Chapter 42

Chapter 42: A Familiar Grace

The midday sun filtered softly through the blooming plum tree, casting dappled light across the courtyard. Lady Yun sat gracefully on the woven cushion, her veil set aside at last, revealing a face both elegant and mature. Her eyes, though touched by years of noble living, were clear and sharp—searching.

Su Yanyue poured the second round of tea with steady hands, though her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Why did the noblewoman keep looking at her that way? Not judgmentally, but with a kind of... recognition.

"Lady Yun," she said gently, "if the tea is not to your liking—"

"It's not just the tea." Lady Yun cut her off with a soft smile. "It's everything."

Yanyue blinked.

Lady Yun picked up the delicate cup and inhaled its scent before sipping. "This blend… it's nearly identical to what my grandmother used to make when I was a child. The warmth, the hint of red date, the grounding chrysanthemum… It's comforting, like a lullaby."

Su Yanyue nodded politely, but her mind buzzed. She'd made the blend purely based on intuition, guided by her sense of scent and memory since arriving in this world. Could such a tea have noble roots?

Lady Yun's gaze lingered on her face. "Tell me, Miss Su… Where were you born?"

Yanyue hesitated. "I… don't know."

"You don't know?" the noblewoman repeated, her voice unusually soft.

"I lost my memories after a serious illness," Yanyue said, repeating the lie she'd crafted months ago. "All I remember is waking up in a forest with injuries. A kind village woman took me in. Everything before that is… fog."

Yu Shiming, who stood silently nearby, glanced at Yanyue with a flicker of concern. She had never told even him that much.

Lady Yun did not press. Instead, she leaned back and watched the triplets chase a butterfly around the courtyard, the youngest accidentally knocking over a bucket of water and getting scolded by his older brother.

"They're charming," Lady Yun said, amused.

"Chaotic," Yanyue corrected.

"Both, then."

There was a long pause. Then, Lady Yun placed her cup down with care.

"I once had a niece," she said softly. "She vanished as a child. Barely two years old. It nearly shattered our family. But I remember her mother—my sister—had a similar laugh to yours. And the same kind of calm when chaos unfolded."

Yanyue froze.

"I'm not saying you are her," Lady Yun added. "But… there's something very familiar about you, Miss Su. Your bearing, your tea, even the way you speak."

Yanyue shook her head gently. "I appreciate your kindness, but I'm just a village woman making ends meet."

"Perhaps," Lady Yun said, rising with grace. "But if fate permits… I'll return again. And perhaps we can discover the truth together."

As the noblewoman stepped into her carriage, her final words echoed like a riddle in Yanyue's ears:

"Phoenixes may sleep in nests of straw, but that doesn't change their blood."

The wheels turned, and the carriage rolled out of sight.

Su Yanyue stood rooted in place, heart conflicted. For years—or at least, in this world—she'd been building a life from nothing.

Could it be… that she wasn't just "Su Yanyue from nowhere"?

Could her tea be stirring old memories for reasons she'd never imagined?

Behind her, Su Lin tugged her sleeve. "Auntie, can we make a new flavor?"

"…Maybe," she murmured. "But this time, let's name it something normal."