"The girl picks lotus flowers by the autumn waters. Her sleeves are narrow and made of light gauze, and a pair of golden bracelets peeks out. Her reflection shines as she plucks flowers, their beauty like her own. Her heart flutters and tangles like silk." The soft, lilting Wu dialect was enough to stir anyone's heart, and since its speaker was in the bloom of youth, it carried a hint of playfulness too.
On South Lake in Jiaxing, a young woman guided her fishing boat, sang Ouyang Xiu's "Butterflies in Love with Flowers," and cast her net.
"Little Guozi, if I were a fish, I'd swim right into those girls' nets..." The word "swim" was quite brilliantly chosen.
