Chapter 15 (Two chapters in one)
Nan Jiu dragged her feet behind Song Ting. She'd had a few drinks before, at classmate birthdays and dinners with colleagues. She'd never gotten drunk, but it depended on her mood. Today, she was in a bad mood, and having stayed up so late, the alcohol was stronger than usual.
Song Ting walked a distance, and she was still lagging behind. He had no choice but to stop and wait for her: "What's wrong? Do you want to vomit?"
Nan Jiu waved her hand: "Not really, it's just a little congested here." She covered her chest and breathed rapidly.
"Didn't we just say we'd stop there?" Song Ting teased, but he still turned back, stopped in front of her, turned his back and leaned over: "Come up."
Nanjiu didn't try to show off his strength and put his arms through his shoulders.
The midnight alley was soaked in steam, and even his breath carried a damp echo. His broad shoulders carried her weight, and his footsteps on the stone bricks were firm and powerful.
The dizzy feeling of falling made Nan Jiu's head fall weakly on the back of his neck. The soft breath sprayed on his skin, and penetrated into his collar, with a dizzying ups and downs.
"Did you close the deal?" Her voice was vague and stuck in her throat.
"Mr. Li has several stores in South City, and he will purchase tea from me later."
"...Hmm." Nanjiu felt as if the bones in her body had been pulled out, sliding downward. She instinctively tightened her arms, wrapping them around Song Ting's neck, her fingers dangling beneath his shoulder blades. His muscular curves were strained against the thin fabric, bouncing with each step. A vague, almost instinctive desire to explore drove her fingers against his hard muscles, gently tracing them.
Song Ting's voice fell in a deep voice: "Behave yourself." He paused slightly, so briefly that it was almost imperceptible, but it was enough for Nan Jiu, who was slightly drunk on his back, to sense the sudden stagnation.
A smile flickered in her eyes, condensing into tiny hooks. She removed her hand, her head drooping on his shoulder. "If I hadn't come to the bar today, they wouldn't have come. Did I indirectly facilitate a big deal? Do I get a commission?"
"I see that you are very conscious. Why don't you get down and walk by yourself." He pretended to put her down, but Nan Jiu wrapped her legs around his body like a naughty child.
"Call the police this afternoon. What if the surveillance camera doesn't capture evidence of them damaging the tea set? How are you going to end this?"
“It’s impossible not to take a picture.”
"So confident?"
"I'm not confident, I trust you. How could there be a problem with the tea set you just checked the night before?"
A floating light flashed across Song Ting's eyes. He tightened his grip on her knees and pulled her onto his back.
The streetlights in the dark alley seemed to have gone on strike as night fell. The depths of the alley, thick as ink, felt like a heavy abyss. Countless times, he walked alone into the abyss, with no expectations, no end.
Tonight, there was someone on his back. Her breath was soft and real, falling on his earlobe, carrying sparks that were about to burn and die, bringing an unknown light to this alley.
When they returned to Maoer Teahouse, Nanjiu had already fallen asleep on his shoulder. Song Ting opened the door and carried Nanjiu back to the side room.
He turned his back and placed Nan Jiu on the edge of the bed. Nan Jiu slumped over on the bed. Song Ting squatted down to take off her shoes, then stood up and saw her body hanging on the edge of the bed, precarious.
He lifted her up by her shoulders and bent down to take off his jacket.
Her body fell into his palms, the warmth of his fingers coursing through her through the fabric. Nan Jiu slowly lifted her eyelashes, his breath close at hand. A drowsy feeling filled her head, and she lifted her chin uncontrollably, gripping his lower lip with her teeth and biting gently.
Song Ting pushed her back onto the bed, his movements so swift that her lips and teeth couldn't separate before they were torn apart. The taste of rust filled her lips. His blood stained her lips, the scarlet color like poppy petals in the dark night, eerie and striking.
The smell of blood and her cool fragrance mixed into a dangerous and heart-pounding impact, hitting Song Ting's heart. His jaw tightened, and he stood up and distanced himself from her.
His breathing gradually cooled as he controlled himself. He turned around, his low, cold voice lingering, "You've gone a bit overboard tonight. I thought you were drunk and your mind wasn't clear."
He walked to the door, grabbed the door handle, twisted it hard, and held it tightly: "If I do something that makes you misunderstand, I will be careful."
He walked out of the room and the door closed with a "click".
