Morning dew had gathered on the gardenia buds all night, finally falling as the first rays of sunlight brushed across the green tiles. The moment Su Jinli opened the window, the dewdrops landed right in the stone vat in the courtyard, shattering the waning moon reflected in the water. The courtyard's snow-white blossoms bathed in the pale golden morning light, their petals edged with a shimmering glaze, like a handful of silver coins. They rustled in the breeze, their fragrance mingling with the sweet aroma of candies and cakes wafting from the kitchen.
"Grandfather! Look, Siyan's counting your fish again!" Nianli's voice pierced the morning mist, carrying the distinct clarity of a child. Su Jinli looked in the direction of the voice and saw her brother squatting in the porch, his abacus ticking away on his knees. Lin Canghai was bending over his account book, his silver beard nearly brushing against the pages, his face wrinkled with a smile.
These past few days at Wanxiangju, time seemed to flow like honey. Lin Canghai doted on his two children almost to the point of indulging. When Nianli said she wanted the twin lotus flowers from West Lake, he hired a small boat and paddled across the water for half a day, returning with a bouquet of dew-covered flowers only after the sunset dyed the water a golden red. When Siyan grumbled about wanting to see the silk shop's account books from previous years, he pulled out a stack of old ledgers wrapped in blue cloth from the bottom of a box. He let his grandson clatter away on his abacus while he smiled and served tea. Last night, when she woke up to go to the bathroom, she'd caught her grandfather wearing reading glasses, baking sweet cakes for Nianli at the kitchen stove. His silver beard was stained with flour, and the firelight cast a gentle shadow on his profile, making him look like an old deity from a New Year's picture.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Yan's voice came from behind him. His moon-white robe was still slightly cool with the morning dew. He put his arm around her waist and gently rested his chin on the top of her head. "Grandfather is making bird's nest for you in the kitchen. He said you've lost some weight playing with the kids these past few days."
Su Jinli turned and buried herself in his arms, her nose brushing against the gardenia pattern embroidered on his lapel, which she had sewn herself. "Jiang Yan," she muttered, "are we really leaving?" Her eyes were already burning before she finished speaking. Outside the window, Lin Canghai was pointing to a place in the account book for Si Yan. Sunlight filtered through his graying temples, casting tiny shadows on the blue bricks. This long-lost grandfather was like a ray of light that suddenly broke into her life, filling the gap in her memories of two lives.
"Look, Grandpa," Jiang Yan followed her gaze, his tone tinged with laughter, "He checked our luggage three times this morning. Even Nianli's little wooden horse was oiled."
As they were talking, Lin Canghai walked in carrying a celadon bowl. The bird's nest in the bowl was stewed until soft and glutinous, with a few fresh gardenia petals floating on top. Amber osmanthus honey slowly spread at the bottom of the bowl. "Come and try it," he handed the bowl to Su Jinli and shoved a plate of Dingsheng cake at Jiang Yan. "That kid Siyan is still studying my silk shop account books, saying he wants to help me calculate the most cost-effective dyeing recipe in Jiangnan. Listen, does it look like me back then?"
Nian Li came bounding in, holding a small bamboo cage. Inside, curled up was a small, gray bird, pecking at the bars with its sharp beak. "Grandpa caught this for me!" she said, her face tilted upward, her eyes gleaming like stars. "I'm going to name it 'Sugar Painting', like the Sugar Painting Dragon I stole in the capital!"
Lin Canghai smiled and shook his head, reaching out to tidy up her loose braids: "This girl is just like your mother when she was a child. She wants to bring any living thing home when she sees it." He paused, and his eyes suddenly drifted to the old locust tree in the corner of the yard, "Back then, your mother..." He swallowed his words halfway through and just patted the back of Su Jinli's hand lightly.
"Grandfather," Su Jinli put down the bird's nest bowl and shook the old man's rough hand, which was covered with age spots but still strong. "We're leaving tomorrow."
Lin Canghai's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and then he burst into laughter, shaking the flour off his beard. "Good! Good! Young people should go out and explore! Grandfather, even with his old bones, can still wait for you to come back to Wanxiangju for the wedding!" He turned around and took out a blue cloth bag from the cabinet, and stuffed it into Su Jinli's hand without saying anything. "Take it, it's for you on the road."
Inside the blue cloth bag were several thick stacks of banknotes and a soft, mutton-fat jade plaque with the word "Lin" engraved on it. "Grandfather, this is too valuable..." Su Jinli tried to push it back, but felt the thin calluses on the old man's palm.
"Just take it if I tell you to!" Lin Canghai frowned, but his eyes were secretly red. "When your mother got married, I didn't even give her a decent dowry... This is grandpa's gift, you are not allowed to refuse it!" He turned his head and pretended to look at the gardenia outside the window, but his voice was choked.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan stepped forward and supported the old man: "Grandfather, don't worry. I will take good care of Jinli and the child. Once we are settled, I will take you to live in the capital."
The farewell banquet that evening was exceptionally sumptuous. Lin Canghai brought out his treasured Peach Blossom Wine, the aroma emanating from the jar, tinged with the sweet and sour aroma of plums. The Eight Immortals table was laden with dishes: West Lake vinegar fish lay on a celadon plate, drizzled with an orange-red sauce, bamboo shoots and mushrooms glimpsed beneath its belly; beggar's chicken was wrapped in muddy lotus leaves, its crevices oozing with an alluring aroma; Dongpo pork was perfectly cut, its skin, its fat and lean, glistening in the candlelight. Si Yan, holding the account book, solemnly reported on "Grandfather's household food expenses over the past few days." When discussing the cost of the vinegar fish, Nian Li suddenly interjected, "Grandfather's fish is the best! Better than the ones Dad buys in Beijing!" Everyone at the table burst into tears of laughter.
When the moon reached its zenith, Lin Canghai pulled Su Jinli under the gardenias. Moonlight filtered through the petals, casting a dappled shadow on his face. He pulled a heavy purse from his sleeve and pressed it into her hand. "Here are three thousand taels of silver and the deed to the silk shop in Yangzhou." He lowered his voice, as if to speak a secret. "Your grandfather doesn't have much else, but a little spare cash. If you run into any trouble along the way, go to Yangzhou and find the owner of 'Jinji'. He was an old friend of mine and will help you."
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