Maiden's Stamen Part 1

Wu Xuan's recovery speed was astonishingly fast. If it weren't for the lingering marks of injury on his head, his appearance was almost no different from usual. His complexion and spirit were even better than before he was injured.

"Maybe the hospital food is good?"

Wu Xuan joked in a reasonably good mood. Compared to his previous polite and scrutinizing gazes when he saw Yin Yan, this time his eyes were full of smiles and warmth, and he had an air of friendliness. He said, "Thanks for the car accident thing. And last time at the roast duck restaurant, I was supposed to treat you to a meal, but it got delayed. By the way, did you change your phone number?"

"I did."

Yin Yan put down the fruit basket and supplements, first pulling out a stool for Yu Zhen to sit, then sitting down beside him. He asked politely, "How's your recovery going?"

Wu Xuan's gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them. He replied, "Not bad. The stitches on my head have been removed, leaving a scar. The bone still needs to heal, so I probably won't be able to be active outside for a while."

"The New Year is coming soon. It's not bad to recuperate at home and spend some good time with your family," Yin Yan offered polite consolation, his attitude never becoming too warm.

Hearing this, Wu Xuan showed a slightly emotional expression, and his attitude became a bit more cordial. He agreed, "You're right. I've been messing around too much. I've always loved staying out these past few years. It's time I settled down and spent some good time with my family... Yin Yan, you're smarter than me."

Yin Yan was silent.

Once Wu Xuan started expressing his feelings, he couldn't seem to stop. Before Yin Yan could reply, he continued, "When you loved, you were open and held nothing back. When you left, you were decisive and clean, not dragging things out. Han Ya treated you like that, yet you never said a single bad word about her to anyone. The only time you explained was because you didn't want your current lover and family to be troubled by rumors... I'm not as good as you, far from it."

Yin Yan was still silent, as if he only had ears and no mouth.

"Thank you." Wu Xuan's expression suddenly turned solemn. He proactively extended his hand and said, "I was wrong in the past. I always treated you with a superior and hostile attitude. I hope you can forgive my past ignorance."

"You're welcome." Yin Yan finally spoke, shaking his hand. Faced with his many emotional remarks, he only replied, "Drive carefully from now on."

Wu Xuan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly let go of his hand and burst out laughing. As he laughed, he clutched his chest, hissing in pain. He said, "You're really interesting, really interesting. I'll drive, I'll drive carefully! Anyway, recuperating is boring. I'll go memorize the traffic rules later!"

Hearing this, Yu Zhen's opinion of Wu Xuan changed slightly. Being able to admit one's mistakes and correct them proved this person could still be saved.

Yin Yan, however, began to consider leaving. The good karma had been established; there was no need to waste any more time. Wu Xuan's nonsense was truly excessive.

"And Yu Zhen, I want to thank you too." Wu Xuan suddenly shifted his gaze to Yu Zhen and reached out his hand, smiling. "Yin Yan has much better taste than I do. You're very good, I—"

"We have something to do, goodbye."

Yin Yan stood up, interrupting Wu Xuan. He intercepted Yu Zhen's hand as he was about to extend it, gave Wu Xuan a reserved nod as a farewell, then took Yu Zhen's hand and turned to leave.

"Ah? Hey! Don't go, you just got—"

Bang. Yin Yan slammed the hospital room door after he left.

Wu Xuan: "..."

He looked at his hand, blinked in confusion, then pulled his hand back, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "What the... Is he afraid I'll try to steal his partner again? I just wanted to offer my blessings..."

Just as he finished his emotional thoughts, the door to the room was pushed open from the outside. Han Ya rushed in with a panicked face and said anxiously, "Xuan, I just saw Yin Yan leave in a rage. How are you? Did he give you a hard time? It's all my fault, I—"

Ding ding ding.

Wu Xuan immediately turned and pressed the call bell. Looking at the bodyguards who rushed in, he commanded, "I need to rest. Please escort the irrelevant personnel out."

Han Ya, her face full of disbelief and hurt, was "escorted" out by the bodyguards. Wu Xuan fell back onto the bed, recalled Han Ya's earlier behavior, and let out a self-deprecating sneer. "Wu Xuan, oh Wu Xuan, you were truly blind. What kind of stupid idol drama is this? It's just never-ending..."

