touching romance: Love blossoms
Dingde City has a famous art street.
The art street is bustling with activity, featuring jade shops, wood carving shops, rare stone shops, and calligraphy and painting shops. With over a hundred stores, it attracts a steady stream of tourists and locals. Among these, the most popular is the White Jade Gourd Carving Shop. The shop’s owner, Bai Yu, is a stunning beauty, graceful and charming.
One day, three young men entered Bai Yu’s shop. As they admired the gourds, they couldn’t help but express their amazement. It was evident they were tourists.
Bai Yu rose from her carving station, smiled warmly, and said, “Welcome, gentlemen. All the pieces here are carved by my grandfather and me. My grandfather is a renowned intangible cultural heritage inheritor of gourd carving in Dingde City.”
One tall young man, who had been silently observing a gourd depicting a lady with a pipa, finally spoke, “Boss, this lady looks a lot like you. Did you use your reflection as a model?”
Bai Yu blushed and smiled shyly.
The tall young man played with the gourd for a while and then said, “If some calligraphy were added to this blank space, the piece would be perfect.”
Bai Yu’s eyes lit up but then dimmed again. “I’m not good at calligraphy. It’s a real pity.”
“Lu Jia, show her your skills!” the other two young men urged the tall man in unison.
Lu Jia casually picked up a brush from the workstation and wrote on the blank space above the lady: “Unformed melodies already possess feelings.”
Bai Yu was impressed by the calligraphy, exclaiming, “What beautiful writing.”
One of Lu Jia’s friends remarked, “He’s a well-known calligrapher in our circle and has even won awards!”
Lu Jia smiled modestly and said, “Boss, you can carve it following my handwriting. I’ll be traveling around here for the next three days and will come back to buy it on my way back.”
With that, Lu Jia and his friends left the shop.
Bai Yu thought to herself, “Lu Jia is quite something. Using Bai Juyi’s poem has added a touch of artistry to the piece.”
That evening, Bai Yu carefully carved the poem onto the gourd. The combination of the words and the image was perfect, elevating the artistic quality. From then on, Bai Yu remembered the name Lu Jia.
Three days later, Lu Jia indeed returned to buy the gourd. Before Bai Yu could speak, her face turned red, and she said, “Lu Jia, I’ll give you this gourd. But I have a small request: you need to write on ten more gourds for me.”
Lu Jia was delighted to trade his calligraphy for a gourd. He wrote various poems like “The setting sun casts light on the village” and “White egrets fly over the vast fields,” on the gourds as Bai Yu requested.
Lu Jia’s calligraphy was excellent, and he had a profound knowledge of classical poetry, effortlessly selecting verses that enhanced the gourds’ beauty. After Bai Yu meticulously carved the poems onto the gourds, they became very popular and sold out quickly.
Bai Yu realized her literary and calligraphy skills were lacking, which made her gourd art somewhat incomplete.
Bai Yu had grown up loving gourd carving under her grandfather’s guidance.
After graduating from university, she opened the gourd carving shop. Gourds, symbolizing good fortune and blessings due to their phonetic resemblance to “fortune” and “prosperity,” have been cherished for centuries as auspicious and ornamental objects. Bai Yu’s grandfather preferred carving deities, while Bai Yu favored ladies, birds, and landscapes. They worked well together, and their business thrived.
Now, Bai Yu thought how wonderful it would be if she could draw and carve while Lu Jia did the calligraphy, creating gourds together. Thinking of this made her face flush with warmth. Bai Yu had fallen for Lu Jia, but after that meeting, he never returned to her shop, leaving Bai Yu regretting not getting his contact information.
Soon, the city’s wealthiest man, Ye Song, visited Bai Yu’s shop to commission a carved gourd featuring the deity Nanji Xianweng for his father’s 50th birthday. He was instantly captivated by Bai Yu’s beauty and offered her ten thousand yuan to personally create the gourd, which was to be completed in a week.
A week later, Ye Song came to collect the gourd. The large gourd featured an elderly man with a kind face, holding a peach and a cane. Ye Song was thrilled and began frequently visiting the shop, gradually becoming more acquainted with Bai Yu.
One day, while Bai Yu was working, Lu Jia suddenly appeared. Bai Yu was overjoyed and poured him a cup of water. Despite having only met twice, they felt like old friends. Lu Jia explained that he taught art at a school and could only visit Dingde City during holidays.
“Here to see your girlfriend?” Bai Yu teased, blushing. Lu Jia hesitated, avoiding her gaze, and nodded.
Hearing that Lu Jia was visiting his girlfriend, Bai Yu sighed inwardly.
Lu Jia changed the subject, “Boss, I want to work at your shop. Will you take me?” he asked with a playful smile.
Bai Yu was concerned, “You’re not teaching anymore?”
Lu Jia replied, “I quit my job to learn gourd carving from you. Ever since I saw your carvings, I’ve been fascinated by this art.”
Bai Yu was thrilled. She had always wanted to improve her gourd carving skills and preserve the craft. Lu Jia’s beautiful calligraphy and willingness to learn were perfect. She immediately agreed.
Lu Jia added, “I brought my girlfriend with me. We rented a place nearby. I can start work the day after tomorrow.” Lu Jia’s face turned as red as a rooster’s comb.
