In the rainy alley, the pipa's notes wavered and died away, while the medicine stove sent up warm smoke. Lu Changchu bent down and sighed softly: "I'll give you half my life."
As white orchids bloomed, a pair of jade pendants came together. The kiss he pressed to Shen Xiansi's forehead was gentle yet weighty, a silent promise to protect him.
On the way back from the temple fair, blood from a coughing fit stained their clothes. Their lips met in the alley, and he declared with a kiss, "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
As winter honeysuckle stayed green and earth covered the coffin, Lu Changchu bent to kiss the cold wooden lid, burying his longing in the yellow earth.
Three kisses sealed their love, binding them through half a lifetime, as the scent of medicine mingled with the sound of strings.
In the end, joy in this life was brief, but love ran deep and long.
Theme: The fragility of life and the resilience of human nature, love and regret in a time of turmoil.
