When Spring Burns - Chapter 18

He Jianxue lay in the sea of flowers, gazing up at the young girl who was staring at her with tension. The fleeting embarrassment and anger she had felt moments earlier quietly vanished.

“I’m fine,” He Jianxue said, looking at the poppies that towered over her head, cluster after cluster. “Since becoming paralyzed, I’ve never been this close to nature.”

The paralysis of her legs had once been an insurmountable chasm. She had grown distant from people and resisted approaching such beautiful things. Because humans always fear comparison, the more beautiful the world, the more pitiful she seemed. Her world had once been dark and devoid of light.

But now, it was vibrant and full of green vitality.

Sheng Tingmian studied her expression and, seeing that she wasn’t angry, relaxed her nerves. She placed her hands on the grass beside He Jianxue, her eyes curving into a smile as she looked at her. “Then from now on, let’s get closer to nature, sister. Nature loves everyone equally. What you see is what you’ll receive.”

He Jianxue’s gaze fell on her face. The distance between them was so close that she could smell the faint, soothing fragrance emanating from the girl.

Sheng Tingmian noticed that her sister’s gaze had shifted from her eyes to her lips. In those quiet moments, a gentle breeze brushed through the strands of hair at their temples.

Her fingers tightened slightly, her mind blank. “Sister, why are you staring at me like that?”

He Jianxue chuckled softly, her voice hoarse. “I was thinking, did heaven grant humans healthy bodies so they could better perceive this world?”

As soon as Sheng Tingmian heard the word “healthy,” she immediately thought her sister might be mocking her own paralyzed legs. She quickly explained, “There are many ways to perceive the world, through sight, hearing, touch, taste, and so on…”

It wasn’t necessary to measure it with one’s legs.

He Jianxue found it somewhat amusing to see her so worried that she might sink into despair over her paralysis. “What I meant was, you are also part of this world.”

“Ah?” It took Sheng Tingmian a while to realize that He Jianxue was answering her earlier question.

Had she been staring at her to perceive the world?

To perceive Sheng Tingmian as a person?

Sheng Tingmian’s ears flushed with inexplicable shyness.

“You must be tired. Lie down,” He Jianxue said.

As if waking from a dream, Sheng Tingmian murmured an “oh” and obediently lay down, resting her head on her sister’s arm. Together, they gazed up at the blue sky, chatting idly.

Perhaps it was the drowsiness of spring, but Sheng Tingmian’s eyelids grew heavy as they talked. She leaned against He Jianxue and fell asleep.

He Jianxue, too, was infected by her sleepiness and dozed off for a while.

When she woke, she realized they had taken an afternoon nap. Sheng Tingmian’s arm was draped over her waist, and as she looked down, she saw only a round head, dark hair, and the delicate curve of her nose and cheeks.

He Jianxue suddenly realized how much this child trusted her, to fall asleep so defenselessly against her, especially outdoors.

The sky was streaked with fiery clouds, and a straight contrail cut through the fish-scale-like layers. He Jianxue quietly admired the vast horizon, her sleeping sister nestled in her arms. In this moment, everything felt so expansive.

A subtle emotion stirred in her calm eyes. She closed them slowly, thinking that nothing could be more blissful than this.

Even if her legs remained paralyzed.

…

When Sheng Tingmian woke, it was already evening. Dazed, she half-propped herself up, and a coat slipped from her shoulders.

She recognized it as her sister’s clothes and instinctively wanted to look for her, only to turn and find her sister right beside her.

But she was already in a wheelchair, staying by her side, admiring the mountain scenery by the lake.

“Sister…” she murmured, standing up and stretching with a yawn as sleepiness finally faded from the corners of her eyes. “How long did I sleep?”

He Jianxue took the coat she handed over. “About two hours.”

Sheng Tingmian felt a bit embarrassed. “I promised to watch the sea of flowers with you, but I ended up falling asleep.”

He Jianxue reassured her, “It’s fine. I dozed off for a while too. Shall we head back?”

“Let’s go back and have a meal, sister.” Sheng Tingmian walked behind her and pushed her wheelchair toward the car.

In the days that followed, Sheng Tingmian became increasingly busy. Whether it was due to He Jianxue’s behind-the-scenes promotion or not, their Liqing Opera Troupe had attracted more and more audiences since winning the award, with many coming specifically to watch their performances.

At first, Sheng Tingmian thought it was just the award bringing temporary popularity to their opera. But one day, while recording a song in the bathroom and preparing to upload it, she noticed that the earliest video of their opera had suddenly gained over three million views.

