The next morning, Liu Yin called Nan Jiu over to the next room.
Liu Yin’s cashier counter was right beside the cosmetics stand, and since she was on friendly terms with the saleswoman, she often managed to get sample packets.
She handed a pack of high-end samples to Nan Jiu, saying they were new products and told her to try them out at home.
Nan Jiu didn’t usually wear makeup, so she flipped through the samples in her bag, asking Liu Yin how to use them.
Liu Yin simply had Nan Jiu sit down, then applied makeup on her while explaining how to use the products.
Nan Jiu sat in front of the dressing table, chin held high, letting Liu Yin work her magic.
During the makeup session, Liu Yin casually tried to pry into Nan Jiu about Song Ting’s blind date that day.
Nan Jiu caught Liu Yin’s shy expression reflected in the mirror and a spark of mischievous interest flickered in her eyes.
“Are you planning to ruin his blind date?”
Liu Yin’s face went pale. She looked up to meet Nan Jiu’s gaze, her cheeks flushing, then quickly looked down again.
This was Nan Jiu’s first time seriously wearing full makeup. High school was strict; cosmetics weren’t allowed on campus, and at most, classmates would secretly apply some lip gloss.
Nan Jiu had narrow eyes shaped like willow leaves and a face that didn’t fit mainstream beauty standards. She even seemed to grow increasingly world-weary.
But after applying makeup, she looked like a different person. Her sharp features were accentuated, turning her once off-putting appearance into one that was strikingly fierce.
Liu Yin admired the emerging contours of her beauty and teased, “Do a lot of boys at your school chase after you?”
Nan Jiu tucked her short hair behind her ear. “Of course.”
She raised the makeup samples Liu Yin had given her and winked. “I won’t take your stuff for nothing. Wait for good news.”
Song Ting sat at a window-side tea table with his blind date, the woman’s back facing the door, and Song Ting sat opposite her, focused on brewing tea.
Under Nan Jiu’s grandfather’s urging, she finally swapped out her usual loose pants today and wore a dress.
As she swayed her figure appearing at the teahouse entrance, several customers turned their gazes toward her.
Song Ting lifted his eyelids and glanced toward the door. His eyes lingered on her face for a second, or maybe less—a moment too brief for anyone to notice.
The window was half-open, letting in a ring of light. He leaned back just outside the glow, the shifting light rippling over his white collared shirt.
Nan Jiu smiled sweetly at Song Ting and stepped forward into the light. Her voice was soft and innocent as she greeted, “Uncle.”
Song Ting’s eyes narrowed slightly, taking in every subtle expression on her face.
Nan Jiu naturally sat down beside him and looked at the woman across the table.
“Is this my new aunt?”
Nan Jiu’s tone was warm and harmless. The woman noticed the word “new” and her expression changed ever so slightly.
The woman was plainly dressed and didn’t look young, her flat features framed by thin-rimmed glasses. She carried an air of seriousness.
Song Ting clearly heard the pointed meaning in Nan Jiu’s words but didn’t bother to clarify.
He said, “Don’t call her that. Her name’s Zhou Yan.”
Though Zhou Yan was suspicious, she maintained good manners and politely asked, “She’s your niece? She looks just like you.”
Song Ting replied, “Xiao Jiu is Nan Jiu’s granddaughter.”
Zhou Yan seemed to understand. Nan Jiu sat at their table like a large, glaring third wheel. She was sure Zhou Yan was interested in Song Ting.
Not only did Zhou Yan think Song Ting was handsome, but her eyes always smiled when she spoke—eyes don’t lie.
However, between Zhou Yan and Liu Yin, Nan Jiu would unquestionably side with Liu Yin.
For one, Liu Yin was her friend; they had known each other since childhood. For another, Liu Yin was prettier and more suited to Song Ting.
Putting that aside, Song Ting had caused her to get scolded by her grandfather and her leg had hurt for several days. He had left her nowhere to go all day.
She remembered all this clearly and, now that she had the chance to make him squirm, Nan Jiu definitely wouldn’t miss it.
Nan Jiu’s grandfather saw her being so tactless and vigorously waved for her to come over.