Lu Jia and his girlfriend living together? Bai Yu felt a pang of disappointment. Perhaps it was because of his girlfriend that Lu Jia moved to Dingde City. However, for the sake of bettering their gourd art, Bai Yu set her thoughts aside and made space for a new workstation in the shop.
On Lu Jia’s first day of work, Bai Yu was overjoyed. Not only was Lu Jia’s calligraphy impressive, but his paintings of people and landscapes were also exceptional.
Soon, Bai Yu began teaching Lu Jia various carving techniques. She had mastered the craft under her grandfather’s guidance and was highly skilled. Lu Jia, realizing there was always more to learn, was a humble and eager student.
One day, while Bai Yu was teaching Lu Jia the reverse carving technique, Ye Song arrived in his sports car. Seeing Bai Yu and Lu Jia working closely together, he felt a pang of jealousy and sourly said, “Bai Yu, could you pour me some tea?”
Bai Yu calmly finished teaching the technique before serving Ye Song.
Ye Song asked Bai Yu to sit with him and inquired about Lu Jia. Upon learning that Lu Jia was just an apprentice, Ye Song felt somewhat relieved. He excitedly told Bai Yu that his father’s friend, Mr. Zhang, was so impressed with the Nanji Xianweng gourd that he wanted to commission a batch of gourd carvings as gifts for his business partners.
Overjoyed, Bai Yu said, “Please communicate with Mr. Zhang and bring him to my shop. I guarantee he’ll be satisfied with the gourds.”
Ye Song nodded enthusiastically, “No problem, I’ll call him as soon as I get home.”
After Ye Song left, Lu Jia asked, “Bai Yu, is Ye Song your boyfriend?” Bai Yu smiled and said, “No, we’re just friends.”
Lu Jia remarked, “I can tell he likes you. You should consider marrying a good husband and living a life without worries.” Bai Yu replied disdainfully, “Relying on others feels like living under someone else’s roof, always feeling inferior. How can that compare to the happiness of working for yourself?”
Lu Jia looked at Bai Yu and sincerely said, “Bai Yu, I admire you.”
A few days later, Ye Song brought Mr. Zhang to Bai Yu’s shop.
Mr. Zhang’s business friends loved the South Sea Guanyin, so he brought a picture of the deity for Bai Yu to draw. Bai Yu skillfully painted the image onto a large gourd.
Mr. Zhang was delighted and immediately placed a deposit for twenty gourds.
To meet Mr. Zhang’s order, Bai Yu handed over the shop’s daily operations to Lu Jia while she and her grandfather focused on carving in the back room.
Lu Jia managed the shop and continued learning to carve. Bai Yu was pleased but also felt a tinge of sadness knowing Lu Jia had a girlfriend.
After more than a month, Bai Yu and her grandfather completed Mr. Zhang’s order. Ye Song came to collect the goods, paid a large sum, and then confessed his feelings to Bai Yu. She gently replied, “My heart already belongs to someone else. Although we can’t be together, I can’t love you. I’m sorry, Ye Song. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but let’s remain friends.”
After Ye Song left, Bai Yu told Lu Jia, “You’ve worked hard. Tonight, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Lu Jia suggested, “Let’s just have a packed dinner. I’m working on this gourd and don’t want to lose time.”
Bai Yu laughed and said, “Fine, we can eat later. Invite your girlfriend to join us for dinner.”
Lu Jia laughed, “She’s a homebody and doesn’t like going out.”
Curious, Bai Yu asked, “Is she pretty?”
Lu Jia smiled, “Yes, she is.”
Bai Yu’s
curiosity about Lu Jia’s girlfriend grew. She thought if Lu Jia had no objections, maybe his girlfriend could help in the shop, allowing her and Lu Jia to focus on their carvings and better preserve this intangible cultural heritage.
As dusk fell, Bai Yu asked Lu Jia to close the shop and invite his girlfriend to dinner. Lu Jia hesitated but agreed. On the way, he bought a rose from a flower shop.
Bai Yu teased, “You see her every day and still buy her flowers?”
Lu Jia avoided her gaze, “Just today. It’s special.”
They walked past the art street and turned into a narrow alley lined with old houses. Lu Jia’s rental was among them. He opened the door and led Bai Yu inside. The room was small, with a bed and an old table taking up most of the space.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Bai Yu asked.
Lu Jia pointed to the table, “There.”
Bai Yu looked and saw the gourd carving Lu Jia had commissioned from her shop. She was stunned, unable to comprehend at first.
Lu Jia placed the rose in front of the gourd and softly said, “My dear, I love you. Will you accept my heart?”
Bai Yu was shocked. The “girlfriend” who had accompanied Lu Jia was this gourd carving all along.
Realizing Lu Jia’s true feelings, Bai Yu’s heart raced, her face turning as red as a peach blossom.
Lu Jia had fallen for Bai Yu the first time he visited her shop. He had used the poem on the gourd as a subtle confession, but Bai Yu had seen him only as a customer. Overwhelmed by his feelings, Lu Jia had quit his job and moved to Dingde City to be close to her, even working at her shop to spend every day together.
Moved by the rose in front of the gourd, Bai Yu could no longer contain her emotions. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Lu Jia, hands trembling, offered the rose to Bai Yu. She accepted it and gently took Lu Jia’s hand, embracing their newfound love.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
