Chapter 17 Going Home 1
"What are you standing there for? Come and help!" Jiang's mother looked up and saw her daughter standing at the top of the stairs in a daze, and immediately called out.
Jiang Yining said "Oh" and quickly ran over. Although she was unfamiliar with the movements, the muscle memory belonging to the original owner of the body seemed to still be there.
She followed her mother's example, picking up flowers, trimming branches, removing leaves, arranging them, and wrapping them... her movements gradually became smoother from the initial clumsiness. In particular, her technique for tying bouquets became surprisingly skillful.
The day happened to be the eve of Mother's Day, and the flower shop's business was unexpectedly good. Jiang Mu's skillful hands and Jiang Yining's gradually regained skills, coupled with sincere discounts, quickly reduced the shop's flower inventory by more than half.
Jiang's mother was busy, but her face was radiant with a long-lost, fulfilling glow, as if she had rediscovered the fulcrum of life.
As noon approached, Jiang's mother instructed her husband and daughter to watch the shop while she took a basket of vegetables and went out to buy ingredients to prepare a proper lunch.
The flower shop quieted down for a moment. As Jiang Yining arranged the remaining flowers, she asked her father, "Dad, what...what's going to do with this flower shop?"
Mr. Jiang put down his teacup, already having a plan: "I've contacted the landlord; we won't renew the lease when it expires. Once we've cleaned up these flowers, we'll pack our things and head back to Z City." He paused, then added, "Back home for good."
Jiang Yining nodded, then remembered something important: "Oh right, Dad, my ID card... seems to be expiring next month. What... should I do?" The thought of facing an unfamiliar police officer and complicated procedures gave her a headache.
Mr. Jiang waved his hand, his expression reassuring: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. When we get back, I'll try to find some old connections to transfer your household registration back to our family home. Once that's settled, getting a new ID card will be a piece of cake. Don't worry, I'll take care of it." His confident tone reassured his daughter.
A few days later, Mr. Jiang went to the hospital to retrieve the last few medical examination reports, as well as the crucial paternity test results. All three of them sat at the small round table in the flower shop, their hearts pounding with anxiety.
Jiang Yining took a deep breath, tore open the sealed document bag, and flipped directly to the page with the paternity test results. When the striking red words "Confirmation of Parentage" came into view, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
"This...how is this possible?" Jiang Yining's eyes widened in shock. She looked at the report, then subconsciously touched her face and body. "Dad, Mom...this...this is really my body? The original florist girl..."
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were completely stunned. Mr. Jiang took the report with trembling hands, looking at the words over and over again. Mrs. Jiang held her daughter's hand tightly, crying and laughing, so excited that she was incoherent: "It's Ningning, it's Ningning's body. God... this... this is truly an incredible miracle."
The paternity test results completely solved the mystery of the birthmark and dispelled the last trace of eeriness surrounding the "reincarnation" theory. This body, this life flowing with their blood, was unmistakably their long-lost daughter, Jiang Yining.
In the aftermath of his euphoria, Mr. Jiang took the paternity test report and made several trips to the police station and relevant departments. He used connections he hadn't contacted in years, claiming he was "finding his biological daughter who had been abducted many years ago" (which wasn't entirely a lie).
After several twists and turns, just before the flower shop was about to close, they successfully completed the new household registration transfer procedures for Jiang Yining, officially transferring her household registration back to the Jiang family's household register. The new ID card needs time to be produced and will be mailed directly to their home in Z City.
"Lemon Flower Shop" displayed an eye-catching sign that read "Farewell Clearance, Special Offers." Perhaps it was the festive atmosphere, or perhaps it was Jiang Mu's skillful flower arranging and the reasonable prices, but all the remaining flowers in the shop, including the budding roses, the fresh lilies, and the bright sunflowers, were snapped up in a single day.
As the last customer left, clutching a bouquet of flowers and beaming with satisfaction, the golden rays of the setting sun slanted into the empty flower shop. The shelves were bare, save for a few scattered petals and the lingering, faint scents of various flowers, drifting in the air.
Jiang Yining stood in the center of the shop, looking around at the place where she first settled after her rebirth. This place had once been filled with the loneliness and hard work of another girl. She walked to the door, stood on tiptoe, and personally removed the wooden signboard that read "Ning·Yuhua Fang". Her fingertips brushed over the four warm characters, carrying a hint of reluctance to say goodbye.
She gently closed the glass door and hung a small brass lock on it. A soft click echoed. Outside, Mr. Jiang had already put the luggage into the trunk of the taxi he had called. Mrs. Jiang stood beside the car, the setting sun casting a warm glow on her. She smiled and reached out her hand to her daughter.
Jiang Yining took a deep breath; the air still seemed to carry a lingering, refreshing scent of lemon and mint. She turned away from the closed shop door, a bright smile spreading across her face, and strode towards her parents. She reached out and firmly grasped her mother's warm, strong hand.
"Dad, Mom," her voice was clear and bright, filled with boundless anticipation for the future, "Let's go home." Jiang Yining took out a lemon candy and popped it into her mouth, the wrapper blowing away in the wind. She thought to herself, Xie Shiyan, remember to wait for me.
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