Chapter 9

Fallen yellow leaves landed on Lin Xu’s shoulder as she carried the little white dumpling back with one arm.

Shu Rong, the little white dumpling, had filthy palms from the mud ball, but she tried her best not to rub it on the cotton jacket her mother had dressed her in.

In the tea room, the two exchanged a few pleasantries and then fell silent. By now, the servant had prepared the tea set and turned over the teacups and saucers.

When Lin Xu neared the door, she noticed Shu Qingyou and the pottery master sitting ramrod straight on their cushions, not chatting.

The atmosphere felt a bit heavy. Lin Xu touched her nose, hesitating to interrupt.

She leaned close to Shu Rong’s little face and whispered instructions.

“Wait a bit, and we’ll go find your mom. Don’t wander off—play with the mud right next to me, okay?”

Shu Rong blinked her round eyes, and Lin Xu took it as agreement. She quietly slipped aside to wait.

Luckily, no one was around. Otherwise, with her peeping like this, even Lin Xu would have felt guilty.

Yue Yang wore a faint smile, her usual serene aura intact. Shu Qingyou knew her teacher was testing her.

She scooped some tea leaves from the caddy—green leaves edged in red, vibrant in color, with clear white down tips.

Yue Yang said, “One Leaf Two Hearts, picked just as the dew was drying.”

The implication was clear: since Shu Qingyou had accepted her teacher’s invitation the night before, the teacher had prepared this specially.

Honestly, she felt a bit overwhelmed by the honor.

Shu Qingyou nodded modestly. “Teacher, it’s been ages since I brewed tea. Please forgive any shortcomings.”

As she spoke, a few soft strands of hair fell across her face. She gathered her long hair, her sleeves bunching at her snowy wrists.

The room was utterly still. With her series of practiced motions, steam rose as clear tea water filled the glossy cups, carrying a faint fruity aroma.

The teacups were neither too green nor ashen gray, fired with tiny spurs for a pure feel. Under the light, the fish-scale craquelure gleamed.

Shu Qingyou sighed inwardly. Ru Kiln Celadon Glaze—another memento. This batch had been fired the year she was with Lin Xu.

Lin Xu had taken one that wasn’t quite as perfect. She guessed, given Lin Xu’s disdain toward her, it had probably ended up smashed in some trash heap.

Yue Yang said, “Not bad.”

Just two words, but Shu Qingyou noticed her teacher’s faintly judgmental gaze soften considerably. By tasting standards, her work was only passable.

Fortunately, the teacher didn’t mind. Shu Qingyou relaxed her shoulders.

“You’re too kind, Teacher.”

Sipping along the rim through the steam, Shu Qingyou squinted her eyes. It was fine tea.

Yue Yang never minced words.

“Tea and cup are inseparably linked. You’re clever—you get my point.”

Her body stiffened again just as she’d relaxed. It really wasn’t a good time, she thought—especially since Lin Xu had returned.

Talk about bringing up the exact wrong topic. As Shu Qingyou prepared to explain to her teacher, a voice pierced the air.

“Aaah! You got my clothes all dirty!”

Shu Qingyou’s brows furrowed. She had no idea what Lin Xu was up to now, but since she was minding Shu Rong, she gave her teacher a slight bow. “I’ll be right back.”

Yue Yang unhurriedly picked up a cup and poured it full of tea.

It was a bit like bullying the little one.

The scene Shu Qingyou walked into was Lin Xu scrubbing and rubbing at her clothes with tissues, occasionally shooting Shu Rong mutters and glares.

Shu Rong shrank her neck innocently. Lin Xu complained that she had nothing clean to wear now, and Shu Rong sniffled, her little legs frozen in fright.

A clump of discarded clay lay on the ground.

Shu Qingyou squatted down and rubbed her daughter’s head gently. “No crying now. Rongrong didn’t mean to, right?”

Shu Rong nodded vigorously. It was all the fault of that stone on the ground—she’d nearly tripped and only smeared her dirty hands on the big sister’s clothes.

She didn’t understand why the big sister cared so much. Getting muddy together would have been so much fun.

Lin Xu immediately deflated like a dud firecracker. With mom here, she swallowed all her complaints.

Her eyes met Shu Qingyou’s icy gaze.

Lin Xu’s heart clenched. She finally managed to speak. “I didn’t mean to scold her. Sorry.”

An adult nitpicking with a three-year-old. Shu Qingyou shook her head, scooped up Shu Rong, and took her to wash her hands.

When they returned, Lin Xu stood there in a daze, as if awaiting some judgment from Shu Qingyou.

Shu Qingyou took Shu Rong’s hand with one of hers and told Lin Xu to remove her jacket.

“Come inside. Loitering at someone else’s door—who knows, they might think you’re here to steal.”

“Oh, oh… I wouldn’t think of that.”

With that, Lin Xu’s dirty jacket draped over Shu Qingyou’s arm. The pottery master gave her a smile.

Lin Xu suddenly recalled Shu Qingyou’s talk of selling her off.

Nervous and scared, she sat down opposite the master, her limbs rigid with tension.

Shu Qingyou tidied everything up and settled Shu Rong on her lap. Shu Rong turned her head away, refusing to face Lin Xu.

“Drink some tea.”

At Shu Qingyou’s prompt, Lin Xu finally lifted her cup. Her mouth was parched, so she gulped it down like a cow drinking water, draining it in one go.

“Thirsty? Have more.”

Yue Yang smiled and poured her another.

“Thanks, Master! This tea is delicious.”

“Good thing Qingyou brewed it.”

Lin Xu hadn’t expected her to have this skill. Surprise lit her face, her peach-blossom eyes curving as she flashed Shu Qingyou a charming smile.

