Where Do the Leaves Fall?

He came from Xishan, carrying a heart full of unease as he entered his new family.

She was the darling of the household, and she soon accepted him.

Their father taught them poetry while their mother smiled nearby. The summer breeze drifted softly, the bright moon kept them company, and they passed several cicada-filled seasons together. Year after year, they grew up, becoming childhood sweethearts in everyone’s eyes. They read “Chang Gan Xing,” sang “Wutong Leaves,” and picked foxtail grass... Everything was so beautiful, so happy, they thought it would last forever.

But separation came all the same. His family took him away, and she was heartbroken.

Years passed, and times changed. They had both grown up. She had forgotten him, but he was determined to find her. They met again at a teahouse, still sharing a taste for tea, yet failing to recognize each other.

After many twists and turns, he finally recognized her. Amid the gentle charms of Jiangnan, she mistakenly took his hand, stirring feelings in him unlike any he had known before. As for her, she had long since given him her heart.

On a full-moon night, they went out together and drifted across the water in a boat. Beneath the rippling surface, undercurrents surged. Misunderstanding him, she left a letter and went far away. All he could do was secretly keep up with everything happening in her life, waiting so she could return whenever she wished.

When she came back, she was a renowned tea master. He, too, had built a teahouse inn in the mountains, a place where he could pursue his dreams. They walked forward side by side, each shining in their own way, becoming the people they had always wanted to be.

This time, they would never let go.