The plum rain season in Jiangnan always arrives unannounced, its fine threads of rain weaving diagonally to shroud the entire town in a hazy mist of water. Shallow puddles gather on the bluestone paths, reflecting the gray sky and the lanterns swaying beneath the eaves.
At the western edge of the town lies a tranquil little pond, its banks lined with weeping willows whose branches gently sway in the fine rain. In the center of the pond, a white lotus is just about to bloom, its petals holding sparkling dewdrops like a young maiden's tears at the corner of her eyes.
Yunxi is an embroiderer at the town's embroidery workshop. Every morning, she comes to the edge of this small pond to gather clear dewdrops for softening her thread. She is gentle and graceful, her brows always carrying a faint sorrow. Her long, raven hair is casually bound with a plain white ribbon, and she wears a light cyan ruqun, her every gesture exuding the soft beauty of a Jiangnan woman.
Chapter 205