VALENTINE-S DAY

On a chilly March morning, the sounds of chopping vegetables and sizzling oil cakes filled the air of a rundown apartment. A woman’s voice, sharp and loud, could be heard scolding her child.

Lily pushed open the door, and in the hallway, a boy in a blue school uniform stood with his head down, his backpack slung over one shoulder. When he heard the door open, he didn’t even lift his head. The woman, still shouting, caught sight of Lily and adjusted her messy hair. “Lily, you’re off to work so early?”

Lily exchanged a few pleasantries with her. The woman, named Jenna, occasionally tugged at her hair and the frayed edges of her sleeves. Her child stood silently beside her, resembling an inconspicuous potato.

Noticing Lily’s gaze on her child, Jenna paused her fussing and began listing her child’s shortcomings.

“Jenna,” Lily interrupted her long-winded complaints, glancing at her phone to check the time. “I’m going to miss the subway. Let’s talk tomorrow.” With that, she hurried down the stairs, the motion-sensor lights in the hallway not flickering even once as she walked.

Once outside, she could hear Jenna starting to scold her child again.

After finishing breakfast at a nearby café, Lily stepped outside and saw Jenna’s son trudging along the sidewalk, his head hung low. He walked slowly, like a snail reluctant to leave its shell.

The streets were filled with a dense mass of cars, and in the gray morning light, there was a sense of lethargy, yet a necessity to fight for survival.

“Be careful while walking,” Lily said, quickening her pace to catch up with him. She grabbed the strap of his backpack and pulled him back just as a car sped by, missing him by mere feet.

The boy looked up at Lily, his expression blank and confused. After a moment, he quietly said, “Thank you, Lily.”

“No need to thank me.” Lily smiled. What twenty-something woman wouldn’t enjoy being called “sister” by a child?

“Watch out for passing cars. Safety is important,” Lily advised, adjusting the collar of his school uniform before watching him walk away. She rubbed her aching knees and turned in the opposite direction.

In this bustling city, no one could afford to stop. Everyone wanted to survive, to put down roots, and to achieve a better life. People came and went, but the city remained, growing more prosperous, becoming the dream city for countless individuals.

After getting off the crowded subway, Lily noticed a street performer. The hurried pedestrians had no time to stop. Lily reached into her coat pocket, pulled out some change, and dropped it into the box in front of the performer.

“Thank you,” the young performer said softly.

The girl, with a cherubic face and bright, hopeful eyes, was captivating. Lily placed her hand back in her coat pocket and smiled, “No need to mention it. Many people are in a rush to work in the morning, so they can’t pay attention to anything else.”

She pointed to a staff member approaching, “It seems like this area doesn’t allow performances. You might want to find another spot?”

The young performer smiled gratefully at Lily, who had referred to her act as a “performance” instead of just busking.

Lily returned the smile and followed the flow of people out of the subway station.

As the cold wind hit her, she shivered and quickened her pace toward work.

“Lily!” Tanya exclaimed upon seeing her, quickly opening the door to let her in. “It’s quite windy outside. Are you cold?”

“I’m fine,” Lily replied, rubbing her hands together. She took off her coat and neatly hung it in the locker, then began organizing the items in the shop. The store was filled with embroidery and lacquerware, many of which were handmade by Tanya’s parents, serving as the shops main attractions.

Tanya’s parents had stepped back from managing the shop, leaving Tanya as the primary owner, while Lily played the role of the secondary owner. Their working relationship was quite pleasant.

“I received an order for a koi fish embroidery piece last night. You know I’m not good at koi embroidery, so I’ll have to rely on you,” Tanya said, leaning back on the table and yawning lazily. “These days, young people are obsessed with koi and panda motifs. Despite the many interesting embroidery styles we have in the Shu embroidery circle, these two are still the most popular.”

She turned to Lily, who was carefully polishing a koi fish fan screen, as if it held some mystical power that could bring wealth.

“Shh.” Lily positioned the screen carefully and turned to Tanya, “You’re a simpleton; you wouldn’t understand the mystical power of koi.”

“Sure, sure.” Tanya nodded, “Honestly, you shouldn’t be called Lily; you should be called Koi Lily.”

“If the police don’t mind the trouble, I’d rather change my name to Koi Panda Lily. I’d have both a fish and a panda, how auspicious!” Lily walked over to a chair. Although their shop was small, it was tastefully decorated, giving it a certain charm.

Custom pieces were priced higher, all hand-stitched with the best embroidery threads and Shu silk. Unfortunately, in today’s fast-paced life, few people were willing to spend a lot of money on custom embroidery. To keep up with the times and escape poverty, they also sold small accessories with Shu embroidery styles, such as lucky bags, scarves, and shawls.

Some artistic youths were willing to spend a little extra on these items infused with traditional art styles and sentiments as accessories.

For many ordinary people, they didn’t care whether the embroidery they bought was Shu, Xiang, Su, or Yue; as long as it was beautiful and reasonably priced, they would consider purchasing it. Lily and Tanya were well aware of their current situation. To run the shop well, they needed to align their aesthetics with the times while trying to retain the unique features of Shu embroidery.

Tanya’s parents were traditional artisans, and they didn’t understand what it meant to “keep up with the times.” However, as the number of young customers increased, they didn’t voice any objections.

Lily sat by the embroidery frame, working on an unfinished piece depicting wealth and prosperity. Tanya lit some incense in the shop, adding a touch of ancient charm to the space.

During the morning hours, there were hardly any customers. After embroidering for a while, Lily heard footsteps at the door. She looked up to see a middle-aged man in a gray and white coat standing outside, peering in. He had his neck pulled in and his arms awkwardly hanging at his sides, looking somewhat out of place.

Lily approached the door. “Welcome! If you need anything, please come in and take your time to browse.”

The man forced a smile as he entered. Lily noticed him discreetly wipe his hands on his pants before stepping inside. His movements were cautious, as if he feared damaging the floor beneath him or breaking something in the shop.

His gaze swept across the store, and when he noticed that Lily wasn’t staring at him, he continued to look around. The shop was filled with stylish yet vintage handbags, exquisite Shu embroidery high heels, fans, ornaments, shawls, and even a miniature phoenix crown set.

“Do you have any dragon and phoenix quilt sets for sale?” the man asked, his accent indicating he was from a southwestern city. “I’m looking for a red one.”

In this day and age, quilt designs varied widely, with machine embroidery catering to all sorts of demands. However, hand-stitched dragon and phoenix quilts were not only labor-intensive but also considered outdated by many. Nowadays, even newlyweds preferred not to use such quilts in their homes, so the shop naturally did not stock them. “I’m sorry, we don’t have dragon and phoenix quilts in our shop.”

The man seemed unsurprised by Lily’s response. He nodded and turned to leave.

“Please wait a moment.” Lily, noticing the man sweating in the March weather, turned to the water dispenser and filled a cup for him. “If you really need it, I can help you make a set.”

The dragon and phoenix quilt had once been a popular item in the Shu embroidery collection.

Life is full of misfortunes, and the idea of seeking treatment for illness is a common understanding among ordinary people. However, ordinary people likely do not realize how difficult it is for a poor family to send a sick relative to the big city for treatment.

Emotions and humanity can sometimes be fragile in the face of money. It is precisely this fragility that makes genuine feelings so precious.