Su Wan, a former folk singer, was framed and cyberbullied until her vocal cords were damaged. Forced to leave the music industry, she retreated to the mountains of western Zhejiang and took over the century-old, dilapidated inn her grandmother had left her. The will required her to run it for a full year before she could inherit. With no money to her name, she decided to try her luck and started livestreaming.
Half a folk song in the morning mist and a bowl of fragrant braised rice with fresh spring bamboo shoots made her livestream an overnight sensation. The rundown inn's renovations, rustic country cooking, and unhurried, laid-back life became “electronic ibuprofen” for millions of viewers. Cloudside Retreat became the internet's undisputed spiritual home.
Lu Shi, a top architectural designer drained by the rat race and suffering from severe insomnia, was struck by the gentleness of the mountains through his screen and headed straight there with his suitcase. He planned to stay for three days, but became the inn's first long-term guest, quietly fixing up the house and courtyard and keeping Su Wan company amid the warmth of the bustling household.
One weary soul after another arrived at the inn, and the mountain breeze embraced all their sorrows. Su Wan healed countless people, and in the slow rhythm of life, she and Lu Shi found their way to each other, saving one another and discovering the most precious tenderness hidden in everyday life.
