The Twilight Does Not Stain the Rose - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Christmas Cactus (I)

One week later, “Today is Good” officially opened.

Although the business spanned four storefronts, the main operational focus remained on the coffee shop and the flower shop. Thanks to their “colleague” next door, the reputation of “Today is Good” had already spread far and wide during the first day of the soft opening. Consequently, at eight o’clock sharp in the morning, a queue had already formed at the entrance.

The day before, they had purchased a vast amount of fresh flowers to fill the shop and spent the evening cleaning and organizing. As the night passed, the various blooms competed for attention, looking exceptionally eye-catching under the morning sun.

Someone in the line asked, “Boss, what are the free potted plants you mentioned that day?”

Zhuang Baiwei smiled and brought out a pot of blooming Christmas Cactus from behind her.

“This is it,” she said.

Doubt appeared on many faces. Most had never seen a plant with leaves that looked like cactus slices. One person couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, is this a mutation of a cactus?”

Zhuang Baiwei laughed and nodded. “This is a Christmas Cactus, a member of the Cactaceae family. Look at the shape of these stem segments—” She gestured toward a joint. “Doesn’t it look a lot like a crab’s claw?”

The crowd pressed closer to observe. A young girl couldn’t help but swallow. “It really does look like it. It’s making me hungry…”

As soon as she said this, several people burst into laughter.

Zhuang Baiwei laughed too. Extending her arms, she placed the pot of Christmas Cactus into the girl’s embrace. She then raised her voice: “It’s now golden October, the perfect season for eating crabs. So, to suit the occasion, we’re giving everyone a ‘crab-claw’ cactus. I wish you all a happy autumn.”

“I also hope everyone can support ‘Today is Good’ when you have time. Whether it’s coffee, flowers, books, or tea—there’s always something that makes ‘Today is Good’!”

“Great!” A cheer and applause erupted from the crowd. Zhuang Baiwei scanned the group with a smile, and for a split second, she thought she saw a familiar face. Before she could get a clear look, an older lady stepped up and blocked her line of sight.

By the time she finished distributing the plants and looked up again, Jiang Muchen was nowhere to be found. It felt as if it had been a mere hallucination.

During the soft opening, only Jiang Feifei and the Zhou sisters were in the shop. Since all four stores were opening today, two additional waiters they had hired arrived to man the coffee shop and the bookstore.

In Zhuang Baiwei’s plan, Jiang Feifei was in charge of the coffee shop, the Zhou sisters handled the flower shop, and she primarily looked after the tea house. During busy periods, they would assist each other and deploy resources where needed.

The coffee shop was packed today. Jiang Feifei was swamped. Zhuang Baiwei and Zhou Xiaofeng stayed at the flower shop giving away the Christmas Cacti; by the time they finished, it was nearly one in the afternoon.

“Oh, I’m exhausted…”

Zhuang Baiwei collapsed into a rocking chair. This chair was originally intended to be placed outside for her to bask in the sun, but with so many people today, there was no room for it out there.

Zhou Xiaofeng, after all, had two years of experience running a flower shop. Compared to the unfamiliar register work during the soft opening, she was much more composed in her element. Seeing Zhuang Baiwei in such a state, she couldn’t help but tease, “Weiwei-jie, you only needed to preside over the big picture today. Starting tomorrow, you can bask in the sun in peace~”

When Zhuang Baiwei had seen Zhou Xiaofeng’s WeChat post early in the year and decided to help her, they had agreed on a partnership plan where Zhuang provided the capital and Zhou provided the labor. So, if not for the “oops” on the first day of the soft opening, Zhuang Baiwei should have been able to sunbathe peacefully today.

She waved her hand. “Age really does make a difference. I’ve managed to keep up an hour of jogging every day for half a year—I consider myself a disciplined person—yet half a day of this has broken me.”

Zhou Xiaofeng countered, “That’s because your previous acting schedule was upside down and unhealthy. Thirty-two is a great age; if you nurse your health slowly, you’ll get it back.”

Zhuang Baiwei couldn’t help but smile. Zhou Xiaofeng was seven years younger than her but had a much more complex life experience. Back when Zhuang was at her lowest point, it was Zhou’s comfort that helped her slowly move on. It was during that time the two gradually became close friends.

“At such a young age,” Zhuang smiled, “you sure know a lot.”

Zhou Xiaofeng was right. Her previous acting career had indeed consumed a lot of her health. After that low period, she reduced her filming frequency and focused on investments. She made more money than she ever did acting, achieved financial freedom, and successfully retired from the industry.

“Someone contacted me for a custom bouquet for today,” Zhou Xiaofeng checked her phone. “Red roses. We have them in the shop.”

As she went to pick the flowers for packaging, Zhuang Baiwei remained in the lounger, leisurely watching her bustle about. Just then, Zhou Xiaotong entered from the entrance, an ordering of takeout in her left hand and a white paper gift bag in her right.

The bag drew closer and was handed over. Zhuang Baiwei took it curiously. “Why are you suddenly giving me something? What is it?”

“Miss Jiang from that day delivered it.” Zhou Xiaotong’s eyes were sparkling. “Weiwei-jie, you two look quite a match!”

Jiang Muchen sent this?

Zhuang Baiwei was surprised. It seemed the morning glimpse hadn’t been an illusion. She took the gift and asked, “Where is she? Did she leave right after delivering it?”

Zhou Xiaotong nodded. “Yes. She just said it was an opening gift for you and then left.”

