Volume 1 / Chapter 74: The Fruit Shop’s Grand Opening

October 24, 1999 — Sunday.

It was a cloudless day, the sky a pristine blue. A bright, blazing sun shone overhead, warming up the cooling autumn air and bringing a sudden burst of heat back into the streets.

On the sidewalks, some passersby were back in short sleeves, while others had already bundled up in down jackets. It was as if they lived in entirely different seasons.

Today was the grand opening of the fruit shop. Even their mother had taken the day off to help. She and their father had gone to the store early in the morning.

Mò Xuěyáo and Lǐ Wǎnyán got a slightly later start, but by 7:00 a.m., they were already on a bus headed to the shop.

By early morning, a variety of tall flower stands were already lined up outside the store entrance, each adorned with nearly identical congratulatory messages and floral arrangements that looked suspiciously like they’d all come from the same florist.

“These flower arrangements look pretty basic…” Mò Xuěyáo muttered, standing in front of the shop.

“Ahem, I did all of them,” said her father with a glare. “I thought they came out alright.”

“…You really think they’ll sell?” Mò Xuěyáo curled her lips.

Of course, she was just teasing her dad. While the arrangements weren’t exactly high-end, they were still decent enough to pass. And once he got more practice, his technique would naturally improve. It was the kind of skill that developed over time.

The fruit shop looked far more stocked than it had the day before. The counters were now filled with a wide variety of fruits — colorful and neatly arranged.

On the left side near the wall hung several conical plastic buckets, each stuffed with different kinds of fresh flowers. Many of them, Mò Xuěyáo had never seen before.

“What’s this one?”

“That’s Baby’s Breath,” her dad replied.

“And this one?”

“That’s Anthurium.”

“This one looks like a fake flower…” Mò Xuěyáo pinched the thick red petal. “It’s so stiff.”

“That’s how this flower is.”

“What about the big bunch of white flowers on top?”

“That’s a lily. You don’t even recognize that?”

“I haven’t seen it much!” Mò Xuěyáo rolled her eyes. “I’ll learn eventually.”

“It smells really nice here,” Lǐ Wǎnyán said softly, standing beside her. “It’s all the flowers.”

“Haha, want one?” her father grinned, picking through the rack. “Let me give you a lily. Lilies symbolize purity — like a young maiden.”

“Mm.”

“Hold on, I’ll wrap it for you.” He grabbed a sheet of cellophane wrapping paper from the nearby table and, though clearly a bit clumsy, wrapped the flower a few times and added some delicate greenery for decoration before gently placing the lily inside.

“Here — this one’s for you. A pure water lily.”

“Thank you.”

“Xuěyáo, want one too?” he turned to his daughter.

“I’m not interested in this kind of stuff.” Mò Xuěyáo practically wore the words “I’m a boy, I don’t like flowers” on her face.

Of course, only someone who knew she had once been a boy would understand the look in her eyes.

“Fine, fine, have it your way.” Her father rolled his eyes — just as a Santana pulled up outside the shop.

“Alì! This shop looks pretty good, eh?” Yú Liáng got out of the car alone. Since traffic wasn’t too heavy in the area, he’d just parked along the curb and walked over casually, clapping a hand on her father’s shoulder.

“Not bad,” her father nodded.

No other friends had shown up yet, but the row of flower stands was already in place. That was the advantage of running a fruit-and-flower shop — the congratulatory bouquets for your own grand opening could just be made in-house.

Saved a good bit of money that way.

“Looks like I’m the first to arrive?”

“Yeah, the others will be here later.” Her father pulled a hard-pack of Liqun cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Yú Liáng.

Yú Liáng took it smoothly and lit it using her father’s lighter.

“Well, well, the man’s becoming a real boss — even smokes the fancy stuff now, huh?”

“Oh come on, I hardly ever smoke. Just got these to hand out.”

“Passing out Liqun? Not bad.” Yú Liáng smirked and went back to his car, pulling out a full carton of Chunghwa. “Someone gave me these. Use them for your guests.”

“Whoa, that’s generous of you!”

“Nah, I’m just a government clerk. You’re the real boss here.”

“No one’s giving me gifts.”

“Well, I just did, didn’t I?” Yú Liáng laughed, turning his gaze to Mò Xuěyáo and Lǐ Wǎnyán. “Is this one of Xuěyáo’s classmates?”

“Yeah, she’s staying with us for now,” her father replied, then introduced them. “Wǎnyán, this is Xuěyáo’s godfather.”

“Hello, Uncle,” Lǐ Wǎnyán greeted politely.

“Godfather, you came alone?”

“Yeah. Your godmother and god-sister are still sleeping. They were up late last night,” he chuckled. “They’ll probably walk over later.”

“Oh, I see…”

“By the way, Alì, since this is your grand opening, let me give you a red envelope.” Yú Liáng pulled out a fat red envelope from his pocket.

But her father quickly waved it off. “Come on, Liáng, what are you doing? No need to be so formal between us.”

“Hey now — this is tradition, right? Courtesy and all.”

