Feast of Flowers

Past one o'clock in the morning, Hua Jin, overcome with sleepiness, put away her needlework, washed up, and applied a face mask. A face mask after staying up late was her way of pretending the damage didn't exist.

That night, she dreamt again. She dreamt of the low, grey-tiled houses of her old home and the winding mountain roads. She ran desperately along the road, running and running, but she couldn't find a way out.

The unpleasant dream left Hua Jin in a bad mood when she woke up, and she even drank half a bowl less soy milk. Just then, she received a text message inviting her to a wedding banquet. The sender was a former colleague she hadn't contacted in years. Recently, this colleague had somehow obtained her phone number and would occasionally send a greeting.

At first, she thought her former colleague would try to sell her insurance, but there was no such attempt for a whole month. It turned out she had misjudged her. Her colleague wasn't selling insurance but inviting her to a wedding.

At the shop, she mentioned this to Tan Yuan, who said, "I knew it. When someone you haven't contacted in years suddenly reaches out, it's never for anything good."

"Isn't a wedding a good thing? It's not just good, it's a joyous occasion. My luck hasn't been great lately, and I want to soak up some wedding joy to change my fortune." Hua Jin yawned and pulled two bags of snacks from the drawer, handing one to Tan Yuan. "Once my luck turns around, I'll be rolling in money, living the high life, surrounded by handsome men."

"Keep dreaming," Tan Yuan sighed, shaking her head. "Such a beautiful woman, and yet she's gone crazy. First, it was worshipping koi fish, then obsessing over pandas, and now she's trying to absorb good luck from weddings. Superstition is going to be the death of you."

Looking down at the snack bag in her hand, Tan Yuan said, "You're truly a loyal fan of this company. Your snacks are from them, your toothpaste is from them, and even when you stay in hotels, you try to pick their chain. Luckily, you don't have much money, otherwise, you'd be buying their jewelry too."

"Give it back if you're not going to eat it," Hua Jin said, glancing sideways at her.

"I'll eat it, I'll eat it." Tan Yuan opened the bag and took a couple of bites. "Wouldn't want it to go to waste."

Hua Jin washed her hands and continued working on her unfinished embroidery. If one wanted to achieve perfection in embroidery, there was no room for error. Even if the client couldn't tell the difference between an extra stitch or a missing one, she could.

Auntie Gao had said that for an embroiderer, every piece is a reflection of life's journey. Whether or not you've wasted your life, others may not know, but the embroidery will reveal all.

She hadn't yet reached Auntie Gao's level, but when she was desperate and lost, Auntie Gao had shown her a path. It was Shu embroidery that allowed her to progress on this path. She didn't want to disappoint Auntie Gao, nor did she want to let down her own years of effort.

As the days passed, Hua Jin completed two custom orders, and the dragon and phoenix wedding quilt was also mostly finished. Her former colleague's wedding day was approaching.

Recently, this former colleague had added her to a WeChat group. There were two or three colleagues she vaguely remembered, but most of them were strangers, so she had remained silent in the group.

That evening, Hua Jin heard a WeChat notification. Opening it, she saw that a former colleague in the group had, for some reason, brought her up.

Looking at the chat log, these colleagues were praising the bride, saying she had married well. Her fiancé was not only a local, but he also had a car and a house. They wouldn't have to worry about their children's education in the future.

The atmosphere in the group was lively. Hua Jin felt she didn't need to answer the question of whether she was married. She closed her phone and continued comparing different colored threads, searching for the most suitable ones to embroider scales and feathers.

Scale embroidery was a common technique in Shu embroidery. It was easy to learn but extremely difficult to master. It required meticulous attention to the selection of thread, color gradation, and needlework.

She stood up and stretched her neck. WeChat beeped again. The colleague who had asked if she was married, seeing no reply, tagged her again, asking about her marital status and where she worked.

"Tsk."

Hua Jin quickly replied.

Jinxiu Fanghua: Not married. Running a small business here.

Who couldn't act aloof and sophisticated?

A minute later, the colleague replied.

Da Long: Haha, you're so beautiful, and now you're your own boss. Ordinary men must not be good enough for you.

Hua Jin: Indeed.

This reply effectively killed the conversation. Da Long mumbled a few more words and then fell silent. No one else tagged Hua Jin again.

Hua Jin scoffed and tossed her phone aside. To deal with such boring colleagues, one should be like the cold, merciless wind, using words to silence them.

On the day of her former colleague's wedding, Hua Jin arrived at the hotel with her prepared red envelope. Her former colleague wore a beautiful wedding dress, with a shawl draped over her shoulders due to the cold weather.

Yang Lin looked at the beautiful woman approaching her, feeling puzzled. Could this be a relative from her husband's side?

