Flower Tea of Yesteryear

No, this isn't it. Not even close. What did you do to it? It tastes nothing like what I remember.

Oh? And what, exactly, is "wrong" with it? Go on, spell it out.

You're lying through your teeth! Trying to wreck my business, are you? Hey, you there, lassie in white. You've been watching all along. So tell me. Who's in the wrong here?

Don't talk rubbish. Three parts tea, one part flowers. Half a silver coin for a full bowl. That's how it's always been.

I've been selling tea here with my old man for twenty years. Started out carrying the pole ourselves, now we've got two little stalls. We've never cut corners. Never swapped in cheap stuff. Not once.

I assure you, I'm not making this up. Please, hear me out.

I'm a Starweaver. I've travelled far from home for many years. This time, crossing the desert parched to the bone, the smell and taste of the flower tea I grew up with came back to me all at once.

So the moment I returned to Starwharf, I came straight here. And yet... this bowl is different. It's a disappointment.

The tea I remember was brisk and refreshing, with a faint floral note. The only trouble was the dregs in the bottom of the bowl. But yours now, clear and bright. It isn't the same tea.

Ah... now I get it. My old man retired before the New Year, and I took over. I stopped using broken leaves and switched to whole ones.

It's just something to wet the throat... never thought anyone would care enough to notice.

Right. If that's cleared up, I'll...

One moment, young friend!

Today, I'm finding that old taste again. One way or another. EverSpring is full of merchants. If anyone still sells the tea I remember, it will be there.

Would you accompany me?

Sable Bi'an have been active on the roads of late. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

Precisely. Zhuyin has been causing trouble of late. I've been away for years, I don't even know whether the old road is still passable. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

This road between Reedshore and Starwharf... I used to walk it all the time as a kid, just to watch the ships at the quay. Never thought it'd turn this dangerous.

How times have changed. And the world with them.

Come. Let's press on, EverSpring is just ahead.

Chen! Well, if it isn't you. It's been ages. How have you been, brother?

We go way back. I've been thinking of you while you were away at sea all these years. I've been saving the best tea and wine for you, waiting for the day you'd come back and share it with me.

Come on, both of you. Sit. I've got stories for you. You won't believe what's been going on.

Ah... listen to me. I got carried away. So, what brings you here this time, brother?

I'm looking for a particular flower tea that...

Flower tea? That's easy! Lads, bring out the best we've got!

Brother Chen, try this lotus tea first. Before sunrise we pack the tea leaves into fresh lotus blossoms, leave them there all day, then do it again, several rounds. After that, we dry and roast the leaves. The fragrance is something else.

It's excellent, no question... but...

Then try this jasmine. Scented nine times. The liquor's a clear yellow-green, the aroma light and refined, and the taste fresh with a gentle sweetness. The flowers and leaves come together like snow on green water.

Much obliged... I...

Alright, osmanthus next. Bright and golden, rich and mellow. It's not tea with osmanthus, the blossom and the tea are one, with a soft fragrance and a honeyed note.

It's fine tea, no question... but...

Not quite right, hm? Don't worry, next one!

N, No... hic... I can't... I can't drink another drop...

Well? Did any of them hit the mark?

I... I... hic...

Let me explain. Mr Chen is looking for the cheap tea they used at a street stall in Starwharf twenty years ago.

Cheap tea? What on earth for? That's just broken leaf. Scraps.

Exactly. Just big bowls of tea from a street stall. But he can't get that old taste out of his head. He's determined to find it again.

Well, did any of these bring back what you remember, brother?

I... hic... I drank too much, too fast... I can't tell them... hic... apart anymore...

...Hah. Alright. Let me think.

Twenty years ago, the two of us were still barefoot brats, down on the Reedshore riverbank, splashing in the mud.

And who would've thought... twenty years later, we'd go our separate ways and barely cross paths at all?

Time flies. What ever stays the same? Even tea doesn't taste like it used to...

I... I've got it!

My friend...

Thank you, my friend. Once I find that flower tea and taste it again, you will be well rewarded.

Of course. Of course! I'll make it worth your while.

