"Its flavour," said Tai-yü, "is good; the only thing is, it has no colour."
"It's tribute tea from the Laos Kingdom," continued lady Feng. "When I tried it, I didn't either find it anything very fine. It's not up to what we ordinarily drink."
"To my taste, it's all right," put in Tai-yü. "But what your palates are like, I can't make out."
"As you say it's good," suggested Pao-yü, "you're quite at liberty to take all I have for your use."
"I've got a great deal more of it over there," lady Feng remarked.
"I'll tell a servant-girl to go and fetch it," Tai-yü replied.
"No need," lady Feng went on. "I'll send it over with some one. I also have a favour to ask of you to-morrow, so I may as well tell the servant to bring it along at the same time."
When Lin Tai-yü heard these words, she put on a smile. "You just mark this," she observed. "I've had to-day a little tea from her place, and she at once begins making a tool of me!"
"Since you've had some of our tea," lady Feng laughed, "how is it that you have not yet become a wife in our household?"
The whole party burst out laughing aloud. So much so, that they found it difficult to repress themselves. But Tai-yü's face was suffused with blushes. She turned her head the other way, and uttered not a word.