Chapter 87: Transformation, The Lovely Lady

The little girl tilted her head in thought for a moment, pouting as she spoke, “My father went into town this morning to sell vegetables. He promised to buy me some honey crisps, but he still hasn’t come back. I miss him.”

The city guard smiled indulgently. “I think you’re just missing the honey crisps.”

The little girl lowered her lashes and shuffled her small feet against the ground. “Big brother, could you let me in, please?”

The guard glanced around, then finally made up his mind, pointing into the city. “Alright, but once you’re inside, don’t run off. Go straight ahead, then take the first alley on your left, keep walking, and you’ll reach the marketplace where people sell vegetables. Your father should be there.”

“Okay, thank you, brother.” The little girl beamed, then skipped cheerfully into the city.

The teahouse was the busiest place in town, its very walls humming with gossip and news.

On the second floor sat a girl as lovely as a flower, saying she was waiting for her father. As dusk crept in and the sky darkened, she remained there, unmoving.

“Little one, we’re about to close up. Did your father tell you where to wait for him?” The waiter’s face was kind, his tone gentle, clearly afraid he might startle the delicate child before him.

Chu Junhan took a sip of tea, disappointment clouding her eyes and a hint of grievance in her voice. “My father told me to wait for him at Shouchun Teahouse, but he still hasn’t come. Maybe he doesn’t want me anymore.”

The waiter chuckled, “You’re at the wrong place. This is Sichun Teahouse—Shouchun Teahouse is in a different alley.”

“What?” The girl sprang up, pouting. “But I can’t read, and when I asked for directions, they told me to come here.”

“Maybe they misheard you,” the waiter replied patiently.

Chu Junhan pursed her lips. “Alright then, I’ll go to Shouchun Teahouse to look for my father. Thank you, uncle.”

“You’re welcome—hurry along now!”

“Mhm.”

As the girl left, the waiter forced a smile and shook his head. What kind of careless parents would let such a well-behaved child wait alone? But as is often the case, the truth was quite the opposite. Once outside, Chu Junhan shed her innocent façade, walking the street with her hands clasped behind her, face clouded with gloom.

With her brows knit in frustration, Chu Junhan had gathered no useful information and could only wander the streets aimlessly.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a shop sign. The four bold characters above the door drew her in.

“Jiuling Trading House?” Chu Junhan rested her chin on her hand, compelled to approach the shop. Where had she seen this name before?

The shop was small, containing only a single counter. Behind it, a shop assistant snored away, and there was nothing else in sight.

Chu Junhan, curiosity piqued, walked up and knocked on the counter.

The assistant, groggy with sleep, wiped away a trail of drool at the corner of his mouth. He glanced around but, seeing no one, laid his head back down, intent on drifting off again.

Seeing this, Chu Junhan cleared her throat and knocked once more. “Shopkeeper, are you even doing business or not?”

Disturbed from his dreams, the assistant clambered up, annoyed, and snapped, “Who is it? Haven’t you had enough?”

“How can your business be run with such a terrible attitude?” Chu Junhan stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to make herself visible.

The shop assistant squinted in her direction and, upon seeing it was a child, lazily stretched and yawned. “Run along now, go play somewhere else. This isn’t a candy store.”

Having been dismissed so disdainfully, Chu Junhan’s brows drew together and her little nose wrinkled in protest. “I’m here to buy something.”

At these words, the assistant’s manner shifted at once. He forced a professional smile. “And what might this young customer wish to buy?”