The air was silent.
Ling Yun’s eyes grew increasingly dark under Yu Yixian’s provocation, yet the provocateur seemed to notice nothing at all and continued her teasing.
“It’s so sweet, Senior.”
Seeing this, Yu Yixian stared at Ling Yun, provocatively smiling as she lightly licked the sugar coating off the tanghulu (candied hawthorn).
Ling Yun stood frozen. Realizing what she had just done, Yu Yixian’s eyes widened instantly, and she reflexively pulled her hand back.
“N-no, I didn’t mean that, Senior…!”
Recalling her own actions, Yu Yixian’s face flushed a deep red. She reached out to snatch the tanghulu back, but to her surprise, Ling Yun actually took a bite.
“Mm, it is indeed very sweet,” Ling Yun said, chewing the sweet and sour fruit, her dark eyes locked on Yu Yixian as she spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.
In that moment, Yu Yixian couldn’t tell if Ling Yun was talking about the tanghulu in her hand or about her.
Ling Yun stopped while she was ahead; she didn’t want to frighten Yu Yixian.
“Where are we going today?” Ling Yun finished the tanghulu in a few bites, skipping over the previous accident.
Yu Yixian felt a bit timid now, but since Ling Yun didn’t continue, she took the opportunity to back down.
“It’s a secret. Just follow me, Senior.” Yu Yixian curved her eyes and signaled for a taxi by the side of the road.
The taxi drove to the entrance of a narrow alley, and Yu Yixian paid the fare, pulling Ling Yun out.
Ling Yun looked at the somewhat dilapidated alley before her, her eyes filled with confusion. “Where is this?”
Yu Yixian remained mysterious. “You’ll know in a moment. Follow me.”
Ling Yun naturally trusted Yu Yixian. The two walked side-by-side through the alley; the friction of their clothes made a rustling sound. Neither spoke, but the scene was not awkward—instead, it felt uniquely warm.
After walking for two minutes, a yellowing sign appeared before them.
“We’re here!” Yu Yixian walked a bit faster, entering the shop first.
Ling Yun looked up at the sign, where the three characters “Ju Yin Shi” (Gathering Silver Ornaments) were written in a swift, elegant calligraphy.
“Senior, what are you looking at?” Yu Yixian, having walked into the shop, turned back to find Ling Yun missing. She looked through the glass and saw Ling Yun still outside, then curiously walked out.
“Nothing.” Ling Yun shook her head and followed Yu Yixian into the shop.
The shop was small and spotlessly clean. The display cases on both sides looked quite old, filled with a variety of ornaments.
An elderly man and woman emerged from the back room. Upon seeing Yu Yixian, they waved at her very affectionately, then glanced at Ling Yun with curiosity.
“Grandpa Huang, Grandma Su!” Yu Yixian approached affectionately to hug the two elderly people.
Grandpa Huang reached out to stroke Yu Yixian’s head. “Grandma and I were just wondering when this little girl, Yixian, would come over.”
Grandma Su smiled kindly and waved at Ling Yun: “Come here, child. What relation are you to Yixian?”
Before Ling Yun could answer, Yu Yixian’s eyes widened instantly. She buried herself in Grandma Su’s arms and whispered guiltily, “Grandma, my stuff!”
“Shh! Shh! I haven’t caught her yet!” Yu Yixian whispered hurriedly in Grandma Su’s ear to explain.
Fortunately, Grandma Su still had good hearing for her age. Hearing Yu Yixian’s anxious explanation, she cooperatively changed the subject and laughed: “Understood, understood. Everything has already been prepared for you.”
“Old man, let’s go prepare,” Grandma Su said, greeting her husband to leave.
Yu Yixian moved close to Ling Yun, took her arm, and led her to the display cabinets, hurriedly changing the topic.
“Senior, look at this, it’s beautiful, right? It was designed by Grandma Su and crafted by Grandpa Huang himself.”
Ling Yun knew Yu Yixian was changing the subject and also knew that Grandma Su’s previous question was indeed difficult to answer, so she was very cooperative.
She leaned over to examine the silver ornaments in the display case. The hollow-carved silver bracelet featured vivid flower clusters with exquisite craftsmanship; even someone who felt indifferent toward jewelry would marvel at it.
Ling Yun was no exception, exclaiming, “That is truly amazing.”
“Of course, Grandpa Huang’s craft is top-tier.” Yu Yixian proudly gave a thumbs-up. “Senior, do you have any favorite flowers?”
