After midnight

Ah Jiu stopped struggling the moment he heard the long-lost voice. He dilated his pupils and looked at Su Ziling with surprise. Before he could respond to Su Ziling, An Yan had already stood in front of him.

"Ah Jiu."

The moment he saw An Yan, Jiu's eyes became extremely bright and his spirits soared. He broke free from Yin's restraints and trotted over. He pursed his lips and said nothing, staring at him with sparkling eyes.

An Yan ruffled his slightly longer hair into a ball with his hands, responding to Ajiu's full expectations.

"Brother An Yan!" Ajiu awkwardly pulled down An Yan's rebellious hand and called him.

"Little boy, come here!" Yin said.

Ajiu glanced at An Yan before slowly moving over. He had just taken a few steps when Yin stretched out his arm and pulled him into Yin's arms. "Little boy, now that you've met your brother An Yan, how are you going to thank me?"

"Humph, who told you to scare me!"

Yin laughed after hearing this. He asked Wu to pick him up, but considering Wu's personality, it might be more appropriate to say "catch". No wonder Jiu was shocked and then aggrieved when he saw him, and then he became so arrogant. However, Yin would never admit that he did it on purpose.

"Hey, little kid, would you like to follow me?" Yin asked him, remembering Wu Yiyuan's words that this little kid was pretty good.

As soon as Yin asked the question, Su Ziling immediately held his breath, and the lively atmosphere immediately became quiet again. Jiu was keenly aware of this, and although he was still young, he was puzzled for a second before making a choice. "Who wants to follow you?"

"Okay." Yin ruffled his messy hair and let him go.

"Then An Yan, Zi Ling, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first." Yin said and left from the door.

"Ajiu, how did you get here?" Su Ziling asked anxiously. It was incredible that a child of twelve or thirteen years old could walk all the way here alone from the small village sealed by the barrier!

Ajiu raised his chin proudly but said nothing. Perhaps he had experienced too much and he didn't know where to start.

"Ajiu, it's late. I'll take you to tidy up your room first." An Yan spoke gently and walked over.

Ah Jiu responded and glanced at the girl who had been staring at him intently. He didn't know the girl, who looked gentle, soft and cute, but she had a blank expression on her face, as if she was staring at him.

Seeing him looking over, the girl immediately lowered her head to read again. Perhaps he was thinking too much, Ah Jiu scratched his head, took An Yan's hand and walked to the corner of the first floor. There, next to the living room, there was an empty room.

As soon as An Yan and A Jiu's backs disappeared, Xiao Su went up the stairs without looking back. She went up to the second floor, then turned to the third floor and entered her own room.

Su Ziling watched her leave in a hurry, closed his mouth and lay down on the sofa leisurely. He was about to explain Ah Jiu's origins, but forget it, let the children solve their own problems.

When An Yan came out, he saw Xiao Su's book still open on the coffee table and asked, "Where's Xiao Su?"

"I went upstairs to sleep." Su Ziling answered lazily. He yawned and looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"If you feel sleepy, go back to your room." An Yan put the book away and put it on the bookshelf.

"Yeah." Su Ziling struggled to sit up.

"No need to leave the light on for me. I'll sleep in Jiu's room tonight."

"Okay." Su Ziling yawned again and waved his hand.

The next day, when Ah Jiu stretched and walked into the living room, he saw the little girl staring at him again. He looked around awkwardly, and there were only the two of them in the living room.

"Hello, my name is Jiu."

"An Xiaosu."

Ah Jiu wanted to say something else, but saw An Xiaosu walk away immediately. He scratched his hair and went to the bathroom to wash up.

In the kitchen, Su Ziling asked An Yan, "Did Ah Jiu say anything last night? He must have suffered a lot as a kid running here. Xiao Qi and the village chief may have..."

"He didn't say anything and fell asleep quickly." An Yan interrupted him without telling him that Jiu held him tightly even though he was sleeping soundly last night.

Su Ziling nodded and continued to fry the eggs in his hand. Breakfast was almost ready.

Ah Jiu came out of the bathroom, took a deep sniff of the air and said exaggeratedly, "What is that? It smells so good?"

Xiao Su burst out laughing. How could this boy be so silly and stupid? Ah Jiu heard her laugh and laughed too. It turned out that this little girl looked so pretty when she laughed.

The kitchen door opened, and An Yan and Su Ziling each came out carrying a meal.

