Dream meetings (5)

Scrunching my eyes tight, I pushed the menu over to him.

"Then, then help me choose," I said, turning my face away to look at the lily painting on the wall. I traced the lines and blends of colour on the painting with my eyes, distracting myself from thinking about how much money we would be using tonight and comparing it with my fortnightly salary.

"What do you like to eat? Or rather, what do you not eat?" Mr Wen asked. "What do you feel like eating? Why don't you choose something you have always wanted to eat but have never really had the chance to?"

I blinked and took a moment to think.

"Lobster noodles," I said, tilting my head and thinking of something that I might only be able to find in a fancy place like this. But then a wave of longing for my mother's cooking washed over me as well. "Duck soup. Stir fried green vegetables with garlic."

Mr Wen smiled at me.

"Very good," he closed the menu. "They may not have duck soup today. There are only two different soups everyday, but we will ask and find out later. Do you want anything for dessert? Do you have any allergies?"

"Actually," I scratched my head and looked down at the table, "I have a seafood allergy."

"No lobster noodles then," Mr Wen shook his head and said in a tone of finality. My face fell and I flopped on the table with disappointment. "But I can ask for some mock crab or something similar for you. Ok? You mustn't play with your life when it comes to allergies."

I sighed.

"Yes, Dad."

"What did you call me?"

"Da-ad," I teased.

"Are you saying you're pregnant already?" Mr Wen waggled his eyebrows and I immediately turned into a flaming red candle. I covered my face with my hands. "We could certainly make that a reality."

"No. Someone save me," I muttered into my hands.

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. Xiao Gai entered with a tray with a and a plate of festive snacks.

"Your grade 3 longjing tea and congratulatory pastries on the house," Xiao Gai announced, glancing at my burning face and gave me a small knowing smile. "Chef Yu sends his greetings and said he will come in person to discuss your meal."

While she spoke, Xiao Gai boiled the water using a tap in the wall and a kettle at the side of the room that had so many buttons that it made me freeze for a split second after seeing it. What were all the buttons for?

"There are different buttons for different temperatures," Mr Wen noticed my look and reaction. "Different teas taste best when brewed with their own specific temperatures."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. It seemed to me that the world of the rich was excessively complicated and spoiled for choice. They had so many choices.

Xiao Gai told us in detail about the tea she was brewing, where the batch had come from and who had made it. She mentioned the latest research on the health benefits of green tea and then talked about the tea set she was using for the brewing. It went in one ear and out the other. There was too much detail. Why did I need to know so much about the tea and the tea utensils?

"This is a teahouse restaurant," Mr Wen explained to my look of bewilderment. "Many tea enthusiasts come here and are very picky about not just the grade of tea, but the type of water, the utensils used and the technique. Some of them insist on picking and choosing every single item themselves. Xiao Gai and her colleagues here have to know everything down to the finest detail in order to deal with those fussy old men."

It seemed like it wasn't easy to work as a waitress. If I ever lost my admin assistant job, I doubted I'd be able to work as a waitress. I certainly wouldn't be able to learn so much information.

"That's right," Xiao Gai nodded. "It took me two years to learn the basics and even then, I still have to keep studying and practising. There are some brewing techniques I have yet to master. There's still so much more to learn."

She sounded so proud.

Wasn't brewing tea just pouring hot water onto the tea leaves? Why make so much of a fuss about it all?

But while I watched her smooth and elegant actions, I started to see why they said tea brewing was an art. The way she moved looked like an intricate dance. There were also so many steps before the tea could be poured into the cup to be enjoyed.

"Smell and breathe in the tea aroma before you take a sip," Mr Wen told me. "Appreciate the colour, the clarity, the aroma."

Mr Wen led me through the steps of tea appreciation while accepting his cup. And then he led me in taking a sip.

My eyes lit up. The fragrance had been much better and more refreshing than other teas I had tried before, but the taste... No wonder there were tea grades. Just imagine. This was only third grade tea. What did the first grade and premium teas taste like?

"It's good, right?" Mr Wen smiled, taking another small sip.

I nodded, eyes big. I had never known that tea could be this fragrant and taste this good.

There was a knock at the door and a well muscled older man entered, wiping his hands on a white towel that he tucked away into his apron pocket.

"Chef Yu," Mr Wen stood up to now and shake hands. I followed suit.

"Congratulations, boy. It's about time you got hitched," the chef boomed, his loud voice making me jump. Seeing that, the chef noticeably attempted to reduce the volume of his voice. "Congratulations, young lady. You've made a good choice. Married one of the best men available in the city. Don't worry about the menu tonight. I'm going to be arranging something special just for the two of you. I'll pair it with your wines as well, to give you the most perfect experience to bless you both with a lasting marriage. Does the young lady have any allergies?"

"Seafood," I pouted. "Especially shellfish and crustaceans. I really want to be able to eat them though," I sighed. "I hear they're delicious."

"No worries, young lady. I have just the thing for you. How are you with fish and seaweed?"

"I'm fine with most fish and seaweeds," I gave the excited chef an ok sign.

"Do you also have an alcohol allergy?" Mr Wen took advantage of the moment to ask.

"No, not exactly," I gave a bitter smile. "I just don't like it. Alcohol isn't a good thing. It's a personal reason. I'd rather not drink it or have the people around me drink alcohol."

"I sense a story," Chef Yu raised an eyebrow, "but perhaps another time. You're getting registered on the weekend, yes? Then we'll close the restaurant and call everyone over to celebrate with you both after you've got your official certificate. Which evening would be best? Saturday or Sunday?"

"Saturday," Mr Wen said. "We still have to work until we can arrange the honeymoon."

"A shotgun wedding?" Chef Yu wagged a finger at Mr Wen. "Bad boy. Why so rushed? Why couldn't you wait and do things properly? Your parents would be disappointed."

"It's not a shotgun wedding," Mr Wen attempted to explain, fidgeting uncomfortably under the older man's teasing. "It's just that I knew she was the one and didn't want to waste any time."

"How about you, young lady?" Chef Yu turned his teasing eyes toward me. "Any excuses?"

"I don't - don't really know what's going on still," I hesitated. "I was single this morning and am now somehow married to a man whose name I just learned today."

Now that I was thinking about it, I didn't even know the investor's name. I hadn't really been paying attention earlier today. All I knew was his last name and the family nickname.

"Um, Mr Wen," I rubbed my nose. "What is your name?"

The chef's jaw dropped. So did Xiao Gai's. They gave Mr Wen an accusatory look.

"She was thinking of lobster noodles, stir fried greens and duck soup," Mr Wen ignored their gazes. "I don't know if you can help her with that, Chef?"

The stares continued.

"What?"

"Did you just drag her off the street?"

"No. Not exactly. Just out of her office. She did consent and agree to get married. We performed the wedding ceremony in front of the memorial tablets. My parents, grandparents and great-grandmother were all there. They left when the wedding was over."

"I thought they were all dead?"

"You brought her to the memorial hall for a wedding? How could you?"

The chef and waitress seemed to be immediately on my side, interrogating him, as if worried that I had been forced into this marriage with him.

"Wife, help me out here," Mr Wen gave me a helpless look.