Chapter 15
后院的茶树
The Tea Tree in the Backyard
早上。
苏茉在后院挖了一个坑。
不大。刚好够那棵茶苗的根。
她把茶苗从花盆里移出来——根上带着土，她没有抖掉。
放进去。填土。浇水。
她蹲在旁边看了很久。
茶苗的叶子在风里动了一下。
很像呼吸。
晚上。
苏茉打烊后去后院看茶苗。
它发光了。
很微的光——像萤火虫。如果不仔细看会以为是路灯的反射。
但她知道不是路灯。
因为她把后院的灯关了。
光还在。
老太太今天来了——最后一次。
她把一封信放在吧台上。
「给你的。但不要在今天看。在你要走的那天看。」
苏茉看着信封——上面没有字，没有地址，没有邮票。
「你要走了？」
老太太没有回答。
她走到门口，回头。
「小茉。」
「嗯。」
「未名不是没有名字。是名字还没到。」
她走了。
铜铃响。
苏茉把信封放在吧台下面。
没有拆。
她走到后院，看着那棵茶苗——
光还在。
微弱的，但一直在。
三个月。
足够一棵树苗活下来。
也足够她想清楚下一步的事。
第15章 · 完
Morning.
Su Mo dug a hole in the backyard.
Not large. Just big enough for the roots of that tea seedling.
She lifted the seedling out of the pot — soil clung to the roots, and she did not shake it off.
Set it in. Filled the earth. Poured water.
She crouched beside it and watched for a long time.
A leaf on the seedling shifted in the wind.
It looked like breathing.
Evening.
After closing, Su Mo went to the backyard to check on the seedling.
It was glowing.
A faint light — like a firefly. If you were not watching carefully, you would think it was the streetlamp's reflection.
But she knew it was not the streetlamp.
Because she had turned off the backyard light.
The light was still there.
The old woman came today — for the last time.
She set an envelope on the counter.
"For you. But do not read it today. Read it on the day you leave."
Su Mo looked at the envelope — no words on it, no address, no stamp.
"You are leaving?"
The old woman did not answer.
She walked to the door, turned back.
"Xiao Mo."
"Mm."
"Nameless is not without a name. The name has not arrived yet."
She left.
The copper bell rang.
Su Mo put the envelope under the counter.
She did not open it.
She walked to the backyard and looked at the tea seedling —
The light was still there.
Faint, but constant.
Three months.
Long enough for a sapling to survive.
Long enough for her to figure out the next thing.
Chapter 15 · End
To be continued — Chapter 16: A Bus Ticket to Yuhang