So this is your "brilliant idea"? Bringing a whole teapot out here?

Ha. I've realised what I was missing. If I want that taste back, I need the moment that came with it.

Back then I used to run up and down this riverbank until I was parched. Maybe if I run myself dry again, the taste will come back.

Would you humour me and race me?

Twenty years on... and it still feels the same!

Huff... huff... I can't... keep up...

Hah... hah... I'm done for! You win!

So? Was that the taste you were after?

So close... But it's not quite there. Something's still missing.

I remember...

What is it?

It's those days I'm thinking of. Before the Scourge of Zhuyin ever reached this place. Back when my friends and I played in the mud here, polishing shells by the river.

White clouds drifting lazily overhead... as if we'd never known worry.

When did I decide to become a Starweaver? And when did we start to drift apart? One by one, we ended up far from home... year after year.

When did you first drink that bowl of tea?

When I was young, my father took me on foot along the riverbank, from Reedshore all the way to Starwharf, just to watch the ships. It was a long walk. I was exhausted, and buzzing with excitement.

We bought tea from a stall. The sea glittered nearby. Merchant ships came and went. The quay was buzzing. I was a wide-eyed boy... I couldn't look away.

Maybe it began there. The first time I saw the sea. The first time I knew I'd one day go beyond this land... all the way to the ends of the world.

And yet... coming back under this same sky still catches in my throat.

My friend... I understand now.

There'll never be tea that tastes the way it did back then... just as there'll never be days like those again.

It isn't the tea I miss. It's those days... and the childhood I can't return to.

Farewell, my friend. Please, take this. You've earned it.

Where are you going?

You can't take back what's gone. But there are things I can still hold on to.

I may never find that tea from twenty years ago again... but I can still walk with my father, talk as we go, and watch the ships at the quay with him.

I'm going home.

Starwharf's even livelier now than it was back then. Hard to believe it's been twenty years since you first brought me here to watch the ships, Father.

Twenty years on... and now this is where your journey begins as well.

It seems, young friend, that I am still one move ahead.

No, this isn't it. Not even close. What did you do to it? It tastes nothing like what I remember.

Oh? And what, exactly, is "wrong" with it? Go on, spell it out.

You're lying through your teeth! Trying to wreck my business, are you? Hey, you there, lassie in white. You've been watching all along. So tell me. Who's in the wrong here?

Don't talk rubbish. Three parts tea, one part flowers. Half a silver coin for a full bowl. That's how it's always been.

I've been selling tea here with my old man for twenty years. Started out carrying the pole ourselves, now we've got two little stalls. We've never cut corners. Never swapped in cheap stuff. Not once.

I assure you, I'm not making this up. Please, hear me out.

I'm a Starweaver. I've travelled far from home for many years. This time, crossing the desert parched to the bone, the smell and taste of the flower tea I grew up with came back to me all at once.

So the moment I returned to Starwharf, I came straight here. And yet... this bowl is different. It's a disappointment.

The tea I remember was brisk and refreshing, with a faint floral note. The only trouble was the dregs in the bottom of the bowl. But yours now, clear and bright. It isn't the same tea.

Ah... now I get it. My old man retired before the New Year, and I took over. I stopped using broken leaves and switched to whole ones.

It's just something to wet the throat... never thought anyone would care enough to notice.

Right. If that's cleared up, I'll...

One moment, young friend!

Today, I'm finding that old taste again. One way or another. EverSpring is full of merchants. If anyone still sells the tea I remember, it will be there.

Would you accompany me?

Sable Bi'an have been active on the roads of late. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

Precisely. Zhuyin has been causing trouble of late. I've been away for years, I don't even know whether the old road is still passable. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

This road between Reedshore and Starwharf... I used to walk it all the time as a kid, just to watch the ships at the quay. Never thought it'd turn this dangerous.

How times have changed. And the world with them.

Come. Let's press on, EverSpring is just ahead.

Chen! Well, if it isn't you. It's been ages. How have you been, brother?

