Sheffield wore a sky blue casual shirt today, and the smile on his face was still that rakish smirk he always wore, a grin that hinted at danger. And he looked none the worse for Evelyn's harsh words, as if nothing happened yesterday. He was still so happy when he saw her.
His generosity embarrassed Evelyn. She nodded slightly and apologized, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked in confusion.
"About yesterday..." she explained uncomfortably. "I had no clue the old woman's backpack was filled with dangerous goods."
"I've dealt with her kind before. Don't worry. Just be careful from now on. I have to go! See ya later!"
Before Evelyn could respond, Sheffield had already returned to his buddies.
Evelyn was a little disappointed when she saw him with his colleagues; talking, laughing, clapping each other on the back.
She shook it off and walked into the tea plantation with a wicker basket.
The plantation was located on a mountain. Evelyn's new sneakers were soon stained with clay, dirt, and who knew what else.
She took out a wet tissue and tried to clean them. A futile gesture, as after two minutes, they were muddy once more. At last, she gave up and decided to clean them after getting back to the guesthouse.
At the top of the mountain, a female tea leaf picker waited for her. She took her to a high-class tea plantation and taught her to pick the tender sprouts. The process involved finding the young and juicy leaves with a portion of the stem and a bud at the end. Then when she found that, she carefully picked it and placed it in her basket.
Evelyn really enjoyed this. It was relaxing, Zen-like. She stayed on the hilltop a while longer, her mood much improved.
Soon enough, her basket was half full. A familiar voice suddenly said behind her, "Hey! Need a break?"
It was Sheffield.
She didn't know how long he had been standing there. When she turned around, he was smiling at her, a green tea leaf in his mouth.
Evelyn cast a glance at her basket of leaves and answered in a soft voice, "Not yet."
He walked up to her and looked at all the tea leaves she had picked. "Mind if I join you?"
"Do you know how to pick tea leaves?" Actu
his mountain.
Sheffield's face instantly turned bleak. "Oh my God! You lied to me. I thought that we'd be married as soon as possible!"
The man looked desperate as if he had been abandoned after having a good time with her.
Evelyn pulled her hand back and curled her lips. "When I want to get married, you'll be the first to know."
"Okay. What's your number? I'll call you later." He took out his phone to save her number.
Evelyn looked at him and said flatly, "Look. I like you, but this can't last. After we go back home, we'll live our own lives, so maybe we shouldn't talk to each other."
Sheffield was speechless. He held his wounded heart sadly.
He must have turned down too many women in the past. Now he had to pay for it. Evelyn was his punishment.
After they reached the base of the mountain, they handed the tea leaves they picked to the workers and went into the tea house together.
The air in the tea house was thick with a pleasant smell.
He took Evelyn's hand and led her to sit down in front of a tea specialist. "What flavor do you want? I'll ask the tea expert to brew us a pot."
Evelyn looked at the different selections in the room and replied, "The kind we picked just now."
"Great. Could you brew up some oolong tea for us?" Sheffield asked directly.
However, the tea specialist seemed to be in a dilemma. "Sir, the top tea leaves here cost more than $50, 000 a kilo, and there is no tasting it first..."
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