Flowers beneath the rotting tree

Remeant

The birds were singing, the sun was shining and Xia-Bing was losing her goddamn mind.

She had searched everywhere.

In the closet, the cabinet, the dressing table— not even the Chest and the boxes stacked in the corner were spared, but no matter how thoroughly she looked, she just couldn't find it.

It was like a curse!

How could one lose an entire dress on the day of their twentieth wedding anniversary?

Her moon calendar didn't say anything about that!

And to make matters worse, the taxi that would take them to the restaurant was to arrive in less than two hours!

So here she was, staring at her open closet with disdain in her eyes as she cursed her past self for not making sure that everything was where it should be instead of relying on pure luck.

What was previously a well-organised, season and occasion-sorted row of garments had now become something that strongly resembled her daughter's room on a good day (not a compliment) with numerous dresses, suits and casual clothing hanging there without any sense or reason.

This would be such a pain to clean up once she returned... Xia-Bing could feel a headache coming at the mere thought of it.

At this point, she wondered if it wasn't better to just settle on one of her less pretty dresses and save herself the struggle.

Their time together wouldn't be any less enjoyable even if she couldn't wear her favourite one.

Mulling this over in her head, she didn't notice the footsteps that came closer and closer to her room until all of a sudden, the sound of knocking startled her from her thoughts.

"Mom? Is everything alright?"

Marinette asked as she leaned against the doorway and looked at her with questioning eyes.

Since it was the weekend, Marinette was still dressed in her pyjamas—despite this late hour—and had a towel swung around her neck that caught the water droplets falling from her hair.

Strange... Marinette never showered on weekends... but that was hardly something she could question right now.

Gesturing loosely to the room, Xia-Bing let the mess speak for itself.

"As you can see, I was looking for my qipao, the one that your granduncle gifted me."

"Oh, you mean the red and gold one?"

Fighting down a smile at the excited question, the mother nodded.

"Yes, have you seen it anywhere?"

"Hmm... did you check the box beneath the bed?"

"Oh."

Xia-Bing slapped her hand on her forehead. 'Why didn't I think of that sooner!?'

Having her first proper lead in hours, Xia-Bing wasted no time and immediately knelt next to the bed and pulled out the old wooden box from beneath it; placing it onto her lap.

The box itself could only be described as a masterpiece.

The legs of the box were shaped like lion paws whose coiling fur faded into the spiralling clouds at the bottom, while the cover depicted elegant mountains dotted with trees that stood amidst the clouds with a mighty dragon coiled around them that vanished in the sun on the horizon.

And in the middle of it all, filled with gold lettering, stood "永" to symbolise a love that lasts for eternity.

Running her fingers across the aged wood, tiny flecks of paint clung to her fingers until they reached the tiny jade scales of the dragon and followed the path until it ended in the middle.