Chapter 106: What…just said?

Standing at the shop entrance, the night wind blew against their faces. The sky was already dark, with sporadic lights lit on the street.

Flora took a deep breath.

“Let’s go,” she said.

The two turned and walked toward the general store.

There were fewer people on the street. Occasionally, someone would pass by them, their footsteps hurried. Sometimes, barking could be heard from far away, loud, but it would stop after a few barks.

They arrived at the general store entrance. The store was still lit. Flora pushed the door open, and the bell on the door jingled once.

The store owner heard the sound, looked up, and saw them.

“What can I get for you?” A very ordinary greeting, nothing special.

Flora walked up to the counter, looking it over.

“Do you have any memorial candles here?” Flora asked.

“Yes, what kind do you need? How long do they burn? What style?” The owner asked in detail, turning to rummage through the shelves behind him as he spoke.

“Just ordinary ones are fine, no special requirements.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

Soon, the owner took a few candles from the shelf and placed them on the counter. They were white and looked somewhat substantial.

“Will these do?”

Flora picked one up and looked at it against the light. The candle body was smooth, without any stray lines. The wick was made of twisted cotton thread, a thin strand.

“They look fine,” Flora said, putting the candle back on the counter. “Two will be enough.”

The old man nodded, wrapping the two candles in paper. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you,” Flora said politely, then reached into her pocket, took out some money, and handed it to the owner.

“Exactly right.” After receiving payment, the owner gave her change. Flora put the candles into her cloth bag.

Stepping out of the general store, she glanced toward the other end of the street.

“There’s still the flower shop,” Flora said. “I want to buy two daisies.”

“Alright, let’s go then,” Ilya said, following behind her, her tone faint.

The flower shop was at the other end of the street, not far from the general store, just a few minutes’ walk.

Flora’s pace wasn’t fast. The night wind blew over, lifting a few strands of her hair.

The flying strands brushed against her neck, making Flora feel a little itchy. She quickly raised her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear, putting it back in order.

“Ah,” Flora shivered slightly from the sudden itch.

Ilya watched Flora being “teased” by her own hair, just smiled, and continued following behind her.

“There, all better.”

A moment later, she saw the flower shop in the distance.

But… her steps faltered.

At this moment, the shop door was closed. Inside was pitch black, with no lights on.

Flora stood still, looking at that tightly shut door, stunned for a couple of seconds.

“It’s closed,” her voice was very soft, so soft it seemed like she was speaking to herself.

Ilya walked to her side, also looking at the shop. “It’s past seven-thirty,” Ilya said, checking the watch she carried with her before looking up and speaking to Flora.

Flora didn’t speak. She walked up to the door and looked up at a small wooden sign hanging on it. The business hours were written there.

“Eight in the morning to seven at night…” Flora said faintly, as if talking to herself.

Ilya turned her head to look at her.

“Come back tomorrow,” Ilya said, speaking up before Flora could finish her muttering at the sign.

Flora heard Ilya’s voice, but she didn’t move.

“Come here first thing tomorrow morning, buy them, and then go,” Ilya continued. “The opening time is written here too. It opens at eight in the morning, quite early. It’ll be fine to go tomorrow.”

Flora was silent for a few seconds, then she softly uttered an “Mhm.”

“Let’s go, back to the hotel. Rest for a bit, then sleep,” Ilya said.

“Alright, we’ll come again tomorrow then,” Flora said, turning around and following Ilya back.

After a few steps, she looked back once more.

The shop was still pitch black, the door closed, like a silent box.

She turned her head back and continued walking forward.

The two walked side by side, their pace not fast.

When they returned to the inn entrance, Flora suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

There was no moon. The clouds were somewhat thick, covering the stars. The entire sky was dark and heavy.

“Ilya,” Flora’s voice was light and thin, sounding very cautious, “do you think… it will rain tomorrow?”

Ilya also looked up. Though she couldn’t see clearly, she could feel that sense of clouds filling the sky. “I don’t know,” Ilya said, walking to Flora’s side, a bit closer.

Flora didn’t ask further. She pushed the door open and went inside.

They went upstairs and returned to their room.

She placed the cloth bag containing the two candles on the table, then sat on the edge of the bed.

Ilya sat on a chair and picked up the book she hadn’t finished reading.

The room was quiet.

Flora looked at that cloth bag, watching it for a while. Though she couldn’t see, she knew there were two candles inside, wrapped in paper, lying there quietly.

Tomorrow morning, she’d go buy the daisies.

Tomorrow, she would go to her father’s grave, to “see” it.

Really… she hadn’t thought before that she would come again to pay respects. It came suddenly, and she suddenly thought of this matter.

Father… Mother…

Flora seemed to suddenly think of something and lowered her head. Ilya, who was reading, didn’t notice.

“I’ve said ‘Daddy’ before, but… I’ve never called anyone ‘Mommy’,” Flora thought to herself? Or was she talking to herself? No one knew.

She glanced up at Ilya. She sat elegantly, her expression calm, just like an ordinary woman reading a book.

Her?

I don’t know.

But, she really seemed to want to know what it felt like to say “Mommy.” Was it sweet? Warm? Or… some unknown feeling?

Happiness, excitement, comfort? Or maybe all of them? And, if Ilya heard… what would she feel? Happiness, excitement, comfort? Or maybe all of them?

Flora’s heart trembled a little. She had never experienced it. She was too curious.

She looked at Ilya once more, then lowered her head again, her right hand unconsciously moving behind her back.

“Mommy…” Flora’s voice was very small, so small it was almost completely inaudible.

Ilya remained unmoved, perhaps truly not hearing Flora’s soft utterance.

“Mommy?” Flora tried saying it again. Her right hand clenched tighter, as if her palm was being pressed into marks.

“Huh?!” Ilya didn’t react at first. In that first moment, she didn’t think it was Flora who said it, nor did she think it was directed at her.

She hesitated for a moment before making a sound, a sound containing slowness, shock, confusion, and a trace of undetectable delight.

She quickly turned around, staring intently at Flora, who was sitting on the bed with her head lowered. Her eyes were wide open, wider than ever before, the pupils in her eyes contracting sharply.

At this moment, her eyes seemed crystal clear. It was unclear if tears had welled up. Her mouth, which hardly ever opened wide, was now agape, breathing heavily.

“You… what did you just say?” Ilya didn’t even call her Flora, directly using “you,” showing just how shocked she was right now.