Ling Yun stood up straight, meeting Yu Yixian’s curious gaze. Suddenly, the image of Ms. Ling Qian in her hospital bed flashed through her mind. Before she got sick, Ling Qian loved flowers; every time she came home from work, she would buy a lily, filling their small apartment with fragrance. So, she replied subconsciously: “Lilies, I suppose.”
Yu Yixian nodded, her eyes curving into smiles. “I like lilies, too. They’re beautiful and fragrant. So, Senior, do you want to make a lily-themed ornament yourself to give to your mother?”
Ling Yun was startled.
Yu Yixian’s voice was gentle. She took Ling Yun’s hand and said quite naturally, “Let’s go, let’s go. Since we’re already here.”
Yu Yixian didn’t intentionally say any overly sentimental words; instead, she lightly brushed over the previous topic and pulled Ling Yun into the back room.
“You’re here? Everything is ready,” Grandma Su said, sitting behind the table and beckoning them over, while Grandpa Huang had already prepared the tools and materials and was checking them with his head bowed.
Yu Yixian pulled Ling Yun to sit down, and Grandma Su handed them both a sheet of white paper. “Draw whatever you want.”
Ling Yun took the pencil Yu Yixian handed her. Seeing her encouraging gaze, her emotions surged for a moment, and she quickly lowered her head to hide them.
Seeing this, Yu Yixian pursed her lips and exchanged a look with Grandma Su. Grandma Su still maintained a loving expression, signaling to her with a look not to interfere. Yu Yixian made an “OK” gesture and began to draw as well.
This date wasn’t originally planned for this location. It was just that after she went home yesterday, she couldn’t stop worrying. She had asked someone she knew at the hospital to help her inquire about Ling Yun’s mother and learned that she had been hospitalized for over a month. Although they didn’t tell her what the illness was, Yu Yixian imagined herself in that position; staying in the hospital for so long, even the most cheerful person wouldn’t be happy.
But it wasn’t easy for her to just visit the mother directly, so she thought of this idea. Because she could feel how much the mother meant to Ling Yun, she hoped the mother would be happy, whether for her own sake or for Ling Yun’s.
Besides, she had to come here to make a birthday gift for herself next month, so she decided to just come early.
Yu Yixian started drawing with focus. She planned to make a pair of earrings as this year’s birthday gift. Actually, she wanted to make a ring, but it would be too obvious if she drew it and the Senior saw it. She would sneak back here later when she had time and give the Senior a surprise then.
Yu Yixian had long planned the design. Before long, she was done. Grandma Su took it, frowned as usual, began to ask what this part of the drawing represented and what that part meant, and then added some of her own ideas to redraw a draft.
Yu Yixian was used to this. After all, the most vivid thing she could draw was a stick figure, and everything else was a mess, but Grandma Su could always understand her drawings. That was why she had come a few times a year since she accidentally discovered this place.
On one hand, it was to visit the two elders, and on the other, it was to satisfy her own desire to create.
Ling Yun hadn’t finished yet. Although Yu Yixian was curious, she didn’t crowd around, per Grandma Su’s signal. She made a silly face at Grandma Su and ran off to let Grandpa Huang handle the production.
Grandma Su shook her head with a laugh and sat down beside Ling Yun. Upon seeing Ling Yun’s drawing, her eyes widened in surprise—it was drawn beautifully, with every detail enlarged and labeled.
This took the entire afternoon. Yu Yixian’s earrings were finished quickly. She stood in front of the mirror with the fresh-out-of-the-furnace earrings, comparing them against her ears, her eyes full of delight.
“Grandpa Huang, you are too amazing! These turned out so, so, so beautiful! And Grandma Su, you really are my kindred spirit, perfectly capturing my ideas. I love it!” Yu Yixian’s little mouth chattered, making the two elders beam with joy.
Ling Yun glanced at the earrings in Yu Yixian’s hand, then looked at the original draft Yu Yixian had drawn herself, and fell into silence.
“Senior, how about yours? What did you draw?”
Yu Yixian carefully tucked the earrings back into their box and curiously looked at the sketch in Ling Yun’s hand.
Ling Yun handed her sketch to Yu Yixian, who couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise after taking it: “Wow, it’s so pretty.”
It was a lily hair clip. The design was not overly complex; the theme was two lilies, one large and one small, surrounded by leaves. The smaller lily appeared more open and extended, giving the impression that the little lily was trying to protect the larger one.
Yu Yixian instantly understood Ling Yun’s intent.