We go way back. I've been thinking of you while you were away at sea all these years. I've been saving the best tea and wine for you, waiting for the day you'd come back and share it with me.

Come on, both of you. Sit. I've got stories for you. You won't believe what's been going on.

Ah... listen to me. I got carried away. So, what brings you here this time, brother?

I'm looking for a particular flower tea that...

Flower tea? That's easy! Lads, bring out the best we've got!

Brother Chen, try this lotus tea first. Before sunrise we pack the tea leaves into fresh lotus blossoms, leave them there all day, then do it again, several rounds. After that, we dry and roast the leaves. The fragrance is something else.

It's excellent, no question... but...

Then try this jasmine. Scented nine times. The liquor's a clear yellow-green, the aroma light and refined, and the taste fresh with a gentle sweetness. The flowers and leaves come together like snow on green water.

Much obliged... I...

Alright, osmanthus next. Bright and golden, rich and mellow. It's not tea with osmanthus, the blossom and the tea are one, with a soft fragrance and a honeyed note.

It's fine tea, no question... but...

Not quite right, hm? Don't worry, next one!

N, No... hic... I can't... I can't drink another drop...

Well? Did any of them hit the mark?

I... I... hic...

Let me explain. Mr Chen is looking for the cheap tea they used at a street stall in Starwharf twenty years ago.

Cheap tea? What on earth for? That's just broken leaf. Scraps.

Exactly. Just big bowls of tea from a street stall. But he can't get that old taste out of his head. He's determined to find it again.

Well, did any of these bring back what you remember, brother?

I... hic... I drank too much, too fast... I can't tell them... hic... apart anymore...

...Hah. Alright. Let me think.

Twenty years ago, the two of us were still barefoot brats, down on the Reedshore riverbank, splashing in the mud.

And who would've thought... twenty years later, we'd go our separate ways and barely cross paths at all?

Time flies. What ever stays the same? Even tea doesn't taste like it used to...

I... I've got it!

My friend...

Thank you, my friend. Once I find that flower tea and taste it again, you will be well rewarded.

Of course. Of course! I'll make it worth your while.

So this is your "brilliant idea"? Bringing a whole teapot out here?

Ha. I've realised what I was missing. If I want that taste back, I need the moment that came with it.

Back then I used to run up and down this riverbank until I was parched. Maybe if I run myself dry again, the taste will come back.

Would you humour me and race me?

Twenty years on... and it still feels the same!

Huff... huff... I can't... keep up...

Hah... hah... I'm done for! You win!

So? Was that the taste you were after?

So close... But it's not quite there. Something's still missing.

I remember...

What is it?

It's those days I'm thinking of. Before the Scourge of Zhuyin ever reached this place. Back when my friends and I played in the mud here, polishing shells by the river.

White clouds drifting lazily overhead... as if we'd never known worry.

When did I decide to become a Starweaver? And when did we start to drift apart? One by one, we ended up far from home... year after year.

When did you first drink that bowl of tea?

When I was young, my father took me on foot along the riverbank, from Reedshore all the way to Starwharf, just to watch the ships. It was a long walk. I was exhausted, and buzzing with excitement.

We bought tea from a stall. The sea glittered nearby. Merchant ships came and went. The quay was buzzing. I was a wide-eyed boy... I couldn't look away.

Maybe it began there. The first time I saw the sea. The first time I knew I'd one day go beyond this land... all the way to the ends of the world.

And yet... coming back under this same sky still catches in my throat.

My friend... I understand now.

There'll never be tea that tastes the way it did back then... just as there'll never be days like those again.

It isn't the tea I miss. It's those days... and the childhood I can't return to.

Farewell, my friend. Please, take this. You've earned it.

Where are you going?

You can't take back what's gone. But there are things I can still hold on to.

I may never find that tea from twenty years ago again... but I can still walk with my father, talk as we go, and watch the ships at the quay with him.

I'm going home.

Starwharf's even livelier now than it was back then. Hard to believe it's been twenty years since you first brought me here to watch the ships, Father.

Twenty years on... and now this is where your journey begins as well.

It seems, young friend, that I am still one move ahead.

