Rose Dust

Chapter 2 – Cactus

She bellowed welcome, rubbed her eyes, and straightened up, a little dizzy after lying on her stomach for a long time. The two boys entered the shop and walked up to the shelf where the potted plants were. 

She thought she had seen it wrong, so she rubbed her eyes. Still a little dazed, she rubbed it again. While the two people kept talking, she felt like her heart was being squeezed tightly and rubbed gently.

“Let’s buy asparagus bamboo, and what do you call the one with the wide leaf? It looks good,” Li Kong said.

“A cactus is easier to feed.” Anyang Chunyuan put one hand in his pocket while the other hung casually on his side. 

His chin occasionally dragged to take a closer look, he carefully selected the plants, and his words weren’t polite when it came to his friends. “It’s a miracle that your plant can live past a month.”

“But the cactus has a lot of thorns.” Li Kong gritted his teeth a little, “Will it kill you to help me water the asparagus bamboo?”

“Sure, wash my socks for a month.”

“You devil, you’re asking too much”

“I’m not forcing you.”

“Oh, dear, you can force me!”

It seemed that the student council president and his friends, who usually had an invulnerable air around them, also made harmless jokes. 

Anyang Chunyuan also picked up a small cactus, which looked like the antlers of a deer, with bright yellow hairy thorns, and a red cactus on top, like a little red hood. He looked so handsome from the side, with a sharp chin and an elegant charm.

Seeing him walking over in two to three steps, Ye Jiegeng felt her heart tremble and her breath stagger. 

His black hair hung over his eyebrows, his eyes focused on the potted plant on his hand. 

Ye Jiegeng’s sense of smell was more sensitive than that of ordinary people, the room was obviously filled with various floral fragrances, but as soon as he approached, the bitter pine scent wandered through her nose.

She was so nervous that she didn’t know where to put her hands and could only swallow desperately.

“How much is this potted cactus?”

“No money.”

“Huh?” Chunyuan thought he had heard it wrong, and when he raised his head, he saw the half-moon-shaped eyes of Ye Jiegeng, which were dark as the night sky. 

He was slightly surprised to see that face; the corners of his mouth curled up and asked, “Are you working here?” After a pause, he added her name, “Ye Jiegeng.”

“Well, it’s my family’s shop.” She said.

“Oh, well.” He didn’t have much to say. After all, the person in front of him, who looked no different from other girls, was just his classmate. Even when they coincidentally met on their way, they just nodded politely and at most gave each other an expression that couldn’t even be considered a smile. 

Li Kong reluctantly picked up a pot of cactus and saw Chunyuan greeting seemingly a classmate he knew, but his smile didn’t give a lot of face, and he still had a cold and indifferent expression.

“How much are the two pots?” Li Kong had already started to dig out his wallet.

“No money.” Ye Jiegeng was slightly embarrassed, and her mouth that had never been very clever also stuttered, “Actually, this is not worth any money. I planted it…not very good…so no money.”

Li Kong didn’t hesitate to put his wallet back, and he even thanked her. Without waiting for Chunyuan to refuse, she quickly placed the potted plant in the box and put it in the plastic bag. Now that he couldn’t say anything, only his beautiful eyelashes conveyed the thanks lightly. 

The two people did not have any unnecessary pleasantries. After saying goodbye, he went out of the store one after another with Li Kong. 

The wind chimes rippled in the wind, and he inadvertently looked back and saw the implicit four words on the log-colored sign hanging on the flower shop.

Orange Stem Night/Ye Jiegeng

The owner was really a loyal supporter of Ye Jiegeng. The name of his daughter and the name of the shop was almost morbid.

Li Kong looked as if he had taken a bargain, and the ice on his face melted as soon as he went out, and he asked with a smile, “What is your relationship with that girl? How come I haven’t seen her before?”

“Classmates, I haven’t even said anything.” That’s true.

“Ha, that’s interesting to you, and she didn’t even charge you.” Li Kong put his hand around on Chunyuan’s neck and leaned in to bite his ears. “You’ve got the knack for it. She looks cute, clumsy, and gullible.”

Chunyuan pushed his hand away, not appreciating it at all. The two boarded the bus to Huaishan Road at the stop sign. 

Through the glass, she saw them chatting casually. Anyang Chunyuan habitually pinched his chin with his right hand when he was mulling over the things, and his two thin lips pursed subtly. 

It wasn’t until the bus passed through the door that Ye Jiegeng took her gaze back and scratched her head, then went back to the shop’s yard to trim the flowers.