Qiongzhou, under the Song dynasty, was part of Guangnan West Circuit. Its seat was Qiongshan, and it governed Ya, Dan, and Wan'an.
Remote and far to the south, it was plagued by miasma.
Su Ruoning knew it better by another name: Hainan.
In the fourth year of Shaosheng, the decree came ordering Su Shi into exile once more.
He was sent to Danzhou, at the southernmost edge of the realm.
With her medical skills, Su Ruoning joined him on the road into exile, accompanied by two old servants, one elderly and one young.
The vast blue sea stretched for thousands of miles, its waves surging like mountain peaks.
A frail little boat tossed upon the raging tide.
After many rises and falls, the group crossed the Qiongzhou Strait from Leizhou Bay and came ashore at Chengmai.
They stepped onto the muddy shore, sea wind rushing against them. Jagged rocks and coarse white sand met their eyes.
There were no neatly divided fields or fertile farmland like those in the Central Plains, only dense, steamy foliage and heavy mists.
Even in this nearly desolate place, Su Ruoning never once lost heart.
The world saw the southern lands beyond the sea as a dead end, a place of no return. But to Su Ruoning, who had studied medicine since childhood and knew the crops, trees, and plants well, this southern frontier, abandoned by the Central Plains, was full of life that would never cease.
They farmed from dawn till dusk, as the scents of herbs and rice rose together.
In their free time, they could gather fruit in the woods, collect shells by the sea, or fish along the coast.
Even in the direst straits, life can still find a way.
[Reading Guide]
1. There is a male lead, but he appears a little later. The early chapters follow what the female lead sees and experiences on the road into exile. Daily life, slow burn.
2. Set in an alternate Northern Song dynasty that runs parallel to the historical one. Su Shi's fate will change, and he will live to a peaceful old age.
3. Even the road into exile is filled with blooming flowers. Always optimistic, always passionate.
Theme: When no one answers your knock, lean on your staff and listen to the river
