A Young Woman's Heart

The date was Sunday, May 13, 2001.

This day is also Mother's Day.

When Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan returned to the shop, it was already noon.

My father is not in the shop.

Logically speaking, even if the house is being renovated, he should still be there during such a busy holiday.

In fact, only my mother was in the store today.

As soon as they returned to the store, before they could even greet anyone, Li Wanyan quickly started helping to serve the customers. Even Mo Xueyao, who usually liked to slack off, didn't have time to be idle.

Mother's Day, a day that's neither too big nor too small.

The presence of a cancer hospital on the mountain has kept this small fruit shop extremely busy.

There were many potted plants displayed at the entrance of the shop, which looked like the goods that the father had brought in that morning. For thrifty mothers, this was a practical and touching gift.

"Boss—there are so many potted plants..."

“These are all five yuan a pot,” Mo Xueyao answered quickly. She had already asked her mother about the price, so she answered with great fluency.

"That's too expensive! Five yuan for such a small potted plant? Five yuan, I'll take two pots with me." A middle-aged woman with thin lips bargained with her hands on her hips.

"Our wholesale price is four yuan, we're really only making one yuan profit from you." Mo Xueyao put on a 'sincere' expression, something she learned from her father. In fact, the wholesale price of this thing was only one yuan...

"Haha, little girl, you're such a good liar! This thing costs four yuan to buy?"

“Really?” Mo Xueyao said with a serious expression. “Look, these are all flowers that are about to bloom. Although they haven’t bloomed yet, they will bloom after a few days of care. This is definitely the best gift for my mother.”

"How about this, I'll take two pots for nine yuan, and you'll make a yuan profit. In fact, you'll definitely make more than that."

“Just one yuan…” Mo Xueyao hesitated.

The mother looked over and said, "Alright, alright, take it for nine yuan. It's just a small purchase, it doesn't really make much money."

"Next time, it'll be business!"

"Yes, please come again next time."

"no problem!"

Both sides were essentially making empty promises, but the deal was still completed anyway.

Before she could even say a word to Mo Xueyao, her mother was busy arranging flowers again.

After her father left the shop, this important task fell to her mother.

Although it may be slow to get started at first, over time, a woman's advantages become apparent: she has enough patience and stability.

This means that the quality of the finished products made each day is roughly the same, unlike my father, whose quality fluctuates.

When he's in a good mood, people will buy it without even haggling. But when he's not in a good mood, he has to lie and say it's his wife's trial work, and he can give the customer a slight discount...

At 2 p.m., things finally calmed down a little. The mother leaned wearily against the table. Just a moment ago she was chatting with customers, but now she looked like she hadn't slept for three days and three nights. She sat in the chair and almost fell asleep within seconds.

"Mom? Why did you fall asleep so quickly today?"

"I'm tired... Yaoyao." Her mother, unusually, didn't scold her. "You and Yanyan watch the shop, Mom will take a nap."

"Oh..." Mo Xueyao felt that her mother's cheeks were flushed with an abnormal red glow, as if she had a fever. She couldn't help but put her hand on her mother's forehead to feel it, and it did seem to be slightly hot.

"She has a fever." Li Wanyan could tell her mother's condition almost immediately.

"Huh? Why do you have a fever?"

"I guess I've been too tired these past few days."

The mother squinted and replied weakly, "I'll be fine after a nap. You two keep an eye on the shop..."

"What if someone wants to buy a fruit basket?"

"Buy it ready-made..."

"Does it have to be custom-made?"

"Let Yan Yan try..." The mother's voice grew weaker and weaker, as if she was really too weak to speak.

Su Tang jumped into her arms, and surprisingly, she didn't chase her away today.

The streetlights across from the shop turned on and then off, apparently because the bulbs had blown out due to prolonged use.

After several cycles of light and shadow, it finally returned to deathly silence.

Although the streetlights next to it were trying their best, they still couldn't shine their light on the area 'controlled' by the extinguished streetlight.

