Early Spring Peonies

This spring arrived late, just as we had hoped. Every year, the plum blossoms in the corner of the building would bloom slowly before the Spring Festival, followed by a brief snowfall to delicately adorn the branches of the plum blossoms, shimmering and translucent, the plum blossoms like jade carvings, blooming towards the sky, tiny flowers piled upon each other, a piece of pink jade, with a stunning display.

They seemed to understand human language, passersby in the neighborhood would excitedly praise the blossoming flowers, and they bloomed even more joyfully, a slight rise in temperature eliciting a constant buzzing of bees.

This time, she ignored me, watching her eyes drip with sadness as she slowly unfurled her branches, watching her delicate blush appear, until the twelfth day of the first lunar month when only a few scattered blossoms appeared.

All things possess a spirit; they understand the changes in the world more than humans do. This year, the plague was rampant, and the flowers lacked the vibrancy of previous years.

A friend who cultivates flowers on WeChat said that peonies had bloomed, and the plum blossoms were gradually opening in the garden. They had been notified to close their businesses and no one was allowed to enter. I went to visit, the peonies with vibrant green leaves and red flowers, flamboyant and dazzling, lifting the spirits, I casually snapped a few photos to share with everyone.