[The Leaf That Blinds the Eye]

Contract [Forbidden Fruit Illustrations], 7:20 PM, already past business hours.

Chen Miemie began sharing the information obtained from the library with the family members.

“According to [Withering Verses], [Obstructing Leaf] is an extremely rare Aberration. In the hundred-city history, it has only been recorded twice.

It is said that it can only appear when a person gazes upward through the same gap in the treetops for a long time in a particular mental state.”

Qinghua hesitated slightly: “Although the ‘specific state’ might be hard to achieve, the conditions don’t seem that harsh, do they?”

“Yes, but that’s only the first step in forming [Obstructing Leaf].

Because the line of sight, filled with emotion, passes through that gap over and over, gradually the white space within the gap takes on the shape of a leaf. When this ‘non-leaf leaf’ is fully formed, it disappears.”

“Huh? Disappears? Where to?”

“Not fixed—it could end up among the leaves of any tree.

Under normal circumstances, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack for the same person to find this ‘non-leaf leaf’ again. Even if the extremely slim chance occurs that they come across the tree where the leaf is, they would pass by it, unable to discover it again just by chance.

The second step in forming [Obstructing Leaf] is that the person who originally created it must encounter and spot it again among countless trees.”

Xunhuan shook his head: “Just this step alone could already be called a historic miracle.”

“Right, and there’s the third step: the person who finds it again must ‘look’ at it with the same mindset and state as before, like the countless times before it came into being.”

Chunshui was the first to snap out of the awe at how nearly impossible this was to create: “Rarity is one thing, but what exactly is the ability of [Obstructing Leaf]?”

As Chen Miemie paused to drink water, [Forbidden Fruit Illustrations] continued.

“Once [Obstructing Leaf] fully forms, it attaches to its ‘master’s’ eyes to express gratitude.”

“I don’t get it. If it attaches to the eyes, doesn’t that make them blind? That’s gratitude? Isn’t that repaying kindness with harm?”

“Blindness is just a side effect. Its main effect is to cover the ‘master’s’ spiritual eyes, making them forget one of their most painful memories. Of course, there’s a side effect too—it makes them emotionally detached, eventually leaving their heart like still water.”

“Huh? So the ‘blindness’ isn’t even the side effect?”

“Right, the ‘blindness’ is probably the ‘good’ effect that Yixuan herself wanted.”

“So, during her graduation exam, Yixuan had something so painful that she would rather lose her sight to be able to forget it. And now, she has successfully erased that memory.” Qinghua made the final summary.

[Forbidden Fruit Illustrations] turned to Chen Miemie: “If that’s the case, should we still help her regain her sight? Not to mention whether it’s even possible—if we remove the [Obstructing Leaf] covering her, it means she’ll recall that painful event.”

Chen Miemie crossed her arms and pondered for over ten seconds.

“Keep investigating. Since we accepted the commission, we should at least find out the truth. As for whether to eventually remove the [Obstructing Leaf] or not, let the siblings decide for themselves.”

“Ding-a-ling~”

The paper wind chime rang.

From the entrance came the sound of the door being pushed open.

A new guest had arrived.

Xunhuan appeared silently behind the entryway partition.

“Ah, h-hello, sorry to intrude.” The visitor was a young woman.

She wore her hair in a simple ponytail, plain clothes—the style and grooming a bit old-fashioned.

Having suddenly arrived at this unfamiliar place, she looked very tense.

“I was just walking down the road, and before I knew it, somehow I ended up at your doorstep. Really sorry for the intrusion.” She kept apologizing.

“Guest, don’t be polite. There must be a reason you came here. Please come in.” Xunhuan gestured with an open hand.

“O-okay.”

Guided by Xunhuan, the woman sat down on the sofa across from Chen Miemie.

“Ma’am, as you can see, this is a shop that fulfills people’s wishes. Welcome.”

“Ah, I… I don’t really have any wish.”

Xunhuan poured tea for her and then left.

The fragrance of tea filled the air.

The scent of the tea from [Unfeeling Pot] seemed to have a calming effect, and the woman slowly relaxed from her nervousness.

“Ma’am, by now you must realize this isn’t an ordinary shop. It’s a [Mysterious Shop]. Only those with confusion who are fated can come here. Please feel free to speak about your troubles.”

The woman glanced at Chen Miemie: “Really?”

“Of course.”

Chen Miemie waited a few minutes. In that time, the room was especially quiet.

Finally, the woman seemed to make up her mind and began speaking.

“Alright. Lately, I’ve had something that really troubles me, and I can’t make up my mind.”

“Speak freely.”

“Well, here it is.

My name is Dujuan. I have a best friend. We grew up as neighbors and played together all the way through.

We were classmates, too, but we were both too timid to take the graduation exams—so we both dropped out.

Originally, we came from ordinary families. After leaving school, my friend married into a slightly wealthy small clan, becoming a rich housewife. She later had a son and a daughter.

We remained best friends. I often visited her at home to see her.

My friend’s married life was very happy. Her husband was good to her, the children were healthy. I was glad for her, and I even envied her a bit.

But unfortunately, not long ago, an accident happened.

The two of us encountered an Aberration together. We survived. I spent three months in the clinic and lost my job, but I was luckier than her. She could only stay bedridden, and her life was already counting down.

After I recovered, I went to see her. Knowing I had lost my job, she offered to hire me to take care of her in her home.

I initially wanted to refuse, but she said she didn’t have much time left and wanted me to be with her for her final days.

I agreed.

Since then, I worked as a maid in her house for a year. The job title was ‘maid,’ but the couple always treated me like a friend.

A week ago, she passed away.

In her final moments, she held my hand and said I was the person she trusted most. She asked me to take her place caring for her children and to become their new mother.

As for her husband, it’s not that I’m in love with him, but I do have some good feelings toward him. Maybe I’d envied my friend for having such a good husband, and maybe I mentioned it in passing during our chats, leading her to hatch this idea.

At the time, in a daze, I agreed. Later, after calming down, I realized that if I followed through with that impulsive promise, it would lead to gossip. Now I want to back out, but she’s already gone.

So, I feel very confused and don’t know what to do.”

Chen Miemie listened quietly until she confirmed Dujuan was finished, then slowly spoke:

“What was your friend’s name?”

“Hua Nian.”