Nanjiu stared blankly at the ceiling, a fleeting look of despair in the corners of her eyes. She slowly closed her eyes, darkness descending upon her, and her body fell into an empty, echoing dream.
......
Song Ting left the side room, went upstairs to shower, washed his clothes, and hung them on the rooftop. By the time he finished, it was already late. Nan Qiaoyu was sprawled out on the bed. Song Ting returned to the room, moved gently, spread out the mat on the floor, and lay down. The subtle pain on his lip was like a stabbing alarm clock, pulling him out of his half-sleep several times.
He lay in bed for several hours but didn't sleep well, so he got up early in the morning, went downstairs to the kitchen, put the millet into the pot, watched it boil, and then turned to low heat.
Nan Jiu came back this time to work for Old Man Nan. She was quite conscientious and got up before the teahouse opened every day, unlike before when she always slept until she woke up naturally.
Only today, even at noon, her door was still closed.
After finishing his last mouthful of millet porridge, Old Man Nan looked up and said to Song Ting, "The porridge is cooked well today." He put down the bowl and saw that Nan Jiu had not yet gotten up. He muttered, "She didn't eat last night. Breakfast is cold and she still hasn't gotten up. I don't think I can control this girl anymore."
Old Man Nan pointed at his cane and said to Song Ting: "Give it to me, I'll go call her."
Song Ting didn't move, and said, "She came back late last night, let her sleep a little longer."
Old Man Nan leaned back in his chair and looked at Song Ting: "What time did you come back?"
Nan Qiaoyu smacked his lips, "I didn't even know you were back."
Song Ting poured tea leaves into his teacup and lowered his gaze slightly. "I stayed at Zheng Kun's for a while." He said briefly, "Through Zheng Kun, I met the guys who came to the teahouse yesterday looking for trouble."
Nan Qiaoyu sat up straight and stopped chattering. Song Ting brought the brewed tea to Old Man Nan and said, "Those people definitely didn't come here for tea. They're from the teahouse next door."
Old Man Nan picked up the tea and blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface: "Is it done?"
"Yeah." Song Ting put the dishes aside. "It wasn't a bad thing that Xiao Jiu made a big fuss yesterday. Those people deliberately linked the tea bowl incident with the recent news. Even if we keep quiet, the news will spread behind the scenes. Calling the police will also make the matter clear to the public so that other guests don't have any concerns."
Nan Jiu's seemingly impulsive behavior yesterday was exposed to Grandpa Nan by Song Ting in another way, making the conflict disappear.
Old Man Nan lowered his head and took a sip of tea, his eyes fixed on the floating tea leaves. Throughout his life, he had always believed in making money through harmony. Even if a deal didn't work out, there would still be friendship. When encountering problems, he would try his best to avoid conflict if he could resolve them. Others came to the teahouse to resolve issues because of Old Man Nan's style of doing things. Nan Jiu's style of doing things was completely different from his. She was sharp in her actions, and although she was as violent as a storm, she had a balance in her heart. She had clear bottom lines and principles, and once others challenged her, she would put up sharp thorns. What happened yesterday seemed reckless, but it prevented the teahouse from having to deal with future troubles. It nipped the rumor in the bud and left no room for competitors to operate.
Old Man Nan put down his teacup and sighed, "Times have changed..." These few words expressed Old Man Nan's complicated feelings. He turned to Song Ting and asked, "Was what I said yesterday too harsh?"
Nan Qiaoyu let out a long "hmm" and nodded his head.
Song Ting smiled and said, "She didn't blame you."
......
Nan Jiu slept until after ten in the morning, when the teahouse had already had a new batch of customers. She walked out of the side room with her change of clothes and glanced towards the tea room. Song Ting wasn't in sight, so she walked around the room and ran to the second-floor bathroom, closing the door.
After a comfortable hot shower, Nan Jiu changed into a clean tank top and shorts and walked out of the bathroom. Just as she reached the stairs, Song Ting happened to be going up to the attic to retrieve something. The narrow hallway made their encounter inevitable. Her long hair was tied back, the steam left a halo on her skin, a clear, rosy glow. The clean, soapy scent followed her steps.
Song Ting glanced at her sideways. Nan Jiu turned his head away, leaned sideways with an indifferent expression, and passed by him along the wall.
Old Man Nan turned around and saw Nan Jiu sitting at the counter. He walked over with a cane and said to her, "Go to the back and have something to eat."