Yu Zhen was pulled out of the hospital room by Yin Yan, completely bewildered. Before leaving, he received an extremely negative glare from Han Ya.

"What's wrong with you?"

After getting in the car, Yu Zhen asked in confusion. At the same time, that feeling of turmoil in his heart, as if something was about to break through the soil, returned, accompanied by a sour, gloomy mood.

Yin Yan suddenly took out a pill and ate it. He held Yu Zhen's hand and replied with a calm face, "I'm hungry."

The hand resting on his knee was held, and the feeling of turmoil vanished. The sour, gloomy mood also instantly subsided.

Yu Zhen looked at his held hand and silently squeezed back.

It turned out that Yin Yan not only had the effect of a hand warmer but also came with a built-in calming effect... so useful.

After the silence, he belatedly realized what Yin Yan had replied. He glanced at the time, which was just past two in the afternoon, and his gaze fell on Yin Yan's stomach. He confirmed, "You're hungry?"

How long had it been since lunch? He was already hungry?

Yin Yan didn't speak. He pulled his hand back, started the car, and drove toward the apartment.

After the two returned to the apartment, they had afternoon tea together. Afterward, Yin Yan sat on the sofa and continued typing on his computer, while Yu Zhen entered the Revolving Vessel to think about the Merit Plants.

The Revolving Vessel was still empty. After the batch of flowers planted last time was sold, only the rose bushes near the pond remained. The other areas, after being cleared, had returned to their original barren state.

As soon as Yu Zhen entered, he noticed a sudden, conspicuous patch of tender green in a corner. He turned his head to look closely for a few seconds, his eyes instantly lit up, and he ran over quickly.

The orchid seeds he had thought were hopeless had actually survived and sprouted with the help of the Xirang and Boundless Water! They had even quietly grown a shoot, and were now about ten centimeters tall!

"One stalk, two stalks, three... there are actually five! You guys are amazing!"

Yu Zhen was overjoyed. He touched their small leaves one by one, summoned Xu Wu to get some Boundless Water, and generously gave them two drops. After thinking for a moment, he fed them a little Merit and said happily, "Since you've survived, you must grow well! Grow up big and strong!"

The orchids naturally wouldn't respond to him, but Xu Wu could.

It pawed at Yu Zhen's pant leg, then turned and walked two steps toward the pond. It then looked back at Yu Zhen and meowed.

"What are you taking me to see now?"

Yu Zhen cooperatively stood up and followed behind it with a smile.

Because he wasn't Xu Wu's true master, he couldn't understand Xu Wu's meaning and communicate with it directly like Yin Yan could. But after spending this time together, he had become adept at understanding the meaning behind Xu Wu's every little movement and every type of meow.

Xu Wu flicked its tail, meowed again, and ran toward the pond.

The lotuses in the pond were still blooming brilliantly. The lotus leaves also restrained themselves, maintaining a certain number and no longer growing wildly after covering the pond.

Yu Zhen gave a quick glance to confirm the lotuses were all fine, then looked down at Xu Wu. He saw it stretching out a paw, scratching at a ceramic pot by the pond that held a small seedling, looking like it wanted to tell him something.

"What's wrong with it?"

Yu Zhen squatted down, touched the small seedling in the pot, and asked in confusion.

This seedling was sprouted from a seed given by Yin Yan. It grew a bit slowly. The help from the Boundless Water and Xirang seemed very limited for it. The roses had already bloomed crop after crop, but it was still just a seedling, and it had been stuck in that state for a long time.

"Meow." Xu Wu flicked its tail, sat squatting in front of the pot, closed its eyes, and rested its paw on it.

Yu Zhen understood in a second. "You want me to feed it Merit?"

Xu Wu opened its eyes, meowing as it nodded.

Yu Zhen was puzzled. The last time Xu Wu had him feed Merit to the lotuses was because the Bodhi Lotus was generously preparing to produce seeds, an opportunity not to be missed. But this one... it was still just a seedling. It definitely couldn't bear fruit or bloom.

"Meow meow meow." Xu Wu urged.

"Alright, alright, I'll feed it. Don't be anxious." Yu Zhen amusedly patted its little head and reached out to touch the seedling's leaf.

Golden light showered down. The motionless seedling suddenly trembled, stretched its body, then slowly grew a new leaf before becoming still again.

