Summer on Liyu Island

Blurb:

[6,000 characters updated daily] That day, Zhou You wanted to end it all.

A wrong number stopped her: "Hello? Is that Nannan? Are you coming home for the holidays? Grandma made lots of dumplings for you. Come back and eat them!"

A train roared past right in front of her. She turned around and burst into tears, then bought a ticket back to her hometown, Liyu Island.

She had never been back since she grew up.

The old house leaked when it rained. There were rats in the garden, and the vegetable seedlings had toppled over.

Luckily, eighty percent of the village was made up of bored old folks left behind by their families. They still lived by the tides, planting in spring and tending their crops through summer. Grandpa taught her how to scrape mold off the walls. Grandma gave her dried radishes, and Auntie showed her how to grow sweet potatoes.

An old fan, ice-cold soda, a bamboo rocking chair, cicadas, the ocean tide, and the ring road that wound around the island beneath a long sunset... Slowly, she settled in.

One day, a typhoon swept through and turned her shabby house into an open-air home. A mute uncle eagerly gave her a ride to town on his three-wheeled motorcycle to find someone who could repair it.

"Dashu, someone's here for you!"

A town nearly melted by the scorching summer heat.

A dim, narrow alley.

A tall, shirtless man stood on a stepladder, covered in white paint. He glanced down at her.

Dark skin, damp hair, muscles... and bright, puppy-like eyes.

That was the first time she met Chen Shu.

Zhou You froze on the spot because...

He... He looked so much like her puppy.

This story is also known as "Dog Substitute" and "Please Be My Puppy". Heh.

"Zhou You, you don't have to chase after some grand meaning in life. Even waiting for a mushroom to slowly grow on a rotting log can be an answer in itself."

"Don't rush. You can take your time."

A few things to know before reading:

1. The geography is fictional. The title refers to an island famous for growing lychees. Please don't misunderstand or read it as a reference to real life.

2. A healing slice-of-life story set in a modern small town, with everyday meals, the changing seasons, and a slow, detailed pace.

3. The leads have a seven-year age gap: an older sister, a white-collar worker with anxiety, and a younger brother, a sailing athlete.

4. The blurb was screenshotted on May 23, 2025.

Theme: Don't give up. Life isn't over.