"If not by the plum, then by the willow" was something they could never say in front of other people.
One was a wealthy young gentleman who had studied abroad; the other was an undocumented opera performer.
He sang "The Tryst at the Tower" for the groom.
Thirty tables of guests watched as people below the stage jeered: What's wrong with this performer? Who sings this at a wedding?
He looked toward the head table. The groom hadn't glanced at the stage once.
The troupe leader called out, "Yusheng, the cart's waiting. We can still make it back to the brickyard in time for roll call."
He carried a baby and a trunk of costumes as he headed south.
Seven years later, when they met again, the only words his hoarse voice could manage were still "Mr. Gu."
The opera always sang, "If not by the plum, then by the willow..."
"Let them love whatever flowers and grasses they please, let them live and die as they wish, and then no one will resent the bitter sorrow."
Mr. Gu, in this life, I did as you wished. I don't resent it.
#Tragedy #Officer x Opera Performer #Beauty of a Bad Ending #Mutual Secret Love #Class Divide #Death and Separation #Unresolved Feelings #SobbingUntilYouCan'tBreathe #DevastatingAftermath #TooHeartbreakingToReadTwice
