Across the street from the back gate of the Xinnan City Guesthouse, under the shade of a tree, stood a middle-aged man in his fifties.
The man was thin, with graying hair.
At that moment, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his weary expression carried a hint of suppressed anger.
His brow was slightly furrowed. Although his eyes were fixed on the guesthouse entrance, his thoughts had clearly wandered elsewhere.
Just then, a man in his early thirties hurried out of the gate.
He wiped away sweat, then quickly walked over to the shade of the tree.
“Minister, Auntie isn’t in her room. The staff said she left around eight this morning.”
Hu Yuanping, addressed as Minister, gave a soft grunt in acknowledgment. Then, in a calm tone, he asked, “Is there anyone else at the guesthouse?”
The man cautiously stole a glance at him and nodded. “When I came downstairs, I saw several city leaders standing in the front courtyard.”
Hu Yuanping didn’t respond immediately.
He took a deep breath, glanced at his watch, and said, “Xiao Lin, let’s go. We’ll go find your Auntie and have some fun.”
Lin Changhe was taken aback. “Ah? But, the people in the courtyard…”
“Did you tell them to come?” Hu Yuanping’s voice suddenly turned cold.
“No,” Lin Changhe quickly denied, frightened. “I didn’t.”
“Then let them wait! They can wait all they want!”
Hu Yuanping’s face was so dark it seemed ready to drip with water. “Self-righteous fools.”
Hearing this, Lin Changhe promptly shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
He had been serving as Minister Hu’s secretary for over a year and felt he had come to know the leader’s habits quite well.
Minister Hu was generally a good-natured person, always pleasant and amiable with his subordinates and comrades.
But if one thought that meant he had no temper, they would be sorely mistaken.
Take this inspection trip to Xinnan, for example. Yesterday, Minister Hu had casually mentioned that he wanted to visit the steel plant today, quietly, as an unannounced inspection.
But that morning, the moment the two of them stepped off the bus, they saw the steel plant’s entrance crowded with people there to welcome them, complete with banners reading “Welcome Leaders for Inspection”!
Furious, Minister Hu had turned around, gotten right back on the bus, and returned directly to the guesthouse.
And yet, in the blink of an eye, someone had still spotted them and even had the nerve to follow them here.
Thinking of this, Lin Changhe felt a throbbing pain at the back of his head.
The minister’s words earlier were absolutely right, those people were just being self-righteous!
Now, they had angered the leader to the point where he was ready to wash his hands of the whole affair.
The leader could afford to be angry, but as his secretary, Lin Changhe had to keep a cool head.
As he frantically tried to recall who had been around when the minister said, “I’d like to take a look at the steel plant,” he cautiously asked, “Minister, where are we going? Do you know where Auntie is?”
“Yes, I know. Your auntie must have gone to that little herbal tea stall. Yesterday, while out for a walk, she found a small shop selling herbal tea and spent the whole afternoon there. And let me tell you, that tea really works…”
Speaking of this, Hu Yuanping’s expression softened considerably.
His wife had endured many hardships with him over the years. Now that conditions had finally improved, she had developed insomnia.
Seeing how happy she had looked this morning after getting a full night’s sleep had made him very happy as well.
As he had left that morning, he had thought to himself that after this inspection was over, he would make time to accompany his wife to that herbal tea stall.
If it was truly as effective as his wife claimed, then no matter the cost, he would find a way to buy the recipe.
Hu Yuanping hadn’t mentioned this idea to anyone, but he had placed it at the very top of his list of priorities. He just didn’t expect the opportunity to arise so soon.
Following the address his wife had given him that morning, Hu Yuanping and his secretary made their way by asking directions along the route. By the time they reached the Ning household, it was nearly ten o’clock.
By then, most of the people buying herbal tea had already dispersed.
Ning Xin and her grandmother were sitting under the grapevine, each holding a fan, enjoying the cool shade as they watched Ning Yi squat by the faucet plucking a duck.
The three of them were chatting and laughing, full of warmth and cheer.
Seeing the harmonious scene of the three generations, Hu Yuanping paused for a moment, not sure if he had come to the right place.
By then, Ning Xin had already spotted them.
“Here for some herbal tea? Please come in and sit.”
She stood up as she spoke, walked over to the table where the white porcelain bowls were laid out, and introduced herself with practiced ease. “We have two kinds of herbal tea today: one is mint tea, the other is hundred-flower tea. Both are great for cooling down and relieving heatstroke. Which one would you like?”
Hearing this, Hu Yuanping knew he had found the right place and felt relieved.
“One of each, please,” he said as he and Lin Changhe walked inside.
Ning Xin deftly drew a bowl of tea from each of the two large thermos buckets and set them on the table.
But just as Hu Yuanping reached for one, she pressed her hand on the rim of the bowl.
She smiled at him and said, “Uncle, you should drink the other bowl, the hundred-flower tea. It’s also called baby tea, not because it’s only for children, but because it has a gentler nature. Your stomach isn’t well. Mint tea is too cold and cooling, it doesn’t suit you.”
