As she spoke, she looked up at Hu Moli, her tone tinged with doubt, "Such a good thing, I'm afraid it needs to be pre-ordered well in advance, right?"
Suzhou embroidery of this caliber is no ordinary item; it's impossible to obtain without a pre-order several months or even half a year in advance.
Hu Moli has always treasured these exquisite items, so why would she be willing to give them to herself?
“Indeed, we booked it about half a year in advance,” Hu Moli nodded, her fingertips lightly brushing the tassels at the edge of the shawl. “We also had to ask Mei Heming for help to persuade that reclusive master craftsman to come out of seclusion.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhuohua raised her eyebrows slightly: "Then it is even more precious. Chen Hede asked you to come and see me as a token of his affection, there is really no need to send such an expensive gift."
As she spoke, she carefully folded the shawl and pushed it towards Hu Moli.
Hu Moli pressed her hand down and shook her head: "This wasn't ordered by anyone; it was originally for you."
Her eyes curved into a smile, and her tone was warm. "I heard from Xinghua that you love kapok flowers the most, so she specially asked the master craftsman to embroider this pattern. Look at this color, it suits you perfectly."
Xu Zhuohua was somewhat flattered. "Give it to me? Why? We don't seem to have much interaction."
In Xu Zhuohua's memory, apart from having some interaction with this famous star from New Haicheng when he was kidnapped by Chen Hede, there seemed to be no other interaction between them.
Hu Moli smiled at Xu Zhuohua, her eyes shimmering with tenderness and radiance.
"I'm leaving. When Mei Heming goes on tour, I'll leave Xinhai City. I'm thinking of leaving a gift for the person who once saved me."
Xu Zhuohua was taken aback. "You're leaving? Wait a minute, when did I ever save you?"
Hu Moli's smile deepened. As dusk approached, the soft light shone on her face, as if coated with a beautiful and radiant filter.
"Last year, in the pear garden, you said something to me that was a revelation. I was about to touch that black lump, but because of your words, I held back."
Hu Moli looked into the distance, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "You may not remember, but that day was chaotic. I only remember your words. You were like a ray of light that suddenly shone on me. That feeling, really, is worth it if you can experience it even once in your life."
Looking at Hu Moli's wistful expression, Xu Zhuohua suddenly remembered that it seemed that after Liang Shaozun died, she had a lot of opinions about Chen Hede at that time.
She couldn't remember whether she had said anything to Hu Moli.
Xu Zhuohua touched his head, "It feels like a long time ago."
Hu Moli smiled slightly, "It's been a year, a whole year. Time flies, but it doesn't. Anyway, it's all over now. A lot has happened this year."
Xu Zhuohua followed Hu Moli's gaze to the distant sunset and sighed silently.
So much happened that year that Xu Zhuohua's brain couldn't keep up, and she couldn't remember many of the details.
"But why did you say you wanted to leave Xinhai City?"
Hu Moli finally turned her gaze back, her eyes seemingly filled with immense sorrow.
“I’m tired of staying in Xinhai City and want to go out and see the world. Heming has a tour in Europe, which is a good opportunity.”
Xu Zhuohua remembered that this European tour would make Mei Heming a huge star and a rising star in the East.
Hu Moli, after that, gradually died due to opium addiction.
Now Hu Moli is leaving Xinhai City and will no longer touch opium. She has changed her own destiny through her own efforts!
Hu Moli's future is bright!
Xu Zhuohua felt a strange sense of emotion, as if a soft, sinking part of her heart had collapsed.
Her eyes welled up with tears, obscuring her vision. "Okay, Europe has many novel things; it's good to go and see them."
Hu Moli noticed something was wrong with Xu Zhuohua's voice, looked over, and saw tears in Xu Zhuohua's eyes. Her heart clenched.
"When I get to Europe, I'll buy anything interesting I come across and give it to you when I return."
Xu Zhuohua knew she might not have a chance to accept Hu Moli's gift, but she still agreed.
"Okay, it's a deal. You'd better bring me back lots of things."
Hu Moli nodded and replied, "Okay, I'll make sure everyone brings back gifts."
As the horizon outside the window was gradually shrouded in the thick twilight, the few remaining lights that were still on became increasingly blurry.
A faint buzzing sound had appeared in the air, and swarms of small flying insects, attracted by the light in the room, were hitting the windowpane with a crackling sound.
Xu Zhuohua looked up at the sky, then simply turned to the side, opened the door, and smiled at Hu Moli standing on the porch, saying, "The mosquitoes outside should be coming out soon. Come in and sit for a while."
Hu Moli did not refuse and followed her into the house.
The conversation naturally veered to the new dress and the pearl earrings that had hit the department store shelves the previous week—women's casual chatter always seems to revolve around these sparkly, light objects.
As they were chatting animatedly, Xu Zhuohua suddenly remembered something, got up, took out a carved wooden box from the bedroom, and pushed it in front of Hu Moli: "Pick any item from this as a return gift."
When Hu Moli opened the box, she couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!"
There were indeed many jewels inside. The sapphire ring gleamed with a deep light, the patterns on the jade bracelet resembled a pool of flowing green water, and there was also a diamond necklace with tiny diamonds that dazzled the eyes under the lights.
Upon closer inspection, a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the corners of the jewelry box, making the jewels appear as if shrouded in mist, losing some of their luster.
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