The Inn of Coming Riches - 27

On the thirty-fourth day after the butterfly ginger began to bloom, the Golden Proprietor started to feel that his backyard was growing more than just vegetables. He first noticed this one early morning. As he carried a bucket to the well to draw water, he happened to glance at a butterfly ginger bud as he crouched down, and saw an unfamiliar insect resting on it—not large, slightly smaller than a bee, with semi-transparent pale purple wings that shimmered with a faint silver sheen in the morning light. It didn't fly away, but simply rested there quietly, as if waiting for something. The Golden Proprietor watched it for a few seconds, then left with his water without disturbing it. The next day, at the same spot and time, the pale purple insect was there again. This time, it was joined by another one—slightly bluer in color, with a very fine white pattern around the edge of its wings. They sat side-by-side on the butterfly ginger bud, like two early guests waiting for the door to open. A'Su noticed this on the third day. She was picking lemon balm, and as she crouched down, a pale purple insect flew around her fingers twice before landing on a leaf. She watched it, not moving, and after a moment, softly said, "You're here to help the flowers, aren't you?" The insect didn't fly away. Its wings spread slightly, as if in response. That evening, the number of bees in the backyard noticeably increased—not the usual worker bees, but bees that were darker in color and slightly larger in size. Their flight paths were more stable than ordinary bees, as if they knew they wouldn't be chased away.