The Twilight Does Not Stain the Rose - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Daylily (II)

“A woman’s life is only complete if she marries and has children. If you don’t marry, you’re failing me!”

It was late autumn. The sun was dazzling, and the wind was still.

Zhao Yuning stood by the river. The railing beneath her hands was warm, holding the temperature of the sunlight. Before her, the river reflected a patch of blue sky and red maples; everything looked peaceful and serene.

But in her mind, only that sentence from her mother echoed, repeating over and over, each time more piercing than the last.

Perhaps because the sun was so bright, Zhao Yuning suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. She couldn’t help but think that if she could just pitch forward and fall—

“Meow~”

A crisp kitten’s meow sounded, and then a furry, warm object brushed against her ankle. It felt just like her clingy little ginger cat at home rubbing against her every day when she was about to leave, not wanting her to go.

Zhao Yuning snapped back to her senses instantly. The river railing only reached her waist; half of her body was already leaning out, a very dangerous position.

“Ah!” She cried out in alarm and immediately stepped back. Afraid of stepping on the kitten at her feet, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Simultaneously, a figure approached and firmly grabbed her arm.

“Miss, are you alright?”

The voice was exceptionally pleasant—mellow and gentle. She felt a bit dazed, as if she had heard this voice in a movie before.

Zhao Yuning turned her head instantly and actually saw a face that was both strange and familiar. Her mouth opened and closed before she spoke haltingly: “Zhuang… Zhuang Baiwei…?”

Seeing that the woman had regained her senses, Zhuang Baiwei let out a sigh of relief and said softly, “Let’s go sit over there.”

She helped the woman up, sat her down at the nearest table, and then handed her the flower she was holding. She didn’t mention what had just happened, only saying: “I happened to see you here alone, so I’m giving you a flower that is blooming beautifully.”

The other took the flower, looked at it closely for a moment, and asked in confusion, “Is it a lily?”

Zhuang Baiwei smiled. “This is a Daylily. It looks a bit like a lily.” She paused. “Do you know ‘Huanghuacai’ (dried daylily)?”

Zhao Yuning nodded, then had a realization. “These are actually the same thing?”

Zhuang Baiwei continued to smile gently and added, “It actually has another alias: the ‘Worry-Free Grass’ (Forget-Sorrow Grass).”

“So, I’m giving it to you as a wish that you can forget your worries and live your life well.”

Zhao Yuning fell silent. After a while, she said, “I remember now. The Daylily is also the ‘Mother Flower.’ I never paid attention to it before, but I didn’t realize it was this beautiful.”

“If only my mother could be like this flower. She could grow dazzlingly under the sun instead of forcing me to live according to her ideas.”

Her voice was ethereal. Zhuang Baiwei couldn’t help but look at Jiang Muchen. The latter was startled and shook her head slightly; it seemed she also didn’t know how to handle such a scene.

In her peripheral vision, the little calico kitten was wandering near their feet. Zhuang Baiwei immediately reached out a “helping hand,” scooping the kitten onto the table.

The moment she saw the kitten, Zhao Yuning’s somber expression relaxed significantly. She gave a faint smile and looked at Zhuang Baiwei with envy in her eyes. “Even though you’re also being pressured to marry, you can run away. That’s wonderful.”

Zhuang Baiwei’s eyelid flickered. She lowered her eyes slightly for a moment before looking up again, saying softly, “Actually, you can run too, can’t you?”

“It’s just that I think you still love your mother. You still have expectations and a sense of reliance on her, so you can’t bring yourself to run away ruthlessly.”

Crystal tears rolled from Zhao Yuning’s eyes, making her face—already dried by the wind—look even more distressed. She silently stroked the top of the calico’s head; the kitten simply closed its eyes and rubbed against her hand.

“It’s okay,” Zhuang Baiwei said. “Life has many hurdles. When you’re in the middle of them, you feel restricted, suffocated, and hopeless.”

