Picking Up Summer Breezes in Wutong Alley

Lu Shi'an: Where the phoenix perches in the parasol tree, there I will make my home with you.

In the summer she turned twenty-two, Yang Xiaotang stood at a crossroads. One path led to the civil service exams her parents had planned for her. Another led to the quiet hopes of her childhood sweetheart, Lu Shi'an, who wanted to stay in their hometown and open a guesthouse. A third came in the form of an invitation from Song Ciyuan, the older boy next door she had secretly loved as a girl, who had sent for her from Shenzhen. She chose the road to somewhere new.

Behind the big city's glitter lay endless overtime, packed subway trains, and a truth that gradually came into focus: some people are destined to remain an unattainable ideal. When news came that her father was ill, Xiaotang returned to her hometown of Qingxi and began helping Lu Shi'an with his guesthouse business. She discovered that the small town she had once been so eager to escape held endless possibilities.

This is the story of an ordinary girl's growth over ten years. It is about choices, love, leaving, and coming home. Not every distant destination is worth pursuing, but every journey counts. In the end, she understands: wherever your heart finds peace is home.