam Xie even looked worried.
Madam Liu instinctively glanced toward Xie Rong. The latter remained standing calmly as though he had merely stated an ordinary fact.
"Does the poison still have an effect on her?" Old Madam Xie asked as she carefully examined Wang Gege.
"No." Xie Rong’s answer came without hesitation, "She merely suffered from back pain and did not sleep well last night."
The courtyard instantly became quiet.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege’s eyes widened in shock. She immediately turned toward him.
The answer was not wrong. In fact, it was completely accurate. She had indeed spent the entire morning complaining about her aching back. And she definitely had not slept well.
The problem was... The answer did not sound accurate at all... At least not to other people’s ears.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Wang Gege noticed Old Madam Xie’s expression become somewhat strange.
Even Xie Rong’s father coughed lightly and looked away.
As for Madam Liu... The smile on her face froze completely. Only then did Wang Gege realize the misunderstanding.
Her eyes widened. "Wait—"
She immediately raised both hands and waved them frantically. "No, that is not what—"
Before she could finish her explanation, Old Madam Xie suddenly grabbed her hands.
The elderly woman’s face was filled with concern. "Then you must rest properly later."
Wang Gege froze.
Old Madam Xie gently patted the back of her hand, "Only then will this old woman be able to hold a great-grandchild sooner."
The explanation Wang Gege had been trying to give instantly died in her throat.
Meanwhile, Old Madam Xie turned toward Xie Rong. The concern on her face immediately transformed into mild disapproval. "You should restrain yourself a little."
Xie Rong remained silent. He did not show the slightest intention of explaining. Nor did he show any intention of correcting the misunderstanding.
Wang Gege stood there, forced to shoulder the embarrassment alone. She immediately turned toward the culprit. Only to discover that the man was standing there as calmly as ever.
The sight instantly made her grind her teeth, ’Cold-hearted Ancient CEO. You definitely did that on purpose, right?’
Unfortunately, before she could glare at him any longer, Old Madam Xie suddenly smiled.
"Enough." She gently patted Wang Gege’s hand, "Since both of you are here, let’s complete the tea ceremony first."
Only then did Wang Gege remember the true purpose of today’s gathering.
Almost immediately, several servants stepped forward carrying a tea tray. The moment the tray appeared, Wang Gege instantly straightened her back.
She tried her best to recall every step she knew about a tea ceremony. It should not be that difficult. At least, that was what she told herself.
The problem was that such customs were rarely practiced in her world anymore.
Or perhaps they still existed?
Wang Gege honestly had no idea. After all, she had spent twenty-eight years on Earth without ever getting married. Not only had she never participated in a tea ceremony herself, she had never even witnessed one in person.
Most of her knowledge came from text book, short videos, and random clips that appeared while she was scrolling through her phone at two in the morning. Which suddenly felt like a very unreliable source of education.
Her mind couldn’t continue wandering when the tea tray had already been placed before them.
An elderly nanny stepped forward and softly explained the order of the ceremony.
Wang Gege listened with all her concentration. Thankfully, the process was far simpler than she had feared.
Following the nanny’s instructions, she carefully picked up the teacup with both hands and rose from her seat.
Her first cup was naturally offered to the Old Madam. "Grandmother, please have some tea."
The Old Madam accepted the cup with a smile and took a sip. "Good child."
After accepting the tea, the old lady offered a few words of blessing before presenting her with a gift.
Next was Xie Rong’s father. He accepted the tea with a stoic expression that revealed little emotion, though his features were undeniably handsome. Looking at him, Wang Gege could not help wondering whether Xie Rong took after his father, or perhaps he resembled his mother more. After a brief word of blessing, he too presented her with a gift.
By the time the final cup had been served, Wang Gege felt as though a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
At least she had managed to get through the ceremony without embarrassing herself.
That alone felt worthy of celebration but what made her eyes sparkle even more were the thick envelopes in her hand.
One from Grandmother and one from Father. Also several other gifts received during the ceremony.
Wang Gege looked down at them. The corners of her lips immediately lifted.
Suddenly, she felt ancient customs were truly wonderful.
Just as she was secretly calculating how much these gifts might be worth, an excited voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.
"Gege!"
Wang Gege instinctively lifted her head.