Chapter 75 The Flower Never Fades "This flower never fades"
Xue Chenghuai watched Xue Chan jump down and immediately scolded her.
"I know you're happy to see your father, but how could you jump down those stone steps? What if you fell?"
Xue Chan smiled and said, "But I'm perfectly fine, nothing's wrong with me at all."
She even spun around.
Xue Chenghuai snorted: "I heard it all from Huaizhu. You were seriously ill several times after you went to the capital."
Xue Chan glanced at Cheng Huaizhu, then shrank back, pretending not to know anything, and turned her face away.
Cheng Huaizhu said with a grin, "Uncle, I've brought the person back to you."
Xue Chenghuai smiled, nodded, and then ran off in a flash.
Xue Chan sighed and turned back to comfort him.
"I'm fine, everything's alright now, isn't it?"
Xue Chenghuai poked the ground with his cane and said irritably, "Where is it better!"
He looked you up and down and said, "Look at you, how thin you've become. All that weight you finally gained up, you lost it all after that trip to Beijing."
Xue Chan touched her face and blinked: "No, I think I've grown a bit more."
Xue Chenghuai said, "I am your father, and you are my daughter. Do you think I can't tell whether you've lost weight or gained weight? If I say you've lost weight, then you've lost weight. Tonight, have Chunniang make crispy yellow rice and honey ginger chicken."
The two walked along the corridor, talking as they went, and Xue Chenghuai talked for as long as they walked.
Xue Chan couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only listen the whole way. Yun Sheng, Chu Tao, and the others behind her, seeing her in such a rare moment of helplessness, all chuckled.
Xue Chenghuai was using a cane and walked rather slowly, so she accompanied him slowly.
The father and daughter, who hadn't seen each other for almost a year, walked under the shade of flowers, chatting and laughing.
Perhaps it was the heat of summer, but he got tired after talking for a long time and stopped for a while.
Xue Chan smiled and said, "Father, it's all the presidents who are coming back, so you don't need to worry too much."
Xue Chenghuai immediately retorted, "If I'm not worried, who is? Should I let that Jiang family brat worry? How long have he known you? How much does he know about you? Can he take good care of you?"
Xue Chan smiled and said, "Father, I'm seventeen now. I'm no longer at an age where I need others to take care of me to live a good life."
He immediately deflated, gripped his cane tightly, and sighed softly, "Yes, you're seventeen already."
More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, but Xue Chenghuai is still stuck in the past. The other day, he happened to look at himself in the mirror and found that he had grown a lot of white hair, and his face was no longer as youthful as it once was.
In that instant, I truly felt how old I had become. Cheng Zheng had been gone for many years, and Xue Chan had long since grown up.
“Sometimes I feel like time really flies. I still remember when you were just born, a tiny little bundle in my arms.” He recalled the past with a look of melancholy, but when he looked at Xue Chan, he was filled with endless love. “Now you’re all grown up, you’re getting married, and you’re leaving me.”
Even later, she no longer needed him.
Thinking of this, Xue Chenghuai felt an immense sense of loss and emptiness in his heart. So he smiled gently and continued walking forward.
Xue Chan quickened her pace and stood closer to him, saying, "Father, I've finished all the osmanthus honey I brought from home last time. Since you're here, why don't you make me some more when you have some free time?"
"Oh dear, I almost forgot about that if you hadn't mentioned it," Xue Chenghuai's eyes lit up as if he had just remembered something, and he patted his head. "After you left last year, I did a lot of things, thinking that one day I would come to the capital. This time when I go to the capital, I brought all that osmanthus honey with me."
He seemed to come alive again and started rambling on: "Qiao Niang, as I told you, we've been traveling and stopping along the way. When we passed the Qinglan River, we met an old fisherman, and I even brought a few fish with me to the capital. Two of them are still alive. I've given them to Chun Niang. Since the fish are still fresh, shall we have your favorite fish soup tonight?"
Xue Chan nodded and took his arm: "Okay."
"It's hot, so let's wait until evening and enjoy the moon in the courtyard. Oh, and by the way, sweet osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice balls, you love them so much."
"And... what else was there? My memory isn't so good as I get older, but I remember it from just now."
"It's okay, we can talk about it when we remember."
“Oh! Dad remembers now, there’s also Chen’s Cherry Preserves on Jixiang Street, which you love. I also brought two small jars of melon pickles from Cao’s Shop, which I bought the day before I left for Beijing. You remember, right? It’s the one that used to be in Jinqiao.”
“I remember, Uncle Cao had a girl about my age named Shuangniang. She got engaged last April to the youngest son of Zhao Xiucai in Yangliu Lane. I even studied with them at Zhao Xiucai’s private school when we were little.”
"Yes, yes, Cao's Ashuang got married just before Father went to the capital."
“Ah Shuang is very well-behaved. That Cao San boy was very mischievous when he was a child, fighting cocks and dogs, going up the mountain and down the river. When he was little, he would always tug at you, covered in mud. Your father scolded him several times. I never thought that he would become connected with Ah Shuang.”
