Rosalind Green brewed some tea. The cups had been carved from bamboo by Adrian Hawthorne, and the "leaves" were wild chrysanthemums she had picked from the mountains. There were actually plenty of unmanaged tea trees on the mountain, and the villagers often went up to pick the leaves for themselves. However, Rosalind didn’t dare touch them, afraid the villagers would scold her. She settled for picking wild chrysanthemums and honeysuckle instead, which made for a very pleasant-tasting tea.

"Please, have some tea."

Rosalind Green didn’t even dare to lift her head, feeling a little overwhelmed. ’This was the first time they’d ever had guests at home!’

"This chrysanthemum tea is wonderfully fragrant. Did you make it yourself?" Shane Thorne took a sip and was full of praise.

Rosalind Green nodded shyly. She didn’t dare to linger outside, so after setting down the tea, she retreated to her room. ’Her mother had taught her that a married woman shouldn’t interact with men who weren’t family; it went against wifely virtue.’

The others had initially looked down on this shabby tea. ’Wild chrysanthemums are everywhere on the mountain. We usually just hoe them and burn them for ash, yet the Hawthornes use them for tea. And these cups... They must be so poor they can’t even afford real ones. How pitiful.’

But when they saw Shane Thorne drinking with such relish, their curiosity was piqued. They couldn’t resist taking a sip. The scent of bamboo mingled with the fresh fragrance of wild chrysanthemum, creating a truly unique aroma completely different from the teas they normally drank. It was exceptionally fragrant, and before they knew it, they had drained more than half their cups.

"Chrysanthemum tea clears heat and reduces inflammation. It also improves eyesight and calms the spirit. It’s good for your health," Byron Thorne said slowly. ’He also enjoyed floral teas, but the one Raina made was nothing like Rosalind Green’s. The flavor and texture were far inferior. I’ll have to ask Rosalind how she does it later.’

Hearing about these benefits, everyone drank even faster, immediately draining their cups. They then unabashedly refilled them on their own. After a few sips, the dryness in their mouths gave way to a pleasant sweetness, making them feel much more comfortable.

"I never knew these wildflowers had such benefits," Shaun Thorne said with a laugh. "When summer comes, I’ll have my old lady go up the mountain to pick some to dry and brew."

"There’s a trick to drying them. The ones my old lady makes aren’t nearly as fragrant as this," Byron Thorne said in a measured tone, earning a glare from Raina.

Shane Thorne cleared his throat, and everyone immediately fell silent, quietly sipping their tea.

"Mr. Tate, have you ever told Xiaonan about things from the big city? Like skyscrapers, airplanes, streetcars, or trains?"

Old Master Tate shook his head, puzzled. "No, I haven’t. What’s wrong?"

"What about advanced foreign technology? You haven’t mentioned that either?" Shane Thorne asked, lowering his voice.

Old Master Tate jumped, instinctively glancing around. Shane Thorne gently patted his hand. "Don’t worry, we’re all friends here."

"I truly haven’t. How would I dare speak of such things? If word got out, it would be a disaster." Old Master Tate gave a bitter smile. ’That kind of talk is considered a poisonous weed of capitalism.’ He certainly wasn’t going to admit that he had, in fact, mentioned a few things. ’But all I ever talked about were local customs and culture, nothing like what Tang Xiaonan was saying.’

"What on earth happened? I heard from Kenneth that Xiaonan was under the weather. Is she all right now?" Old Master Tate asked, looking at Tang Xiaonan with concern. The little girl seemed to be in good spirits.

"She’s fine now. Earlier, Xiaonan’s spirit seemed to leave her body, and she went to a very magical place..."

Shane Thorne recounted everything Tang Xiaonan had said. As Old Master Tate and Adrian Hawthorne listened, their expressions grew increasingly solemn. They were certain they had never told Tang Xiaonan about life in big cities. Besides, even Tristone didn’t have buildings that were hundreds of meters tall. America might, but Adrian Hawthorne had never even been abroad, so there was no way Tang Xiaonan could have known about such things.

’She couldn’t have possibly made all this up out of thin air. This means Tang Xiaonan must have actually seen it all.’