“But as long as you persist and keep trying slowly, you will surely find a way to step over them. Or,” she paused and added, “you will slowly accumulate the determination to overcome them.”

The orange petals trembled slightly in the breeze. The fresh moisture on them gradually evaporated, leaving no trace.

The woman left, taking the Daylily with her.

The cats gathered again on the rocking chair at the entrance of the flower shop. Zhuang Baiwei had bought a small cat nest and placed it by the door, then nestled the little calico inside. Likely sensing that this was its home, the little calico didn’t bother the seven “bosses” on the rocking chair.

Jiang Muchen buried her head in her drawings, but her mind couldn’t help replaying what had just occurred. During the interaction, Zhuang Baiwei’s expression had changed briefly. She didn’t quite understand it, but it felt somewhat similar to the look she had when mentioning an “old friend” before.

Thinking of this, she opened her phone and searched for Zhuang Baiwei’s name.

The first thing that popped up was Zhuang Baiwei’s social media account. The last update was in September, two years ago.

Zhuang Baiwei V: Stop pestering me. I’ve left the industry. Marriage? I wouldn’t marry even if I died.

Over the past two years, the comment section had accumulated millions of comments. Jiang Muchen’s finger hovered over the comments button for a moment, but she didn’t click. She instinctively felt that there wouldn’t be anything nice down there.

She hadn’t told Zhuang Baiwei that she had seen the movie for which she won Best Actress; she liked it very much and had even rewatched it twice. At first, she simply hadn’t found the right time to say it, and later on, it felt even more impossible to bring up.

She vaguely guessed that the “old friend” who had caused Zhuang Baiwei’s slump was likely the other protagonist of that film.

As the sky gradually darkened, Jiang Muchen stopped her ruminations and hurried to finish today’s assignment. Today’s drawings were of the Daylily and a scene of the little calico eating ravenously in the tea shop during the day.

During the routine check of the assignment, Zhuang Baiwei nodded repeatedly, looking very satisfied. Then, after a moment of deliberation, she asked, “Muchen, do you mind if I take photos of these and post them on the ‘Today is Good’ account?”

Jiang Muchen didn’t even ask what she intended to do; she just nodded and said, “Okay.”

This blunt lack of defensiveness made Zhuang Baiwei laugh. “How come you don’t even ask for details?”

Jiang Muchen froze. Words rushed to the tip of her tongue but were swallowed back down. She asked, “Then… what are you going to do?”

In most people’s eyes, phoenix eyes are either sharp or seductive, but on Jiang Muchen’s face, besides fragility, they also interpreted innocence and clarity. It made one unable to resist the urge to tease her.

Zhuang Baiwei smiled, took photos of the past two days’ assignments with her camera, and said, “I won’t tell you yet. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

Her usual gentle and composed smile was suddenly dyed with a touch of playfulness—one might even call it flirtatious. Jiang Muchen’s eyes widened in surprise, then she pursed her lips and nodded: “Okay.”

Innocent and obedient.

Zhuang Baiwei shook her head and sighed lightly. “I understand why Madam Zhuang likes you so much now. Muchen, you really are very likable.”

After saying this, she turned around and called for everyone to get off work on time. She left Jiang Muchen standing there, her face uncontrollably flushing red in the cool moonlight.

“Muchen!” Seeing that she wasn’t following, Zhuang Baiwei called out: “Off work! Let’s go home!”

“Coming!” Jiang Muchen instinctively answered loudly.

Shortly before finishing work, Zhuang Wenlan had messaged saying that the older sister was coming home today, so she had prepared a table of great food. She had also invited Shen Shuhao over, and it was Zhuang Baiwei’s responsibility to bring Jiang Muchen home for dinner.

“Today is Good” was about a ten-minute walk from both of their residential complexes, so they walked to and from work every day.

Zhuang Baiwei was wearing a short trench coat today. It was getting chilly at this hour, so she pulled the coat tighter around her. She looked at Jiang Muchen’s knit sweater and couldn’t help but ask, “Muchen, aren’t you cold?”

