Chapter 1266: The dream of the hearth (1)
"Yes.. yes," Sun Biya murmured mechanically, completely taken aback by the whole thing as she absentmindedly put those high spirit stones away. Clearly she hadn’t expected Yang Qing to agree that fast, and neither had she expected him to pay for a whole year or display the attitude he was showing at the moment, where it looked like he was offering her a bribe.
For a few seconds, she even second-guessed herself, replaying her conversation with Yang Qing and wondering if she’d misrepresented something, maybe added a perk that wasn’t actually part of the benefits for special guests. But she soon realized she hadn’t, which only left her more puzzled by Yang Qing’s reaction.
Still, as taken aback as she was, she was a professional. It didn’t take her long to collect herself and once again wear the friendly smile and affable demeanor she’d had earlier.
"We thank you for your patronage," she said, cupping her fist before moving to add to her statement.
"I should also tell you this—outside of paying in spirit stones, there is another way to access our collections," she said.
"What way?" asked Yang Qing with interest. He wouldn’t pass up a chance to save on spirit stones if it presented itself.
"Well, like I mentioned earlier," Sun Biya began as her eyes swept meaningfully around her, her gaze pausing ever so briefly—and intentionally—on the paintings and some of the writings displayed around the room, before finally lingering for just a moment on the mysterious painting, then settling back on Yang Qing.
"If you present something worthwhile, then you’d gain access to our collection for life, without paying anything," she said, smiling pleasantly and going to great lengths to hide the anticipatory excitement in her heart as she looked at Yang Qing.
From his earlier display with the painting, she had already marked him as a talent with prodigious ability in some form of artistry—her bet was on painting, given how quickly he had seen into the essence of the piece behind her. As such, even if it was unlikely, she still held onto the possibility that they might yet add another worthy painting to the collection, and with it, grow the reputation of the teahouse.