Sitting Under the Mulberry Tree, Waiting for a Fairy

Gu Qing Cheng clutched the two bus tickets in his hand, hesitating whether to speak, when the girl he had just bought a ticket for got off the bus.

By some strange impulse, Gu Qing Cheng also got off. He saw the girl enter an old, dilapidated, abandoned general store. A place that looked like it had been deserted for many years; he feared there might be something sinister inside. Gu Qing Cheng felt uneasy and decided to follow her in.

Inside, the general store was also extremely dilapidated. A quick glance revealed clumps of weeds growing wildly in the back courtyard.

Gu Qing Cheng searched everywhere in the rundown house but couldn't find the girl anymore. It was truly strange. He had clearly seen her enter with his own eyes. Gu Qing Cheng's gaze fixed on the two-meter-high wall inside, thinking, *could she have climbed over the wall?*

He had no choice but to squat under the ancient mulberry tree opposite the general store, until he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Cheng Wen Nian approaching: "Gu Qing Cheng, what are you squatting here for?"

Gu Qing Cheng looked up at Cheng Wen Nian. Last year, in the all-unit sports meet, Gu Qing Cheng won first place, while Cheng Wen Nian won third, and the two became acquainted because of it. He heard that Cheng Wen Nian was returning this time to register his marriage. Cheng Wen Nian was only twenty-three, still a young lad, and already had a wife, while he, at his age, was still all alone. Life truly wasn't like a dream.

Gu Qing Cheng glanced at Cheng Wen Nian, then turned away, continuing to stare at the dilapidated general store across the road.

"Waiting for a fairy maiden," he mumbled, *if the fairy maiden ever returns*.

Cheng Wen Nian couldn't help but laugh, but then he became troubled by his own affairs. This time, he had returned not to register his marriage but to break off an engagement, but things were not going smoothly at all. As soon as he spoke, Jiang Rang angrily left home. His parents had threatened him with sticks, ordering him to go bring her back, or else they wouldn't acknowledge him as their son.