“But it is too hot to drink,” I said.
“Not too hot for a Chinaman, we drink it like that. But if it is too hot for you, we will pour it out,” and putting the versatile lid on the table so that it formed a saucer, he poured some tea into it.
“Do you drink it from the saucer like that?”
“Yes; those people who cannot take it so hot always do so. Otherwise, or when it is cooler, we drink it so,” and he put the lid back in the cup, but only half on in a slanting way, and made me sip the tea through the aperture at the side.
“What is the idea of that?” I said.
“To keep the tea hot and to hold back the leaves, because you see our cup is also our teapot.”
It really was both nice and refreshing.
“How many cups does your Excellency drink in a day?” I enquired.
“Always twenty, sometimes thirty.”
“Good heavens! How do you do it?”