“Shu-jie, you’re amazing! Teach me how to brew tea sometime?”

Something stirred oddly in Shu Qingyou’s heart. Lin Xu’s carefree, immature vibe made her seem no different from a big child.

Her ear tips heated. “Don’t fool around.”

Yue Yang took it all in and smiled knowingly. In a gentler tone, she asked Shu Rong, “Do you like playing with mud?”

Shu Rong could only nod or shake her head. She had liked it, but the big sister had called her clumsy. She pouted and burrowed into her mother’s arms.

Shu Qingyou rubbed her daughter’s head and gave Yue Yang an apologetic smile. “Don’t mind her, Teacher. Rongrong doesn’t go out much—she’s shy around strangers.”

Yue Yang seized the moment. “First time’s awkward, second time’s fine. You should come visit often, Qingyou. Remember after you graduated, when we went to the exhibition in Japan?”

That global ceramics expo in Japan. Shu Qingyou’s thoughts flashed back four years, to when her teacher had made an exception and showcased her student’s work—hers.

Afterward, a Japanese potter had wanted to meet her, perhaps even with apprenticeship in mind.

But as she wrestled with indecision, devastating family news hit: her mother had died in a car crash.

The thought twisted Shu Qingyou’s heart. To this day, the perpetrator remained at large.

Then came the chain reaction. Their biggest project lost its cash flow, banks pressed hard.

Clients canceled contracts one after another, forcing the company into bankruptcy.

Shu Qingyou refocused. “Teacher, if I remember right, that was Teacher Yashin.”

Yue Yang didn’t react—perhaps confirming it. Shu Qingyou continued softly, “Give me some time, Teacher. I can’t get away right now—sorry.”

As if she’d anticipated the response, Yue Yang sipped her tea calmly. “No worries. Meeting once would still be nice. So this visit was just to see me?”

Shu Qingyou nodded and, after gathering her words, explained her little sister’s troubles.

For Yue Yang, it was a simple matter. She wanted to keep Shu Qingyou for dinner but didn’t want to impose, so she suggested a stroll in the garden.

The pavilion’s stone table held fresh fruit. The others didn’t touch it, Shu Rong wouldn’t eat, and Lin Xu eyed the grapes but felt too awkward to reach.

Lin Xu fidgeted, scratching her ear and cheek as the two discussed topics she knew nothing about. Self-awareness dawned, and she decided to apologize to Shu Rong.

She grabbed a handful of fruit and extended an olive branch. “Want me to tell you a story?”

The innocent Shu Rong hid behind Shu Qingyou. Shu Qingyou pinched her little hand. “Big sister’s not bad. Go on.”

After two seconds of inner resistance, Shu Rong let Lin Xu lead her away—though not without looking back at her mom every few steps.

Once they were out of sight, Yue Yang withdrew her gaze.

“She’s the child’s mother, right?”

“Mm.”

Yue Yang understood. She also confirmed this must be the future head of the Lin Group—though utterly unlike the image she’d seen before.

As if reading her teacher’s doubts, Shu Qingyou explained first. “She’s lost her memory. That’s also why I came to you.”

“Oh? The drunkard’s not after the wine.”

Shu Qingyou lowered her eyes and shared her recent worries.

“I’m not part of their family, but I know the Lin Group’s power struggles are a tangled mess. When Lin Xu came to me, things were off, and she’d lost her memory too. So I thought…”

In a few short sentences, even Yue Yang frowned slightly.

Just as Shu Qingyou feared, ever since the Lin family matriarch fell gravely ill and was hospitalized, the group had descended into chaos.

Yue Yang’s company didn’t collaborate much with the Lins, but even an outsider could see it: amnesiac Lin Xu was like a ticking time bomb, with who-knows-how-many eyeing the heir position.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have people cover her tracks. As for internal matters, I’ll do what I can to gather intel.”

Her teacher was too good to her. Shu Qingyou felt grateful but also apologetic.

Seeing her hesitation, Yue Yang said understandingly, “If you want to thank me, stay for dinner then. Don’t tell me you and President Lin look down on my home cooking.”

Mentioning Lin Xu made Shu Qingyou’s cheeks warm slightly. Their relationship was what it was, but she couldn’t refuse her teacher’s face.

“Then we’ll have to impose on you again, Teacher.”

Lin Xu wondered if Shu-jie and the others were done talking. She already missed Shu-jie a little.

She’d just learned that the pottery master owned this mansion.

Good thing Teacher Yue was so magnanimous—she didn’t mind Lin Xu calling her “Master,” even if it was a tad impolite.

She felt her fingers being tugged and looked down into a pair of bright eyes.

Lin Xu felt a bit sheepish—she’d almost forgotten.

“Sis will tell you a story right now. Let me think… Little Red Riding Hood. It suits a kid like you.”

Dusk fell as Shu Qingyou and her teacher chatted amiably—until Shu Rong came toddling back, clutching her mother’s long skirt tightly.

Shu Rong’s eyes were red as she pointed at Lin Xu, who trailed along slowly behind.

If not for her teacher being there, Shu Qingyou would have rubbed her temples and sighed.

Once Lin Xu stood still, Shu Qingyou asked patiently, “What happened?”

Lin Xu’s lips curved smugly, her voice bubbling with delight.

“I told her the story of the wolf disguised as grandma. Aren’t I great?”

“How so?”

“Now she’ll be more vigilant and won’t fall for scams so easily. Quick, praise me, Shu-jie~”

Oblivious to the other two pairs of eyes on her, Lin Xu couldn’t help coquettishly wheedling.

The harmonious mood turned awkwardly silent in an instant.

Shu Qingyou’s temples throbbed.

Lin Xu used to wound her heart; now, it seemed, she had endless ways to exasperate her too.