“You’ve already given us so much. We haven’t even reciprocated yet.”

“Pfft, what I gave before doesn’t count. This is the actual gift.” Yú Liáng insisted, pressing the envelope forward. “Don’t be difficult. Just take it. My family’s not hurting for money. It’s just a gesture of goodwill — and it’s not even much.”

“You’re kidding. This feels like at least two thousand yuan. That’s not nothing!”

“I’m serious — it’s not a lot. You’re gonna need it for the business.”

“No way, no way. Really, you’re making us feel bad,” her mother chimed in. “We can’t accept this.”

“C’mon, if I move into a new house later or throw a big event, you’ll have to return the favor, right? That’s just how it works. Stop being so shy.” Her godfather smirked, then shoved the red envelope into Mò Xuěyáo’s hands. “Here, you hold it for your parents.”

“Uh…” Mò Xuěyáo stood frozen for a moment, unsure what to do.

Her father tried to protest again, but Yú Liáng changed the subject: “Hey, now that you’ve got this shop, shouldn’t you get yourself a van too?”

“Maybe once we start making money. Right now, we’re just having stuff delivered by tricycles — besides, I haven’t even gotten a driver’s license yet,” her father replied.

“Getting a license is easy. I’ll hook you up with a driving coach. Just pay the fee, and they’ll make sure you pass.” Yú Liáng took out his phone and rattled off a number. “When you’re ready, just tell him Yú Liáng sent you.”

“Alright.” Her father nodded. “Having our own van would definitely save on delivery costs. Plus, we could use it for other errands too.”

Just then, the rest of the guests began to arrive one by one.

Her father pulled Mò Xuěyáo aside and had her greet each one.

Some were tángge, some were bófù, some jiùjiu. As for her maternal relatives, there was no need to ask how to address them — she’d known them all for years.

[ In Chinese culture paternal (father’s) relatives and maternal (mother's) relatives are addressed with specific titles like bófù( father’s brother ) and jiùjiu ( mother's brother)]

Having grown up in Hangzhou, Mò Xuěyáo had visited her maternal grandparents far more often than her father’s family in the countryside.

As more and more people arrived, the store became lively and bustling.

Everyone brought red envelopes, though none were as hefty as her godfather’s.

Later, Mò Xuěyáo snuck a peek and counted the money: a full 2,000 yuan. In this era, that was a huge amount.

“Your godfather’s loaded — and generous too,” Lǐ Wǎnyán said, a little envious.

“Well, he’s always been close to our family.” Mò Xuěyáo grinned, a note of pride in her voice — and unconsciously, a hint of girlish affection slipped in too.

“So nice.” Lǐ Wǎnyán gently stroked her silky black hair. “It feels like everyone around you is so kind.”

“Cough… It’s not that special… Doesn’t the same go for you, class monitor?”

“No.”

“There has to be someone kind?”

“Very few.”

“Don’t I count?”

“Of course you do.” Since coming to stay with Mò Xuěyáo’s family, the class monitor’s once-stiff expression now carried the faintest trace of a smile.

Subtle, but clear — she was in a much better mood than before.

Meanwhile, Mò Xuěyáo’s parents were busy packing fruit gift boxes for the relatives and friends who came to celebrate.

Then finally, the shop’s very first real customer arrived.

“Hello, what would you like?” A whole group rushed forward to greet her, nearly startling the middle-aged woman.

“Whoa—scared me!” she laughed. “Sorry, sorry. What were you looking for?” her father asked quickly.

“You guys sure have a crowd here.”

“Just friends and family, here to help out on opening day.”

“Oh? Do you have any grand opening deals?”

“Of course. What are you interested in?”

“How much are these bananas?”

“They’re a bit green, freshly stocked. Let them ripen a bit at home and they’ll be sweet, I guarantee it.” Her father gave a full pitch, then smiled. “Since you’re our first official customer, if you buy anything else today, I’ll throw in a bunch of these bananas for free!”

“Anything? No matter how much I buy?”

“Exactly! You’re our first — let’s start with some good luck.” He laughed heartily. Though born in the south, he had the cheerful boldness of a northerner.

“Well then, let me take a look…”

“Sure, take your time.”

Not long after, a tricycle pulled up in front of the shop, carrying several pieces of second-hand furniture.

“You the ones who bought furniture?”

“Yup, that’s us. Help us bring it in,” their mother said. Her father was still busy with the floral displays.

“All secondhand from the market — hope you don’t mind,” he said to Lǐ Wǎnyán, glancing up.

“Not at all. Secondhand’s great. Saves money,” she replied, eyes full of anticipation as the items were moved inside.

There was a small wardrobe; a school desk identical to the ones in their classroom, complete with storage space underneath; a matching school chair; a little bookshelf for odds and ends; and a nightstand — old, but in decent shape.

Everything one might need for a bedroom was all there.

Mò Xuěyáo glanced over at Lǐ Wǎnyán and noticed the sparkle in her eyes. After a long pause, she took a deep breath and said earnestly:

“Thank you.”