You Are The Apple of My Eyes
Chapter 737 Growing Flowers

Michelle asked for two days' worth of leave so that she could attend Nina's wedding. Since she didn't have to go to work today, she stayed in the North Yard. Valerie also found an excuse to stay.

When Berry came back from accompanying the children to the car, Berry saw Valerie and frowned. "Why are you here?"

Valerie knew Vicente, but not Berry.

Although Berry's voice sounded familiar to her, she didn't understand why she was being so hostile. 'Have I offended her in the past?'

Valerie remembered Berry was one of Nina's bridesmaids. She thought Berry and the princess were close friends, so she didn't dare to offend her. Even though she didn't like Berry's tone with her, she still kept up her smile. "Hello."

"Humph!" Berry snorted as she glared menacingly at Valerie. She grabbed Michelle's wrist and pulled her away. "Let's go for a walk. I heard from Helen that there's a rose garden here. There's also a bunch of banyan trees. Maybe we'll see some fireflies."

"Fireflies only light up during the evening," Michelle started to explain. "During the day, they're just insects that can fly."

"What? Forget about the fireflies then." Although Berry wasn't necessarily afraid of insects, she didn't want to see the fireflies in the daytime. "Let's go to the rose garden and check if the roses John has planted are as beautiful as the ones in my family."

"Okay." Michelle giggled and held Berry's arm. Then, she remembered that Valerie was still there. She stopped in her tracks and whispered, "Isn't it impolite for us to leave the guest alone here?" "Leave her be." Berry took Michelle's hand and left.

There were special workers in the rose garden who were responsible for its maintenance. Michelle watched as the flowers swayed against the gentle breeze. "Wow, they're so beautiful!"

The ones who were taking care of the roses in the garden were an old couple over fifty years old. They were Helen's parents. Before they worked here, they also served as the gardeners for the Shi family at the Stone Road. Once the North Yard castle was completed, they moved in here with Helen.

Helen wanted to take care of her parents, while John needed caretakers for his rose garden. It was a win-win decision for everyone.

Near the rose garden, there was a small house where the old couple would rest whenever they were on duty.

Even though there wasn't much space, the old couple were able to decorate it and give it a nice, homely feel. There were sofas, tables and chairs, and all kinds of flowers and plants not found in the garden outside, filling the room with an enchanting aroma.

When the old couple saw Michelle, they instantly took a liking to her. She was pretty with eyes as bright as stars and a smile as sweet as honey.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Li," Michelle greeted. "I wanted to ask you how you grow these flowers."

"Kid, what flowers do you want to plant?" Mrs. Li asked Michelle lovingly as she held her hand. Meanwhile, her husband was trimming a basin of spruce on the windowsill with scissors. Michelle helped Mrs. Li to her chair and stood beside her. "Someone gave me a bunch of champagne roses. I want to know how to keep them longer."

"I see." Mrs. Li nodded and patted the back of Michelle's hand. "The flowers have been separated from the soil. There's not much you can do to keep them for a long time. Are these flowers from a boy you like?"

Mr. Li heard his wife and turned around to smile. "I think so."

"Oh. No, no." Michelle blushed as she waved both her hands. 'Leon wouldn't give me flowers,' she thought. Then, she held Mrs. Li's hand and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Mrs. Li, please tell me. I want to keep them for longer, but I don't know how because I haven't grown any flowers."

"First of all, the water in the vase should be clean. You need to use water that's close to room temperature. For example, rainwater or water from the pond. Just make sure that it's clean." Michelle suddenly remembered something. She scratched her head and said, "I used running water last night. Is that okay?"

Mrs. Li looked at her and frowned. "If you're going to use running water, you have to let it sit in the vase for a day before you put in any flowers. Since it's already November, water straight from the faucet is going to be cold. It' won't be suitable."

"Then, then, what should I do?" Michelle stood up with a great sense of urgency. "I'm going to change the water right away!"

Macy grabbed her hand and stopped her. "No need to rush. You can change it after I tell you to. Don't worry."

'But if I don't hurry, the flowers will wither. And if they wither, how could I pray to them? The flowers represent happiness, and when I prayed to them, happiness in the form of Leon came to me. I have to continue praying.'

However, Mrs. Li was right. She didn't have to rush and had ample time left to listen to what Mrs. Li was going to say.

Michelle turned around and squatted down to Mrs. Li's eye level. She placed both her hands on her wrinkled hands and grinned. "Mrs. Li, please tell me how. I'm listening."

"Remember to change the water frequently, at least two or three times a day. If you replace some broken branches in the water, you need to cut them off with scissors, and you slant them just like..."

She looked around to replace anything that could serve as an example for Michelle. Her husband saw this and offered, "Kid, come here. I'll show you how."

"Thank you, Mr. Li!" Michelle watched on intently as Mr. Li demonstrated to her how to cut the excess flowers and branches in the vase.

"You can add a little salt into the water," he instructed as he continued cutting. "That way, the flowers will live longer. But if you add salt, flower buds won't bloom."

"Oh, I see. Do you have any other advice?" Michelle asked impertinently.

"Flowers need sunshine. But don't let the sunlight shine on them directly. Otherwise, they'll dry up and die," Mrs. Li answered.

Michelle remembered the succulent plants she had grown in the past. "Okay, I'll make sure to remember that. Is there anything else?"

"That's all for now. Flowers kept in a vase are unlike the ones planted in the soil. Although it's not hard to maintain them, the flowers placed in a vase have a shorter lifespan. If you don't want to throw them away, you can turn them into dried flowers when they're about to wither."

Michelle knew about dried flowers, but she didn't know how to make them. She tilted her head in curiosity and asked, "How do I dry the flowers? Do I let them sit under the sun?"

The old couple looked at each other and laughed.

Michelle didn't understand why they were laughing. 'Is it something I said?' she wondered. She smiled sheepishly and asked again, "So I can't let it dry under the sun?"

"Silly girl, of course not. You'll have to hang the flowers upside down using a rope and let them dry in a well-ventilated place." Mrs. Li pinched Michelle's face gently.

"Remember to hang it upside down," Mr. Li emphasized. He was afraid that Michelle might not be able to remember the important points. "Don't worry; the petals won't fall. But if you let them sit under the sun, they will darken and lose their natural color."

Michelle nodded. "Okay, I'll remember that. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Li! Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"That's all." Mrs. Li patted Michelle's head. "Well, you should get back now." She knew that Michelle was in a hurry to change the water for her flowers. Michelle sprang out of her chair and bowed to them. "Thank you!" As soon as she exited the door, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Meanwhile, Berry remained in the garden and continued to watch the roses. She saw that the roses here were much beautiful than those in her house. She was enthralled by the roses for a while. When she came back to her senses, she saw Michelle running away.

"Mimi, Mimi! Where are you going?" Berry ran after her.

Michelle ran so fast that she didn't hear Berry.

After running for a while, Michelle slowed down to a trot and gasped heavily to catch her breath. She forgot how big the North Yard was.

Once she had recovered, she lowered her head and continued running. When she was about to turn at a corner, she bumped into Nina.

Although Nina wasn't as strong as before, she was still powerful compared to Michelle who didn't exercise regularly. It happened so fast that Nina wasn't able to see who hit her. Instinctively, she raised her arms and pushed Michelle away.

Nina's body buckled a little bit, with Valerie quickly supporting her with her hands.

Meanwhile, Michelle fell onto the ground and winced in pain. "Ouch! It hurts so much!"

When Nina regained her balance, Valerie let go of her. She snickered secretly when she saw Michelle on the ground.

'You're in trouble after bumping into Princess Nina,' she thought maliciously.☐☐☐☐☐