Nan Jiu pretended not to notice and kept fanning the flames.
Seizing a break in the conversation, she propped her chin on her hand and kept praising Zhou Yan nonstop.
“So you’re a math teacher, huh? I always thought people good at math were smart. If my uncle marries you, wouldn’t they have a study tyrant kid?”
She then tilted her head toward Song Ting and pouted.
“Unlike the last auntie—I asked her questions, and she couldn’t even understand them.”
Her grandfather approached, intending to call Nan Jiu away. Hearing her flattering words, he thought this was her way of easing the tension on Song Ting and Zhou Yan’s first meeting. Nan Jiu actually seemed sensible enough to help with the atmosphere.
So he turned toward the neighboring table, but then caught the last sentence Nan Jiu said behind him and nearly had a stroke.
He immediately spun around and gave Nan Jiu’s ear a hard twist.
“Come here.”
Nan Jiu dawdled as she followed her grandfather back to the room.
Once the door closed, the old man raised his cane and pointed at her.
“What nonsense were you spouting? I told Wu Guiying that your Uncle Song never had a girlfriend before. Why are you meddling?”
Seeing her grandfather truly angry, Nan Jiu crept closer and rubbed along his back.
“If it doesn’t work out, you can introduce someone else later. That Zhou Yan seems quite a bit older than Song Ting. Why not find someone younger for him?”
“That sounds good, but if there were younger girls, do you think I wouldn’t arrange it for him? It’s only because Zhou Yan is older and her family is anxious that she agreed to meet your uncle. If she lost interest because of what you said just now, where else am I supposed to find someone for him?”
Nan Jiu glanced at her grandfather, opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again.
After a long pause, she finally whispered, “I think… Liu Yin next door is pretty good. She seems to have feelings for Song Ting.”
Her grandfather scolded her for speaking carelessly. “Don’t say that again. No matter what Liu Yin thinks, her parents would never allow it.”
“Why not? What’s wrong with Song Ting? He’s tall, good-looking, hardworking, and tough. Why wouldn’t they allow it?”
It was the first time Nan Jiu stood on Song Ting’s side like this. Her grandfather shook his head and sighed.
“You’re thinking too simply. Nowadays, girls looking for a match want a house, a car, healthy parents, a decent job, a retirement pension, and someone who can help take care of the kids. What does your uncle have?”
Nan Jiu was speechless. At her age, she wasn’t thinking about such things. She just thought Song Ting and Zhou Yan didn’t suit each other, and maybe he could be with Liu Yin instead.
Though Nan Jiu had caused trouble, she didn’t plan to avoid it and cautiously suggested, “Should I go explain it to them?”
Her grandfather snapped, “Stay inside. Don’t go out making things worse.”
Having given his orders, he started to leave. Nan Jiu quickly asked, “Then what about over there?”
“Doesn’t your Uncle Song have a mouth?”
Her grandfather tossed the question over his shoulder as he walked away.
Just as he left, Li Chongguang, whom they hadn’t seen in days, walked past the window of Nan Jiu’s room carrying a supermarket bag.
Nan Jiu immediately opened the window and called out, “Li Chongguang, the missing person finally shows up?”
Li Chongguang stopped in the alley and glanced cautiously into the teahouse.
“Your dad’s not here, right?”
“No.”
After hearing that, Li Chongguang looked even more furtively inside the teahouse. Nan Jiu told him, “Song Ting’s busy with his blind date right now. He’s ignoring me. You’ll have to wait.”
She slipped out and followed Li Chongguang to a shaded spot in the alley. He pulled a bag of chips from the plastic bag and offered it to her.
Nan Jiu didn’t take it but instead grabbed a pack of spicy strips and asked, “Where have you been lately?”
Li Chongguang was reluctant to talk. He said his dad had grounded him. That day, his dad went to the Hat Teahouse for tea, and for some reason, came home and yelled at him, forbidding him from going out.
Nan Jiu sneered, “Song Ting’s really something. How did he convince your dad?”
“He just talked. These old guys all respect him.”
“Why?”
Nan Jiu had noticed these days that even the elderly customers treated Song Ting politely. By right, he was a young man in his twenties, quite a bit older than Nan Jiu but still younger than these elders. It was unusual for him to sit with them as an equal.