"Dad!" Xiao Su jumped happily towards An Yan.

Dad? Ajiu looked at An Yan and then at Xiao Su in shock. Su Ziling blinked at him. "Come and eat, Ajiu."

Ah Jiu walked over and sat down. On a sunny morning, the four of them gathered together to eat a simple breakfast. Su Ziling's heart was extremely peaceful. He looked at An Yan who was sitting diagonally opposite him. An Yan's eyes were watery, pure and quiet.

Anyan, what is you? Is this the you I see? Or the you described by others? Anyan, I want to know you better, to be closer to you, to be the you in front of me.

Su Ziling recalled what Xu Xing said last night and watched An Yan take a bite of the fried egg.

There is a bookstore in Jiudu, where the bookshelves are as tall as two people, and the bookshelves are displayed side by side, and green radishes are lushly decorated on the walls. The sound of gurgling water and the lingering music in her ears made Zhao Yunshuang's heart surge. She looked around in surprise, and had no idea that Jiudu had such a quiet and reassuring place.

Lin Nuan was hunched over in front of the bookshelves, searching for a book she liked. Zhao Yunshuang watched her pace slowly, then took out a book, examined it carefully from front to back, and then walked over to sit beside her.

There were wooden tables and chairs in the middle of the bookshelves for people to read and write. After Lin Nuan sat down, Zhao Yunshuang tilted her head to look at what seemed to be a novel. She turned her head back and stirred the fragrant coffee. There was no communication between the two, but they were in a very intimate state.

Zhao Yunshuang took a sip of coffee and continued to look at the album in front of him. The album contained stories and illustrations, and the truth was simple yet profound.

However, Mumu, when she was reading seriously, she was really focused and charming. Zhao Yunshuang rested his head on his chin, and soon his thoughts flew away again.

What kind of person is Mumu? She must be a very outstanding person with independent character. After getting to know Mumu, she took me to some very interesting places. Those places must be places that Mumu really likes and feels comfortable in, because if she doesn't really like it, she can't infect others.

Just like now, Mumu was reading a book, immersed and focused. Here, it seemed that all troubles would go away. Zhao Yunshuang felt these emotions conveyed by Mumu and wanted to experience and absorb them.

“Were you worried about what tea to choose?” Lin Nuan asked her as they walked out of the bookstore side by side.

"Well, I have a friend who wants to pick out some good tea leaves, but she doesn't seem to have come across the right one recently."

"In that case, do you have anything to do later?"

"No no."

"Then come with me. I know a pretty good tea shop. If you like it there, you can take her there later."

"Okay." Zhao Yunshuang smiled and agreed quickly.

After they left the bookstore, they came to a more hidden shop. That shop didn't look special at all, except for the word "Tea" engraved on the plaque in front of the door.

This old shop was hidden in a small alley, and the whole street looked much bleaker. Lin Nuan pushed the door open and went in, followed closely by Zhao Yun, who was holding her arm with both crutches.

After entering, Zhao Yunshuang realized that there was something else in this small shop. They walked through the long and narrow corridor and came to the courtyard. There were tall sycamore trees in the courtyard. Under the trees, workers built a fire and kept frying the tea leaves, letting the astringent and fragrant smell of the tea leaves float in the air.

After walking through the courtyard, we arrived at the front door. The shop was filled with simple and old tables and chairs. There were not many people in the afternoon, so Zhao Yunshuang chose a seat by the window. Outside the window, floating clouds were floating, and wild flowers were blooming under the stone bricks in the corner. This was a deep time filled with the fragrance of tea.

Lin Nuan went to bring a pot of tea, and she held the glazed blue and white porcelain and ordered a cup of tea for Zhao Yunshuang.

"Try it."

The aroma of tea leaves instantly lingered in her nose. Zhao Yunshuang pursed her lips and couldn't wait to pick it up to taste it. She swallowed it in one gulp, and the fragrance lingered on her lips and teeth. Then, Lin Nuan brought out a plate of pastries like a magic trick, and she smiled like a cat stealing fish. "Try this one."

Zhao Yunshuang nodded, picked up the spoon, scooped a small mouthful and put it into his mouth.

"It's delicious." she said.

“If it tastes good, eat more. My teeth hurt whenever I eat desserts, and I don’t know why, so I’m watched very closely. But it’s okay to eat less.” Lin Nuan said as she scooped up a spoonful and put it into her mouth.

