Lin Xiaojiao didn’t know how it had evolved to the point where, every day after breakfast, he would take her next door. They would stay there until noon, then come back together for lunch. After the meal, they would return next door and spend the entire afternoon there, only coming back again for dinner in the evening.
That was her day.
She could review her books at his desk, take naps on the soft sofa, and even drag him out for a drive.
Her parents said she was practically becoming his little shadow.
Of course, there were times when he would “politely” send her back—when he had work that required privacy or when he received certain special phone calls.
Lin Xiaojiao felt that these were probably the most satisfying days she’d experienced since crossing over.
The most outrageous part was that he had somehow managed to get his hands on a green-painted refrigerator.
It gave her unlimited access to cold drinks.
She was so excited she nearly cried!
Uncle Gu was absolutely her Doraemon.
…
That afternoon, Gu Tingzheng walked into the room carrying a box of tea leaves.
He saw the girl staring blankly at her textbook.
She hadn’t turned a page in ages.
“What university is Jiaojiao thinking of applying to? So focused!” he teased her.
“Uncle, you’re back.” By now, Lin Xiaojiao had reached the point where she could occupy the side room regardless of whether the owner was home or not.
Talk about a cuckoo taking over a magpie’s nest.
Lin Xiaojiao sighed. Studying was just her cover.
To be honest, the college entrance exam of this era, for a freshman like her who had just survived the brutal modern-day gauntlet, was really—
Not that difficult.
It genuinely wasn’t hard.
It was about the level of junior high or early high school.
With a year still to go before the exam, she wasn’t worried at all.
She was just using studying and reviewing as an excuse to laze around here all day, perfectly justified.
Gu Tingzheng wasn’t the type to force the girl to study. It was good if she did, but if she didn’t, it wasn’t necessarily a dead end.
The girl was plenty clever.
He didn’t press the matter.
He casually set the tea tin down on the table.
Lin Xiaojiao rested her chin on her textbook, her eyes level with the tea tin.
Bored, she read the packaging aloud: “Ceylon Black Tea.”
Her eyes lit up as soon as she finished. “Ceylon black tea?”
Gu Tingzheng was surprised the girl knew about this kind of tea.
But he nodded anyway. “Yes, a friend brought it back from abroad.”
“Uncle, there’s milk in the fridge, right?”
Before the man could answer, the girl had already opened the refrigerator herself and pulled out two bottles of milk.
“Uncle, I read in a book that if you mix black tea with milk and add a little sugar, you can make something called milk tea. Can I give it a try?” Lin Xiaojiao tried her best to sound like she wasn’t an expert.
As a serious milk tea enthusiast, seeing such high-quality tea leaves, she couldn’t resist at all.
Gu Tingzheng raised an eyebrow. “You can get through miscellaneous books just fine. Wait here.”
He returned shortly after, carrying not just a thermos but also a few cups.
“Limited conditions. We won’t brew the tea properly; we’ll steep it.”
Lin Xiaojiao nodded, watching as he meticulously warmed the cups, added the tea leaves, poured in the water, rinsed the tea, and poured in water a second time.
Tsk tsk.
So professional.
Just watching his technique was a pleasure in itself.
While the tea was steeping, Gu Tingzheng went and retrieved a medical first aid kit.
Lin Xiaojiao was utterly confused.
Did making milk tea require emergency measures?
Then she saw the man take out a roll of unopened gauze from the kit.
What did he need gauze for?
Had he burned himself?
Next, she watched as he cut off a small piece of gauze, repeatedly boiled and sterilized it with hot water, then stretched it taut over the mouth of a clean, empty cup.
He didn’t seem inclined to offer any explanation either.
Checking the time, he slowly filtered the strong, freshly brewed tea through a tightly stretched piece of gauze into a cup containing milk.
Holy crap!
Filtering!
Silk stocking milk tea!
Lin Xiaojiao felt her soul nearly leave her body!
He even knows how to do this?!
She watched as the man repeated the filtering process twice more.
This is the soul of silk stocking milk tea!
Lin Xiaojiao could no longer think straight.
It was simply too unbelievable.
