An unconventional feel-good story about healing after a long separation.
[Childhood sweethearts + mutual secret crushes + heroine's personal growth]
Model student Lu Jianglan, a good boy through and through + stubborn, disciplined, and self-reliant Xia Ju
That summer, Xia Ju strained to reach the clothesline, hanging up the tiny clothes of her month-old baby sister. The clothes were all different colors and styles, hand-me-downs that relatives had packed up from when her older cousins were babies. Eight-year-old Lu Jianglan held a brand-new fishing rod and bucket and asked if she wanted to go fishing with him once she was done. Xia Ju's aching toes shifted inside her slightly faded crystal sandals. Her brows knitted together. She rarely spoke, but Lu Jianglan knew she wanted to go play with them. Auntie Xu just wouldn't let her. After missing so much of their childhood, another summer came around, and Lu Jianglan met the girl again in the land of mountains and rivers. She wore a pure white dress, and her brows were still knitted just like before. He thought she wouldn't be the first to speak when their eyes met, but she surprised him, saying, “Lu Jianglan, so you really did come to Jiangnan.”
