Meng Jingtang first met Yu Teng on a rainy day.
In the bamboo forests of the mountains, a sudden downpour began. The steward of the Zhou Garden led her inside to take shelter. Her white skirt was soaked through. Across the courtyard, with its traditional four-sided layout, he looked up at the sound of her arrival and suddenly met a pair of eyes, cool and breathtakingly beautiful.
They met again years later, also on a rainy day. A chattering young Taoist led him off to find someone. Passing a side courtyard, he suddenly caught sight of a face he could not quite call familiar behind a half-open flower window.
As he paused for a moment, the young Taoist beside him suddenly called out, "Teng Teng! Someone's here to see you!"
Behind the window, the person who had been focused on her work, head lowered and hand gripping a knife, looked up at the sound.
At that moment, spring flowers crowded the courtyard. One year and nine months later, Meng Jingtang was looking into those eyes again.
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In a heavy rain at the end of spring, Yu Teng caught a ride down the mountain with Meng Jingtang.
As they neared the bus stop at the foot of the mountain, she thanked him. "You can drop me off up ahead. Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Meng."
His calm voice came from beside her. "It's no trouble to take you a little farther."
She glanced at the stop they were about to pass and reminded him, "That would be out of your way."
Rain hammered the roof of the car with a dull thud. The man turned to look at her, his gaze serene and far-reaching, and slowly said, "If Miss Yu is willing, we can always be going the same way."
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A slow-blooming, heart-stirring romance, like rain in spring.
Intangible cultural heritage: bamboo carving / traditional culture
The writing style is as the blurb suggests: somewhat classical, and may strike some readers as overly sentimental. If that's not your thing, this may not be for you.
Theme: Passing the torch from one generation to the next