“Weiwei-jie!” A shout came from outside. It was the waiter from the bookstore, Xiao Wang. “Someone in the tea house wants to buy tea.”

“Coming!” Zhuang Baiwei set aside her urge to open the gift bag, stood up, and headed for the tea house.

There were more people interested in tea than she had expected. Since the tea house also sold calligraphy supplies, many people asked about those as well. She remained busy until the normal closing time.

When she returned home, only Zhuang Wenlan was there.

“Go change and eat.”

She went to the bedroom to change. Jiang Muchen’s white paper bag was sitting on the desk.

“Is Big Sister still working overtime?” Zhuang Baiwei picked up her chopsticks. “I wanted to ask her to go eat crabs with me.”

Zhuang Baiwei’s family consisted of three: her, her older sister, and her mother. Her father had passed away in an accident when she was young, so she didn’t have much of a memory of him.

Zhuang Wenlan said flatly, “Stop thinking about your sister. Red wine is as popular as your crabs right now; she has her hands full.”

“Alright…” Zhuang Baiwei shrugged and looked at Zhuang Wenlan, wheedling playfully, “Then you come with me~”

Zhuang Wenlan refused instantly. “No.”

She declined decisively, leaving no room for negotiation. Zhuang Baiwei wasn’t surprised; in their family, she was the only one who loved crabs—it was as if she were a genetic mutation.

Then, Zhuang Wenlan paused her meal. “How about… you ask Xiao Chen to go?”

Her relaxed posture vanished instantly, and Zhuang Baiwei buried her head in her food.

After washing the dishes, she went back to her bedroom and saw the white gift bag. She thought again of that hurried glance this morning; Jiang Muchen seemed much more haggard than she had been a week ago.

Inside the paper bag was a square gift box, seemingly prepared with great care. When she opened the box, Zhuang Baiwei let out a “wow,” her gaze fixed on the contents, unwilling to look away.

It was a square ornament, similar to a picture frame but thicker. It had a wooden frame, a glass front, and a black background. Under the glass, red maple leaves drifted around the edges, accented by golden osmanthus flowers. In the center was a single white rose.

The maple leaves, osmanthus, and the rose were all three-dimensional. Because of the artist’s meticulous attention to detail, the textures were clear, looking both realistic and spirited.

Zhuang Baiwei couldn’t help but take a photo to search online. She found nothing identical, which meant Jiang Muchen had made this herself. She did find some works of similar material—apparently, this medium was called polymer clay.

As she admired it, she subconsciously felt the back of the frame. Her hand brushed against a small circular bump. She pressed it, and suddenly a light turned on inside the top—a cool, clear light that made the white rose look even more dazzling.

She turned the frame over to look at the back and then scanned it top to bottom. On the base, she discovered a small line of Chinese characters: It is very bright.

Suddenly, the image of Jiang Muchen looking like she wanted to say something before leaving the blind date surfaced in her mind. Subconsciously, she began to imagine the other woman’s expression or mood while making this gift.

It was also at this moment she realized that Jiang Muchen and that person seemed to be different after all.

Regardless, Jiang Muchen had put her heart into making this gift; she should thank her properly.

As this thought arose, she carefully set down the ornament and trotted to Zhuang Wenlan’s room, the furthest away from her own. “Ms. Zhuang, push Jiang Muchen’s WeChat to me.”

Zhuang Wenlan was shocked, given that Zhuang Baiwei had just rejected the suggestion of inviting Jiang Muchen for crabs. She clicked her tongue twice. “You change your mind faster than flipping a page.”

Despite the teasing, her hands moved quickly. Seeing the contact card in the chat window, Zhuang Baiwei smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Zhuang!”

Jiang Muchen was likely busy; after her friend request was sent, it wasn’t accepted immediately.

She picked up the ornament again to observe that line of text on the base. Although it was just four simple words, she could feel the maker’s intent. Suddenly, she noticed that the text looked like it had some traces beneath it—as if something else had been there before being covered up.

She held it up to the light to inspect it closely and found what appeared to be a line of engraved English letters. She could barely make out the starting “Tw” and the ending “ht.” Zhuang Baiwei tried to vocalize it, and finding it familiar, she immediately went to her shopping app to search for records starting with “Tw.”

Sure enough, she found several matching records. It was a niche but popular American designer brand called “Twilight.”

These orders were already four years old. Zhuang Baiwei was stunned and immediately searched for information about the brand. On the “Brand Story” page of the official website, she saw the familiar name “MuChen.”

The brand had released several new product lines in the past two years, which were vastly different from its previous style. In the past, the brand was famous for niche, non-metallic materials—especially the pearl and aquamarine series from four years ago, which were extremely popular. Zhuang Baiwei had actually bought the necklace and bracelet from that series.

However, in recent years, the brand had started working with metals and diamonds. While still beautiful, it didn’t feel like the same brand anymore. It was as if the designer had changed.

Zhuang Baiwei continued searching and found very few mentions of the designer’s name, but they indeed all used the name “MuChen.”

It seemed the designer hadn’t changed. Then again, it was a personal brand; if the designer changed, why would the brand even still exist?

Her phone vibrated twice. Jiang Muchen had accepted her friend request.

Zhuang Baiwei flashed a bright smile and sent a message: Hello, Miss Jiang. I received the gift. It is very beautiful, and I like it very much.

Without waiting for the “typing…” indicator on Jiang Muchen’s end to disappear, she immediately added: So, do you like eating crabs?

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