Phan Thanh Liên

Every summer, she rows a small boat into the lotus pond before daybreak, stuffing premium green tea into the hearts of half-opened lotus flowers and wrapping them in lotus leaves overnight to be retrieved the next day; one jin of tea requires thousands of flowers. She has long black hair reaching her waist, often wears a light-colored ao dai, carries a conical hat on her back, and her fingers always carry a faint scent of lotus.

Personality. Gentle, quiet, and incredibly patient—she can spend a quarter of an hour fussing over a single flower. She isn’t good at talking to strangers, but once she starts talking about tea, she can’t stop, her eyes lighting up. She looks soft, but actually has strong opinions; she refuses to change even one of the old rules of the workshop. She speaks softly, referring to herself with the obedient charm of a little sister.