No, this isn't it. Not even close. What did you do to it? It tastes nothing like what I remember.

Oh? And what, exactly, is "wrong" with it? Go on, spell it out.

You're lying through your teeth! Trying to wreck my business, are you? Hey, you there, lassie in white. You've been watching all along. So tell me. Who's in the wrong here?

Don't talk rubbish. Three parts tea, one part flowers. Half a silver coin for a full bowl. That's how it's always been.

I've been selling tea here with my old man for twenty years. Started out carrying the pole ourselves, now we've got two little stalls. We've never cut corners. Never swapped in cheap stuff. Not once.

I assure you, I'm not making this up. Please, hear me out.

I'm a Starweaver. I've travelled far from home for many years. This time, crossing the desert parched to the bone, the smell and taste of the flower tea I grew up with came back to me all at once.

So the moment I returned to Starwharf, I came straight here. And yet... this bowl is different. It's a disappointment.

The tea I remember was brisk and refreshing, with a faint floral note. The only trouble was the dregs in the bottom of the bowl. But yours now, clear and bright. It isn't the same tea.

Ah... now I get it. My old man retired before the New Year, and I took over. I stopped using broken leaves and switched to whole ones.

It's just something to wet the throat... never thought anyone would care enough to notice.

Right. If that's cleared up, I'll...

One moment, young friend!

Today, I'm finding that old taste again. One way or another. EverSpring is full of merchants. If anyone still sells the tea I remember, it will be there.

Would you accompany me?

Sable Bi'an have been active on the roads of late. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

Precisely. Zhuyin has been causing trouble of late. I've been away for years, I don't even know whether the old road is still passable. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

This road between Reedshore and Starwharf... I used to walk it all the time as a kid, just to watch the ships at the quay. Never thought it'd turn this dangerous.

How times have changed. And the world with them.

Come. Let's press on, EverSpring is just ahead.

Chen! Well, if it isn't you. It's been ages. How have you been, brother?

We go way back. I've been thinking of you while you were away at sea all these years. I've been saving the best tea and wine for you, waiting for the day you'd come back and share it with me.

Come on, both of you. Sit. I've got stories for you. You won't believe what's been going on.

Ah... listen to me. I got carried away. So, what brings you here this time, brother?

I'm looking for a particular flower tea that...

Flower tea? That's easy! Lads, bring out the best we've got!

Brother Chen, try this lotus tea first. Before sunrise we pack the tea leaves into fresh lotus blossoms, leave them there all day, then do it again, several rounds. After that, we dry and roast the leaves. The fragrance is something else.

It's excellent, no question... but...

Then try this jasmine. Scented nine times. The liquor's a clear yellow-green, the aroma light and refined, and the taste fresh with a gentle sweetness. The flowers and leaves come together like snow on green water.

Much obliged... I...

Alright, osmanthus next. Bright and golden, rich and mellow. It's not tea with osmanthus, the blossom and the tea are one, with a soft fragrance and a honeyed note.

It's fine tea, no question... but...

Not quite right, hm? Don't worry, next one!

N, No... hic... I can't... I can't drink another drop...

Well? Did any of them hit the mark?

I... I... hic...

Let me explain. Mr Chen is looking for the cheap tea they used at a street stall in Starwharf twenty years ago.

Cheap tea? What on earth for? That's just broken leaf. Scraps.

Exactly. Just big bowls of tea from a street stall. But he can't get that old taste out of his head. He's determined to find it again.

Well, did any of these bring back what you remember, brother?

I... hic... I drank too much, too fast... I can't tell them... hic... apart anymore...

...Hah. Alright. Let me think.

Twenty years ago, the two of us were still barefoot brats, down on the Reedshore riverbank, splashing in the mud.

And who would've thought... twenty years later, we'd go our separate ways and barely cross paths at all?

Time flies. What ever stays the same? Even tea doesn't taste like it used to...

I... I've got it!

My friend...

Thank you, my friend. Once I find that flower tea and taste it again, you will be well rewarded.

Of course. Of course! I'll make it worth your while.

