Chapter 439: Another Year of Spring

Another spring had come. On the Muyun Road, the sunlight was just right, and not a cloud could be seen in the sky.

What made Muyun Road peculiar was that it either didn’t rain at all, or it poured like a flood from the heavens.

Drizzles and misty rain—such a scene was something Gu Ning’an had never seen on this road.

Twenty years in White Jade Capital, and naturally, twenty years had passed in the world below as well.

At least in this regard, Heaven and Earth were “fair.” There was no such thing as a day in Heaven being a year on Earth…

After walking a few more miles, Gu Ning’an’s figure appeared before a teahouse.

The teahouse was just as it had always been—rows of one-story buildings with curved eaves. Though traces of renovation were visible, its general appearance remained unchanged. Especially the red wooden plaque hanging at the entrance—it hadn’t even been moved from its original spot.

At this moment, Gu Ning’an caught sight of a burly man and a young woman kneeling not far away, bowing their heads in his direction.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an was slightly puzzled and was about to speak when a clear, youthful voice called out from behind him, “Sir, please come in for tea. They’re not bowing to you—they’re bowing to our teahouse’s signboard.”

The one speaking was a boy around sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a short tunic and hemp trousers. His features bore a certain resemblance to “Little Sanhua.”

So the children of old friends have grown up this much already… Gu Ning’an smiled. “Please lead the way.”

“Right this way, sir.” With a polite gesture, the boy led Gu Ning’an to a seat near the entrance and then asked with a smile, “Sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time at our teahouse?”

Like mother, like son—they even speak the same way… Gu Ning’an smiled and shook his head. “I’ve been here before.”

“That’s strange. How come I don’t remember seeing you?” the boy muttered to himself, then waved it off. “Ah, never mind. We’ve had too many customers. I probably just forgot.”

“May I ask your surname, sir?”

“Gu,” Gu Ning’an replied simply.

“Gu? That’s a good surname!” the boy laughed. “If your surname is Gu, then today’s tea is on the house.”

“Hm?” Gu Ning’an raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

The boy pointed outside at the kneeling couple and grinned. “Sir, do you know why those two are bowing to our signboard?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “I don’t.”

“Then allow me to tell you the story,” the boy offered.

Gu Ning’an had barely said “Sure” when the boy plopped down across from him, all smiles. “The water’s still boiling, so I’ve got time to chat.”

“This story goes back twenty years…”

Sitting up straight like a storyteller, the boy began seriously, “Twenty years ago, on this very road, it rained so hard it was like buckets of water were being dumped from the sky.”

“Inside the teahouse, there was an old woman drinking tea with her grandson, taking shelter from the rain. But the boy, being mischievous, slipped out to play when she wasn’t looking.”

“When the rain hits on Muyun Road, it’s no joke. Even strong young men have to tread carefully on the road, let alone a child who isn’t even tall enough to reach a table.”

“As you might guess, something happened.”

“All the customers in the teahouse went out to help look, but the rain was so heavy you couldn’t even see the path clearly. No matter how many searched, the child was nowhere to be found.”

“Until, at a certain moment, my mother—cough, that’s Manager Wu—heard the guidance of an immortal. Following it, she found the boy stuck in the mud in a secluded corner and saved him.”

“Afterward, the old woman was deeply grateful and wanted to thank the immortal who had given the guidance. But neither my mother nor my father were willing to say much about that immortal surnamed Gu. In fact, they didn’t even know where he was.”

“So all they told her was that the signboard hanging at the teahouse entrance had been written by that immortal.”

“Ever since, every year, the old woman would bring her grandson to kneel before the sign in thanks. Each time, she’d leave some silver and ask that, should a customer surnamed Gu ever come, we treat him to a cup of tea.”

“Years later, after her grandson got married, the old woman passed away. But her grandson kept the tradition.”

“These days, he comes with his wife to bow every year.”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an couldn’t help but sigh, “Isn’t that a bit too expensive?”

“You’re telling me!”

The boy clapped his hands. “Sometimes he leaves seven or eight qian, sometimes even two or three taels of silver!”

“That Gao Hu—he makes a living by hard labor. Earning that kind of money isn’t easy.”

“Plus, that immortal probably never even drank the tea, and he’s given away all that silver for nothing.”

“But no one can talk him out of it. He just won’t listen.”

“Still, you could say he’s a loyal and grateful man.”

Gu Ning’an nodded, glancing at the couple outside who had just risen and were brushing the dust off each other’s clothes. They looked quite affectionate.

“The water’s boiling! I’ll get your tea.” With that, the boy stood and left. Gu Ning’an responded with a word of thanks, then looked once more at the couple outside.

Just then, the couple headed toward the teahouse and saw the boy carrying a teacup and copper kettle to Gu Ning’an’s table, so they followed along.

Seeing the boy pouring tea for Gu Ning’an, they waited politely at the side. Once he had set down the teapot, the burly man—Gao Hu—spoke as he extended his hand. “Young Master Wu, here’s the tea money for this time. Please take it.”

The boy took the silver from Gao Hu’s calloused hand and weighed it. “That’s quite a bit!”

“Maybe you should take some of it back.”

Gao Hu waved it off. “It’s not much! Last time, I heard someone say that when a whole caravan from Gu Village came through, more than a dozen people, you even had to pitch in from your own pocket.”

“Hey! I didn’t really pay out of pocket.”

The boy waved his hand. “This teahouse belongs to my family. At most, I used a bit of extra tea and water.”

“If there’s one thing we don’t lack, it’s tea.”

“And by the way, who was it that gossiped about me? Tell me, and I’ll go have a word with them!”

“Alright, alright!” Gao Hu laughed and patted the boy on the shoulder. “Your kindness—we remember it. Just take the money, and remember to subtract the bit you covered last time.”

“Otherwise, it’ll feel like you’re looking down on me for being a rough brute.”

Faced with that, the boy was briefly at a loss for words. “I’m a rough guy myself, how could I look down on you, Brother Hu?”

At the side, Gao Hu’s wife didn’t look too happy. Her gaze kept drifting toward the silver in the boy’s hands.

Clearly, she was feeling the sting, but for the sake of her husband’s pride, she held her tongue.

The boy noticed her glances too. Realizing that Gao Hu couldn’t keep this up forever, he pointed at Gu Ning’an and said, “This gentleman’s surname is Gu. He’s the first customer this spring with that surname.”

“How about you just take him as that immortal and call it done…”