YV | Chapter 5

In the spring of Su City, the main roads were lined with flourishing roses, greeting arrivals and seeing them off. When the first rose appeared on the steps in front of Zhang Xu’s studio, he did not pay it any mind, picked it up and took it home, and casually put it into the small wooden box.

Until the fifth day, the fifth flower, when things became unusual.

The vigorous clusters of blossoms crowded the wooden box, about to overflow, so Zhang Xu changed to a bigger box. He sprayed water on them every day, or watered them with nutrient solution, and the flowers from the first day were still bright.

At noon, Zhang Xu ordered a bowl of noodles from a small noodle shop, packed it to take back to the studio, pulled up the surveillance footage, and ate while stealing a little time in the middle of his work.

Zhang Xu’s studio was named “One Stream”, with a small sign made for it and hung in front of the door. Compared with the pastry and sweets shops on either side, it was terribly inconspicuous. Every day, quite a few people passed the steps, mostly tourists, and occasionally stopped to look. After a moment, they left with faces full of the astonishment of knowing they were beyond such reach, embarrassedly.

Zhang Xu often mocked himself, the day’s turnover of “One Stream” could not even afford a bowl of red-braised pork noodles from the small noodle shop.

He watched the surveillance from morning to night, but saw nothing worth noting. Staring for too long made his eyes ache, and just as he was about to fast-forward, with his finger on the mouse, his suspended hand paused.

The time shown in the image was 13:30. Zhang Xu appeared on the screen, locked the door, and went up to the second floor to rest at noon. The steps were quiet for three minutes, then all at once, something rolled in a few tender leaves, carrying fine rain. After that, in the grass and water of that small world, a nimble figure appeared.

That person was thin and small, carrying a sack on his shoulder, walking with his head lowered and his back bent, as if on purpose, yet his steps were light, like a wisp of wind from deep in spring.

Zhang Xu, still holding the noodles with his chopsticks, froze, staring very intently.

The sack was tattered and leaking wind. An empty bottle fell out, and when that person bent down to pick it up, the two swirls on the top of his head were revealed.

Zhang Xu was stunned for a moment.

In the screen, the person picked up the bottle, stomped it flat, stuffed it into the sack, his movements natural, all in one go, with no trace of anything unusual.

After he left the range of the surveillance, there was a flower on the steps. Like playful cotton rain in spring, by chance dropping a lucky gift.

Zhang Xu let out a slow breath.

For five straight days, with no fixed time, only choosing when Zhang Xu was not there, using all kinds of tricks to leave behind a flower, letting it wait all alone for Zhang Xu to pick it up and take it home.

How to put it, Zhang Xu did not even see that person’s face clearly.

So the natural seemed unnatural, and the accidental also became not accidental.

Zhang Xu turned off the video, silent for a long while, cleaned up the leftover soup, ignored the trash can at his feet, and went outside to throw it away. When he stood on the steps, he looked left and right, his expression natural. Then he went back inside and continued working, as usual.

He had been busy with work lately. A five-star hotel in the city center was about to open, and the owner came looking for him, shook Zhang Xu’s hand, exchanged a polite “I’ve long admired your name,” then immediately put on the stance of the client father, with demands for the work from aesthetics to presence, and even whether its placement would affect fortune.

“Zhenwu Dadi symbolizes courage and strength, he wards off evil, he doesn’t attract wealth.”

The client was full of momentum, saying then carve me a Caishen too, buy one, get one free, I’ll put them side by side!

Zhang Xu advised him, when gods meet, they fight. Whoever loses, it’s not good.

The client found it difficult, this...

“I happen to have a piece of camphor wood, three meters high, suitable for carving Zhenwu Dadi,” Zhang Xu said with a smile, “what do you think?”

The client said fine, half a month, will it be in time?

Zhang Xu was as if at home as soon as he arrived, saying it will be in time.

The client immediately paid, thirty thousand, with the remaining balance to be paid after delivery. His level of trust in Zhang Xu was beyond imagination. He asked, how should the position of Zhenwu Dadi be arranged? Would facing east attract wealth?

Zhang Xu did not look at feng shui, and kindly forwarded the witch’s WeChat, saying, “Find her, she’s effective.”

With four days left until the half month was up, the client was nitpicking, checking in several times a day, picking faults while urging him, afraid it would not be ready in time for the opening.

Zhang Xu replied, “It will definitely be delivered on time.”

The creation of the rough blank required calm concentration and repeated thought. Zhang Xu did not go out. He specially moved the wood to the front hall, directly facing the steps, and held a triangular carving knife to carve the details of the beard.

