Chapter 65
After spending several years abroad, and now returning to China to a city she had never been to before, it was only natural that Jiang Mu needed some time to get used to things. But the moment Gu Zhijie first drove her up to the observatory, with the towering plane trees lining the mountain road in perfect rows, she fell in love with this place.
Gu Zhijie told her that Nanjing’s plane trees had a long history, with many stories behind them. The more accurate account, he said, was that they were planted for the ceremonial reburial of Sun Yat-sen. But the most widely circulated tale was that Madame Soong Mei-ling had adored French plane trees, and to please his wife, Chiang Kai-shek had the entire city planted with them. When Jiang Mu arrived, it was summertime in Nanjing. Gu Zhijie told her that when autumn came, the leaves would turn golden and form a necklace around the Meiling Palace. This romantic notion made Jiang Mu linger her gaze on the grand canopy of trees, their sturdy trunks carrying the weight of history, bearing witness to a century of the city’s vicissitudes.
Jiang Mu thought of the last time she saw Jin Chao. He was sitting by the window on the second floor in a white shirt. There had been a plane tree just outside the window then, too. As the breeze stirred, the shadows of its leaves fell across the white fabric of his shirt. Even now, whenever she thought of him, it was always that image that surfaced in her mind.
And perhaps because of that, she developed a special, unexplainable fondness for this city.
Jiang Mu decided to settle in the eastern part of the city, even though it was a bit farther from the research institute. Gu Zhijie asked if she knew how to drive. Jiang Mu had never gotten a driver’s license, though she had considered it a few times, but each time, her mind would drift to Jin Chao’s extraordinary driving skills. She had gotten used to sitting in his car, always thinking she’d put it off just a little longer, and before she knew it, years had passed.
Gu Zhijie originally wanted to help her find a place to live, but Jiang Mu politely declined. He had already done enough, from reviewing her documents and resuming to arranging her onboarding. Asking him to take care of her housing too felt like too much.
Although the apartment she rented wasn’t in a particularly new complex, it was located near the spiritually rich and scenic Purple Mountain. On her days off, she would often wakes up early and hike along the mountain trail to the observatory. When she was feeling especially energetic, she would hike all the way to Tuotuo Ridge, then head back to her apartment to take a shower and pull out any unfinished work to continue.
She had long since broken the habit of sleeping in. When she was alone, she always made full use of her time. She had also grown fond of coffee. Before starting any work now, she needed a cup to help her get into the right state of mind.
She had been to many places and had tasted countless cups of coffee, yet she could never quite find that one cup that vanilla latte with a faint hint of cinnamon. By now, she had almost forgotten what it tasted like.
Still, whenever she settled in a new place, she kept the habit of searching for nearby cafés. She tried a few in the area, and one day, while browsing a food delivery app, she came across a café called Oon. The reviews were quite good, and many young women raved about the barista there. Out of curiosity, Jiang Mu ordered a vanilla latte, just to give it a try and to her surprise, it was exactly to her taste.
And just like that, every time she needed a caffeine fix to keep going, she ordered from that shop. She kept ordering for nearly two months, from summer into early autumn. One Saturday morning after working a half-day at the institute, she decided to take the bus home instead of the subway. After getting off, she realized it was still a bit of a walk to her apartment, so she rented a shared bike and started riding home.
As autumn settled in, the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom. The warm breeze carried their sweet fragrance through the air. This was a city that could heal the heart. Even the deep helplessness she felt when thinking of Jin Chao seemed to dissolve in this city, so full of culture and soul.
On both sides of the path, plane tree branches intertwined overhead, while the scent of osmanthus drifted around her. As she cycled down the quiet lane, a light instrumental piece titled Autumn played through her earphones, setting a peaceful rhythm to her ride.
Gradually, the streetscape shifted to low-rise buildings with gray-brick facades. The warm sunlight spilled across storefronts, catching Jiang Mu’s eye.
She had been living in this area for almost three months, but since she usually took the subway to work, she had never explored this street before. The unfamiliar scenery piqued her curiosity, and she slowed down.
Then her gaze landed on a sign partially obscured by branches of a plane tree. The shop entrance was shaded by lush greenery, and the small store was almost hidden among vibrant flowers and plants. The sign was painted a starry-sky blue, which instantly drew Jiang Mu’s attention. She circled around and craned her neck to get a better look at the words. To her surprise, it was written in a handwritten English font, and it said only one word: Oon.
The rich scent of coffee wafting from inside made Jiang Mu smile on the spot.
She never expected to stumble upon the very coffee shop she had been ordering from for nearly two months. And since she was already there, of course, she parked her bike and went in for a cup.
Pushing open the stylish wooden door, a soft jingle of bells sounded. A cute, single-eyelid girl looked up and smiled at her, saying, “Welcome to Oon! What would you like to drink?”
Jiang Mu found the black menu board quite intriguing. It featured an elaborate planetary illustration, with each type of coffee representing a different planet. The vanilla latte she often ordered was marked as Mercury.