Nan Jiu knew from his tone that her running away last night had been exposed by Grandpa Nan. Since Grandpa didn't bring it up, she put the old man's scolding yesterday behind her.
The warming pot was still plugged in. Nan Jiu took a bowl of hot porridge from it and sipped it at the counter. Old Man Nan saw her thickly wrapped fingers, walked over, and asked, "What's wrong with your hand?"
"The nail lifted a little."
Old Man Nan leaned over to take a closer look and saw that the gauze wrapped around her finger was wet. He said to her, "I told you not to grow your nails so long. Why don't you take off the gauze and change it now that it's damp?"
"Change it later." Nan Jiu lowered his head and drank his porridge.
"If you have a wound, don't eat spicy food. Drink two more bowls of porridge. Your uncle Song made it early in the morning."
Nanjiu stopped picking up the bowl mid-air and raised his eyes: "Did he make it?"
"What's wrong?"
Nanjiu put down the bowl and said, "Then I won't drink it."
Song Ting finished his business and walked past the counter. This sentence landed firmly in front of him. He didn't stop and walked straight to the tea cabinet.
Old Man Nan turned his gaze to Song Ting and asked Nan Jiu, "Why are you getting mad at your Uncle Song again?"
Nanjiu lowered his head, his voice muffled in his throat: "I'm not angry."
"The older it gets, the weirder it gets." Old Man Nan walked away with his cane.
On the other side, Song Ting handed the sorted tea leaves to Aunt Wu. Aunt Wu took the tea leaves and compared them with Song Ting one by one. As she spoke, her eyes fell on Song Ting's lips. At the end, she said to Song Ting, "Why is your mouth sore? Is it because of a sore throat? I'll bring you some pears when I go shopping later."
Nan Jiu's hand holding the bill suddenly stopped. Song Ting's voice came from the other end: "No, just make some chrysanthemum tea."
Aunt Wu nodded and went about her business with the tea leaves. Nan Jiu's eyes slid to the corners of his eyes, his gaze brushing across Song Ting's lips like a feather. His lips were thin, yet sharply defined, without lip lines, and possessed a profound allure. A subtle mark slanted across his plump lower lip. He unconsciously pursed his lips, the tiny movement twitching the scar, sending silent ripples through Nan Jiu's pupils.
Song Ting raised his eyes, his gaze shooting towards him without any defense. Nan Jiu's eyes suddenly flicked away, looking elsewhere, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed Song Ting's figure walking towards him around the tea cabinet.
Nan Jiu looked away as his footsteps drew closer. Her knuckles, holding the black pen, gradually turned white as she made a few feeble black marks on the bill. Song Ting's figure stopped at the counter, blocking out the sunlight. He leaned forward, almost covering the counter. Nan Jiu's brows drooped, her breathing becoming light and shallow.
With a soft thud, the bottle of champagne landed on the counter. She had left it at the tea shop last night and hadn't brought it back. Song Ting put the champagne down and, without further ado, turned back to his work. Light returned to the counter, and Nan Jiu's breathing became smooth again.
Nan Qiaoyu saw the bottle of champagne and immediately came over: "Hey, where did you get that?"
As he was about to reach out to take it, Nanjiu hugged him in her arms and warned him, "Don't touch it." She stood up and took the champagne back into the house.
After a while, Grandpa Nan saw that the gauze on Nan Jiu's hand was still wet and had not been changed. He turned to Song Ting and said, "Find some gauze for Xiao Jiu. The gauze on her hand is wet and still stuck there."
Song Ting responded, and after finishing the table, he went upstairs to get some gauze, placed it in front of Nanjiu, and turned away. Nanjiu glanced at the gauze, his eyes slightly raised: "Can I change it myself?"
Song Ting paused, then turned back, dragging a chair over to sit at the counter. He reached out to pick up the gauze, but Nan Jiu was quicker than him, snatching it away and holding it in her hand. In the bustling teahouse, in the warm sunlight, her sharp eyes flicked at him lightly, distant and indifferent: "No need."
Song Ting opened his eyelids, looked at her quietly for two seconds, then stood up and moved the chair away.
Seeing his slightly gloomy face, Nan Jiu felt a flicker of revengeful pleasure in her heart. She lowered her head, cut open the gauze, and replaced it with a new one.
