Eight Parts Tea

[Sweet romance, one-on-one, mutual devotion, a slow and steady everyday love story, a little treat] On her birthday, Lu Tiao “runs away from home” and meets Ye Rong in a little-known town, beginning a slow-paced life there together. How small is the town? Small enough to run into the same person three times in one day. How slow is life? Slow enough to spend a whole lifetime strolling hand in hand. “What do you want to eat tomorrow?” “Are you going to the convenience store tomorrow?” Lu Tiao teased, “With allergies all over you, you might scare the customers away.” “I’m not going,” Ye Rong promised. “So whatever you want to eat tomorrow, I can make it.” “Oh, listen to you, so confident!” “I’m only so-so. I can make a few ordinary delicacies.” “That’s a shame. I’m a country bumpkin who can’t appreciate fine food. I only like home cooking.” As the saying goes, tea’s true nature comes out in water. Eight parts tea, when met with ten parts water, becomes ten parts tea. Ye Rong considered himself eight parts tea. At just the right time, he met the ten parts water meant for him.