Nana dashed outside Liu villa to get a breath of fresh air. Her chest heaved up and down breathlessly. She looked back and pursed her lips.
I am sorry…I am so sorry but I cannot…
She sat on the bench, huddling herself in a corner. No matter even in Jian and Nian were safe now, the image of them being taken away just refused to let her live in peace. That horrible scene endlessly played in her mind like a broken tape recorder.
Nana’s eyes rimmed in tears.
I wasn’t careful enough…I couldn’t protect them again. First, Tang Ning was so close to taking their life that night, and then a man almost kidnapped them. But both of the times, I couldn’t do anything to save them. I am so useless…I am their mother. I am supposed to protect them, but I failed every time.
*Plop*
A tear fell on her knuckles.
I don’t deserve to be called their mother. It’s better if I stay away from them.
She sniffled.
Her phone buzzed, and she got startled. She quickly wiped her tears and picked her phone.
Meiling’s number flashed on her phone.
Ugh, I just used her as an excuse, and she actually called…
Nana swiped across the green button. “Meiling.”
“Mam! It’s so good to talk to you after so long.”
Nana softly smiled. Indeed, she missed working in Natsukashi too.
“En. Same here. How are things going at Natsukashi?”
“That is why I called you, Man. Since morning, there is an incredibly long queue here! It’s like the whole of Beijing City has come. It is so awesome! But booo, it is becoming hard to manage too,” she sobbed, “Mam, can you please come here for a while? Plus, many customers are excited to meet you too!”
Nana was taken aback. Naturally, she was happy that Natsukashi was flourishing and getting more customers, but she didn’t understand the sudden surge in it.
“But why are there so many customers today?”
Meiling laughed. “Haha, mam. Actually, a very awesome thing happened, and so our already popular Natsukashi skyrocketed even more! But I will keep it a secret until you come here fufu~”
“Meiling, please tell me…” Nana helplessly complained.
“Mam, I know you might be busy with your children, but can you please take some time out? It’s really getting hard to manage, and many customers are insisting on meeting you. They even want to eat your hand-cooked dishes.”
Nana sighed.
It must be getting tough; otherwise, Meiling wouldn’t call me.
“Alright. Tell them I am coming.”
“Awesome! Thank you, Mam!” she chirped.
Well, Nana was also curious about what happened that so many customers had lined up today in Natsukashi.
She walked up to the guard. “If anyone asks about me, then please convey the message that I am in Natsukashi. I got some urgent work to do.”
The guard stood in attention. “Yes, Lady Liu!”
—
Natsukashi.
When Nana reached near Natsukashi, she was shell-shocked to see the scene. Her eyes popped out of her sockets to see that queue as long as a snake waiting outside Natsukashi.
Meiling wasn’t kidding when she said that it feels as if the whole Beijing city is here…It really feels like that!
Some of the people’s attention fell on to Nana, who just came.
“Oh, it’s her! Natsukashi’s owner and chef! She is here finally!”
“Woah! I was dying to meet her!”
Suddenly, Nana was surrounded by a huge and equally excited crowd.
“You are the chef, right?”
“We heard so much about you and Natsukashi.”
“Please can you cook us your signature dishes?”
“Yes, yes!”
Nana was overwhelmed with so much love.
“Th-thank you so much. I am glad.”
Everybody cheered.
“Mam!” Meiling felt as if the crowd would squash her at any moment now.
“Meiling!”
Nana excused herself and caught up with her. “Meiling. What is this? How are there so many people today?”
Meiling grinned. “Hehe~~ Come inside, and I will tell you.”
Before that, Nana politely bowed at everybody. “I will try to manage things here as soon as possible so that you can have your lunch. Can you give me some time, please?”
They nodded. “Of course, we will.”
“If you need some help, I can give you a hand,” One of them said.
“Me too!”
“Yes, me as well!”
One by one, everybody got excited and offered their help.
Nana smiled. “Thank you for the kind offer, but don’t worry. I will manage it.”
“Aish, she is so beautiful and talented.”
“A perfect blend of beauty and elegance.”
As Nana and Meiling went inside, they finally let out their breaths.
“I was so nervous,” Nana said. “Now, will you tell me, Meiling?”
“Actually, you should ask him,” Meiling pointed at the front.
Nana glanced that way and was stunned to see Pei Yuan.
“Pei Yuan.”
Pei Yuan smiled and walked up to her. “Hello. Quite a crowd, huh?”
“Y-yes. But how are you here?”
Pei Yuan sheepishly scratched his head. “Well, actually, I brought all these people here, or to be precise, my article about Natsukashi.”
“Article?” Nana blinked her eyes.
He nodded. “I am a food blogger, remember? I know how awesome this place is. I wanted to write about it for a long time, so I finally did it. I wanted to promote Natsukashi to as many people as possible and as far as I could. So, this is the result.”
Meiling excitedly brought the most popular food magazine – Food Corner, which was trending in Beijing for its food blogs, recipes, and restaurants.
“Mam, read this article! It’s so awesome! We are on the front page!”
Nana saw the headline – ‘Heaven does exist – Natsukashi.’ She read through the article that was impressive and meticulous and listed all the pleasing points of Natsukashi, especially Nana and her cooking.
She was dumbfounded by the time she finished reading the article. She looked at Pei Yuan, astonished. “Did you write it?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Thank you so much. This is a great article. But you really didn’t have to go through the trouble…”
Pei Yuan sighed. “It’s no trouble. Actually, there is another reason behind it. I was feeling quite guilty about what happened in the mall when that man took the stroller.”
Nana was taken aback. “Why?”
“I thought I should have been more alert. If I had been careful, then I might have caught on to that man’s suspicious behavior before he pushed us. This might not be enough or even useless, but this is the only thing I could think of to make up for my mistake.”