She thought the design was clever and told the staff, “I order delivery from you all the time. I had no idea your shop was here, you can’t even see the sign from the street.”
The shop owner, a married woman a few years older than Jiang Mu, turned around when she heard this and smiled with crescent-shaped eyes. “Yes, a lot of customers say the same thing. But the owner refuses to cut down the trees in the courtyard.”
Jiang Mu chuckled along. “Your boss must be really laid-back. Oh, I always get the vanilla latte. Do you have any other recommendations?”
The single-eyelid girl replied, “Why not try our signature Oon? It’s one of our best sellers, a lot of customers love it.”
Jiang Mu glanced at the name Oon on the menu. Unlike the other coffees, which were labeled in standard printed fonts, this one was written in the same handwritten style as the shop sign out front. She remembered that every time she ordered delivery, there was a little black card tucked in, and in the bottom right corner was the same handwritten Oon. She couldn’t help but say, “Is this the same Oon from the delivery cards? The handwriting is really unique.”
The staff member replied, “Our boss wrote it himself.”
Jiang Mu was a little surprised, then smiled. “Alright, I’ll take a large one.”
While waiting, Jiang Mu looked around the café. In the courtyard, there were several black rattan tables and chairs under large sun umbrellas, while the first floor was cozy with plush sofas, not spacious but tastefully decorated. She wondered if the owner was an astronomy enthusiast because in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a massive refracting telescope. Jiang Mu walked over to take a closer look. She was tempted to try it, but didn’t feel comfortable touching it without permission.
The plump store manager noticed and said, “Go ahead, it’s there for customers to play with. But last time a kid messed up the settings, none of us knew how to adjust it properly.”
Jiang Mu put down her bag, adjusted the declination rod and the equatorial mount, then activated the finderscope, aligned the target, and completed the calibration. The single-eyelid girl leaned in curiously and asked, “You know how to use a telescope?”
Jiang Mu simply smiled without answering. When the girl handed her the coffee, Jiang Mu offered a suggestion, “If you want to use it during the day, tell your boss to add a solar filter; it’s perfect for observing sunspots.”
With a thank-you, she took her coffee and left.
When she stepped out of the café, she saw that her shared bike had been taken by someone else. Jiang Mu froze for a second, but luckily, the apartment wasn’t far. She took a sip of her coffee, ready to walk home, but just as she lifted her foot, she stopped abruptly.
Humans have around ten thousand taste buds, and every one of them carries memory. She had forgotten the flavor of that coffee long ago, but her taste buds hadn’t.
Plane tree leaves drifted down as the maple woods turned fiery red. The soft chime of bells rang once more as the door opened. The staff saw that the beautiful woman from earlier had returned and asked, “Is something wrong?”
Jiang Mu walked straight up to her, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Do you have a particularly good-looking guy working here?”
The question caught the barista off guard for a second. Jiang Mu quickly added, “Oh, I saw comments about him in the delivery app reviews.”
The manager nearby chuckled and said, “He’s off today. But if you come by tomorrow, you should be able to see him.”
Jiang Mu gripped her coffee cup tightly and asked, “What’s his name?”
The manager replied, “His surname is Gu.”
Jiang Mu’s heart, which had just begun to rise with hope, suddenly dropped again. She asked once more, “Will he be working tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
After leaving the café, Jiang Mu took another sip of her coffee. She paused for a few seconds, then shook her head and walked away.
The next day after work, Jiang Mu made a point to swing by the café again and ordered another cup of Oon. She did, indeed, meet the handsome young man with the surname Gu. He had fair skin and was quite tall but he wasn’t the person she was looking for. A touch of disappointment lingered in her heart.
The single-eyelid girl from before walked over to Gu Tao’s side and whispered, “She’s the pretty lady who was asking about you.”
So, while preparing the coffee, Gu Tao kept glancing at Jiang Mu several times. As the sky gradually darkened, Jiang Mu once again walked over to the large astronomical telescope and spent some time observing.
Just then, from behind the curtain of the changing room, a dog suddenly darted out and ran straight toward her. Sensing the movement, Jiang Mu turned around to find a pure black Labrador cautiously sniffing around her, circling her repeatedly.
Jiang Mu crouched down and studied the big dog in front of her, slowly furrowing her brows. It looked too much like Lightning. That sense of familiarity hit her all at once. In this faraway city of Nanjing, over a thousand kilometers from Tonggang, the sudden familiarity left her bewildered.
Gu Tao rushed out to stop the dog. “Mendan, stop sniffing people!”
Jiang Mu stood up and asked, “His name is Mendan?”
Gu Tao apologized, “Yeah, his name is Mendan. Normally, he doesn’t pay anyone any attention. We call him, and he doesn’t even come out. Not sure what got into him today, maybe he just likes pretty women.”
Jiang Mu didn’t care for the compliment. She gently patted Mendan’s large head and said, “It’s fine. I used to have a Labrador just like this one.”
She lightly patted Mendan again, and surprisingly, he lay down obediently at her feet. Gu Tao was stunned and said in disbelief, “Looks like he really likes you.”