Pedestrians walking on the street move along the boundary between darkness and light, sometimes in the dark and sometimes in the light.

"what……!"

In Mo Xueyao's memory, her mother seemed to have just fallen asleep, but that was at noon, while now it was already evening.

"Awake? Time to eat." Her mother's voice came from beside her.

"Mom, are you no longer running a fever?" Before Mo Xueyao could finish speaking, she saw her mother, pale-faced, walk over with a whole bowl of egg drop soup and slowly place it on the folding table.

"It's nothing serious, I'll just take another nap later."

For the mother, it seemed that no illness could be cured by sleeping it off.

Whether it's a cold and fever, or a toothache and stomachache...

Such a pale face has actually appeared many times in my memory.

Before she could think much about it, she smelled the enticing aroma of braised pork. For her, who hadn't eaten anything for lunch, it was the biggest temptation in the world at that moment.

It could even be said that there is no other like it.

She quickly picked up her chopsticks, intending to pick up a piece and put it in her mouth.

In my imagination, the crispy, soft, and slightly sweet taste is already filling my mouth.

But as if I were hallucinating, I heard my mother's scolding voice ringing in my mind.

"Ah! I didn't eat!" she cried out in a panic, almost as an instinctive reaction.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Her mother shoved a bowl of rice in front of her, while Li Wanyan herself held a bowl in her hands.

"Huh? Ah... Mom, didn't you say anything just now?"

What did I say?

"It seems like they didn't say that..."

"Eat quickly, I'm tired today. There shouldn't be any flower wrapping business tonight. You two keep an eye on things. If you get sleepy, you can close at ten o'clock."

"how about you?"

"I'm going to sleep in a bit..."

"Still not enough sleep?"

"I'm tired. Your mother isn't your father, she's not always so energetic."

"Wow, Mom, you can use idioms now?"

"What, you really think your mom has no learning ability? If your grandpa hadn't stopped me from studying back then, I would have been a college student long ago!"

My mother always liked to bring up how she got perfect scores on every test in first and second grade—even though she only actually finished second grade...

My mother didn't eat much for lunch. She just washed her feet and wiped her face before lying down on the recliner.

A blanket was draped over her, but she seemed quite cold even in the sweltering summer heat.

"Why cook dinner when you're so tired? Can't you let Wanyan do it?" Mo Xueyao muttered under her breath.

Li Wanyan, who had taken over from her mother and was washing dishes, pursed her lips slightly: "As a mother, no one can bear to pity their own child... as long as they can still do it."

"Hello, do you still have Mother's Day cards for sale?" A middle school student rushed into the store and asked anxiously.

The backpack on his back suggested that he had probably just finished evening self-study.

"Yes," Li Wanyan replied casually, wiping her hands on her apron before picking up the greeting card placed at the shop entrance.

Don't assume that flower and fruit shops only sell fruits and flowers; these little trinkets sell quite well during holidays.

When business is good, making a hundred yuan is not a problem.

Keep in mind, this was 100 yuan in 2001.

"How many……?"

"piece."

"Which one can make a sound?"

Two pieces.

"I'll buy this!"

The boy bought the greeting card and was about to leave when he was drawn to the flowers. He hesitated and slowed his pace.

"Uh... how much would it cost to buy a single flower?" he asked tentatively, touching his pocket.

"That depends on what you buy," Mo Xueyao replied quickly.

What do people usually give as a Mother's Day gift?

"Carnations, please."

“Or the forget-me-not,” Li Wanyan added. “The forget-me-not is a flower that filial sons used to give to their mothers in ancient times.”

How much do carnations cost?

"Two cents a flower."

"Where's the forget-me-not?"

"Four corners".

The boy hesitated, then pulled out his last one-yuan bill: "Uh... then... then give me three carnations and one forget-me-not...?"

"can."

Does the wrapping paper cost money?

Li Wanyan was about to speak, but Mo Xueyao interrupted her, saying, "No problem, consider this a gift for you!"