Feathers of the Japanese Pagoda Tree

This story was originally titled "Fragrant Feathers of the Black Locust."

Blurb:

She introduced herself: "My name is Qiao Zhiyu."

That daft sheep kept walking with his usual gait. "Do you know which Yu it is?" "The Yu in feather." She answered her own question.

Wang Yang seemed like her shadow, following wherever she went. She glared at him, then asked, "Where are you from?" She deliberately raised her voice a few notches.

Wang Yang turned to look at her suspiciously. "What, are you checking my background?" he said, sounding displeased.

"What? Are you scared? And you call yourself a man?" Qiao Zhiyu retorted, unimpressed by his tone.

"Me? Scared of you?" He gave her a contemptuous look, then stopped and snorted twice, making it clear he thought nothing of what she'd said.

"If you're not scared, why won't you answer?" Qiao Zhiyu was haughty and couldn't stand people who were so passive-aggressive, let alone his arrogant, mocking tone.

She wouldn't dare challenge him in a physical contest, but for now she wanted to get the upper hand, provoke him a little, and ease the grudge she'd held since yesterday.

Seeing that he was still silent as a block of wood, Qiao Zhiyu had no choice but to walk on alone. She cursed him under her breath. A true hero doesn't need to be asked where he came from, but a fake hero would never let anyone discover his background. How could someone like that deserve to be called a hero?

The way he strutted around, looking like a pathetic bear, made her think he was better called a coward. As she thought about it, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. She almost said it aloud, but managed to hold it in, and the effort made her terribly uncomfortable.

Later, when she thought back on all that had happened, she always felt warm inside.

It turned out that every beautiful thing in this world was a luxury for her...

Reading Guide:

1. The romance between the leads is slow to develop.

2. The story takes place in both the city and the countryside.

3. The storytelling is somewhat episodic.

4. The ending is somewhat tragic.

Theme: Longing for something beautiful.