Bi Shenghua stood under the old willow tree.
The willow branches on the tree seemed to have more vitality than in previous years, long enough to almost touch the ground, forming a green curtain in front of her.
Through the curtain, Liuying Lane became blurred in sight, like a hazy and ancient painting.
She reached out and plucked each willow branch in the curtain, like plucking the strings of a pipa. The strings were silent, but the newly sprouted buds on them came to life, popping and releasing their fresh green shoots.
Her hand suddenly stopped, grasping one of the branches. This branch was the same length as the others, but when she lifted it up, she could see the rough break at the tip.
That was the branch she had broken; the broken branch has vanished to who-knows-where.
The injured branch grew even stronger, eventually making up for its shortness and drooping to the ground like the other branches. However, no matter how it tried to cover it up, the wound remained and was difficult to heal completely.
She gently lowered her hand, let out a long sigh, and stepped out of the green curtain of trees.
Without the curtains to obscure the view, Liuying Lane became clearly visible. The gray walls were covered with black mold spots from the rain, the eaves were missing a few corners, the street was deserted, not a soul in sight, the shop doors were all closed, and the word "demolish" was painted in large red on the doors and walls.
The renovation plan for Liuying Lane was approved a few months ago, and the demolition mobilization work went smoothly with almost no resistance. This was partly due to Hu Xing's efforts, as she invested sufficient financial resources and energy into the project; on the other hand, the renovation of Liuying Lane had been dragging on for so many years, going back and forth several times, and everyone was afraid that the matter would fall through again if it dragged on any longer, so they couldn't wait to sign off.
Of course, there were some holdouts, but with Hu Xing's money and the persuasive words of Director Liu from the neighborhood committee, their defenses quickly crumbled. There were one or two really stubborn ones, and in the end, Huang Ziqiang had to step in and resolve the situation.
The renovation plan was devised by experts invited by Hu Xing, but it was Bi Shenghua who oversaw its approval.
To fund this project, Hu Xing used the Xia Family's name to enlist several of their companies and jointly established a new company, in which Bi Shenghua also became a shareholder, making her the actual participant and controller of the project.
In this respect, Bi Shenghua is very grateful to Hu Xing. Because if this approach hadn't been taken, even if the Mulberry Garden project had been approved, its future outcome would have been uncertain.
Besides Hu Xing, she also had someone to thank— Meimei's mother, Xia Xiaoxiao, also known as Situ Yuli. That day Situ Yuli suddenly found her and gave her a huge sum of money that she had never dared to dream of before. She said that Meimei's father had left Meimei a lot of wealth, some of which had already been transferred to China. He had entrusted lawyers to handle the overseas assets, while the domestic assets, due to systemic issues, needed to be managed and kept by a trustworthy person. After much consideration, she found Bi Shenghua.
Bi Shenghua asked her why she didn't look for someone from the Xia Family. The Xia Family was obviously more suitable in terms of business operation and management, and Xia Wenyuan was Meimei's maternal grandfather. Theoretically, the Xia Family should be more trustworthy for her.
Xia Xiaoxiao said this was Situ's money, and she couldn't give all the money her husband left for their daughter to her family. Bi Shenghua was Meimei's godmother, and given Situ's trust in Qingmu, she felt it was the perfect choice. In addition, she also learned about the renovation of Liuying Lane, which was exactly when Bi Shenghua needed the money.
Bi Shenghua laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll lose all the money? This is a money-losing project." Xia Xiaoxiao said, "With Hu Xing involved, this project won't lose much money. It's Hu Xing's first time really getting into business, and her mother and the Xia Family will find ways to help her."
Bi Shenghua felt something was off and asked her why she suddenly made this decision. Xia Xiaoxiao smiled and said that she had actually decided on it a long time ago. She originally wanted to hand it over to Qingmu, but she got busy and forgot. Then Qingmu left, and it was delayed until now. She also said that she was going on a long trip and asked Bi Shenghua to visit Meimei more often, just like she would her own daughter.
Bi Shenghua felt that Xia Xiaoxiao was making her final arrangements, but she didn't want to ask too many questions, so she just agreed. Later, Hu Xing came to see her, helped her sort out her assets, and then discussed a joint venture plan.
