The glasshouse extension was all aglow, its glass sparkling and transparent, a cluster of fresh flowers displayed upon the walnut long table, complemented by the slightly intoxicating sunlight of a late autumn afternoon.
Tang Li stood at one end of the long table.
In her hand, she held a pair of scissors, lightly snipping at the stem of a lily.
Delicate stems fell onto the pile of bouquets on the table.
Tang Li had already placed the lilies into a broad, round glass vase, and as she slightly bowed her head, the hair previously pinned behind her ears fell in loose tufts, with sunlight shining from behind her, illuminating her profile and the skin on her neck with a lustrous, translucent whiteness.
Lai Wenyan was a northerner, and Tang Li had inherited his distinct facial features.
But in terms of temperament, she closely resembled the young Tang Yin.
When Tang Li focused on flower arranging, her eyelashes demurely lowered, like a butterfly alighting on the branches, she unfolded gracefully amidst the tranquil interplay of light and shadow like a blooming lotus.
Song Baiyan paused in the hallway corridor, observing Tang Li in such a manner, and for the first time clearly recognized that the girl who once loved to run barefooted on the damp earth of Diannan had truly grown up.
The little girl, who eight years ago reached merely to his chest, had now grown tall and graceful.
Her gentle and serene demeanor of today was a far cry from the past, when she would carry a bamboo basket in one hand and lead a sleek, black mutt in the other, all the while grinning and "threatening" him to train her family dog into a military hound or else no food for him; her wheat-colored face, with that pair of seemingly water-carved eyes, was always so innocently clean, forever seeming so happy and joyous.
Years later, upon their reunion at the Lai family’s home, Tang Li did not recognize him. The moment she saw him, her eyes held trepidation but not the surprise of familiar remembrance.
Thinking about it more carefully, it was actually quite normal.
Although they had spent the better part of a month together, she was very young at the time and soon after he left, she and her mother moved away from that small village. After several years of moving around, forgetting was not strange at all.
By Song Baiyan’s side stood Wong Yangming, who patted his shoulder.
The professor with the rank of a young general made a "do not disturb" gesture.
Seeing that the flower arranging would take some time, Song Baiyan and Wong Yangming returned to the study, where they set up the chessboard for another game.
In about 20 minutes, Tang Li had tidied up all the flowers on the table.
During this process, she briefly explained the key points to consider while arranging flowers.
Gao Wenlan, feeling like someone who has just cleared the fog to see the blue sky, admired the three beautifully arranged vases. Her mood brightened when looking back at Tang Li, finding the young girl much more pleasant to the eye, especially seeing how Tang Li also tidied up the table. Gao Wenlan felt even more comfortable, "Leave it there, the auntie will come to clean up later."
"It’s no trouble at all," said Tang Li, as she discarded the leftover branches and leaves into the trash.
Noticing the book "Original Sin" still on the windowsill, she picked it up, "Where should I put this book?"
Gao Wenlan pointed to a spot nonchalantly.
Before placing the book down, Tang Li flipped open the front page for a glance.
Then, she realized it was an autographed copy.
Somehow, Gao Wenlan had already walked up behind Tang Li. Seeing her looking at the signature, she asked, "Would you autographed book?"
"You’re a young person; you should know that ’Original Sin’ is being made into a movie. This novel is a sample copy of the new edition and is actually out of print. Once the fifty thousand copies are sold, there will no longer be any physical copies of ’Original Sin’ available on the market."
Having said that, Gao Wenlan straightened her back more defiantly, adjusting her glasses with a reserved pride, "I’m someone who really dislikes taking advantage of others. Since you are not Li Yuan’s floral artist, if you like the book, take it with you. Consider it your payment."