Chapter Seventy-Two – Encountering Zishu Once More

The car finally left Xingzhou Avenue and turned onto Yue'an Road.

Xu Shixi, worn out by accumulated fatigue, was forced to give up driving. The four of them rode together in Lu Xugao’s minivan. The interior was bare and empty. Yishu sat on the only remaining seat in the back, while Xu Shixi made do with a small, battered folding stool.

Yan Lu’s irrepressible ability to say something startling was on full display in the confined space. Yishu listened to her endless stream of muttered commentary, watching the scenery speed by, and soon felt dizzy. Her carsickness showed no sign of improvement.

Xu Shixi noticed her pale face and understood immediately. Reaching over, he rested his hand on her right shoulder and gently guided her toward his chest, settling her in the crook of his neck, creating a simple, intimate tableau.

His stool was lower than her seat, but she was shorter than him, so their heads were nearly level as they sat side by side.

He told her that if she felt unwell, she should lean on his shoulder and sleep for a while—once she was asleep, the nausea would pass.

She buried herself silently against him. At times, his heartbeat, his breathing, his scent were a stimulant; at other times, a sleeping draught.

Seeing their quiet intimacy, Yan Lu was at a loss for harsh words. After all, she was not like Guo Yamei, who sought a sense of achievement from others' failures and injected a sense of failure into those who succeeded.

The van drove through the night for a long time—how long, none of them could recall. Darkness stretched time like a sheet of dough, pulling it into a strand as thin as a millimeter, then tossing it into boiling water to churn.

They finally arrived at a desolate open space somewhere in Yundong, heading east as Yishu sensed.

After so long, they had returned to the familiar Zhi Shu Tea House.

Leaning against Xu Shixi’s shoulder, Yishu gazed at the glowing sign above the entrance, a unique presence beneath the row of towering buildings.

"Let’s go," Lu Xugao parked, locked the doors, and came around. "Hurry inside."

He never bothered with the electronic lock on this van—an almost scrapped relic, it was riskier to steal than one might think. If it passed from second-hand to third-hand, it would be lucky to fetch even five thousand.

"He insisted on coming here," Yan Lu said, clearly not agreeing with Lu Xugao’s suggestion. "If it were up to me, I’d just eat anywhere nearby. As long as you fill your stomach, what difference does it make what you eat?"

Huh? Yishu’s mouth formed an O. Yan Lu’s words always caught people off guard. Wasn’t she the one who was so particular about food?

"You heard right," Yan Lu caught the question written on Yishu’s face and replied sincerely, "I used to only worry about myself, but now it’s for two people. One day, there may be a third or a fourth. It’s called being prepared for the future."

Xu Shixi, too, found Yan Lu’s transformation remarkable. In their brief previous meetings, the impression she gave matched exactly the one Yishu had described over the past decade.

He didn’t know Yan Lu well; some things were better left unspoken, to be digested in silence. There was no need to vomit out what had accumulated within.

Yishu walked over and took Yan Lu’s arm. "You don’t sound like yourself at all."

"Then who do I sound like?" Yan Lu twisted her upper body aside while keeping her legs straight, like someone performing a Xinjiang dance, her head swinging dramatically. She made an exaggerated face. "Like a boyfriend?"

She had meant to joke that she sounded like Yishu’s mother, but remembered Yishu’s mother had passed away long ago. Not wanting to disrespect the dead or stir up sad memories, she changed her answer at the last moment to Xu Shixi.

"No," Yishu shook her head. "You don’t sound like anyone else—you’ve always just been yourself."

Yan Lu swayed her head with pride. Yishu knew her best.

Li Nanzhi was taking orders at the front, and when Lu Xugao caught her eye, he headed straight upstairs to a private room.

Tea houses were meant for lively gatherings, so the main hall was packed, while the rooms upstairs were sparsely occupied.

