Nine-Year Golden Chrysanthemum Loses to an Old Flowerpot

Yue Guan stood there for a full quarter of an hour.

Flabébé hugged its blue flower to its chest, its other hand still tugging on the pale yellow stem. It was so small that the slightest force made the stem sway it from side to side. It looked like it was struggling terribly to hold on.

"I won't throw it away," Yue Guan finally said.

Flabébé looked up at him.

"Nor will I break it."

Its little hand slowly loosened.

Yue Guan set the wildflower pot on the counter and stretched his sore arm. "It took a liking to this pot of flowers?"

"Its flower has always been in its arms," Xia Che said.

"I can see that."

"Then what it likes is your attitude."

Yue Guan lowered his gaze to the few pale yellow blossoms.

These flowers were common by the roadside. They did not grow tall, and their fragrance was faint. If even one had mixed into his flower beds on an ordinary day, the attendants would have pulled it out that same day to keep it from competing with the prized flowers for soil.

Flabébé flew to the rim of the pot and carefully propped up the stem it had bent earlier. It still held its blue flower tightly against its chest, not loosening even a single petal.

Yue Guan extended a finger. "Let me see where it's hurt."

It looked at his hand first, then at the flower stem, before finally moving half an inch aside.

The stem's skin had not broken, but a faint mark had been pressed into its middle. Yue Guan touched the soil, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"The soil is too sticky, and there are no holes in the bottom. It won't last seven days like this."

Rotom floated over. "You brought the third pot yourself, Rotom."

"I hadn't planned to raise it."

Flabébé immediately turned its head.

Yue Guan paused. "I do now."

Only then did it continue supporting the flower.

Indeedee took three empty pots from beneath the storage shelf. The first was traced with gold lines, the second was glossy white porcelain, and the third was a coarse clay pot commonly used in the backyard, with an old mud stain on its rim that would not wash off.

Yue Guan picked up the gold-lined pot first.

Flabébé glanced at it and did not move.

He switched to the white porcelain pot.

It continued holding up the pale yellow stem.

Xia Che yawned. "The third one."

"The third one is the most ordinary."

"It has holes."

Yue Guan turned the coarse clay pot over. Three drainage holes had been opened in its base, and its walls were more breathable as well. It truly suited the wildflowers before him best.

Flabébé patted the rim of the pot with its tiny hand.

"It knows how to choose a pot," Indeedee said softly.

Yue Guan put the gold-lined pot back. "Whether a flowerpot is suitable has never depended on its price."

"Who was it that refused to take the third one just now?" Xia Che asked.

"I was only comparing them."

Ghost stood to one side. "You compared twice and got it wrong both times."

Yue Guan turned back. "You're especially talkative today."

"Because you choose too slowly."

Indeedee had already spread out a waterproof cloth and placed the coarse clay pot in the middle. Yue Guan rolled up his sleeves and mixed the soil himself. He did not directly use the precious flower soil he had brought, only mixing in a small amount before adding decomposed soft soil from the backyard and fine stones.

Flabébé followed his hands with its eyes the entire time.

Whenever he added another handful of fine stones, it flew down to inspect the bottom of the pot. When he crumbled the clumped old soil, it drifted closer to smell it. Once the new pot was ready, it retreated into the air with its blue flower in its arms, completely giving up the space.

"The most important thing during transplanting is not to tear the fine roots," Yue Guan said.

Xia Che leaned against the counter. "Who are you teaching?"

"Anyone willing to listen can listen."

Pancham had already brought over a small stool and sat on it properly. Zorua had climbed onto the windowsill too, its tail hanging down behind it.

Yue Guan supported the old soil and removed several wildflowers with their roots intact. Their roots were as thin as threads and tangled around two small stones. He did not yank them free, instead using a wooden pick to pry the stones loose bit by bit before placing the intact clump of soil into the coarse clay pot.

Flabébé landed on the back of his hand, so light he could barely feel it.

"Stand steady," Yue Guan said.

It hugged its blue flower tightly and nodded seriously.

The new soil was slowly filled in, but the injured stem still leaned to one side. Yue Guan cut off a short piece of thin bamboo, intending to make it a support.

"String," he said.

Indeedee handed him soft string.

Yue Guan held the stem with one hand and wrapped the string with the other, but he could not get the final knot to sit properly. Flabébé flew closer, tucked its blue flower into the crook of its arm, and used its tiny hand to hold down the end of the string for him.

"Don't hurt yourself."

It glared at him and pressed down even more firmly.

Yue Guan had no choice but to speed up. The soft string wound around the bamboo strip at just the right tightness, without constricting the flower stem.

Once the knot was tied, Flabébé immediately let go and hugged its blue flower back to its chest.

Pancham clapped its paws twice on the stool.

Zorua used an illusion to create a row of blooming yellow flowers, spreading from the counter all the way to the entrance.

Yue Guan gave it a glance. "The number of petals is completely wrong."

The illusion instantly lost half its flowers.

"The color is too pale, too."

Zorua dismissed all the remaining flowers, turned, and jumped down from the windowsill.

"You scared off the audience," Xia Che said.

"I only told the truth."

Flabébé landed beside the new pot and reached out to touch the pale yellow petals. The stem was held firmly by the bamboo support and only trembled twice.

The leaves drooped slightly soon after the transplant.