Nan Jiu didn't speak to Song Ting all day. At dinner, she sat at the counter with her bowl in hand. Even Old Man Nan noticed something was amiss. While Song Ting was in the kitchen, he called Nan Jiu over and asked, "What do you think of your Uncle Song? You never treat him well."
"It's like he's so passionate about me."
"That's just his personality. He never talks about anything. Is he treating you badly? Every time you come over, he always cleans up the room and buys everything he needs."
"That's not for my sake, that's for your sake."
"That's a heartless thing to say. His tea business wasn't even that big back then, and he had very little money, yet he still bought you a computer. If it were for my sake, would he have kept this a secret for so many years?"
Nan Jiu drooped her eyelashes and said nothing, the sticky emotion in her eyes masked by her eyelashes. In a moment, she walked to the counter, picked up her phone, and walked out the door.
Old Master Nan glared and said, "Where are you running to? You ran out after I said a few words to you."
"Buy sanitary napkins." She walked out of the teahouse without looking back.
Old Man Nan muttered, "I don't know who I inherited this impetuous temper from."
Song Ting wiped his hands and came out of the kitchen. Old Man Nan glanced at Song Ting and said, "Maybe she's like her grandmother. When her grandmother was pregnant with the eldest child, she stood at the entrance of the alley with her hands on her hips. No one within a ten-mile radius dared to mess with her."
A smile crossed Song Ting's lips, and he lowered his head to hang the rag aside.
Old Man Nan changed the subject slightly: "When she was little, her parents didn't pay much attention to her. She was used to doing whatever she wanted and sometimes didn't understand the rules."
"I know." Song Ting's gaze fell towards the alley, and the figure quickly disappeared outside the hanging window.
......
Nanjiu bought a few packs of sanitary napkins and walked back with the bags. When she reached the alley entrance, a large truck passed by her and slowly stopped at the side of the street. A young man jumped out of the truck.
Nanjiu looked up, and the man happened to look over. His expression paused, and he called out, "Nanjiu?"
Nan Jiu looked the man up and down, then asked uncertainly, "Li Chongguang?"
"It's me!" Li Chongguang bared his teeth and laughed, "You don't recognize me, do you? It's only been a few years since we last met."
Nan Jiu raised his eyelids and looked him over again: "Did you go to Africa for further studies?"
The sky darkened and the light was already dim. Li Chongguang stood in the shadows. When he smiled, only his two rows of white teeth were noticeable. His body was tanned.
Li Chongguang closed the car door and walked towards Nanjiu cheerfully: "When did you come back?"
"The end of June."
"Are you still in college?"
"Yeah, it's vacation."
"It's not easy to see you now. College student, come on, I'll treat you to a barbecue."
Nanjiu glanced at the truck behind him: "You just came back, are you sure you don't want to go home first?"
"There are plenty of opportunities to go home, but not many opportunities to see you."
The two hadn't seen each other for several years, and their lives had changed dramatically, but Li Chongguang was still as outgoing as ever. After a few words, the relaxed feeling they had when they used to play together returned.
Nan Jiu called Old Man Nan and told him that she had run into Li Chongguang at the alley entrance and that she would be back after having something to eat with him, and that Old Man Nan didn't need to hold the door open for her. Old Man Nan told her not to eat spicy food, but Li Chongguang snatched the phone, greeted Old Man Nan, and said he would visit him at the teahouse tomorrow.
After hanging up the phone, the two of them went to a barbecue restaurant at the end of the old street. Li Chongguang ordered two large plates and asked the owner not to add any spicy sauce.
Nan Jiu laughed and said, "Don't listen to my grandfather. He's not that hypocritical. His hand is broken."
She held up her bandaged finger, and Li Chongguang raised his eyebrows: "It's bandaged like this? You'd better be more careful."
The last time Nan Jiu saw Li Chongguang was when she was a sophomore in high school. Back then, Li Chongguang spent his days at home doing nothing, maintaining a pale complexion. Now, driving a truck, traveling all over the place, he's become several shades darker, no longer as delicate and tender as before, and has a rougher look.
After the meeting, Li Chongguang opened up and chatted with Nanjiu about all sorts of interesting things he had encountered while running large cargo trucks. Nanjiu would occasionally say a few words, but mostly just listened.
She sat across from Li Chongguang, her complexion as cool and pale as porcelain. She wore no elaborate makeup, yet exuded the relaxed, fashionable air of a big-city girl. Li Chongguang's eyes never left her.
