Old Dreams of the South Seas: Salt and Shrimp, Together in Death

In a little house, I listen to the spring rain through the night. How many young swordsmen wander in Xianyang?

Alone in the cold night, I drift through the world. I gaze to the ends of the earth, longing for the swordsman’s return.

When will the east wind return to the little house? When will it bring the wandering swordsman home?

Listening to the wind and watching the rain, I find comfort in life. The swordsman’s home is where his heart belongs.

This is a modern AU fanfic of The Southern Archives, featuring Zhang Haixia and Zhang Hailou.

Synopsis: In the modern, bustling city of Xiamen, Zhang Hailou and Zhang Haixia are the two leading figures at the elite cultural relic appraisal institution, the Southern Archives. They are each other’s closest bond in the world. Zhang Hailou is bold and brash, all bark and a soft heart, the “blade” who charges into battle. Zhang Haixia is gentle and reserved, perceptive and meticulous, the “scabbard” who plans from behind the scenes.

In this parallel world, there are no tragedies dictated by fate, no agonizing partings or deaths. Every clash of “blades” becomes teamwork at the office and warmhearted banter in everyday life. When the business world gives them trouble, Zhang Hailou boldly stands up for Zhang Haixia and shields him. At home, he becomes his very own “personal chauffeur,” caring for his partner, whose legs make it difficult for him to get around, in a way that is both domineering and tender.

Beneath the blazing phoenix flowers of Gulangyu, with the sea breeze and tipsy warmth of alcohol around him, Zhang Hailou bravely confesses his love, breaking through the boundary between brothers. Years later, on a rainy night during monsoon season, a bowl of hot noodles marks the pair’s crossing of that boundary and their long-awaited, wholehearted love for one another.