Thus, Bi Shenghua went from being a bar owner to the behind-the-scenes boss of an investment company. Apart from Hu Xing, no one knew how she accomplished this transformation. For example, Huang Ziqiang, who was also a participant in the project, naturally had to contact the major shareholders. He wasn't surprised at all by Hu Xing's side, after all, she was backed by the Xia Family's background. However, the appearance of another investment company surprised him greatly.
He had heard of the company's name and knew it was a very powerful company in the Qiantang Nuanzhou, but the Xia Family's projects in the Three Wu region had always been impenetrable. When he learned that the company's boss was actually Bi Shenghua, he was quite shocked.
He was once again grateful for the decision he had made. If there was anyone behind Bi Shenghua, it was only Qingmu. He still didn't know exactly who Qingmu was. The Xia Family Three Wu and the Hong Family of North America all treated this person differently, and even Huang Ziqiang had benefited greatly in business because of his acquaintance with Qingmu. Qingmu had been missing for more than two years, but Huang Ziqiang could still feel that this person's influence was still there and had not disappeared with time.
Of course, most people wouldn't notice the changes in Bi Shenghua, because she still dressed like a tomboy and lived in the dilapidated Liuying Lane.
The bar naturally closed down. Xiao Qi and Mo Yu found a shop on a busy street next door to open a new bar. They didn't have enough money, so they asked Bi Shenghua to invest. Bi Shenghua said that investing was not an option, but she could lend them money. She took out all of her demolition compensation money and lent it to them, on the condition that all the original bar employees had to be brought over and that none of them could be laid off.
Xiao Qi and Mo Yu knew that Bi Shenghua was reluctant to leave Liuying Lane and the old willow tree, so they didn't force her. However, they still treated her as the proprietress and would come back to visit from time to time to report on the operation of the new bar.
Apart from them, few people come to Liuying Lane anymore. The once bustling and narrow lane looks deserted and dilapidated, with only the old willow tree still sprouting new green leaves, waiting for the swallows to return in the spring breeze.
Bi Shenghua emerged from under the willow tree, walking briskly down the deserted street. She'd recently taken a liking to wearing slippers; slippers were comfortable, and since there was nobody on the street now, it didn't matter what she wore.
The entrance to Ruhua Bar is still there, with a large "Demolish" sign next to it. Originally, she didn't want it demolished, but after discussing it with Hu Xing and several experts, she still felt it was better to demolish it. This location is in the very center of Mulberry Garden. According to her grandfather's description, there used to be a small lake here, and the willow tree was planted by the lake. Later, after the big mulberry tree was burned down, her great-grandfather transplanted the willow tree to the original location of the mulberry tree.
She went to the back door, moved the flowerpot by the door, took the key from the bottom of the pot, opened the door, went inside, and went up to the second floor. The couplet at the entrance of Divine Crow Studio was still there:
A withered tree comes back to life, and flowers bloom unseen in a humble alley.
A caged bird longs for its nest; it sweeps and cleans the old nest, awaiting its beloved's return.
A swallow's nest has appeared under the eaves of the second-floor veranda. It was built last year, and the swallows have returned this year. But it's going to be demolished soon; after that, the swallows won't be able to find their home, will they?
Fortunately, there was still that old willow tree. As long as that tree was there, he would definitely know the way home.
The mother swallow returned and flew into the nest, where the baby swallows chirped and opened their beaks. She remembered the Crow opening its beak, waiting for Qingmu to feed it meat.
The swallows soon flew away again, skimming over the tops of the old willow trees in the distance.
A person had appeared under the tree at some point, wearing a trench coat and a hood, completely covering himself, and seemed to be holding a piece of paper in his hand. He looked at the tree, then glanced in the direction of the bar, as if comparing something with the piece of paper in his hand.
Bi Shenghua felt something was off, so she decided to go downstairs to ask. However, when she got to the street, the person was already gone, and a photograph lay under the willow tree.
She picked it up and found it was a very old photograph. The photograph showed a young couple standing under a very thick old mulberry tree. The mulberry tree was lush and gnarled, and in the top corner of the photograph was a wing-shaped patch of black, resembling the wings of a large bird.
Bi Shenghua's heart pounded the moment she saw the man's face in the photo. She turned the photo over and saw a line of words faintly visible on the back:
Huasheng Sang and Cuan Yifang, photographed in the Mulberry Garden, 1931.