So this is your "brilliant idea"? Bringing a whole teapot out here?

Ha. I've realised what I was missing. If I want that taste back, I need the moment that came with it.

Back then I used to run up and down this riverbank until I was parched. Maybe if I run myself dry again, the taste will come back.

Would you humour me and race me?

Twenty years on... and it still feels the same!

Huff... huff... I can't... keep up...

Hah... hah... I'm done for! You win!

So? Was that the taste you were after?

So close... But it's not quite there. Something's still missing.

I remember...

What is it?

It's those days I'm thinking of. Before the Scourge of Zhuyin ever reached this place. Back when my friends and I played in the mud here, polishing shells by the river.

White clouds drifting lazily overhead... as if we'd never known worry.

When did I decide to become a Starweaver? And when did we start to drift apart? One by one, we ended up far from home... year after year.

When did you first drink that bowl of tea?

When I was young, my father took me on foot along the riverbank, from Reedshore all the way to Starwharf, just to watch the ships. It was a long walk. I was exhausted, and buzzing with excitement.

We bought tea from a stall. The sea glittered nearby. Merchant ships came and went. The quay was buzzing. I was a wide-eyed boy... I couldn't look away.

Maybe it began there. The first time I saw the sea. The first time I knew I'd one day go beyond this land... all the way to the ends of the world.

And yet... coming back under this same sky still catches in my throat.

My friend... I understand now.

There'll never be tea that tastes the way it did back then... just as there'll never be days like those again.

It isn't the tea I miss. It's those days... and the childhood I can't return to.

Farewell, my friend. Please, take this. You've earned it.

Where are you going?

You can't take back what's gone. But there are things I can still hold on to.

I may never find that tea from twenty years ago again... but I can still walk with my father, talk as we go, and watch the ships at the quay with him.

I'm going home.

Starwharf's even livelier now than it was back then. Hard to believe it's been twenty years since you first brought me here to watch the ships, Father.

Twenty years on... and now this is where your journey begins as well.

It seems, young friend, that I am still one move ahead.

No, this isn't it. Not even close. What did you do to it? It tastes nothing like what I remember.

Oh? And what, exactly, is "wrong" with it? Go on, spell it out.

You're lying through your teeth! Trying to wreck my business, are you? Hey, you there, lassie in white. You've been watching all along. So tell me. Who's in the wrong here?

Don't talk rubbish. Three parts tea, one part flowers. Half a silver coin for a full bowl. That's how it's always been.

I've been selling tea here with my old man for twenty years. Started out carrying the pole ourselves, now we've got two little stalls. We've never cut corners. Never swapped in cheap stuff. Not once.

I assure you, I'm not making this up. Please, hear me out.

I'm a Starweaver. I've travelled far from home for many years. This time, crossing the desert parched to the bone, the smell and taste of the flower tea I grew up with came back to me all at once.

So the moment I returned to Starwharf, I came straight here. And yet... this bowl is different. It's a disappointment.

The tea I remember was brisk and refreshing, with a faint floral note. The only trouble was the dregs in the bottom of the bowl. But yours now, clear and bright. It isn't the same tea.

Ah... now I get it. My old man retired before the New Year, and I took over. I stopped using broken leaves and switched to whole ones.

It's just something to wet the throat... never thought anyone would care enough to notice.

Right. If that's cleared up, I'll...

One moment, young friend!

Today, I'm finding that old taste again. One way or another. EverSpring is full of merchants. If anyone still sells the tea I remember, it will be there.

Would you accompany me?

Sable Bi'an have been active on the roads of late. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

Precisely. Zhuyin has been causing trouble of late. I've been away for years, I don't even know whether the old road is still passable. See me safely to EverSpring, and you will be well compensated.

This road between Reedshore and Starwharf... I used to walk it all the time as a kid, just to watch the ships at the quay. Never thought it'd turn this dangerous.

How times have changed. And the world with them.

Come. Let's press on, EverSpring is just ahead.

Chen! Well, if it isn't you. It's been ages. How have you been, brother?

