Feast of Flowers

Chapter 13 Misunderstanding

Climbing up those moss-covered stairs again, Huajin smelled a sour, fragrant and spicy smell. She turned her head to look around before seeing a cloth sign hanging from an entrance of a shop with "Wolf Tooth Potato*" written on it.

Wolf tooth potato can be regarded as one of the special snacks in Shu Province,but as a native of Shu Province, Huajin has only eaten it once before. This memory of hers happened too long ago, so she could only vaguely remember her eating it very slowly and meticulously, because she was reluctant to waste any of the sauce at the bottom of the disposable plastic bowl.

"Sister, come try some authentic wolf tooth potatoes." The owner of the shop was a slightly fat older sister. When she saw Hua Jin looking into her shop, she greeted her warmly, "It's eight yuan for a bowl, and I guarantee that you will still want more after that."

Pei Yan squinted at the dilapidated and cramped storefront and said nothing while Hua Jin stepped forward, "Two bowls please, and don't make it too spicy."

"Turns out you guys outsiders, not locals." The owner remarked when she heard Hua Jin speak. She then skilfully poured some cut potato strips into a frying pan, "Are you guys here on your honeymoon? We've got a lot of old wine cellars here, so if anyone in your family likes drinking wine, buy them some, and we'll even deliver them for you."

'Honeymoon?'

Hua Jin frowned: 'With whom? Me and Pei Yan?'

"I didn't expect tourists like you to come here and buy a pair of red dragon and phoenix umbrellas. Nowadays, younger generations usually get a car when they get married, so this kind of red dragon and phoenix umbrellas are basically useless." The owner flipped the potatoes before continuing, "This whole street's authentic umbrellas are made by the old Chen Family's Workshop and they aren't cheap."

Hua Jin smiled before explaining, "You've misunderstood. We're only friends."

The owner quickly apologized when she heard her clarification and then embarrassingly explained why she misunderstood, "In the past, people getting married might sometimes encounter sudden rain showers on their wedding day, and in those days, it was considered unlucky to carry different colored umbrellas, so wealthy families would often prepare two big red dragon and phoenix umbrellas before the ceremony, because dragons and phoenixes means immortality, and immortals have red clouds hover overhead.

In Chinese, the words for "umbrella" and "scatter" are phonetically the similar (Sǎn & Sàn), and for people who were more superstitious, in order to get even a bit more luck during their wedding day, they'd rarely use a normal umbrella.

After listening to the owner's explanation, Hua Jin couldn't help laughing. She suspected that the uncle who sold them the umbrellas just now also misunderstood the relationship between Pei Yan and her.

When the wolf tooth potatoes were ready, Hua Jin gave the other bowl to Pei Yan, "I've asked the boss to cut down on the spiciness, so give it a little try."

The potatoes were sour, spicy and fragrant, and the taste wasn't bad at all, but Hua Jin found that it wasn't as delicious as she remembered. Maybe some things in the past, no matter how much you try to relive them, can't display the same feelings as before.

When she turned to look at Pei Yan, she saw that he was blushing from his face to his neck, and his eyes were glistening with tears. She was taken aback, "What's wrong with you?!"

"Spicy." Pei Yan threw the unfinished potatoes into the trash can, "Is this what you call less spicy?!"

Hua Jin: "..."

Putting less spice was already the biggest compromise they could make with regards to tradition. A non-spicy wolf tooth potato was something that would get someone expelled from their ancestral home.