Comments and messages flooded in, with many expressing surprise that the uploader was a member of the Liqing Opera Troupe, praising her for both singing and performing opera, and calling her a true talent.

Her follower count had somehow reached 300,000.

Refreshing the homepage, she saw many familiar opera videos trending, all of them seemed to be clips of their Liqing Opera Troupe’s performances.

Lately, she hadn’t paid much attention to the audience, though she vaguely remembered that the viewers were skewing younger. She hadn’t noticed if anyone was recording them.

How had all this ended up being discussed online?

Sheng Tingmian rarely used her phone. At the theater, she was either on stage performing or practicing. They had a dedicated practice room where they worked on flexibility, posture, and vocal training, her aunt was particularly strict about these aspects.

By the time she returned to her sister’s place, she would eat, take a bath, and fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The Changyuan Theater was gradually gaining explosive popularity, and the performance schedule was becoming overwhelming. Sheng Tingmian recommended Uncle Guan’s Tianxing Opera Troupe to the theater director, hoping they could also receive some support.

One day, as soon as Sheng Tingmian stepped on stage, she noticed that the audience was completely packed.

She professionally performed a Kunqu opera piece and, to her surprise, received headlining rewards from the audience, gifts from people who claimed to be her fans.

There were plush toys, flowers, and snacks like biscuits and chocolates that looked delicious, all piled up in boxes at the front of the stage.

Overwhelmed and grateful, Sheng Tingmian thanked them repeatedly. Just as she was about to exit the stage, she spotted He Jianxue in the crowd and flashed her a sweet, toothy grin.

Her sister had come to watch her.

After leaving the stage, Sheng Tingmian set aside the plush toys and flowers when someone informed her that her sister wanted to see her. Without even removing her headdress, she lifted the curtain and stepped out of the dressing room.

“Sister, were you looking for me?” Sheng Tingmian asked as soon as she saw He Jianxue waiting outside the dressing room, the distant sounds of opera singing still faintly audible from the stage.

“Come a little closer,” He Jianxue gestured for her to approach.

Sheng Tingmian, though puzzled, leaned in. Then, she watched as He Jianxue pulled a red envelope from her pocket and tucked it into her headdress.

“I couldn’t give you a headlining reward on stage, so I had to do it privately.”

Sheng Tingmian glanced at her legs, then quickly averted her gaze. “It’s alright, sister. Even without the reward, I’d still be happy.”

Counting the days, the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor should be returning soon. When he does, she’ll take her sister to visit him again.

Sheng Tingmian then asked, “What brings you here this time, sister?”

In her memory, her sister rarely visited. Aside from the reopening after the investment, most of the time, she would have performers come to her home to put on operas.

“I discussed some matters with the theater director and came to see you while I was at it.”

Sheng Tingmian recalled her biggest worry from before. “Sister, are you withdrawing your investment? I’ve noticed the director has been charging admission for the past two weeks. Is the income too low?”

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” He Jianxue couldn’t help but laugh, her red lips curling into a smile. “Although we haven’t reached the point of making a profit yet, we’re at least earning money now. I came to discuss arrangements for external performances with the director.”

Sheng Tingmian asked, “What are external performances?”

Before He Jianxue could answer, her assistant chimed in, “It means the entire troupe will travel to theaters in other provinces for a tour. You can think of it like holding a concert.”

As soon as “concert” was mentioned, Sheng Tingmian understood. Her sister had actually applied the packaging model she once envisioned for singers to traditional opera performers. Singers sell tickets for concerts, and their troupe could do the same for their tour.

“Sister, you’re amazing!” Sheng Tingmian looked at her with admiration. “You’re a guardian of traditional culture!”

The assistant smiled quietly at Sheng Tingmian’s straightforward and sincere praise of Miss He. No wonder Miss He was so fond of this girl, she was brimming with positive energy.

He Jianxue sighed, amused. “Alright, you go on with your work. I’ll go talk with the director, and after that, you’ll join me for dinner outside.”

How could Sheng Tingmian refuse an invitation to dinner from her sister? “Okay, see you later, sister.”

Watching He Jianxue leave, Sheng Tingmian returned to the dressing room and sat in front of the vanity. Catching sight of the headdress and the red envelope in the mirror, she nearly forgot about them and quickly took them off.

This red envelope was even more special than the others.

It was different from the “first prize” red envelope she received when performing at her sister’s house, and different from the ones others received. This one felt more unique.

It was exquisitely luxurious in a way she couldn’t quite describe. The texture of the envelope was exceptional, as if made from some special material.

Sheng Tingmian weighed it in her hand, it was a bit heavy but not very thick. Filled with anticipation, she opened the red envelope and pulled out a gold sheet about the same size as the envelope.