Listening to this familiar rambling, Xue Chan felt as if she had returned to the past. Back when he was still in office, he would take Xue Chan with him wherever he went to his post. He would be busy with official duties during the day, and as soon as it got dark, he would always have dinner with her before continuing his work.
However, seeing how happy he was, Xue Chan let it go.
She explained to Xue Chenghuai, "When we were little, he would pester me so that if I went, Sister Ashuang would go too. Otherwise, he would tease me and Sister Ashuang would scold him. When she scolded him, he was very happy and would smile."
No matter what Xue Chenghuai said, what he wanted to do, or what he wanted to eat, she would always smile and say "okay."
In the evening, Xue Chenghuai and Xue Chan had a meal alone.
Yun Sheng laughed and said, "If you keep doing this every day and every meal like this, the young lady will probably need to have new clothes made. We just took her measurements a while ago to make her wedding dress. If she gains weight, all that work will be for nothing."
It would have been better if we hadn't mentioned it, but the moment it was brought up, Xue Chenghuai blew on his beard and snorted coldly.
"Why bring up such unlucky things on such a joyous occasion? Do you think I'm not annoying enough already? From now on, no one is allowed to mention this in front of me. Anyone who does will be forced to drink bitter ginger water."
"Yun Sheng, oh Yun Sheng," he sighed, "you little girl have gone bad too, it must be Qiao Niang who taught you that."
Yun Sheng realized he had touched a nerve and immediately shut his mouth.
Xue Chan chuckled: "Father, the summer heat can also cause internal heat. You should drink more bitter ginger water to cool down your body."
Xue Chenghuai: "How can you make fun of your father?"
His mood quickly dissipated, and he continued rambling, "Huaizhu said that Ningcui Tower's braised goose and honey syrup are absolutely amazing, so I had someone buy some. In a few days, how about we go for a crab feast together?"
"Okay," Xue Chan agreed first, then thought for a moment and added, "Huaizhu's birthday is in two days, let's celebrate with a crab feast."
When the topic came up, the two discussed how to celebrate Huaizhu's birthday.
Before they knew it, the day had arrived.
The banquet was set up in the courtyard, but it was really just a family dinner.
But no matter what, Cheng Huaizhu was overjoyed; she was just as happy every year.
Everyone sat in the courtyard admiring the moon. Cheng Ying and Xue Chenghuai sat together watching Huaizhu playfully tease Xue Chan.
Cheng Ying smiled, then sighed, "This child, no matter how old he is, still has such a childish mentality."
Xue Chenghuai took a sip of wine: "Huaizhu is innocent and carefree, she's doing very well."
As he spoke, he poured Cheng Ying a glass of wine.
The two raised their glasses and drank together. Cheng Ying looked at Huai Zhu, then at Xue Chan who was sitting and watching Huai Zhu play: "Qiao Niang is good. She is thoughtful and sensible, unlike Huai Zhu, who is too naughty. Her mother always complains that raising her is a headache, and she can't keep up with eight hands."
He shook his head, sighed, and drank another glass of wine.
"When Qiaoniang gets married, she should also be looking for a husband. But she loves to play, make a fuss, and act spoiled. I don't know when she'll grow up and become more sensible."
"You say that, but who is it that runs several blocks to buy whatever Huaizhu wants? You two are not as honest as your brother Qingpei. You complain, but you still give her whatever she wants."
Cheng Ying smiled.
Xue Chenghuai lowered his eyes: "You don't know me. I wish she could be like Huaizhu, able to cry when she wants to cry, and act spoiled when she wants to act spoiled. But this child..."
Cheng Ying said, "The children are all grown up and have their own thoughts. There are many things that parents can't do."
Xue Chenghuai sullenly drank his wine, glanced at Xue Chan who was sitting and pruning the flower branches, and said nothing.
"These flowers are almost withered, why don't you just replace them with new ones?"
Cheng Huaizhu sat down opposite Xue Chan, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Xue Chan take out scissors and trim the two pomegranate flowers in the porcelain vase, which had mostly withered.
Xue Chan smiled and said, "It looks good, I can't bear to change it for a while."
Cheng Huaizhu said, "If you like, I'll pick two new ones for you."
Xue Chan smiled, looking at the two small flowers that had been cut off on the table, and suddenly fell into a daze.
What are you thinking about?
She picked up the branch in her hand and said softly, "I suddenly remembered that a long time ago I also gave someone a pomegranate flower."
Cheng Huaizhu tilted her head: "When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
Xue Chan said, "It's probably been four or five years. By then you would have already entered the capital, so how would you know?"
Cheng Huaizhu snatched the pomegranate flower from her hand, shook it, and laughed, "Then tell me now, and I'll know."
Xue Chan smiled faintly: "Actually, it's nothing important. It's been so long, I don't even remember it anymore."
Cheng Huaizhu raised her chin: "No, there can't be anything between us that I don't know. Tell me now."
She started to act coquettishly again, and Xue Chan went along with it and began to talk.
