Flower Garden

The two, hand in hand, walked in the entrance to the flower garden. There, the shop attendant watered the plants in pots.

"Welcome, dear customers..."

Lin Dai heard her recently installed doorbell ring as she put down the watering can on the table. She saw a pair, a young boy and a slightly taller girl, come in the door.

"Oh...!" Lin Dai recognized the young boy. Though she didn't know his name, he was a frequent customer of the shop for the past two weeks, buying exotic flowers now and then.

'They're holding hands. I'm guessing this boy gives the flowers to her. How cute these children are, hai. If only my children were as disciplined as these two, well, my daughter exempted.'

Han Ganxing also recognized the shop owner, but since their relationship consisted strictly of business, he only gave her a barely noticeable nod.

Lin Dai kept her smile up until the two entered the main garden. From there onwards, they would be attended by her daughter, Lin Lei.

"Oh, Sister Lin."

A woman around 18 years of age dressed up in a servile outfit waved towards Han Ganxing. Her hands and face were dirty, but her cheerfulness wasn't deterred in any way. "Brother Han!"

Han Ganxing waved back.

Lin Lei smiled and attended to her chores again.

"Ganxing, who is this Sister Lin?" Shi Wenyang also had a good impression of the girl. It was just that... she felt like she needed to protect her territory.

"Sister Lin is the one assisting me on which flower I should pick. Most of the time, I pick the flower, but whenever I can't choose, she suggests one for me!" Han Ganxing explained nicely and clearly. He was in a happy mood, holding Shi Wenyang's hand like this.

"Oh, which flowers did she pick?"

"Let's see... the green glover, the thin veine, and the water pria. It's those three." Han Ganxing clearly remembered the three that she picked. Those were the days that sparring became too hard for him...

"Th, those three? I see. Sister Lin has... peculiar taste."

Shi Wenyang suspected Lin Lei now. After all, out of all the flowers that Han Ganxing had given her, only those three weren't aligned with her tastes.

'Green glover just looks like a clover... Thin veine was as slippery as a snake... and the water pria was plain scary.'

She squinted her eyes looking at Lin Lei.

The target of those gazes was unaware as she whistled and tended to the flowers.

"Let's go..." Han Ganxing pulled Shi Wenyang by her hand, reminding her of their handholding. She was flustered once again as she followed behind him.

The flower garden was akin to a maze, only that maze was straightforward and didn't have any misleading paths. Flowers filled every corner of the garden, hanging on edges of the hedge wall, to growing out of certain softened spots on the floor. It was a surreal experience, even as Han Ganxing explored it close to his twentieth time.

The first time he went here with Shi Wenyang, he was only forced, dragged along by her spontaneous whims. As such, he never truly enjoyed it.

Now that he was the one bringing her to see what he had found during his repeated visits here, it brought a whole new layer to the experience.

"Ganxing, what's that? It looks so pretty..."

The only moment that he was captivated in his first entry was when Shi Wenyang found the black lilias and admired them. Now, it could be said to have the same effect, but stronger.

Han Ganxing felt his heartbeat getting faster. If he could see his own affection bar towards Shi Wenyang, it would probably be in the hundreds at this particular moment.

A gentle breeze suddenly arrived.

The flower danced with the wind, its nectar spreading throughout the vast sky. Some leaves and blades of grass flew off the hedge, flying around Shi Wenyang's still head. Her hand reached for the flower and caressed it, similar to how a mother would caress her newborn.

"...Ganxing? Hello?"

Shi Wenyang noticed that Han Ganxing didn't answer. She pried her attention away from the flower to turn towards Han Ganxing. Out of nowhere, she felt two arms wrapped around her body.

"G- Ganxing? W, w, what are you doing?"

"...I just felt like hugging you." Han Ganxing did not feel the slightest shame as he spoke naturally.

"Erm, okay." Shi Wenyang had no choice but to stay silent. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to hug him back...

.....

"Come visit again!"

Lin Lei saw the pair off as they rushed out of the flower garden with their bodies intensely burning up, especially Han Ganxing. From the toe up, his body looked like a tomato. As for Shi Wenyang, she covered her face with both her arms, never to see the light of day again...

"Lei, what happened to them?" Lin Dai couldn't help asking her daughter.

"They... experienced a blooming."

"Blooming? But it's Wilting Season."

"..."