Song Ting turned back, a trace of interest in his eyes.
“So this is the goal you’ve been working so hard for?”
Nan Jiu had never cared much about running the tea house and had even less patience for brewing and tasting tea. She wouldn’t waste effort on pointless things, neither with people nor the tea house.
She didn’t dodge or avoid the question, admitting frankly, “I need the money!”
Song Ting stepped into the tea hall.
“You need to get it up and running first.”
Nan Jiu leaned against the carved wooden door, her voice soft as the night breeze drifting through the doorway.
“Half your clothes are soaked.”
Song Ting hesitated but didn’t stop, heading straight upstairs.
Nan Jiu’s lips curved slightly. She turned and locked the door behind her.
***
Nan Jiu truly changed from her laziness of the past few days. She woke up before dawn, set up a mobile phone stand, and placed it outside the tea house, pointing it at the Hat Teahouse sign.
She didn’t know what she was filming, but she kept filming for several hours straight.
Wu Aunty, curious, peered at the phone screen from all angles and couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Jiu, I see you filming over and over, but it only captures four characters. Why don’t you try a different angle?”
Nan Jiu sat calmly in the bamboo chair, holding a pink handheld fan, replying, “No rush, I’m not done yet.”
Nan Jiu’s Grandfather, seeing her acting oddly, guessed she was probably trying to slack off and find trouble for herself. He told Wu Aunty to call her back to work. Song Ting intervened, “The shop’s not busy today. Let her tinker around.”
At noon, when the sun was hottest, Nan Jiu rested inside the tea house for a while, then before evening, she moved a small stool and went back out to film the sign again.
Even Wu Aunty was sure Nan Jiu was just avoiding work.
The next day, Nan Jiu stopped filming the sign. She got a more professional set of equipment from Liu Yin and spent the whole day wandering around inside the tea house, taking shots here and there, driving Nan Jiu’s Grandfather crazy.
On the third day, she went out carrying all the photographic equipment and only returned after dark.
A familiar tea guest teased Nan Jiu’s Grandfather, “Where’s your granddaughter? Didn’t she say she was coming back to help you at the tea house?”
Nan Jiu’s Grandfather hummed and said, “Hoping she’d actually help? Might as well wait for the sun to rise in the west.”
A few days later, Nan Jiu settled down and stayed in her room all day without going out. Nan Jiu’s Grandfather complained again that she wasn’t doing her proper work.
Finally, she stopped tinkering and went back to resting her chin on her hand, sitting behind the counter collecting payments.
She didn’t say what she had been busy with the past few days, and her grandfather didn’t bother to ask. His attention was soon drawn to something else.
Nan Jiu’s biological uncle somehow heard she had returned to work at the tea house and called Nan Jiu’s Grandfather, saying he wanted to send his son there too.
Nan Jiu’s Grandfather wanted to find an excuse to brush it off, but Nan Zhenyong said on the phone that a friend was driving back to their hometown and promised to bring his son along tomorrow.
The next afternoon, Nan Jiu’s beloved eldest cousin arrived at Hat Alley. Nan Qiaoyu was the same age as Nan Jiu. T
he two had never gotten along since childhood. Since Nan Qiaoyu was only two months older than Nan Jiu, she had never called him “brother” and always addressed him by name.
Just stepping into the tea house, Nan Qiaoyu looked like an idol visiting in his outfit. Large dark sunglasses pinned on his face, wearing trendy brand clothes, a chain hanging on his chest, and pushing a big black suitcase.
Nan Jiu glanced at him sideways from behind the counter. Nan Qiaoyu lowered his sunglasses and cast a sarcastic look at Nan Jiu.
“Well, if it isn’t my artsy little cousin. What are you doing here doing rough work?”
Nan Jiu lowered her eyelids.
“Shut up and scram.”
One unruly kid was enough to give Nan Jiu’s Grandfather a headache; now there were two troublemakers, and they immediately clashed the moment they met.
Nan Jiu’s Grandfather angrily grabbed his cane and scolded Nan Qiaoyu, “You come here just to mock your sister? Not even a ‘hello’ for me?”
Nan Jiu smirked. Her grandfather immediately turned back, “And you, how do you talk to your brother? Go buy some marinated dishes and come back.”
Nan Jiu reluctantly got up. Before leaving, she asked, “Who’s eating duck heads?”
Song Ting never ate them, and Nan Jiu’s Grandfather didn’t have the patience either. Nan Jiu looked at Nan Qiaoyu.
He sneered, “Can’t you buy some meaty parts instead?”
Nan Jiu turned away and left. The marinated duck heads from the shop in Hat Alley were exquisite—crispy skin, flavorful meat, with a good chew.
But the duck heads were limited each day; if you went late, they were usually sold out.
Nan Jiu bought two duck heads. The shopkeeper split them into four pieces, which she carried back to the tea house along with other marinated dishes.
Nan Jiu’s Grandfather had been invited to Lao Qin’s house, saying that Lao Qin’s condition had worsened.
Lao Qin’s son took Nan Jiu’s Grandfather over to accompany his sick father, so Nan Jiu’s Grandfather wasn’t home for dinner.
Wu Aunty finished cooking and left.
After closing the tea house door, Song Ting went up to the attic to get something.
Before dinner, Nan Jiu received a call from a Society member discussing recruitment for the new semester.
When she hung up and returned to the table, the four pieces of duck head were down to just the skulls, and all the duck brains she loved were gone.
Nan Jiu glared at Nan Qiaoyu sitting across from her.
“Are you crazy? I just asked if you wanted some, and you said no. Where’s the duck brain?”
Nan Qiaoyu looked indifferent.
“I don’t eat duck heads. I never said I don’t eat duck brain.”
Then he smugly added, “Oh right, I already slurped them all.”
Nan Jiu slammed her chopsticks on the table. Song Ting heard the noise and came downstairs.
Nan Jiu flipped the marinated duck dishes over.
“Fine, then nobody eats them.”
Nan Qiaoyu jumped up from his chair, pointing at Nan Jiu.
“Don’t get cocky with me. Don’t think I won’t punch you.”
He made a fist. Song Ting grabbed his hand.
“What are you doing?”
Nan Qiaoyu had never dealt with Song Ting before, but he was intimidated by his height and aura. He stepped back two steps, grabbed his phone, and left.
“I’ll go eat a fancy meal myself. You guys can starve.”
Roast duck sauce spilled all over the table. Song Ting bent down to clean up the mess. Nan Jiu’s face turned green with anger. Song Ting glanced at her, half-smiling.
“You two quarrelled and ruined my dinner.”
“He started it,” Nan Jiu said with a stern face, grabbing a rag.
Song Ting took the rag, wiped the table clean, washed his hands, and came out of the kitchen. He looked at her.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Duck heads.”
Knowing the marinated dish shop wouldn’t have duck heads now, she said it just to irritate him.
“Let’s go.”
Song Ting called, heading outside the tea house.
Nan Jiu looked at him, puzzled. Song Ting stopped at the door and turned back.
“Didn’t you say you wanted duck heads? Let’s go.”
Nan Jiu realized and hurried to follow him.