I'm back in 1990

Chapter 891: A Chance Encounter is worse than a Deliberate Invitation

Friday, January 1th.

Huang Xiaochuan and his group arrived in Qingjiang smoothly from Shanghai. He went directly to the old family compound and stayed in the Yu family's old house that night. Yu Xiang and her parents had stayed there for a few days during the New Year's holiday, and the bedding and other supplies were readily available.

After arriving, Huang Xiaochuan first went to his old house on the first floor for a walk. The house had been uninhabited for a long time and had a stuffy smell. Huang Xiaochuan opened all the windows to ventilate the house. Gao Song and others wanted to help, but he insisted on doing it himself and did not want to rely on others.

Just as I arrived at the Yu family's old house on the third floor, Yu Xiang called.

"Have we arrived yet?"

"We're here! I just stepped into your house when your call came!" Huang Xiaochuan looked around. The house was the same as before, but it was clean and tidy.

"Alright then! I don't have anything else, I just wanted to ask if you've arrived yet."

"Okay, that's settled then!" Huang Xiaochuan hung up the phone.

By this time, Gao Song had already set out the tea set he brought, poured water into the teapot, and started boiling it.

Just as the water was about to boil, Yue Zhiyuan and his family of three arrived.

"Brother-in-law!"

"Brother-in-law!"

"Hello, Uncle!"

Huang Xiaochuan immediately stood up and greeted Yue Zhiyuan and Yu Min, the family of three.

"Quickly, quick, sit down. Zhiyuan, you're so lucky! My water is just about to boil, you've made it in time for the first brew."

"Really? Then I'll have to have a good taste of it." Yue Zhiyuan didn't stand on ceremony with Huang Xiaochuan and sat down casually.

Yu Min then asked, "Brother-in-law, have you had dinner yet?"

While brewing tea, Huang Xiaochuan replied, "I've eaten. I went to Yang Si Noodle Shop specifically for a bowl of noodles with toppings. I've been craving this since I was in Shanghai, and this time my wish finally came true."

Yue Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Dumplings before boarding, noodles upon arrival, no problem!"

At this moment, Huang Xiaochuan had already brewed the tea and placed the cups in front of Yue Zhiyuan and Yu Min, indicating that they should try it.

Yue Zhiyuan picked up the cup and was immediately struck by the fragrant aroma of the tea. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent tea!"

After drinking it, they praised it highly.

Huang Xiaochuan smiled: "The sweet and refreshing qualities of tea leaves all depend on water, so the water used to brew tea is extremely important."

Yue Zhiyuan recognized the voice and asked, "Then what kind of water is this? Is it purified water?"

"You know Lake Baikal, right?" Huang Xiaochuan asked back.

"The place where Su Wu herded sheep! It was called Beihai in ancient times!" Yue Zhiyuan, a literary talent, naturally knew about Chinese history, but he immediately realized and exclaimed in surprise, "This is the water of Lake Baikal?"

Yu Min was also taken aback. This was too particular! They even used water from Lake Baikal for tea?

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and nodded, explaining to the couple, "Don't look at me like that. This water isn't as expensive as you think. I use this water to brew tea mainly because, in its natural state, the water is extremely pure. Lake Baikal hasn't been affected by industrial pollution or human activities. In addition, the dense forests and underground rocks around the lake act as a natural filter, so the water in Lake Baikal is drinkable."

This water also has a very low mineral content, making it a typical soft water. Therefore, its taste is very smooth, sweet, and refreshing, without the hardness or astringency of ordinary mineral water or tap water. Furthermore, it has a very high oxygen content and contains a balanced amount of trace minerals and elements, making it very suitable for the human body—perfect for brewing tea.

Yue Zhiyuan said in admiration, "I've learned something new today. This is the first time I've ever drunk tea brewed with water from Lake Baikal."

"Oh, right, Zhiyuan, I also brought you some things, not just water, but also some tea leaves." Huang Xiaochuan poured tea into Yue Zhiyuan and Yu Min's cups while explaining his arrangements.

"Forget it, you should take it back! I'm afraid that once I become picky about tea, other teas won't taste as good." Yue Zhiyuan didn't dare to take it.

Yu Min chimed in, "That's right! This stuff is way beyond Yue Zhiyuan's means to afford. You should take it back with you!"

Huang Xiaochuan laughed. Those two!

"Didn't I already tell you? Water isn't as expensive as you think. A five-liter bucket is only a little over a hundred yuan. Using it to drink tea is fine, but using it to bathe is going too far."

"This isn't expensive? How much does a ton of tap water cost? The price of a five-liter bottle could buy a hundred tons of tap water." Yu Min almost jumped up.

Seeing this, Huang Xiaochuan stopped trying to persuade the couple. After all, everyone has different spending habits. Besides, he was indeed a bit extravagant himself. A bottle of water costing over a hundred yuan was nothing to him, but it was a huge expense for Yue Zhiyuan and Yu Min. It was normal for them not to be able to accept it for a while.

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan no longer mentioned the water, Yu Min asked him, "Brother-in-law, are you going back to school with your classmates tomorrow?"

"Of course I'll participate in group activities. Do you think I have to be special?" Huang Xiaochuan joked casually.

He then asked Yu Min, "This matter has even alarmed you, the principal?"

"Then what you're saying, don't you even know who you are?" Yu Min said bluntly.

After seeing Yue Zhiyuan's family off, it was already late. Standing on the south-facing balcony of the old house, Huang Xiaochuan gazed at the starry sky. High-rise buildings had been built all around the family compound, blocking the original view. The only thing he could see was the starry sky.

Light pollution in the city has made it impossible for Huang Xiaochuan to look up at the starry sky clearly like he did when he was a child. Back then, the night sky was full of stars, but now he can only see a few scattered stars.

Early the next morning, Huang Xiaochuan, along with Gao Song and the others, walked to Chunlai Teahouse on the old street instead of driving, just to have a sip of tea and eat two big, juicy steamed buns.

After eating and drinking his fill, Huang Xiaochuan patted his stomach and said, "That felt good!"

As soon as I got up and walked to the door, I ran into two people.

"Ah!" Ren Yangyang exclaimed in surprise when she saw Huang Xiaochuan. They had come here a few days ago, but Qin Yu said she wanted to eat the jadeite shumai at Chunlai Teahouse again, so they came again this morning, and unexpectedly ran into Huang Xiaochuan.

"You two are here for breakfast, right? It's better to bump into each other than to invite each other. This meal is on me." Huang Xiaochuan was very happy to meet his old classmate and offered to treat him.

Ren Yangyang was about to refuse when Qin Yu stopped her: "Fine, we'll eat your food this morning. It won't bankrupt you anyway, so we won't stand on ceremony." Qin Yu generously accepted Huang Xiaochuan's kindness.

"What do you want to eat?" Huang Xiaochuan sat down again with Ren Yangyang and Qin Yu.

"Qin Yu said she wants to eat shumai!" Ren Yangyang blurted out.