They chose the same casual private room as before. Seeing the familiar furnishings, Yishu’s thoughts drifted—this was where they had made their public announcement. Looking back, it still seemed amusing.

Yan Lu pulled Lu Xugao to the seats by the wall, while Xu Shixi patted Yishu’s back, waking her from her reverie, and took the seat across from them.

On the table was a pot of pale green lisianthus, its scent faint and soothing.

"What do you want to eat?" Lu Xugao leaned forward over folded hands. "I’ll go down and get it."

"No rush," Yan Lu flipped through the menu at a leisurely pace. Aside from the newly introduced ice cream, the rest was unchanged from before. Now that autumn had set in, the demand for cold drinks had plummeted—they were tucked at the end of the menu, taking up barely a tenth of the space.

"I just don’t want to trouble my cousin, who’s already so busy," Lu Xugao said apologetically.

"Fair enough," Yan Lu relented. After all, Li Nanzhi was also her cousin.

Yan Lu handed her marked-up menu to Yishu, every blank square filled with black ink. Yishu slid it between herself and Xu Shixi so they could choose together.

"Whatever you pick is fine," Xu Shixi pushed the menu back. "I’ll eat anything you order." He knew Yishu understood his tastes and dislikes—no need to go over it again.

Lu Xugao took the menu downstairs. Xu Shixi glanced at the dense markings and doubted Lu Xugao could carry it all alone. He nudged his chair back with his knee and stood up. "I’ll come help."

"Sure," Lu Xugao was happy to agree—two men could always find something private to discuss.

Left alone, Yishu and Yan Lu soon ran out of things to say and fell silent.

The holiday specials were all selling like hotcakes. Even finding a place to rest one’s feet in the hall was a luxury. Groups of children, five or six years old, raced and laughed, as if it were New Year’s Eve.

Li Nanzhi was so busy she barely had time to breathe, let alone look after Lu Xugao and his friends. Past seven, the dinner and late-night crowds collided, and a flood of customers surged in like water breaking a dam.

"Xugao, you and your friends go sit—I’ll bring everything up," Li Nanzhi said, wiping sweat from her brow and smiling radiantly.

"Cousin, don’t worry, I’ll carry it up myself," Lu Xugao scratched his head, grinning. "We always seem to come at your busiest time."

"Don’t be silly, I’m always glad to see you." Li Nanzhi filled cups from various dispensers and sealed them with a machine. "My brother asked me to look after you, but I’ve been so busy, I haven’t done a thing but run around."

"I’m a grown man—do I still need looking after?" Lu Xugao laughed again, the sound warm and tinged with a little sadness.

Li Nanzhi wiped the granite counter, still smiling. "And your friend…?" She had never met Xu Shixi and didn’t know how to address him.

"Hello, I’m Xu Shixi." His introduction was formal yet casual, with none of the childish afterthoughts.

"Welcome," Li Nanzhi replied with her professional smile. "I hope you’ll enjoy our food. Please come by whenever you like—Xugao’s friends are our friends." Though elegant and reserved, she had weathered the business world for years and was never at a loss for hospitality.

"I will," Xu Shixi replied in kind.

"By the way, where’s your husband?" Lu Xugao glanced around.

"He had to step out," Li Nanzhi answered.

A kitchen helper emerged with steaming trays of soup and noodles. Xu Shixi took the first batch, knowing the rest would take a few more minutes. He went ahead, not wanting the others upstairs to go hungry.

The conversation between Li Nanzhi and Lu Xugao made Xu Shixi feel a bit out of place, as if waiting for them to draw him in.

The rest came out together, but Lu Xugao couldn’t carry it all. After Xu Shixi went up, he didn’t come back down. Li Nanzhi and the helper were both tied up.

"I’ll come back down for the rest," Lu Xugao said.

"Wait," Li Nanzhi called, then turned and lifted the curtain to the kitchen. "Xiao Su, come help carry these dishes upstairs."

"All right," Xiao Su replied in a hoarse voice.