Chapter 11: A Name Among the Wind
Nanjiang mornings had a rhythm of their own.
The rising sun gently brushed the tile roofs in amber light. Dew clung to the bitter gourd vines and the narrow dirt path that curved behind Lin Mu's house shimmered with gold. Somewhere in the distance, an old man wheeled his bicycle cart down the road, calling out for scrap paper.
Lin Mu stood in the garden, barefoot on the cool flagstones, watering the mint patch with a bamboo ladle. The water trickled slowly, soaking the leaves and the dark soil beneath them.
There was something sacred about the quiet moments before people started arriving.
His grandmother had gone to temple with her friends. The courtyard was still. The scent of lemongrass lingered faintly from last night's tea session.
Behind him, soft footsteps approached.
Xu Qingling.
She carried a stack of paper menus, freshly printed on handmade stock she had sourced from a craft shop in town. The headers were elegantly written in black ink: Stillness House: Summer Selections.
"These came out nicer than I expected," she said, handing one to him.
Lin Mu took it and studied the soft texture of the paper, running his thumb gently across the letters. Each blend was listed with its ingredients and purpose: "Evening Garden" for sleep, "Spring Drift" for mood, "Mountain Calm" for digestion.
"Looks official now," he said.
She looked around the garden. "It feels official now."
Lin Mu gestured to the long bench under the pomegranate tree. "Help me bring the cushions out?"
They laid the simple cotton cushions side by side. The garden had become something between a retreat and a hidden tearoom — just as they imagined.
But this morning was special.
It was their first full-day open test.
---
Word had already traveled through the local community groups — gently and quietly, with no fanfare or promotions. Just simple words shared: that a young man in the eastern quarter was serving tea in his garden on Saturdays.
The first visitor arrived shortly after ten.
Mrs. Zhang, a retired schoolteacher with a fondness for goji berries, brought along her neighbor. They sat on the bench, fans fluttering, and tried a blend called "Bright Window"—a light chrysanthemum and licorice tea that helped with eye strain and warmth.
"This boy," Mrs. Zhang whispered to her friend. "Not just handsome, but clever too."
Lin Mu pretended not to hear. Xu Qingling, however, chuckled softly under her breath.
By noon, three more small groups had come and gone. One brought their own thermos. Another asked to buy a full bag of "Evening Garden." A quiet grandfather sat for nearly an hour without speaking, only watching the bamboo leaves sway in the wind.
Lin Mu didn't push anything.
He offered warmth, calm, and silence. That was enough.
---
After lunch, as the garden basked in slow heat, Xu Qingling surprised him.
She stood behind the small preparation table and motioned for him to step aside. "Let me do the next one."
He hesitated. "You sure?"
"I've been watching you for weeks now," she said, tying her hair back into a low ponytail. "Let me try."
He smiled and stepped aside.
A middle-aged woman approached, looking slightly nervous. Xu Qingling greeted her with a soft "Good afternoon," and offered a menu. The woman had trouble sleeping, so she asked about "Evening Garden."
Xu Qingling prepared the tea gently — from boiling water to timed steeping — and served it with both hands.
The guest sipped, then exhaled.
"That's exactly what I needed," she murmured.
Afterward, as she left with a sachet in hand, Xu Qingling looked over at Lin Mu.
"I think I get it now," she said quietly.
"What?"
"The feeling of serving something that calms people."
Lin Mu nodded. "It's not just tea."
"No," she said. "It's a kind of care."
---
As the sun began its descent, casting long shadows across the walls, a boy in a school uniform approached the gate.
He couldn't have been more than ten.
He stood quietly, clutching a small coin purse, and looked uncertain.
"Hello," Lin Mu said, crouching down. "Looking for someone?"
"My grandma came here last week," the boy said. "She said your tea helped her sleep again."
Lin Mu smiled. "That's good to hear."
"She asked me to pick up another packet," the boy said. "But I… I only have a little money."
Lin Mu glanced at the purse, then at the boy's earnest face. Without a word, he went to the shelves and packed two sachets—one of "Evening Garden," and another of "Calm Root."
He knelt and placed them gently in the boy's hands.
"No charge," he said.
The boy's eyes widened. "But—"
"Tell your grandma I hope she rests well," Lin Mu said.
The boy bowed slightly, murmured a thank-you, and ran off down the road.
Xu Qingling watched it all, saying nothing.
But when Lin Mu returned to the bench, she handed him a small note card with her elegant script:
> "Kindness that's given without noise always returns quietly in full."
He read it, folded it, and tucked it into his wallet.
---
That evening, after the final guest left and the shadows cooled the courtyard, the two of them sat at the preparation table sipping their own tea.
The air was thick with jasmine and the hum of crickets.
"I was thinking," Lin Mu said, setting his cup down. "Maybe we don't need to wait for a 'grand opening.' Maybe… we just grow this one guest at a time."
Xu Qingling nodded. "I agree."
He glanced at her, then hesitated.
"There's… something I've been meaning to ask."
She looked at him, brows slightly raised.
He tapped his thumb against the teacup, gathering the words slowly.
"If I could show you something. Something… private. Not from this world. Would you trust me?"
She didn't speak for a long moment.
Then she said softly, "Lin Mu, I already trust you more than anyone I've known in years."
He exhaled slowly, like he'd been holding his breath all afternoon.
"Tomorrow night," he said. "After the sun sets. Come back. Just you."
"I will."
They didn't say anything else.
But the air between them felt different now—like the first stir of wind before a long-awaited rain.
---
That night, Lin Mu stepped into his portable world.
The system's faint glow greeted him as always, bathing the lotus pond and pavilion in silver light.
He walked the smooth stone path, pausing at the newly added section: a private garden shaded by night-blooming flowers. The tea table stood ready.
And beside it, two cushions.
He opened the system panel.
---
[Guest Entry – Activate?]
→ Yes
Invite: Xu Qingling
Consent Request Sent…
---
The message blinked in the air.
Tomorrow, she would choose.
And if she said yes… then everything would begin to shift.
Not suddenly.
But like the slow opening of a flower under moonlight.
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End of Chapter 11