Yue Guan reached for the small bottle he carried with him. It contained concentrated floral dew he usually used to tend rare flowers, and a rich fragrance spilled out as soon as he opened it.

Flabébé immediately flew in front of the bottle's mouth, hugging its blue flower and shaking its head hard.

"Just one drop," Yue Guan said.

It continued blocking him.

Indeedee brought over half a bowl of clear water, then pulled a thin gauze curtain across the window. The sunlight dimmed, and the disturbed leaves no longer continued to wilt.

Yue Guan looked at the water, then at his floral dew. "This is very good for Golden Chrysanthemum."

"The pale yellow flowers are not Golden Chrysanthemum," Ghost said.

"I know."

"You took the wrong one."

Yue Guan put away the small bottle. "I was only preparing."

Xia Che turned over an hourglass. "Wait for it to recover first."

"What if it's still drooping after a quarter of an hour?"

"Then we'll see."

"How much longer will we watch?"

"We'll see how long you can stay quiet."

Yue Guan folded his arms and sat by the window. At first, he checked the leaves every few breaths. Later, he simply turned his chair around to face the coarse clay pot directly.

Flabébé also sat on the rim of the pot. It hugged its blue flower and occasionally reached out to touch the pale yellow leaves, its movements very gentle.

One large and one small watched the same pot of flowers. Neither said a word.

When the hourglass was half empty, the front hall door opened. Cold wind poured down the corridor, and the pale yellow flowers immediately swayed.

Yue Guan lifted a hand, moving the windscreen by the window to where the draft came through the door. He did not move the flowerpot, lest the roots that had just settled be disturbed again.

Flabébé looked up at him.

"The wind is too direct," Yue Guan explained.

It nodded.

By the time the final grain of sand fell, the drooping leaf tips had lifted again. The injured stem rested against the bamboo support, and its flower had returned to its original direction.

Yue Guan relaxed his tightly folded arms. "The roots weren't hurt."

"You were worried just now?" Xia Che asked.

"Once a flower reaches my hands, naturally I can't let it die."

"Even one dug up from the roadside counts?"

Yue Guan looked at the pale yellow flowers. "Once it enters my pot, it counts."

Flabébé let out a cheerful cry and flew before him with its blue flower in its arms. It did not land, only circled his wrist once, as though reassessing whether these hands were worthy of trust.

It turned toward Yue Guan, its cry much clearer than yesterday.

Yue Guan's expression softened, and he raised his hand to let it stand in his palm.

Flabébé flew forward a little, then stopped.

It looked back at the pot of flowers that had just been transplanted.

"Can't bear to leave them?" Yue Guan asked.

It nodded.

"I can take the flowers to my flower garden. There's a greenhouse there, with sunlight even in winter."

Flabébé did not agree immediately.

Yue Guan thought for a moment, then added, "This pot will be placed where you can see it. No one will pull it out."

"What about Golden Chrysanthemum?" Ghost asked.

"It will stay in the main garden as usual."

Flabébé flew over to Golden Chrysanthemum, inspected its leaves, then turned toward the white flower bud. Only then did it return above the coarse clay pot and extend its hand toward Yue Guan.

Yue Guan spread his palm flat.

Flabébé landed lightly on it, but stayed for only three breaths. It quickly flew back to its blue flower, keeping a distance that allowed it to leave at any moment.

"Three breaths," Rotom recorded.

"You don't have to report it every time."

"Yesterday, you requested complete records, Rotom."

"Starting today, some parts may be omitted."

Xia Che brought over a small card and drew an old clay pot after the flower. "Get along for two days first."

Yue Guan took the card. "Only two days?"

"If you think it's too short, we can add more."

"Two days is just right."

Indeedee placed another small bill beneath the card.

The coarse clay pot, fine stones, soft string, and flower soil each occupied a line. At the bottom was also a thin bamboo strip, priced at only one Copper Soul Coin.

Yue Guan picked up the bill. "This old pot costs money too?"

Indeedee pointed to the three intact drainage holes at its base.

"There's mud on the rim, too."

Xia Che said, "We didn't charge for the mud stain."

Ghost added from the side, "The gold-lined pot costs more."

"I never said I wanted to switch." Yue Guan took out the money, then paused when he counted to the last Copper Soul Coin. "The bamboo strip was cut from the backyard."

"Scissors wear down," Xia Che said.

"You're quite the businessman."

"Indeedee set the price."

Indeedee put away the money and gave him a small packet of spare soft string as well. Seeing the extra string, Yue Guan finally stopped arguing over that Copper Soul Coin.

He picked up the coarse clay pot. This time, he walked very slowly. Flabébé followed beside the pot and no longer tugged at the flower stem.

At the entrance, it suddenly stopped and looked back toward the flower room.

Its blue flower remained in its arms, while Yue Guan held the pale yellow wildflowers steady. It looked back and forth several times, but in the end, it did not leave the shop with Yue Guan. It flew back alone to the soft cushion by the window.

Yue Guan did not urge it either. "I'll bring the flowers tomorrow."

Flabébé waved its tiny hand at him.

Ghost watched Yue Guan leave and was about to head to the dark room when a small piece of dried Berry suddenly rolled down the corridor.

That was the portion he had left for Duskull yesterday.

The dried Berry stopped before the storeroom door. In the darkness beyond the crack, a point of red light slowly lit up.

Ghost looked toward Xia Che.

Xia Che sat back behind the counter. "Looks like it wants to meet you somewhere else today."