We go way back. I've been thinking of you while you were away at sea all these years. I've been saving the best tea and wine for you, waiting for the day you'd come back and share it with me.

Come on, both of you. Sit. I've got stories for you. You won't believe what's been going on.

Ah... listen to me. I got carried away. So, what brings you here this time, brother?

I'm looking for a particular flower tea that...

Flower tea? That's easy! Lads, bring out the best we've got!

Brother Chen, try this lotus tea first. Before sunrise we pack the tea leaves into fresh lotus blossoms, leave them there all day, then do it again, several rounds. After that, we dry and roast the leaves. The fragrance is something else.

It's excellent, no question... but...

Then try this jasmine. Scented nine times. The liquor's a clear yellow-green, the aroma light and refined, and the taste fresh with a gentle sweetness. The flowers and leaves come together like snow on green water.

Much obliged... I...

Alright, osmanthus next. Bright and golden, rich and mellow. It's not tea with osmanthus, the blossom and the tea are one, with a soft fragrance and a honeyed note.

It's fine tea, no question... but...

Not quite right, hm? Don't worry, next one!

N, No... hic... I can't... I can't drink another drop...

Well? Did any of them hit the mark?

I... I... hic...

Let me explain. Mr Chen is looking for the cheap tea they used at a street stall in Starwharf twenty years ago.

Cheap tea? What on earth for? That's just broken leaf. Scraps.

Exactly. Just big bowls of tea from a street stall. But he can't get that old taste out of his head. He's determined to find it again.

Well, did any of these bring back what you remember, brother?

I... hic... I drank too much, too fast... I can't tell them... hic... apart anymore...

...Hah. Alright. Let me think.

Twenty years ago, the two of us were still barefoot brats, down on the Reedshore riverbank, splashing in the mud.

And who would've thought... twenty years later, we'd go our separate ways and barely cross paths at all?

Time flies. What ever stays the same? Even tea doesn't taste like it used to...

I... I've got it!

My friend...

Thank you, my friend. Once I find that flower tea and taste it again, you will be well rewarded.

Of course. Of course! I'll make it worth your while.

So this is your "brilliant idea"? Bringing a whole teapot out here?

Ha. I've realised what I was missing. If I want that taste back, I need the moment that came with it.

Back then I used to run up and down this riverbank until I was parched. Maybe if I run myself dry again, the taste will come back.

Would you humour me and race me?

Twenty years on... and it still feels the same!

Huff... huff... I can't... keep up...

Hah... hah... I'm done for! You win!

So? Was that the taste you were after?

So close... But it's not quite there. Something's still missing.

I remember...

What is it?

It's those days I'm thinking of. Before the Scourge of Zhuyin ever reached this place. Back when my friends and I played in the mud here, polishing shells by the river.

White clouds drifting lazily overhead... as if we'd never known worry.

When did I decide to become a Starweaver? And when did we start to drift apart? One by one, we ended up far from home... year after year.

When did you first drink that bowl of tea?

When I was young, my father took me on foot along the riverbank, from Reedshore all the way to Starwharf, just to watch the ships. It was a long walk. I was exhausted, and buzzing with excitement.

We bought tea from a stall. The sea glittered nearby. Merchant ships came and went. The quay was buzzing. I was a wide-eyed boy... I couldn't look away.

Maybe it began there. The first time I saw the sea. The first time I knew I'd one day go beyond this land... all the way to the ends of the world.

And yet... coming back under this same sky still catches in my throat.

My friend... I understand now.

There'll never be tea that tastes the way it did back then... just as there'll never be days like those again.

It isn't the tea I miss. It's those days... and the childhood I can't return to.

Farewell, my friend. Please, take this. You've earned it.

Where are you going?

You can't take back what's gone. But there are things I can still hold on to.

I may never find that tea from twenty years ago again... but I can still walk with my father, talk as we go, and watch the ships at the quay with him.

I'm going home.

Starwharf's even livelier now than it was back then. Hard to believe it's been twenty years since you first brought me here to watch the ships, Father.

Twenty years on... and now this is where your journey begins as well.

It seems, young friend, that I am still one move ahead.