Li Chongguang explained, “Your family’s teahouse is like an Intelligence Center. Your grandfather’s the behind-the-scenes big shot, and Song is the head of the Intelligence Center, holding connections everywhere. Which kid can’t get into a public kindergarten? Which old lady can’t get an expert appointment? Which young person wants to transfer jobs?”
“They all come to your teahouse to find a way. Song knows people from all walks, and he’s done a lot of matchmaking favors. Over time, many owe him. When he speaks, others have to show some respect.”
Nan Jiu seemed to understand. Chewing her spicy strips, she said, “I get it. My grandfather always talks about favors and social dealings. So that day at the Internet Cafe when you all were so scared, you were afraid Song Ting would tell your parents?”
“…Not exactly.” Li Chongguang was embarrassed for having stood by that day. “He’s ruthless. He even beats his own dad mercilessly when angry. Who’d want trouble with him?”
Nan Jiu turned her eyes aside, shocked.
“Really? He seems pretty mellow.”
“He used to have a terrible temper. So many people messed with him. If he was easygoing, he would have been beaten to death already.”
“What was that thing you mentioned about him last time?”
“Why don’t you go ask your grandfather?”
“Of course not. If Grandpa wanted to say, I wouldn’t need to ask you.” Nan Jiu just remembered something. “Grandpa mentioned there’s no one in his family.”
“There’s no one left. They’re all dead.”
Nan Jiu froze with the spicy strips in her hand.
“How did they die?”
Li Chongguang glanced around and lowered his voice.
“His family used to live in that Red House up on the Pozi—you’ve seen it?”
“No.”
“His dad worked at the Cement Factory and often beat his mom. Song protected her, so his dad beat both of them. I used to see him when I was a kid, covered in bruises.”
“Didn’t anyone intervene?”
“Who would? It’s all family business. Even when it got reported to the police station, the cops just mediated and sent them home”.
His mom’s family isn’t here; she married in. When beaten, she had nowhere to go but to endure.
“Despite all the chaos at home, his grades never slipped. When he took the entrance exam, he got into Yi Zhong. His mom even came to my house to bring red eggs.”
“To me, getting into Yi Zhong was both good and bad. It’s far from home, so he only came back once a week. When he was home, his dad held back a little. When he was at school, his dad drank and acted worse.”
“If his mom said a few harsh words, his dad would throw tables and chairs at her.”
“Did Song do anything about it?”
“He knew his dad’s nature. Sometimes he’d come home midweek. One time, his mom wasn’t home. His dad told him she was out visiting relatives. Song didn’t believe it. They found her body buried under a dirt slope behind their house. People said she was mutilated, with broken arms and legs.”
“Terrible…”
“His dad said she deserved it because she always knelt and obeyed him, almost calling him ‘father.’ “
Song didn’t soften. He wanted to report it to the police, but his dad swung a kitchen knife at him. They fought from inside the house all the way into the alley in front of your teahouse. Song pinned his dad down, beating him while crying. Neighbors heard the commotion; it was awful.
“After his dad was subdued, Song dragged him to the police station himself. Then he went to collect his mom’s body. No one dared help because of how terrible the scene was.”
“My god!” Nan Jiu’s voice was hoarse. Her hand loosened, and the spicy strips fell to the ground, quickly surrounded by ants.
“Don’t mention god. Their situation was so dire, even hell wouldn’t take them.”
His dad went to jail but left behind a mountain of debt. Creditors feared they wouldn’t get paid if he died. They said a son must pay a father’s debts.
“They hung around the school entrance and blocked the alley, making it impossible for him to attend classes. I’ve run into them twice. They caused so much trouble, he couldn’t focus on school. Eventually, they sold the house to clear the debts, and his dad was executed…”
Afterward, despite rumors and neighborhood protests, Nan Jiu’s grandfather took him in. From then on, Song Ting stayed by her grandfather’s side for many years.
The ants swarmed more and more, dragging the spicy strips away. The tiny figures on the stone pavement vanished in an instant.
The slanting sun cast irregular shapes along the eaves, covering even the faintest traces left behind.