LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 2: Little Sanhua
The young woman who had spoken appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore plain clothing, her almond-shaped eyes gently upturned, exuding a peach blossom charm. Her jet-black hair was styled into an elegant bun, adorned with a vibrant green tea twig that shimmered faintly, as if imbued with spiritual essence.
Gu Ning'an studied her briefly, his gaze ultimately resting on the tea twig in her hair.
Time flies, he thought. The Little Sanhua of those years had grown into a graceful young lady.
Feeling a surge of nostalgia, Gu Ning'an regarded her with the warm eyes of an elder observing a younger generation. He nodded at the young woman and stepped over the threshold into the teahouse.
The elegant woman seemed unperturbed by Gu Ning'an's gaze. After guiding him to a seat, she asked if he would like some tea. Upon receiving an affirmative response, she left to prepare it.
Before long, she returned with a cup of "Wishing Spring Tea" and softly said, "Please enjoy, sir," before moving to tend to other customers.
"Miss Wu, please wait," Gu Ning'an called out.
Hearing this, the young woman turned back, holding the tray in her arms, her expression curious. "Sir, have we met before?"
Miss Wu's first impression of Gu Ning'an was a sense of familiarity, which had prompted her to invite him into the teahouse earlier.
It was unusual for her to approach strangers so readily. Her delicate features often attracted eccentric young men trying to strike up conversations, and she typically avoided such interactions by staying in the backroom, helping her father with tasks.
However, her father had recently been bedridden with a severe cold, forcing her to oversee the teahouse herself.
But now, this seemingly well-mannered and handsome man, whom she was certain she had never met, somehow knew her surname.
This was why she couldn't resist asking whether they had met before.
Gu Ning'an was slightly surprised as well. So Little Sanhua remembers me? But back then, she was only a few months old at most.
"We've met, a long time ago," he replied.
Miss Wu took a few steps closer, scrutinizing him carefully before exclaiming, "No wonder you seem so familiar. When did we meet?"
Gu Ning'an paused briefly and then asked, "How old are you now?"
Asking a young lady her age right away?
Despite Gu Ning'an's pure and harmless demeanor, Miss Wu found his question rather abrupt. Blushing slightly, she hesitated before answering, almost involuntarily, "I'm twenty-three this year."
"Twenty-three…" Gu Ning'an repeated softly, his gaze momentarily distant. "Then we must have met over twenty-two and a half years ago."
"Could we be childhood friends?" Miss Wu's eyes sparkled momentarily, but she quickly shook her head. "No, that can't be. I have an early memory of things, and although this place is along a main road, most travelers are merely passing through. I never had any playmates as a child."
She furrowed her brows, pondering for a moment, then added, "And my father never mentioned you either."
Gu Ning'an waved his hand dismissively. "You misunderstand. What I mean is that the current me met you when you were just a few months old."
"You must have remembered me from then."
This convoluted explanation left Miss Wu feeling perplexed and suspicious. Her previously favorable impression of Gu Ning'an vanished. She muttered something about the tea being hot and quickly excused herself, leaving without looking back.
In her mind, Gu Ning'an appeared to be roughly the same age as her. Yet he claimed to have met her over twenty years ago. What nonsense!
To think she had felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
"Father was right— the more handsome a man is, the more likely he is to spout nonsense!" she muttered under her breath as she turned her attention to other customers.
Not far away, Gu Ning'an, whose hearing was exceptionally sharp, caught her remark. His expression turned somewhat amused.
Still, he wasn't particularly bothered by Little Sanhua's abrupt departure.
Indeed, Gu Ning'an wasn't lying, but it's understandably hard for an average person to accept the claim of someone, seemingly of similar age, who says they've seen you as a child.
Lifting the teacup, Gu Ning'an gently blew away the floating tea froth before tilting his head back and taking a small sip.
The "Wishing Spring" tea was sweet and refreshing, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth. With just one sip, it felt as if one had been transported to a garden in full bloom.
After savoring it carefully, Gu Ning'an frowned slightly.
The essence of the "Willing Spring" tea was present, but it lacked a certain depth. This tea was likely not prepared by Wu's shopkeeper himself.
Given the honest and straightforward nature of that man, would he shirk responsibility and let his daughter handle tea roasting?
At this thought, Gu Ning'an formed his fingers into a calculation gesture and lightly assessed the situation. Soon, he understood what had happened.
"Miss Wu, would you kindly refill my cup?" He spoke while downing the remaining warm tea in his cup.
Hearing this, Miss Wu glanced at him, her eyes filled with a faint hint of resistance.
However, as he was still a customer at the tea house, she dutifully approached with a spouted copper kettle in hand.
"Sir, please be careful." She warned softly, tilting the spout gently.
Hot water flowed steadily from the spout into the cup, stirring the tea leaves and sending a fragrant mist into the air.
"Little Sanhua…"
Gu Ning'an's faint voice drifted into Miss Wu's ears.
The words were like a bolt of lightning, making her hand holding the kettle tremble. She nearly spilled the hot water.
Gritting her teeth, her face flushed red, Miss Wu slammed the kettle onto the table with a loud bang!
The remaining hot water sloshed around in the kettle, making a splashing noise, and a few drops spilled onto the table, leaving water stains.
Ignoring her own momentary loss of composure, Miss Wu quickly looked around. Seeing no one had noticed, she sat beside Gu Ning'an on his right and asked in a low voice, "Who are you, really? And how do you know… my childhood nickname?"
"Little Sanhua" was a baby nickname known only to Miss Wu and her father. No one else had called her by that name.
She was certain her father wouldn't casually share such a private detail about his daughter.
So how could this handsome man in front of her know it?
Seeing the girl's flustered expression, Gu Ning'an couldn't help but ask, "Didn't I just tell you? I saw you when you were only a few months old."
"Thinking back, I held you quite a few times."
Gu Ning'an's voice wasn't particularly loud, but in the bustling tea house, it was inconspicuous. Aside from the flustered Miss Wu, no one else heard his somewhat "ridiculous" remark.
Upon hearing this, Miss Wu clenched her teeth tighter, producing faint grinding sounds.
After staring at Gu Ning'an for a long time, she finally forced out a response: "I don't know how you found out my childhood nickname… but I'm certain you're just like those other young masters, scheming against me!"
Thwack!
Before she could react, Miss Wu received a flick on her forehead from Gu Ning'an.
Though her fair forehead showed no marks, the sting made her eyes well up with tears. Holding her head, she glared at the man in disbelief.
"In terms of seniority, you should at least call me 'Uncle.'" Unbothered by her outraged gaze, Gu Ning'an sipped his tea and continued, "Your tea-making skills still lack refinement. If your father roasted the tea himself, both the fragrance and aftertaste would be far superior."
"Oh, and as for your father's lingering cold—take one sprig of the tea branch in your hair, steep it in hot water, and have him drink it. He'll recover immediately."
Miss Wu's peach blossom eyes shimmered with tears. At that moment, she felt as though she had no secrets in front of this man.
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she became. With a huff, she grabbed the tea kettle from the table and stormed off toward the back room…