Ten Years of Pear Blossoms Falling

Yunzhi is a small town tucked away in a mountain hollow. In winter, white mist drapes the peaks, and snow flowers dot the town. The manor’s Torch Festival lights up year after year, while the morning bells of Dongshan Temple ring out year after year. In the old days, Yan Muge was always being pulled and dragged along by Shu Yihan. Later, it was hard to say who was following whom. Shu Yihan always thought Yan Muge was the clumsiest person he had ever met, and leading her around seemed to have become a habit. Yan Muge would always say, “Shu Yihan, if I haven’t left you behind ten years from now, take me to see a fireworks display as a thank-you! If I’m gone by then, send me a pear blossom in the spring.” Later, with three years still to go before the ten-year mark, Yan Muge disappeared. That year, winter returned, and frost killed all the pear blossoms that had bloomed in early spring.