Chapter 16 - Items Left Behind
The second box contained a red Chinese dress gown. Its embroidery was even more complicated and exquisite. The Chinese-style clothing complemented the embroidery so it looked as exquisite as a work of art.
Mu Chen looked at Song Ning for an explanation.
Song Ning gently traced the embroidery with her finger as she explained, "This is a traditional wedding dress. My mother is best at embroidery. I have no idea when she started preparing this." When she spoke about her mother, her voice would hitch.
Seeing this, Mu Chen patted her shoulder and comforted her. "Your mother loved you very much. It's obvious she wished very much for you to be happy."
Song Ning nodded slightly in response. 'Mom, I'll definitely be happy.'
When Mu Chen saw tears begin to streak down Song Ning's face like a broken string of pearls, he picked up a piece of tissue from the table and handed it to her. He reminded her in a soft voice, "Don't let the tears fall on the wedding gown…"
She nodded gently and closed the box.
The third box was full of embroideries.
Even Mu Chen, who did not know much about embroidery, could tell they were top-notch embroideries and were of high value.
After taking a careful look, Song Ning found a small purse in the corner. It was made of aqua blue silk and was embroidered with yellow satin thread. The yellow looked particularly vibrant against the blue silk. She picked it up gingerly and stroked it lightly before she showed it to Mu Chen. "This is the first pouch I made. My mother said that the first gift a girl should give her sweetheart is a pouch sewn by herself. At that time, when I was only eight years old, she forced me to make a pouch. I didn't expect her to keep it."
Mu Chen plucked the purse out of Song Ning's hands. Compared to the masterpieces in the box, the stitches on this purse were not as exquisite. It was embroidered with an orchid on one side and a small bird on the other. The stitches were not delicate at all. Still, it was simple and lovely. As he held the purse in his hand, he asked teasingly, "So this is meant for your sweetheart? Then, I guess I have no choice but to accept this."
Embarrassed, Song Ning reached out to grab it, but Mu Chen raised his arm high beyond her reach.
"This is too ugly." She grabbed his sleeve.
"I don't dislike it at all. I like it very much." Mu Chen smiled happily as he kept his hand out of her reach.
Song Ning blushed when she heard his words.
Then, Mu Chen nudged her gently and prompted her, "Go and see what else is there."
As soon as Song Ning turned away, he put the purse away. He was really lucky today. How could he let his good luck go to waste?
At this moment, a soft sigh escaped from Song Ning's lips. "The embroideries in this box are all my mother's work. Her studio wasn't doing well back then, and she was struggling to run her business. I don't know why she didn't sell these embroideries back then. My mother probably has her reasons. I will cherish them."
Following that, Mu Chen helped her open the fourth box.
Both of them were dumbfounded when the box was opened. The inside of the box that was lined with white silk was empty; there was nothing in there. In the end, they could only move the empty box to the side with the other three boxes.
Confused, Mu Chen looked at Song Ning for answers again.
Song Ning shook her head slightly as she speculated in a soft voice, "I don't understand either. Maybe my mother didn't have time to put whatever she intended into this box."
Mu Chen could not help but nod in agreement. She had said her mother passed away suddenly. Despite being seriously ill, the sudden death had nothing to do with the illness. Therefore, he thought her speculation was reasonable.
Seeing the crestfallen expression on her face, Mu Chen patted her shoulder lightly. "Don't be sad. We will fill this box in the future."
When he saw the expression of confusion on her face, he ruffled her hair and explained with a smile, "We'll also prepare this kind of dowry for our daughter in the future. We will use these boxes to keep the dowry and pass it on from generation to generation."
Song Ning's face heated up as she weakly pushed his hand away.
When they were done, Song Ning decided to keep the boxes in the safe. After all, she did not need the things in the boxes for now.
With that, Mu Chen helped Song Ning to put the things back into the boxes.