So shiny and golden!

On it was an image of a plump little bird singing on a tree branch!

Before Sheng Tingmian could process it, the gold sheet was snatched away by someone else.

“Wow, it’s a gold sheet!” Mu Ziyin exclaimed, drawing the curiosity of the other female opera performers, who gathered around.

“Someone actually gifted gold?”

“Is it real?”

“Xiao Mian, who gave this to you? Which audience member is so generous?”

Then someone with sharp eyes noticed, “It’s 100 grams!”

“Holy!”

“What a lavish gift! That must be worth tens of thousands. Who on earth is this audience member?”

Sheng Tingmian was also startled by the weight. Why would her sister give such an expensive gift, and as the “first prize” no less? No wonder the red envelope felt different today, it was much thinner.

It turned out it wasn’t filled with stacks of red bills but something far more valuable, a gold sheet.

Faced with so many inquiries, Sheng Tingmian had no choice but to steel herself and speak up: “It was a gift from Miss He.”

She usually referred to her sister as “Miss He” in front of others.

Upon hearing this, the other huadan actors could only feel envious. The investor boss clearly favored Sheng Tingmian more.

Even the opening reward was so astonishing.

Someone teased, “This isn’t just an investor boss, this is like a real sister.”

Hearing this, Sheng Tingmian quickly snatched the gold leaf back, feeling inexplicably sweet inside.

If her sister really saw her as a younger sister, she would be the one secretly delighted.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her aunt approaching. Sheng Tingmian went over and told her about the gold leaf.

After all, she still felt it was too extravagant, this wasn’t like an ordinary opening reward.

Sheng Xiaoyun took the gold leaf and examined it, noticing a small bird engraved on it. “Isn’t this a bourke’s parrot?”

Sheng Tingmian asked, “What’s a bourke’s parrot?”

Sheng Xiaoyun had seen them before in the countryside woods, pink and utterly adorable. “A little pink parrot.”

Sheng Tingmian stared at the colorless bird on the gold leaf. At first glance, she had assumed her sister had chosen the design randomly, but after her aunt’s comment…

Pink…

Wasn’t that the same color as the costume she had worn back then?

“Liangzhou Diqi?” Sheng Xiaoyun chuckled. Sheng Tingmian quickly took the gold leaf back and noticed the characters “Liangzhou Diqi” engraved below.

It was undoubtedly customized for her.

So… in her sister’s eyes, was she just a chubby pink parrot?

Realizing this might be how her sister saw her, Sheng Tingmian felt a mix of emotions. “Auntie, should I keep this?”

Sheng Xiaoyun asked, “Was this her opening reward to you?”

Sheng Tingmian nodded. “Yes, just now.”

Sheng Xiaoyun replied, “It was customized for you. Even if you return it, she can’t give it to anyone else. Keep it.”

Sheng Tingmian decided to follow her aunt’s advice and handed the gold leaf back to her. “Auntie, can you hold onto it for me? I’m going out to eat with my sister soon.”

“Alright.” Sheng Xiaoyun tucked the gold leaf into a red envelope. As Sheng Tingmian was about to leave, a thought suddenly crossed her mind, and she called her back.

“What is it, Auntie?”

Sheng Xiaoyun pulled her aside into a corner. “Mian’er, don’t you think Miss He is a bit too fond of you?”

Sheng Tingmian’s mind flashed with countless scenes, and she pursed her lips and nodded. Her sister was indeed excessively doting on her.

Investing in the troupe, boosting its popularity to such heights, letting her stay at her home, and now giving her such an expensive gift, the list went on and on.

“Right?” Sheng Xiaoyun looked as though she had expected this. “Auntie has an idea, but I’m not sure if I should mention it.”

Sheng Tingmian urged, “Go ahead, Auntie.”

Sheng Xiaoyun recalled what Sheng Tingmian had said earlier, that Miss He might only let her call her “sister” temporarily. Once this period passed, wouldn’t they revert to their original roles?

Deep down, Sheng Xiaoyun had her own motives. She wanted Sheng Tingmian to have better security.

After all, the He family was truly influential. If Sheng Tingmian could formally acknowledge Miss He as her sworn sister, then even if something were to happen to her aunt or if she passed away before Sheng Tingmian, at least Sheng Tingmian would have a sworn sister to protect her and ensure she wouldn’t be bullied.

With this in mind, Sheng Xiaoyun hinted, “Mian’er, since she cares for you so much, why not take this opportunity to formally acknowledge her as your sworn sister? She’ll only dote on you even more.”