"Do you have anything stronger?"
His face stays motionless, but you sense a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. "I fear not," he says. "We have rum in the expedition supplies, but we must leave it untouched. Its warming properties may save our lives out there."
He hands you tea in a tin cup anyway.
Zhu takes a tentative sip from his own tea and fixes you with a patient stare. "I apologize for the great inconvenience this must have caused to you," he says, an empathetic timbre to his voice. "I am sure you will have many questions. Please, ask away."
"Let's start with you," you say.