Then he went to get her coffee. Jiang Mu crouched down and gently turned Mendan onto his back. She remembered that after Lightning’s surgery, it had a scar, and even after it healed, there was a patch where fur never grew back. But Mendan’s belly was covered in soft black fur. She tried to part the fur to look more closely, but Mendan didn’t like it and stood up, wagging his tail at her.
Gu Tao brought over her coffee, and Jiang Mu thanked him. As she was leaving, Mendan followed her all the way to the courtyard. No matter how much Gu Tao and the others called him, the dog refused to go back. But the moment Jiang Mu stepped out of the yard, he stopped and just stood there at the entrance, watching her from a distance. Even after she’d walked quite far and turned back for a glance, Mendan was still there. And just as she turned around, his drooping tail perked up again.
Something inside Jiang Mu suddenly stirred. She thought of Lightning, how he used to walk her to the roadside every time she left the garage, quietly watching her get into the car. And if she tried to play hide-and-seek with him, ducking behind the bus stop and jumping out again, his drooping tail would suddenly wag like crazy.
After that, she never kept another pet. She was afraid that if she got attached again, the pain of parting would be even harder to bear.
On the third day, after work, Jiang Mu found herself drawn back to the café called Oon again. As soon as the heavy wooden door opened, Mendan came running out from behind the curtain, wagging his tail and nudging up to her. The single-eyelid barista, Xiao Ke, said curiously, “Why is Mendan so attached to you?”
Jiang Mu squatted down and patted him, smiling. “No idea. I don’t even have food on me. Is he the café’s dog?”
Xiao Ke replied, “No, he belongs to our boss. He’s often away on business trips, so when he’s not around, the dog just stays here.”
Jiang Mu tilted her head slightly, a faint smile on her face. “A café owner who travels a lot for business?”
Xiao Ke explained, “The café’s more like his side business. He has a main job.”
Gu Tao, standing nearby, corrected her: “Actually, it’s more like the café is his main business and he has a side job.”
Jiang Mu didn’t quite catch the difference between the two versions. After picking up her coffee, she played with Mendan for a while longer, then left.
By the time she visited, Mendan was no longer at the café. He had probably been picked up by the owner upon returning.
That weekend, Jiang Mu went hiking and worked up a good sweat. After showering back home, she grabbed her laptop and headed to Oon, ordering a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. Seeing that only Xiao Ke was there, she asked, “Where are the other two?”
Xiao Ke replied, “The manager’s off today. Gu Tao went to our boss’s place to pick up Mendan.”
Jiang Mu opened her laptop, pulled up a work document, and casually asked, “Your boss went on another business trip?”
Xiao Ke answered, “I don’t think it’s a business trip. I heard he’s preparing his thesis proposal at school.”
Jiang Mu typed on the keyboard for a while. Xiao Ke brought her coffee over, and Jiang Mu lifted it and said, “Sounds like your boss is really driven.”
Xiao Ke laughed. “Our boss is like Superman. He still has to make money to support the café.”
Leaning back in her chair, Jiang Mu sipped her coffee and asked, “The café doesn’t make money?”
Xiao Ke chatted with her while tidying up, “I heard the first couple of years were rough, always running at a loss. The boss had to earn money elsewhere to keep the place going. But lately we’ve had more and more regulars. This year’s been better.”
Jiang Mu pressed her lips together slightly. “Impressive.”
With that, she immersed herself in her work.
About half an hour later, Gu Tao returned with Mendan. Being the weekend, the café was busier than usual, and Jiang Mu wasn’t the only customer there. But the moment Mendan entered the shop and saw her, he ran straight over. For the entire afternoon, he refused to return to the changing room, instead settling a short distance from Jiang Mu, his big head resting between his paws, quietly watching her. He didn’t cling to her, but he didn’t stray far either, as if he were simply keeping watch.
Several times, when Jiang Mu paused to sip her coffee, she couldn’t help but feel a strange illusion as if she had returned to that year in her final semester of high school, diligently studying while Lightning lay beside her. It gave her an odd sense of comfort and calm.
When her eyes grew tired, she took off her glasses and set them aside. Raising her head, she could still see the majestic Purple Mountain in the distance through the floor-to-ceiling window. She remembered telling Jin Chao, long ago, that one day she wanted to open a coffee shop with him at the foot of a mountain. Back then, that life had seemed so peaceful, so perfect. Only now did she realize how naive that dream really was. Like this café, for example, which had operated at a loss for two years before turning a profit. She couldn’t help but think how ridiculous her idea had been at the time.
As dusk settled in, she closed her laptop and stretched, then walked over and patted Mendan, ready to head home. Mendan trailed behind her slowly, escorting her all the way to the courtyard gate. Jiang Mu had taken a few steps out when she suddenly turned back. A strange thought popped into her mind, and without thinking, she called out to him, “Lightning.”
Mendan, who had been sitting quietly at the gate, slowly stood up and stared at her with his large, round eyes. And then, in the very next moment, he bolted from the courtyard, racing straight toward her.