Zhenwu Dadi stood solemnly and imposing, guarding “One Stream”. The ghosts and monsters were gone, and even the spring breeze and flower leaves were nowhere to be seen.

The roses in the wooden box no longer absorbed moisture. They were worn down by time, finally heading toward withering. When there were still three left, Zhang Xu turned the solemn Zhenwu Dadi around and used sandpaper, from coarse to fine, to polish away the knife marks.

The wooden carving was almost finished, and the flowers were down to one.

After the rain, the sky cleared. It was rare to have good weather. Zhang Xu put down his tools, stood up and stretched his waist, pinched his stiff neck, and glanced out the door from the corner of his eye. Tourists laughed and walked in pairs, and there were no flowers in their hands.

Zhang Xu tidied up a little, curled his index finger and knocked on the desktop, thump thump, twice.

The yellow dog wagged its tail and ran over happily.

Woof!

At first glance, the yellow dog looked like a golden retriever, but the tip of its tail had a small tuft of black, and its body was more like a Chinese rural dog. By this judgment, it was a mixed breed.

Zhang Xu patted its head and called it menrou, “I’m going out for a bit, you watch the house.”

Menrou turned in place, unable to catch its own tail, snorted twice, and lay down on the spot, guarding beside Zhenwu Dadi, barking, “Woof!”

Zhang Xu smiled and praised it, “Good dog.”

Menrou was even happier.

Zhang Xu did not do the kind of thing where one waits idly for a rabbit by the stump. That was too sneaky. He just walked around casually, turned into a fruit shop, and bought some apples. But in fact, there were still many at home, enough to last for a while.

When it was about time to go back, menrou was waiting on the steps, a rose in its mouth.

Zhang Xu froze for a moment.

Menrou barked once, the flower in its mouth fell down, then it picked it up again, playing quite happily. It did not understand, and wagged its tail while waiting for Zhang Xu to come over.

Zhang Xu had never liked this sort of thing. Peering hidden in the mist was unreal, and whether it was friendly or malicious was hard to tell.

The setting sun slanted over Nanshan, and the soft flow of spring lingered in Zhang Xu’s ears. The old road paved with blue bricks, greens of varying shades, water and stone bridges. A dog, a flower, a grand welcome, reflecting one another, all became an ambiguous oil painting.

Zhang Xu stood silent for a moment, then walked over.

Menrou’s tail wagged even more happily.

Zhang Xu patted the dog’s head, took the flower, and asked, “Where did it come from?”

Menrou turned its head and barked twice toward the alley.

The alleys on Jiangping Road spread in all directions. The alley north of the studio was very narrow, with weeds growing wildly under the eaves. Zhang Xu could not squeeze in, so he leaned toward the gap and looked, seeing paw prints from cats and dogs, and a sudden mineral water bottle, rolling beside a pair of human footprints, lonely and stuck with bits of mud.

“Menrou, go pick it up.”

Menrou obeyed at once, drilled in, carried it back, and gave it to Zhang Xu.

Zhang Xu went back to “One Stream”, locked the door first, put the apples in the fruit basket, threw the empty bottle into the trash can, and when he looked back, he saw menrou’s eager dog face. He smiled and said, “Protecting the environment.”

“Woof!”

Zhang Xu smiled, picked the empty bottle back out of the trash can, and gave it to menrou to play with.

Menrou panted happily, biting it, chewing it twice, trotting over to the trash can, dropping it in, then looking back at Zhang Xu with pleading eyes.

Zhang Xu played with it for several rounds.

Good father.

The last was the flower. Zhang Xu followed his usual routine, put it into the wooden box, and gave it some water.

This was probably the last one.

Zhang Xu called Su Miaomiao over and said he had something to give her. Su Miaomiao came excitedly, and when she pushed open the door and saw a bag full of apples, she was stunned.

“Just this?”

Zhang Xu said, “Even this is pretty good, what else do you want?”

“A gold necklace, of course.” Su Miaomiao picked up an apple and started eating it elegantly. “The parking fee here is enough for me to buy ten jin!” She paused, then sneaked a glance at Zhang Xu, getting spirited, and asked, “Brother, do you have something to say to me?”

Zhang Xu held a piece of yellow rosewood about a hand long, drew the pattern lines on it with a few strokes, and the large carving knife shaved away the excess wood. The neat piece of wood quickly became distinct in layers.

Su Miaomiao could see that Zhang Xu was carving flowers.

The petals, branches, and leaves were all there. It really looked like a wild flower just picked home, still emitting a rich fragrance.

Zhang Xu asked back, “You have nothing to ask me?”