Jiang Muchen was slightly startled, then explained, “I have very few light-colored clothes. All my dark ones are packed away, and my new clothes are still on the way.”

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes. Zhuang Baiwei thought to herself that this was likely Shen Shuhao’s requirement. After all, a closet full of black was indeed a bit too gloomy.

So, she grabbed Jiang Muchen’s arm and took two steps, suddenly bringing them face-to-face in close proximity. Just a little more, and their bodies would have touched.

Zhuang Baiwei looked down, visually comparing their shoulders, then their arms and waist areas. “Our sizes seem to be about the same. Since you’re coming to my house today anyway, why not take two sets of clothes? Otherwise, in this cold weather, what if you get sick?”

She made an exaggerated joke, and Jiang Muchen simply nodded, saying softly, “Okay.”

A moment later, she added, “Thank you.”

Two short phrases, yet they felt different. The second “thank you” was clearly better than the first—it was much more full of energy.

The sky was dark, and they happened to be standing away from the streetlights. Zhuang Baiwei couldn’t see Jiang Muchen’s expression, so she didn’t know why there was such a gap in the tone of those two sentences.

But she didn’t dwell on it. “Don’t mention it. It’s what friends should do.”

The matter of the “blind date” had been tacitly resolved into a meeting to make friends. Thus, at this moment, they were getting to know each other as friends. It would be quite ridiculous if two people who didn’t know each other could immediately establish a romantic relationship after one blind date.

Zhuang Baiwei didn’t believe in love at first sight. She felt that the “right person” would definitely be determined slowly through the process of spending time together. The right person enters your life in the most comfortable, non-intrusive way, and then walks with you toward an upward, better path. Whether it’s freedom, happiness, or joy—even if it’s just the mundane details of daily life—it will be warm and stable.

The right person will surely bring these things. Although Zhuang Baiwei had never been in a relationship, she was absolutely certain of this point. She didn’t know what Jiang Muchen’s thoughts were, but to be honest, she didn’t care much either. Her principle had always been to love herself well and let everything else take its natural course.

When they arrived home, Zhuang Ruying and Shen Shuhao were already there. Zhuang Ruying heard the door open first and immediately waved, saying, “Hurry and wash your hands for dinner.”

The five of them sat around the table. Zhuang Ruying had brought back red wine, and Zhuang Baiwei took the glasses to pour for everyone.

Zhuang Ruying was the first to raise her glass. Her voice was cool but full of vigor, her pronunciation powerful: “Today is my day off, and it’s also the first time our two families are having a meal together. Let’s celebrate the reunion of two old friends, and celebrate Baiwei and Muchen becoming friends.”

Everyone raised their glasses. Zhuang Wenlan added, “I hope our two families can be happy, healthy, and joyful together. I look forward to every day in the future.”

Shen Shuhao was moved to tears and said excitedly, “I’m very lucky to have known Lan-jie when I was young, and to be able to meet her again now that I’m back. Thank you for taking care of us, Lan-jie. We will definitely live happily and healthily in Jiangcheng into our old age!”

After the three finished, they turned their gazes toward the two youngest people present.

Zhuang Baiwei could feel the person beside her stiffen instantly. She smiled and spoke first: “Then I’ll wish for Muchen to find her inspiration soon and release new works!”

Jiang Muchen spoke softly, “I wish… Zhuang…”

Her “Miss Zhuang” wasn’t finished before Shen Shuhao silenced her with a look. The hand gripping her wine glass tightened instantly. She changed her wording and said softly, “I wish… Baiwei’s ‘Today is Good’ gets better and better.”

Baiwei?

The unfamiliar address made Zhuang Baiwei raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Zhuang Wenlan couldn’t help but laugh. “Good, good, good! ‘Baiwei’ sounds special and lovely! Come—”

Zhuang Wenlan raised her voice.

“Cheers—!”

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