"Meow." Xu Wu raised its paw, signaling Yu Zhen to stop.

"That's it?" Yu Zhen cooperatively pulled his hand back.

Xu Wu continued to meow.

Yu Zhen stared at it, and it stared back. After a few seconds of silence, he guessed, "You mean, it can only continue to grow if I feed it Merit? Otherwise, it'll stay this small forever?"

"Meow." Xu Wu flicked its tail and nodded.

Yu Zhen: "..."

He tilted his head to look at the stingy seedling in the pot that had only grown one leaf. He carefully observed the shape of its stem and leaves, and a terrible guess popped into his mind.

Looking at the plant's form, it probably wasn't a flower, but a tree. The amount of Merit he had just fed it wasn't small, even more than what he gave for the lotus seeds last time. If this was really a tree, and it only grew on Merit, he would probably have to raise it until the end of time.

"You..." He touched the seedling's new leaf and sighed helplessly but dotingly. "Forget it. You grow well. I'll come feed you every day."

After taking care of all the plants in the Revolving Vessel, he thought for a moment, then simply went to the rose field and started collecting petals to make essential oils and perfume.

He had been keeping the matter of giving Chou Feiqian a gift in mind. Since he couldn't use the lotus petals, he would use rose petals. These roses grew in the Revolving Vessel and were infused with the fragrance of the lotuses. Their scent had slowly mutated a little, becoming very light and elegant. Smelling it for a long time could soothe one's mood, making it perfect for essential oils and perfume.

He had bought a set of equipment for making essential oils online in advance. Because he wanted to make a higher purity essential oil for Chou Feiqian, he deliberately chose one of the better DIY kits. It was currently stored with Xu Wu.

When he got busy, he forgot the time again. Yin Yan didn't disturb him. He called home to say he was staying at the apartment tonight, then cooked a meal, brought it to the edge of the Revolving Vessel, and had Xu Wu deliver it inside. He himself went back to typing on his computer.

With diluted Boundless Water as a base, the process of making essential oil became much easier. But even so, after working nonstop until midnight and harvesting crop after crop of roses, he only ended up with a small bottle of the finished product.

"This will have to do for now." Yu Zhen petted Xu Wu, who had been accompanying him the whole time, and said, "Thanks for your hard work. Go get some rest."

Xu Wu flicked its tail and jumped onto him.

Falling asleep with the fragrance of flowers all over him, perhaps influenced by it, Yu Zhen had a dream about flowers that night.

In the dream, he returned to the village at the foot of the mountain where he had once asked for seeds. He became the seed he had buried at the old woman's door, and every night, he entered her dreams.

The old woman's dream was filled with a warm atmosphere. In the dream, she was still young, newly married. Her husband was very hardworking and doted on her, and their life was good.

Later, they had their first child, a chubby boy who cried earth-shatteringly when he was born. As expected, he grew up to be a sturdy and spirited boy. Two years later, their second child was born, a daughter. She was also chubby and had two dimples when she smiled.

Then came the third, fourth, and fifth... The family became more and more lively, and their days became more and more prosperous.

The children grew up day by day. The eldest became a carpenter and married his childhood sweetheart from next door. The second daughter married into a neighboring village; her husband looked fierce but treated her very well. The third child was the scrawniest but the smartest, and got into a school in the city. The fourth became a soldier, was later safely discharged, and returned to his hometown to open a small shop in town. The fifth was the prettiest, became a teacher, married into the city, and lived her own happy little life.

The old woman slowly aged into her current appearance. Her husband passed away before her. Lying in bed, she looked at her sad, crying children around her. Tears welled up in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth held a smile as she closed her eyes forever.

The warm dream dissipated. The old woman stood before him, who was still in the form of a seed. She squatted down, touched the soil where he was hiding, and said with a smile, "Good child, thank you."

As she spoke, her figure slowly grew younger, her face full of happy radiance. "I'm going to find my children and my husband. Thank you for letting me have such a beautiful dream at the end of my life."

"Heaven will bless you."

The translucent figure dissipated. A few strands of golden light appeared, slowly gathering and enveloping him.

Pop.

The seed broke through the soil.

Yu Zhen's eyes snapped open. In the pitch-black room, an ancient book was quietly floating in front of him. Its pages were open, and the brush-written characters on the first page slowly faded, leaving only the three words "Maiden's Stamen".