Su Miaomiao stretched her neck and swallowed a piece of hard fruit flesh that she had not chewed properly, saying, “What do you think of Xiaomeng? Consider it.”

Xiaomeng was Su Miaomiao’s high school classmate. Last month, she came to play with Su Miaomiao, and the moment she saw Zhang Xu, she fell for him. Su Miaomiao took on the role of matchmaker, determined to make these two a couple. Zhang Xu did not take the bait and did not agree to meet Xiaomeng. Su Miaomiao could not withstand Xiaomeng’s soft grinding. Last week, she took a roundabout approach and said she was going on a blind date, and asked Zhang Xu to help her size him up, then ran off first.

Men and women marrying, Su Miaomiao thought it could work, but she had overestimated Zhang Xu’s ability and endurance as a lifelong single.

Zhang Xu told her, “Next week is your birthday, no gold necklace.”

Su Miaomiao’s world collapsed.

“Xiaomeng’s conditions are so good, she’s in the system, she has two apartments in the city center, and her parents’ pensions together are enough for my two months’ salary. Mm, her personality is very good too.” Su Miaomiao’s speaking voice was not even louder than the sound of her biting into the apple. “Mom says life is just like that, living the days smoothly and well is success.”

Zhang Xu often heard these words, especially in the past two years, with his ears full of this kind of talk. Other than clients coming to the studio, the most frequent visitors were matchmakers, and the threshold was practically being worn through. Not counting the neighbors, Zhang Xiumei had also joined in with great vigor.

In the season when cherry blossoms fell, Zhang Xu had nowhere to hide even if he wanted peace and quiet. He looked up at Su Miaomiao, his hands never stopping, this flower had already been carved very beautifully.

“When you say that, you can be a little more forceful, otherwise you won’t convince me.”

Su Miaomiao: “...”

Zhang Xu withdrew his gaze and continued carving the leaf patterns, smiling, “We’re two of a kind, neither of us should criticize the other.”

Su Miaomiao’s mouth drooped down, looking very dejected. “I have eight blind dates a week, you don’t know how bizarre those men are, one after another. My mom still says I’m too picky. Right now all her attention is on me, help me share some of it.”

Zhang Xu’s hand holding the knife was steady, but his mouth was too cold, saying, “I’m unable to help.”

Su Miaomiao did not want to talk to him about this. It could drive someone mad. She changed the topic and said the apples were pretty tasty. Zhang Xu gave an mm. Su Miaomiao continued, saying the wind had been huge these past two days.

Zhang Xu still mm’d.

The person who played with wood really was like wood, not a single muffled fart could be squeezed out of him, the king of cold violence. No wonder Xiaomeng liked him. What exactly did she see in him?

His face was nice, that could not be denied.

Su Miaomiao’s eyes moved from Zhang Xu’s face to his hands, and finally stopped on the wooden flower carving.

“What flower is this?”

“Rose.”

“Pretty nice.” Su Miaomiao rested her chin in her hand, thought of something, and said, “Xiaomeng sent you flowers, she said you didn’t accept them, and she was sad.”

Zhang Xu said nothing.

“Sigh, reject her if you want to reject her, but it’s her feelings. At least give her some face. Girls get hurt from overthinking.”

Zhang Xu sighed and said, “Rose.”

Su Miaomiao was stunned.

Zhang Xu asked, “Do you think it’s suitable?”

It really was not suitable, and Su Miaomiao could not say anything. She pointed at the flowers in the wooden box and asked, “Where did these come from, who sent them to you?”

The open wooden window was gently blown by the wind, creaking softly. There was no moon tonight, and Nanshan in the distance was shrouded under the night, all details blurred, becoming a flat painting, very far away.

Where did the flowers come from? Zhang Xu thought about it and said with a smile, “The wind blew them over.”

Su Miaomiao said, “This wind is really amazing.” She then pointed at the one in Zhang Xu’s hand and asked, “And this one, who are you going to give it to?”

As soon as the words fell, there was a crack, and the slender flower stem broke under the sharp blade.

“I wasn’t planning to give it to anyone,” Zhang Xu said calmly. “It was carved badly.”

Su Miaomiao felt that this kind of mistake was very low-level, at least for Zhang Xu.

Very strange, and she could not say what was strange.

Zhang Xu called menrou over, gave it the flower, and patted its head, saying softly, “Go on.”

Menrou bit the slightly flawed wooden flower, wagging its tail wildly, and ran out excitedly.

Su Miaomiao was doubtful, and asked, “What is it going to do?”

Zhang Xu said, “Walk itself.”

【📢Author’s note】
Menrou: love security guard

I want to change the update time, midnight 12 o’clock seems a bit too ghostly.