Today’s second night watch and third watch around 3 o’clock, calling for various supports, will strive for a fourth watch
Zhuo Feng bowed his head in silence, while Xiao Xian asked softly, "Mr. Bai, was your spouse a fellow disciple from the Plum, Orchid, Pine, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum group?"
"You’re quite astute, little girl. Yes, she was my fellow disciple, named Mei Xiang. We entered the sect together. Even though she looked younger, she insisted she was older and forcefully became my senior sister," Bai Juyi said, his eyes misting over with a confused haze.
Back in their youth, the five young men and women who went to Yunnan to study were named after the Plum, Orchid, Pine, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum, not randomly indeed; except for the two who gave up halfway, the names they got were usually what they excelled at in terms of crops.
"But Mr. Bai, there aren’t many chrysanthemums in your home, just a single Bi Ju," Xiao Xian wouldn’t have known Bai Juyi liked to plant chrysanthemums if she couldn’t discern the nuances of the plants.
"It’s only a Bi Ju because she didn’t like chrysanthemums, said they were only used in funerals and brought bad luck. Despite Mei Xiang was fearless, she couldn’t stand the sight of life’s inevitable decay and death. She would cry at the mere sight of it. I stopped planting chrysanthemums because it saddened her," hearing this, both Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng were touched. For a gardener who had spent his life gardening, growing his strongest plant was indeed the best.
"But Master Bai, your spouse has been deceased for many years, you no longer need to consider her preferences," Zhuo Feng, seeing Bai Juyi in a new light, realized that even this reclusive old man was deeply emotional; only someone like Zhuo Feng who had experienced love and marriage could understand how hard it is for a man to change his preferences.
Bai Juyi did not speak, only sighed.
Xiao Xian, who had been listening to their conversation, sensed something was amiss. First, the old man’s house, then the scissors and pots he used. Besides these, did the old man forget something important, something missing?
Alive, one must be seen; dead, one’s body must be shown. There were no ceremonial utensils in Mr. Bai’s home, not just utensils, but also no photos or any items. He loved his wife so much, yet why were there no keepsakes to remember her by, only keeping those few scissors and pots, and even a daffodil bulb that seemed unnoticeable.
"She didn’t die; she just ran away from home," said Bai Juyi after much resolve.
"Not dead? How is that possible, wasn’t it always said that you are..." the words "widower" were swallowed back by Zhuo Feng.
"People all say my spouse died early; that’s what I deliberately told everyone." Over thirty years after studying in Yunnan, Bai Juyi and Mei Xiang had their lifelong vows set; they planned to travel across the country to see all sorts of exotic flowers and plants for three years, from the south to the north.
In the snowy North Country, they registered their marriage. That year, Bai Juyi was twenty-eight, and Mei Xiang was twenty-five. After registration, on the suggestion of Bai Juyi’s sister who lived in Beijing, they settled down in Beijing because the northern climate, cold and dry, was perfect for growing plum blossoms.
"We bought some land on the outskirts of Beijing, built a house ourselves. Every morning, I would go to the city to arrange and design plants for several parks, while she stayed at home to grow and sell flower seedlings. We lived together happily for another three years." Those three years, initially blissful, Bai Juyi ignored his sister’s dissatisfaction with Mei Xiang for not having children, they were content. About two and a half years later, his sister fell ill, and Bai Juyi quit his job to stay by her side in the hospital. Despite his thorough care, his sister passed away within six months.
For some reason, while Bai Juyi was organizing his sister’s funeral, Mei Xiang unreasonably lost her temper. On the day of the funeral, in front of all the guests, she accused Bai Juyi of using the flowers she detested the most.
"That day, while I was still immersed in the sorrow of my sister’s passing, I called her unreasonable. After slapping her, Mei Xiang left, and I didn’t expect that she would run away from home that night. She took all her photos and luggage with her, including our marriage certificate. When I returned home, all I found was the scissors she used to prune the plum branches, this daffodil bulb, and the flower pot. I thought I knew her well, but I never realized that her favorite wasn’t the plum blossom, but the daffodil," Bai Juyi finished, unable to hold back his tears.