Spring Tide Within the Seas

At twenty-five, Shao Yuyou left her job and returned home to take over the seafood shop her mother had run for half her life.

This small seaside town wasn't large, but it held all her memories, from childhood to the present. The tides that had yet to fade from Shao Yuyou's mind washed over her once more. Everything around her was unchanged, except that the sweet ice-and-drink shop next door had moved away. Its interior was a mess. She looked up at the sign, which bore a few large characters:

Creekside Snack Shop.

One morning, she opened up before dawn to unload a delivery. Turning her head, she noticed that the neighboring shop, though still unfinished, was already brightly lit. The owner sat inside, his features refined and elegant as he slowly ate a bowl of fish ball noodles.

Seeing her come to the door, the owner smiled and pointed at the squid in her hand. "We can cook that for you. Want a bowl too, boss?"

That year, Bai Tingxi was seventeen.

Her parents divorced. Her mother took her along when she remarried her current stepfather, and then had another child with him. Suddenly, there was no place for Bai Tingxi at home.

With nowhere to go, she always felt she had no home to return to. After school, she often sat at the edge of the school basketball court, lost in thought. The girls' basketball team practiced there every day. Bai Tingxi felt safe with the noise and company around her.

One of the players was a girl from the year above, with her hair tied in a high ponytail. She seemed cold and hard to approach, but was unexpectedly kind. Bai Tingxi heard the others call her Xiaoyu.

One day, a violent downpour left Bai Tingxi with nowhere to go. The senior, whose surname was Shao, rode past on her bicycle, then turned back and took her home. Amid the sweet-and-salty aroma of the seafood shop, with moonlight hazy outside, Bai Tingxi looked through the window...

The spring tide was rising over the sea. Its waters became a silken thread tied around her feet. She knew she would return one day, when the moon rose again.

* A light, short story, around 250,000 characters, complete

* A sweet, cozy everyday food story

Theme: Persevere and strive for self-improvement.