“Five years ago, I was twelve years old. It was the height of summer, and my father and I were leaving Cheung Chau. On our way, we passed through Mid-Levels, so we stayed temporarily at a Buddhist temple to escape the heat and watch the sunrise. When we went up the mountain, there were already people staying at the temple, just a wall away. At midnight, I was painting by the window when I heard a sobbing sound outside the wall. I went out to find the source of the crying. Through a latticed window, I saw someone sitting under a pomegranate tree crying.”
"She was quite surprised to see me, but perhaps because she was truly heartbroken, she struck up a conversation with me. We talked a lot. The next morning, as I was about to leave the mountain, I picked two pomegranate blossoms and placed them on the latticed window as a farewell gift."
Intrigued, Cheng Huaizhu pressed on, "What's her name? What does she look like? Do you still keep in touch?"
Xue Chan replied, "I don't know her name, I don't know what she looks like, and we've had no contact since."
Cheng Huaizhu asked in confusion, casually plucking at the flower petals, "You talked to her for so long, how come you don't know anything?"
After Xue Chan finished cutting the last flower and put it back in the porcelain vase, she smiled and said, "Although we talked for a long time, it was only through the wall, back to back, that we talked. I only saw her through the stained glass window. She spoke gently and kindly, and I only knew that she was a girl about my age."
Cheng Huaizhu asked in bewilderment, "Since you two hit it off so well, why don't you get to know each other and become friends? If it were me, I would have already crossed the wall and become friends with her."
Xue Chan lowered her eyes and smiled gently.
“Huaizhu, not everyone has to be a friend. Many times, it’s just a fleeting encounter that happens when time and circumstances overlap. Because we don’t know each other, we can open up our hearts without thinking. But once we part ways, too much deliberation and consideration may not be satisfactory, and we may not be able to become friends. If we are too disappointed, that beautiful moment will also disappear.”
She looked at the moon, as if she were seeing the moon over the wall again that night.
"If that's really the case, what a pity."
"It's enough to keep the beauty of that one night in your heart; why be so attached to getting to know it?"
The two arrived in the summer. The night on Banzhong Mountain was mild and gentle, with a breeze blowing across the mountaintop. Hills rose one after another, cranes flew through the clear sky, the wind rustled the grass, and mist veiled the flowers.
A wall, two young and innocent hearts wandering in the dust of the mundane world, accidentally bumping into each other.
Before she left, she broke off a pomegranate blossom and wrote, "May you be like a pomegranate blossom, bright and beautiful."
He didn't even hand it to her himself; he just placed it on the window on that wall.
Xue Chan didn't care whether she received it or not. If she still remembered that night and that brief touch, she would definitely come.
They met by chance, so all they could remember was the moon over Banzhong Mountain that night.
It has nothing to do with romance or love, but it is genuine and romantic.
Xue Chan paused in pruning the flowers, as if she had thought of something, and whispered almost inaudibly, "So it was her..."
"Girl, Hongye has arrived."
Chu Tao brought a small basket of various red leaves.
Yun Sheng asked, "How did you find these leaves?"
Cheng Huaizhu explained, "Autumn is just around the corner, and there's a custom in the capital of wearing red leaves to welcome the season. I was thinking of making red leaf flower hairpins from these leaves."
As she spoke, she picked up two leaves and asked Xue Chan, "Let's use these. They're redder and will look nice when made into red leaves."
Xue Chan took out other leaves of different shades from the basket and compared them: "If the colors are too similar, they will be hard to tell apart. It's better to have some shades that are mixed together. However, it might be even better to make more leaves of similar colors and put them together."
"Oh right, the Qixi Festival is coming soon. Yang Jun wrote to us, telling us to go out and worship the moon in a few days. Let's invite Miss Fang to go together then."
"good"
Several girls sat together, selecting leaves to make red leaf flowers, and finally put them in a box to wear in the fall.
The banquet ended only after the moon rose above the eaves.
When Xue Chan returned to her room, she saw Yingyue arranging various brocade boxes and asked, "When did these arrive?"
Yingyue said, "The Marquis of Wu'an's mansion sent someone this evening, saying that the Marquis's wife and Miss Huaizhu's birthday gifts were delivered together. They said that it is almost autumn and these are seasonal gifts. Would you like to take a look?"
She walked to the table, where most of the items were similar to those in the past.
However, there were a few items that were quite special and were not the usual holiday gifts.
Yun Sheng opened the large box, inside which was a complete set of clothes.
In Chutao's hand was a pearl necklace. Strings of shell pearls and inlaid jade beads were strung together, and gold and jade flowers were strung on top, with gold flowers forming a base to support the blue pearls. The most eye-catching part was the red jade inlaid with gold flowers hanging in the center.
Chu Tao and the others were surprised: "These are not ordinary holiday gifts. Could we have sent the wrong ones?"
Yingyue shook her head: "Miss Huaizhu was sent separately, and there's a signature on it, so there's no mistake."
Xue Chan pursed her lips and remained silent, but opened the smallest box.
Inside is a seal.
The jade is blushing with red, and a small seal is made of green leaves and red flowers.
"Bring me the inkpad."
The red characters printed on the paper consist of only four rounded and delicate characters.
This flower will never fade.
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