Chapter 79: Xia Cheng is Dead of Severe GVHR (1/2)
Translator: Claire.KK
The flowers arrived at lunchtime, Ziyu Ai put the chopsticks down and walked to the door.
He didn't order a bouquet but pots of flowers, about thirty pots of jasmine, all blooming. As Ziyu Ai helped the seller move the pots into the living from his van, Zhishu He stuck his head out and watched.
”Nice flowers.” Ziyu Ai paid the bills and returned very quickly. He had been in contact with this flower seller for more than a week; every pot was well checked, otherwise, there would be another ten pots more.
Zhishu He was a bit astonished. He watched so many pots of jasmine lining up to the foot of that Phoebe folding screen. The fragrance of blossoms suffused the whole house.
Zhishu He got up and walked over, his heart touched by a very light poke.
”Do you like them?” Ziyu Ai held Zhishu’s hand in a smile, ”There're no blossoms in our garden but we can get some in our room...”
”I like them very much.” Zhishu He looked at Ziyu with moistened eyes. He leaned over and gave him a hug. ”Thank you.”
No one cared about lunch anymore. They sat on the couch. Zhishu He stared at the flowers with Ziyu Ai by his side in silence.
”Jasmine was my grandpa's favorite. Jasmines were all over our garden since I could remember,” Zhishu He smiled, he was more than talking to himself than speaking with Ziyu Ai, ”The first thing Wenxu Jiang said to me was why do I smell so good? I could still remember, the next day, I picked a pocket full of flowers. I put several buds on every cluster in case they lost the fragrance and I dared not to let my grandfather see.” It was the first time Zhishu He mentioned his and Wenxu's old story. He wasn't being reminiscent or regretful or sarcastic, he was calm and gentle as always.
”At the time, Wenxu Jiang was so careful when he looked things up in those pages because he put the flowers everywhere in the book and he cherished them. For a very long time, the strong smell of jasmine was all over our classroom, even on his sport shirt,” Zhishu lowered his eyelids; his flicking eyelashes were like butterfly wings, ”Every time I went back home, I could smell jasmine from a distance. It was like the guidance on my way home. Back then... it was like the best smell in the whole world to me.”
Zhishu He's eyes dimmed, and his voice told bitterness. ”But then the garden was left unattended after my grandpa passed away. No one in my family was willing to take care of those plants.”
Ziyu Ai held him in his arms and solaced him with the strokes on his black hair and his back.
”Thank you, Ziyu Ai,” Zhishu He's sound was extremely light, ”I will never forget you... If people's souls do linger after they die, I will trace the fragrance to your garden and living room and I will be your house guardian.” The last part was more like a joke.
”I have myself to thank, too. I have spent the luck of my whole life to be with you,” Ziyu Ai kissed Zhishu He's eyelashes, ”I love you... forever.”