“What are you standing there for? Come help.”
Mother Jiang looked up and spotted her daughter lingering at the top of the stairs, still in a daze, and immediately called her over.
Jiang Yining let out a quick “Oh” and hurried down. Though she felt a little rusty, the muscle memory left behind in this body seemed to linger.
Following her mother’s lead, she picked up the flowers and got to work, trimming stems, stripping leaves, matching colors, and wrapping bouquets. At first her movements were slightly clumsy, but soon they grew smoother, more natural. To her surprise, the technique of binding bouquets came back to her with ease, as if it had always belonged to her.
It was the day before Mother’s Day, and business was unexpectedly lively. With Mother Jiang’s skilled hands and Jiang Yining gradually finding her rhythm, along with generous discounts, more than half the shop’s inventory was sold in no time.
As she worked, Mother Jiang’s face seemed to glow with a long-lost vitality. It was as if she had found her purpose again.
Around noon, she told her husband and daughter to mind the shop while she grabbed a basket and went out to buy groceries, determined to prepare a proper meal.
A rare quiet settled over the flower shop.
While tidying the remaining stems, Jiang Yining turned to her father.
“Dad, what are we going to do about the shop?”
Father Jiang set his teacup down. He had clearly already made up his mind.
“I’ve spoken to the landlord. We won’t renew the lease when it expires. Once we finish selling these flowers, we’ll pack up and head back to Z City.” He paused briefly, then added, “We’re going home for good.”
Jiang Yining nodded, but then something occurred to her.
“Oh, right, Dad, my ID card. I think it expires next month. What should I do?” The thought of dealing with unfamiliar police stations and complicated paperwork made her head spin.
Father Jiang waved his hand casually, his tone calm and reassuring.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything. Once we’re back, I’ll get in touch with some old connections and transfer your residency back into our household register. Once that’s sorted, getting a new ID will be straightforward. No need to stress, your father’s got it handled.”
His confidence steadied her like an anchor.
…
A few days later, Father Jiang returned from the hospital with the final examination reports, along with the most important result of all, the paternity test.
The three of them sat around the small round table in the flower shop, tension hanging thick in the air.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yining tore open the sealed envelope and flipped straight to the conclusion.
When the bold red words “Paternity Confirmed” came into view, the air seemed to freeze.
“How… how is this possible?”
Her eyes widened in shock. She looked down at the report, then instinctively touched her own face, her body.
“Dad, Mom… is this really my body? Then what about the girl who originally owned the shop…?”
Father Jiang and Mother Jiang were just as stunned.
With trembling hands, Father Jiang took the report and read that single line again and again, as if afraid it might change if he blinked. Mother Jiang clutched her daughter’s hand, laughing and crying at the same time, her voice trembling with emotion.
“It’s Ningning. This is my Ningning’s body. Heavens… this is truly a miracle.”
The test results finally explained the birthmark and dispelled the lingering unease, the strange feeling of inhabiting someone else’s body.
This body, this life, carrying their blood, was entirely and unquestionably their daughter, Jiang Yining.
…
Once the initial shock and joy subsided, Father Jiang spent the following days running between police stations and government offices with the paternity report in hand.
He called in favors from connections he had not reached out to in years, using the explanation of having found a long-lost daughter who had been abducted, which was not entirely untrue.
After considerable effort, just as the flower shop was preparing to close for the last time, he successfully completed the residency transfer, officially restoring her to the Jiang family household register.
Since the new ID card required time to be processed, it would be mailed directly to their home in Z City.
…
A large sign was soon hung at the entrance of Lemon Whisper Florals.
Closing Sale, Everything Must Go.
Perhaps it was the festive mood of the season, or perhaps it was Mother Jiang’s refined arrangements combined with honest pricing, but every remaining flower in the shop, budding roses, fresh lilies, bright sunflowers, was sold out within a single day.
By the time the last customer left, arms full of flowers and a satisfied smile on their face, the golden light of the setting sun had already begun to slant into the empty shop.
The shelves stood bare. Only a few scattered petals remained, along with the faint, lingering fragrance of mixed blooms in the air.
Jiang Yining stood in the middle of the shop, quietly taking it all in.
This was the place where her second life had begun. It had once carried another girl’s loneliness and quiet perseverance.
She walked to the entrance, rose onto her toes, and carefully took down the wooden sign that read “Lemon Whisper Florals.” Her fingers brushed lightly over the smooth lettering, a trace of bittersweet emotion passing through her.
Gently, she pulled the glass door shut and fastened the small brass lock.
Outside, Father Jiang had already loaded their luggage into the trunk of a taxi. Mother Jiang stood beside the car, bathed in the warm glow of the sunset, her smile soft as she reached out a hand.
Jiang Yining took a deep breath. The air still seemed to carry a faint hint of lemon and mint.
She turned away, no longer looking back at the closed shop. A bright smile spread across her face as she ran toward her parents and reached out to grasp her mother’s warm, steady hand.
“Dad, Mom,” she said, her voice clear and full of hope for everything that lay ahead, “let’s go home.”
She unwrapped a lemon candy and popped it into her mouth, letting the wrapper drift away in the wind.
Xie Shiyan, she thought, wait for me.