"Who is it? Is it your lover?" Zhao Yunshuang became interested and asked her with blinking eyes.

"Ah, it's my husband."

"You're married?" Zhao Yunshuang was shocked. "Did he bring you here too?"

“That’s not the case. My friend brought me here.” Lin Nuan said, her expression darkening, her eyes filled with nostalgia and loneliness.

Maybe she was a very important friend of hers, Zhao Yunshuang changed the subject and did not ask any more questions. They chatted for a long time that day, until night fell, when Lin Nuan sent Zhao Yunshuang to the doorstep of her home.

As soon as Zhao Yunshuang entered the house, she found Song Xin sitting on the sofa in her house, hugging her legs and waiting for her. "Yunshuang, why are you back so late? Why do you seem to be very busy recently?"

"I'm fine, not busy. Where's my brother?" For some reason, Zhao Yunshuang didn't want to tell Song Xin that she had made a new friend. Moreover, she had been in much better health recently. She didn't feel tired after running for so long.

"In the study, I came to play with you after dinner. It was so boring."

"Let's go back to my room. By the way, have you found the tea for uncle?"

"Not yet, what's wrong?"

"I know there's a shop that sells really good tea. How about you come with me to take a look tomorrow?"

"Really? Where?"

"Uh... I forgot which road it was, but I know the address. Really, I ate a lot of desserts this afternoon, but after drinking tea, I didn't feel sick at all. On the contrary, the fragrance of the tea and the sweetness of the cake combined made me feel very comfortable and refreshed. I think my uncle will like it. How about it? Let's go and have a look."

"Okay." Song Xin agreed readily. She had never seen Yun Shuang have such an enthusiastic and lively expression about something. The tea there must be very good.

The next day, Song Xin came as promised. Zhao Yunshuang took her to the store she had visited the day before, and she introduced it to Song Xin enthusiastically.

"This shop is a little old, but they select the best tea leaves and make them by hand. I think the environment is also very good. Look, the sycamore trees are so thick."

Song Xin looked around curiously while listening to her. In addition to the sycamore trees, there were also some flowers and plants in the courtyard, and the layout was also unique. They walked around outside before going into the house together.

"Uncle." Zhao Yunshuang shouted happily. Behind the counter sat a chubby and honest middle-aged man with a kind face, reading a newspaper with a protruding belly.

"Yun Shuang brought a friend here today." Hearing the sweet call, the uncle immediately put down the newspaper in his hand and greeted with a smile.

"Well! Uncle, please take out the tea I drank yesterday. I want to give it to my friend to taste."

"Okay, wait a moment."

Song Xin looked at the interaction between the two people in confusion. Yun Shuang didn't seem like someone who would get to know others very well. Behind the counter, the uncle took it out of the cabinet in a moment.

As soon as the lid was opened, the fragrance of tea leaves overflowed into Song Xin's nostrils. After sniffing it, Song Xin couldn't help but pick up a tea leaf. The tea leaves were dry black, long and narrow, gathered into a pile and placed in the round jade box. They looked very beautiful. Yes, Song Xin liked them at first sight.

"That's it, thank you uncle." Zhao Yunshuang pulled Song Xin into the tea room on the side and sat down where she sat last time. "The tea will be served in a while, try it later."

Song Xin nodded, "I always feel that you have become more lively. Is there anything happy recently?"

"Maybe my health has improved a lot."

"Is that so? That's great. We can hang out more often in the future."

"Yes."

The brewed tea was served. After brewing, the veins of the tea leaves were clear, the leaves were intact, and they slowly stretched out their dark green bodies in the water.

"This is?"

“This is ancient tree Pu’er. Come and try it.”

Song Xin picked it up and took a sip. It was not bitter but sweet, and very smooth and mellow. She took a second sip and smiled at Yun Shuang's cautious eyes. Song Xin was also in a good mood, and her eyebrows were curved when she smiled.

As the sun sets, Song Xin holds Zhao Yunshuang's arm and walks briskly around the corner at the end of the alley. She came with nothing in her hand, but when she leaves, she has an extra small box in her hand.

"Go tell Miss Mumu that her other unopened box of tea has been taken away by her friend." The chubby tea shop owner instructed. Miss Mumu has been coming more frequently recently, and he learned the name of the boy who had met him once a few years ago and left a glimpse of him.

Her name is Anyan.