The two walked back and passed by the truck again. Nan Jiu stopped and patted the door: "I've never been in a truck before, open it and let me see."
Li Chongguang opened the car door, and Nanjiu grabbed the handle and jumped into the driver's seat. Li Chongguang walked around to the passenger seat and turned on the interior lights.
Nanjiu gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator. The massive, frayed leather wheel seemed incredibly large in her slender fingers. She rested her hand on the thick gear lever, raised her chin and gazed disdainfully at the road ahead, mimicking the posture of a driver. The heavy machinery, tamed by her, stood in stark contrast. Far from being swallowed by it, her body exuded a sense of dominance, a commanding presence.
Seeing how skilled she was, Li Chongguang asked, "Can you drive a truck?"
"I don't even have a driver's license, what do you say?"
“…” Seeing how convincing she was, he almost handed her the car keys.
"I have to squeeze in some time to get my driver's license on this trip back." She turned her eyes away. "Is it difficult?"
"What?"
"Take the driver's license test."
"I was stuck on Subject 1 for half a year anyway. You have a good brain, so it shouldn't take that long."
Nan Jiu nodded, agreeing with him.
"What is this used for?" Nanjiu pointed at the pot under the passenger seat.
"Cooking. Sometimes I get stuck on the highway for hours and need to eat."
Nanjiu exclaimed in amazement: "A walking rice cooker! Niu Boyi!"
"This is nothing, it's all basic exercises." Li Chongguang lifted the roof of the car, "I even have a place to sleep up there!"
Nanjiu looked up in disbelief: "Is this possible?"
She stood on a chair, supported herself with both hands, and climbed up to the small second floor, which was padded with a perfectly sized cushion. The unique space gave people a strong sense of envelopment. Nanjiu closed the ceiling in a novel way, and the space above was separated.
“This is too dark.”
"There is a light, please turn it on." Li Chongguang's voice came from below.
Nanjiu opened the cover: "Where?"
Li Chongguang stood up from his seat, climbed to the second floor, touched the switch, and the surroundings immediately lit up. Nan Jiu discovered that the switch not only had a small light plugged in, but also a mobile phone charger. Lying there and watching the phone was very comfortable.
......
Every night after the teahouse closed, Song Ting would go to the tea shop on the old street, which closed later. When Song Ting came back from the tea shop, he saw Li Chongguang's truck parked at the entrance of the alley. The lights were on inside the car, but there was no one in the seat. Song Ting walked up to it, and Li Chongguang happened to climb down from the space on the roof. He just sat back in the passenger seat when a pair of slender women's legs stretched out from above. Song Ting glanced at it and was about to look away when Nan Jiu stepped on the driver's seat and leaned back to sit in his seat. His eyes met Song Ting's in front of him, and both of them paused.
Li Chongguang opened the car door and got out, nodding towards Song Ting: "Brother Song, what a coincidence?"
Song Ting slowly withdrew his gaze from Nan Jiu and glanced at Li Chongguang: "Just came back?"
"Yeah, I just arrived in South City tonight."
Nanjiu opened the driver's door and got out. On the way back, Li Chongguang walked in the middle, chatting casually with Song Ting. Nanjiu walked on the other side of Li Chongguang, silently gazing at her own shadow. She had been carrying the bag of sanitary napkins back and forth all night.
Arriving at Maoer Teahouse, Li Chongguang stopped, said goodbye to Song Ting, turned around and said to Nanjiu, "I'll take a few days off. I'll come visit you tomorrow."
Nan Jiu waved at him and said, "You should get enough rest."
"I'm very energetic." Li Chongguang walked away with a smile.
Song Ting opened the teahouse door, and Nan Jiu followed him in. Entering the main room, she didn't stop, but went straight to her room. Song Ting's voice rang out behind her: "What were you doing in his car?"
Nanjiu's pace slowed down and gradually stopped. He turned around, his long golden hair draped in the moonlight and fell to one side of his shoulder. The corners of his slightly raised eyes glanced lightly, and the air around him was tightened by an invisible thread.
"What can I do?" she asked, then smiled suddenly, a charming ripple at the corner of her mouth. "Learn... to drive."
After saying that, she didn't stay any longer, turned around and went into the house and closed the door.
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The author has something to say: Chapters are scheduled every day and are automatically published in the background. There are cases where the system lags, but generally the lag is no more than ten minutes. It is recommended that you do not stay up late and read during the day.
The update time tomorrow will still be midnight.
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