Finally, although he didn’t magically produce any cube sugar for her, adding only a small amount of white sugar, it was enough to completely overturn her understanding.
The man pushed the cup toward Lin Xiaojiao. “Try it.”
Dazed, she picked up the cup and took a sip—
Oh my god!
This texture!
Silky smooth, rich, and aromatic!
It completely outshines all those milk tea shops!
“Third Uncle, you are my god!”
Hearing this, the man twitched the corner of his mouth.
“Third Uncle, can I have a refill?”
“Third Uncle, I want ice cubes!”
“…”
Before Lin Xiaojiao could finish her milk tea, Lin Xianghua hurriedly ran over.
“Xiaojiao, Xiaojiao! Second Brother is in trouble!”
Seeing her usually steady and composed eldest brother in such a panic, Lin Xiaojiao’s heart sank.
She nearly dropped the teacup in her hand.
“Don’t panic.” Gu Tingzheng took the cup from her.
“Let’s hear the situation first.”
“Xiangyang went to the county town to set up a street stall, got accused of speculation and profiteering, and was arrested… taken to the Public Security Bureau! I just received the news at the brigade.” Lin Xianghua was drenched in sweat, having run all the way back.
“Dad has already rushed to the county Public Security Bureau with the factory’s vehicle!”
Speculation and profiteering?
Lin Xiaojiao had heard of this term.
“Will he go to jail…” She felt ice-cold all over.
It was she who had encouraged Second Brother to go to the county town, telling him that messing around in the countryside wouldn’t earn much money.
It was she who told him to take the goods he collected from the countryside to sell in the city…
No one answered her.
She knew the answer herself.
If the circumstances were severe, yes.
But, were the circumstances severe?
“Let me inquire about the situation first.”
Gu Tingzheng turned and walked to the telephone, making several calls.
The person on the other end was respectful and polite, but couldn’t provide any definite information.
Without even asking, it was clear the situation was very difficult.
Gu Tingzheng hung up the phone.
“Xianghua, come with me to the county. Jiaojiao, you stay home with your mother.” As he spoke, Gu Tingzheng was already grabbing the car keys.
“I want to go too!” Lin Xiaojiao was truly anxious; staying home would drive her crazy.
The legal system in this era wasn’t fully developed yet, and many things couldn’t be reasoned through.
“You won’t be able to help if you go.” Gu Tingzheng thought for a moment and added, “On the contrary, it would affect my driving speed.”
At a time like this, he could still say something like that.
Lin Xiaojiao was both anxious and angry. “But…”
She stammered for a while but couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Trust me. Okay?” Gu Tingzheng placed both hands on the young girl’s shoulders. “We must get there before Xiangyang gives his statement, to make him understand what he should and shouldn’t say.”
Gu Tingzheng didn’t treat her like a child; he tried to explain to her.
He knew she could understand.
Sure enough, the young girl nodded repeatedly.
“Be careful on the road!”
Meanwhile, Lin Xianghua felt like an outsider.
…
Lin Xiaojiao was burning with anxiety at home.
Her mother, Zhang Guilan, however, was unusually calm. She just sat with a stern face, silently sewing shoe soles in the room.
Night had deepened, and the summer heat gradually subsided.
Lin Xiaojiao had already lost count of how many times she had paced back and forth under the old locust tree by the entrance.
At the slightest sound or movement, she would poke her head out to look.
But still, there was no news.
“Go home and sleep!” Zhang Guilan came out of the house. “What good does it do just waiting here?!”
“Mom, don’t worry about me. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. I’ll wait a little longer.”
Lin Xiaojiao had already imagined countless possibilities in her mind.
This feeling of being able to do nothing but wait was utterly frustrating.
“Ah!” Zhang Guilan sat down on a wooden stump by the roadside, her previously tense posture now slumped. “That Xiangyang has been mischievous since he was little, always so stubborn. I knew he was a troublemaker, but I never thought he’d cause such a big disaster this time…”
Just then, two flickering beams of light appeared at the end of the road, accompanied by the roar of an engine.
Mother and daughter both rushed over excitedly.