"Sister Yang, wishing you and your husband a hundred years of happiness," Hua Jin said, handing Yang Lin the red envelope with a smile. "It's been years. You're even more beautiful now."

"You're… Hua Jin?" Yang Lin stared at the woman in front of her, almost unable to believe her eyes. When Hua Jin started working there, she was only around eighteen, thin and sallow, wearing drab and unfashionable clothes, and even her Mandarin wasn't standard.

The clearest memory she had was of a customer spilling a whole bowl of soup on Hua Jin one evening near closing time. Feeling sorry for her colleague, Yang Lin lent her a jacket she rarely wore. That night, she expected the young girl to cry secretly, but Hua Jin simply thanked her calmly and returned the neatly ironed jacket a few days later.

If it weren't for that incident, she probably wouldn't have remembered Hua Jin. Two months ago, she had accidentally obtained Hua Jin's contact information. Thinking that she didn't have many relatives or friends in the area and wanting to save face in front of her husband's family during the wedding, she had invited Hua Jin on a whim, not expecting her to readily agree.

What she hadn't expected even more was that the skinny young girl had blossomed into a radiant young woman.

Yang Lin couldn't remember why Hua Jin had left her job, but seeing that she was doing well now, Yang Lin felt a mix of emotions: a little envious, a little jealous, and yet also happy for her.

Placing the wedding candies in Hua Jin's hand, Yang Lin's smile became more genuine. "Thank you for coming. Please head to the third floor for the banquet."

Hua Jin smiled and shook her head. "You're welcome."

Yang Lin chuckled. They hadn't been close, so there was nothing to be "welcome" about. Two months ago, she had invited Hua Jin out of vanity, and she had already started to regret it. Given their lack of connection, what right did she have to ask Hua Jin to attend her wedding?

Yang Lin's husband glanced at the red envelope in Yang Lin's hand. After Hua Jin left, he whispered, "Is your friend married? Several of my buddies are still single."

"I'm not sure," Yang Lin said, shaking her head as she recalled the behavior of her husband's friends. "It wouldn't be a good match."

Seeing this, Yang Lin's husband didn't press the matter. Yang Lin opened the red envelope and was slightly surprised by the amount inside.

"Your friend is quite generous," Yang Lin's husband said, glancing at her. "She even gave more than your best friend."

Holding the stack of money, Yang Lin felt it burning in her hand. But more than that, she was puzzled. Why would Hua Jin give such a large gift?

Several of Yang Lin's husband's relatives, witnessing this scene, were secretly surprised. Hadn't they heard that the bride was from out of town, her family was poor, and she didn't have any wealthy friends? How could a random guest be so generous?

It seemed rumors couldn't be trusted. The bride was beautiful and kind. It must have been some jealous relative, envious of her virtuous wife, who had deliberately spread such unkind rumors to feel superior.

Wedding ceremonies were generally similar, the main difference being the scale of the event.

Hua Jin didn't try to catch the bouquet when the bride tossed it, but she shamelessly grabbed two red envelopes when the groom scattered them. If she was going to soak up good luck, she wasn't going to miss any opportunities.

At the end of the banquet, the bride and groom stood at the entrance of the dining hall to see off the guests. Seeing Hua Jin emerge, Yang Lin quickly took her hand. "Hua Jin, you…" She wanted to ask why Hua Jin had given such a large gift, but in front of her husband and others, she didn't know how to broach the subject.

"You've been standing in high heels for a long time. Make sure you rest," Hua Jin said with a smile. "When I first started working, I didn't know much, and I'm grateful for your help, Sister Yang."

Hearing this, Yang Lin was puzzled. Had she really helped Hua Jin that much?

"You're busy today, so I won't take up any more of your time. Let's keep in touch," Hua Jin said, shaking Yang Lin's hand. "Goodbye."

"Wait," Yang Lin said. "Why did you suddenly stop coming to work back then?"

Hua Jin paused, turning her head to give Yang Lin a slight smile. "Something came up."

Yang Lin wanted to ask more, but at that moment, several friends came over and engaged her in conversation. When she looked up again to find Hua Jin, she was gone.

Stepping out of the hotel, Hua Jin saw an empty taxi approaching and was about to hail it when a man rushed forward and opened the door before the car had even fully stopped.

Hua Jin: "…"

She had respect for people who risked their lives for a taxi.

"Hey there, beautiful. Where are you headed? I can give you a ride." A bright red sports car stopped in front of her. The man behind the wheel wore a sharp suit, but his tie was loosely knotted, and his sparkling peach blossom eyes held a playful glint.

Driving a sports car, casually hitting on women on the street, and sporting those peach blossom eyes…

He definitely wasn't a decent man.

Author's Note:

Hua Jin: A man should be decent, virtuous, and family-oriented. Otherwise, what woman would want him?

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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