Hu Yuanping’s heart stirred. He asked gently, “Young Lady, how do you know my stomach isn’t well?”
“The tip of your nose is dull, your complexion has a yellowish tinge, and your lips are dry and cracked.”
At that, Ning Xin frowned slightly. “Uncle, is your stomach hurting right now? If so, you really shouldn’t drink cold tea.”
As she spoke, without waiting for his reaction, she took the bowl of tea back.
Hu Yuanping was completely taken aback.
His stomach was indeed hurting a bit at that moment.
But this was so common for him that he barely noticed it anymore, and the pain wasn’t severe. He figured it was just the irritation from those people earlier and would pass on its own, so he hadn’t even bothered to mention it.
He didn’t expect a young girl to notice.
Hearing Ning Xin’s words, Lin Changhe grew alarmed.
He quickly stepped forward to support Hu Yuanping’s arm and said, “Minister Hu—”
He stopped himself mid-sentence and corrected, “Uncle Hu, is your stomach hurting again? Let me take you to the hospital!”
“It’s not that serious,” Hu Yuanping said, brushing off his hand dismissively. He turned to Ning Xin with a smile. “Young Lady, you seem to know a lot about medicine. Can you treat this uncle’s condition?”
Ning Xin studied his face for a moment. Instead of answering his question directly, she reiterated, “Don’t drink this tea. I’ll go brew a fresh pot for you.”
With that, seeming a bit distrustful that he might drink it anyway, she pushed both bowls of tea toward Lin Changhe. “You drink both of these. You look all worked up and hot-tempered, this will cool you down.”
Both Hu Yuanping and Lin Changhe assumed she was just worried that the tea would go to waste if no one drank it and she wouldn’t get her money. They couldn’t help but laugh.
Ning Xin didn’t bother to explain. She turned and walked toward the flower bed.
In her dream, Zhuang Wenxia thought she heard her husband’s voice. She opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a cluster of brilliantly blooming impatiens flowers. For a long moment, she felt dazed, not sure of where she was.
Then Ning Xin walked up to her.
“Auntie Zhuang, since you’re awake, why don’t you get up? If you sleep any more, you won’t be able to sleep tonight,” Ning Xin said with a smile.
Only then did Zhuang Wenxia realize she was still at the Ning family home. She had fallen asleep after drinking half a box of the mulberry tea.
She quickly sat up on the bamboo chair and noticed that a small towel blanket had been draped over her. Her smile grew even warmer.
“Ah, Xiao Xin, your medical skills are truly remarkable. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve slept so soundly,” she sighed with feeling.
Hu Yuanping had been watching Ning Xin, curious to see what she was doing by the flower bed.
Then he heard his wife’s voice.
He quickly stood up and walked over.
“Old Hu? It really is you! I thought I was dreaming. What are you doing here?” Zhuang Wenxia asked in surprise when she saw her husband.
When Hu Yuanping had arrived, he hadn’t seen his wife and had assumed she had finished her tea and left.
Now, finding her sitting here, still drowsy-eyed, he couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“I didn’t have much to do this morning, so I came to take a look. So, you fell asleep again?”
Hu Yuanping gave his wife a thorough once-over. Although she was still drowsy, her complexion was noticeably ruddier than usual, and her eyes held a spark of vitality. She looked well-rested and comfortable.
He immediately felt relieved.
Hearing her husband’s question, Zhuang Wenxia perked up.
She stood up from the chair and pointed at Ning Xin. “Old Hu, this is Xiao Xin, the girl I told you about. Don’t let her age fool you, she’s incredibly skilled. I really haven’t slept this well in ages. You see, after all that sleep yesterday, I lay down just now and dozed off again. Oh, I feel so light on my feet now, so full of energy.”
Hearing this, both Hu Yuanping and Ning Xin laughed.
“Auntie, after a few more days of care, you’ll feel even lighter,” Ning Xin said. “Not just lighter, you won’t have night sweats anymore, you’ll have more strength, and you’ll be able to walk long distances again.”
“Really! Then, Xiao Xin, please make me a few more batches of tea. I’m putting my health in your hands.”
By now, Zhuang Wenxia would believe anything Ning Xin said. Hearing that her health could still improve, she felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation.
Ning Xin had already gathered that these two were a couple.
The only thought running through her mind was that she had just gained another high-quality customer!
She smiled at Zhuang Wenxia and nodded, then turned to Hu Yuanping. “Uncle, why don’t you stay for lunch too? My brother happened to buy a duck today. I’ll make a one-duck-two-dishes meal for you, it will be good for both your health and Auntie’s.”
Hearing this, Hu Yuanping hesitated.
Ning Xin immediately understood what he was thinking and quickly waved her hand to explain, “Uncle, don’t overthink it. Our family is running a business here. Of course, we charge for meals. Auntie Zhuang has already prepaid six yuan here. That should be more than enough for the three of you to have a meal.”