Waiting for Spring [Bittersweet Short Story]

When they were young, Shu Yue and Qi Yu shared a desk.

A bright, sunny girl and a shy, self-conscious boy gradually grew closer through a physics competition. Their budding love became a secret hidden deep in their hearts...

On graduation day, Shu Yue found a half-dried sweet osmanthus branch in the bookcase, but Qi Yu, who had brought her the flowers, was nowhere to be seen.

*

Years later, they reunited on a winter night in a foreign land. She was a tourist, while he was a border guard on duty.

Shu Yue stopped him. "Captain Qi, I've kept that sweet osmanthus branch for ten years. Aren't you going to take responsibility?"

Qi Yu: "Then... shall I come back and marry you?"

Shu Yue smiled. "Sure."

Sadly, Qi Yu didn't live to see spring, and Shu Yue didn't live to see their wedding. He died on the last night of that winter.

"Waiting for Spring" is the name of the guesthouse Shu Yue opened.

I know spring will never come,

Yet I hope your soul returns home.

Content warning: mutual pining, tragic ending

Purpose: Loving life