Blossoming Path

"You sure you don't need any help?" I asked, mostly because it felt polite at this point.

Li Wei didn't even look up from the wood he was chiseling. "Kai, would you want me to help you make an elixir?"

I blinked, caught off guard by the rhetorical question. "Probably not..?"

"Exactly," he said, giving me a quick side-eye before going back to work. “We’ve got this covered. Go play with your plants or something.”

I glanced over at his father, who gave me a nod of agreement, hammering down another beam without missing a beat. Clearly, this was their domain, and I was just some guy who happened to show up with ideas and seeds. They were the professionals. Plus, they looked like they were in their element—thick coats, sawdust everywhere, and not a single break in their rhythm. Meanwhile, I was just standing there feeling... well, unnecessary.

Tianyi fluttered curiously near the half-built foundation, her wings shimmering in the cold morning light, while Windy slithered around the edge of the garden, eyeing the woodpile like it was a challenge. Probably deciding if he could knock it over with his tail.

“Alright, alright,” I said, holding my hands up in surrender. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Li Wei didn’t respond, too focused on whatever intricate wood sorcery he was working on. His dad gave a grunt, which I assumed meant ‘thank you for not getting in the way.’ With one last glance at the growing structure that would soon be my greenhouse, I turned and headed back inside my shop, leaving the carpentry duo to their magic.

Once inside, the familiar smell of herbs and dried flowers greeted me, grounding me back into my world. I shut the door behind me, blocking out the cold and noise, and made my way to the table where the Golden Bamboo seeds sat, waiting for me.