I’m not positive but my instincts tell me that Nai was quoting Weiwei a line or two of poetry. Maybe @helen can help us out?? Have you heard of these lines before? Thanks, @helen!
The subs from Netflix said, “Flowers along the field paths have bloomed, take your time to return.” From kissasian, the subs went, “Flowers are blooming by the road, enjoy them on your way back.”
I noticed that in the next scene, while Weiwei was packing, she dropped a book on the floor. It’s called “Yuyang’s Notes on Poetry.”
I suspected then that Weiwei became suddenly interested in poetry because Nai quoted her lines from a poem to coax her to come home. It’s probably a poem from long time ago written by this man named Yuyang to his beloved whom he missed very much.
Literally, the flower on the cactus that Weiwei left Nai is finally in full bloom. And just like that poet, Nai is telling Weiwei to enjoy the flowers on the wayside as she returns home to him again. He misses her dearly but she can come back on her own time, unhurriedly, because he will wait for her.
I’m not Chinese but that’s my interpretation.
Edited to add this random Yang Yang gif. Can somebody please tell me which episode this came from? I can’t place it. Thanks.
Awww nice connection on the poetry between our couple. 😍 I bet it was one of the books that he borrowed when they were in the library before she left for the college break. I think you’re spot on. 👍🏻
That scene is when Xiao Nai asked WeiWei to serve her Mother In Law tea. 😉 He was leaving for the airport to present the proposal of the business to Feng Teng.
That gif was when he hip butted Zheng Shuang and she hip butted him back! 😄
I’m a huge fan of Japanese haiku..and I remember thinking while watching this scene that this line about flowers blooming on her way as she come back signifies the entry of spring or young love in their lives. It seemed allegorical in a way.
I like the way that Nai, despite being a computer guy, can be lyrical and poetic if he wanted to. This quote “Flowers along the field paths have bloomed, take your time to return/enjoy them on your back” is so sweet that’s why it stuck in my head…just like the apricot tree metaphor in Episode 22.
Given his take-charge character and his earlier complaint to his friend that he’s stuck in a relationship limbo, “What can I do? I have no official title and we haven’t been dating that long. What do you want me to do?”, I expected Nai to be impatient and demand that she return right away. Instead he tells her to take your time to return/enjoy the flowers along the field paths.
To me, that’s a sign that he loves her. He’s willing to wait.
Then, again if you tie it this to his practicing celibacy while they were dating, it makes absolute sense.
I’m sure @agdr03 will find this all romantic and swoon-worthy.
I agree, it is romantic..something I never expected from the outwardly expressionless Xiao Nai either.
I was trying hard to think of what poem that line kept reminding me of, and I figured it out finally. Even though the poem by James Joyce I’m talking about is about a different season, somehow the underlying emotions seem the same.
Rain has fallen all the day.
O come among the laden trees:
The leaves lie thick upon the way
Of memories…
Come, my beloved, where I may
Speak to your heart.
This, to me, somehow speaking of the same longing and separation from the beloved.
*speaks of the same longing..
I tried searching for Chinese poems by Yuyang but Google had no answer to that. Maybe listed under a different spelling as Chinese names can be written in different ways in English.
I live that love makes our Xiao Nai so romantic😍 Once more, it’s only a Xiao Nai thing – can’t imagine, for instance, George Clooney speaking those lines..haha🤣🤣
To me, that’s a sign that he loves her. He’s willing to wait.
Then, again if you tie it this to his practicing celibacy while they were dating, it makes absolute sense.
You bet I found this romantic and swoon worthy. I’ll think of this poem like this – WeiWei did enjoy the over 2 years in a relationship with Nai and matured as a woman. While she did that, Nai was just beside her being the best boyfriend ever. He is a descent, good, kind, caring, generous, bossy and handsome man. Right from the beginning he did everything right by her. That is true love.
🙂💐
I had to re-examine Episode 1, too. Their first meeting. I think I’ll have time this morning. 🙂
Disclaimer – My Chinese is not so extensive that it encompasses Poetry (which is another level altogether). This is where the line comes from though
https://baike.baidu.com/item/陌上花开，可缓缓归矣/10547656?fr=aladdin
I typed in the Chinese in Google and the link to Baidu gave me this response. Turns out lots of people tried to find out where that line came from back in 2016(?) when the drama aired.
Anyway translated it is about a Chinese legend/folklore regarding Emperor (?) QianLiu and his Wife whom he adored. She missed her hometown and Mother a lot and he granted her permission to visit (I think she made like a yearly pilgrimage back around winter time). Anyway, he loved her so much he would pine for her when she was away. Legend has it that on one such occasion after he had finished dealing with Palace duties, he walked out looking at the mountainside and the Cherry blossoms were starting to bloom (😂❤️ WonDeuk trigger), and he was so overcome with thoughts of her that he penned these lines in a letter to her. Like you intimated, he longed for her but understood that she needed to be where she was but nonetheless, he ached that they were apart…Awww 💕
@nrllee..thanks for sharing this💕 I had been searching for this poem too and its history. That story just makes perfect sense by mirroring Xiao Nai and Weiwei’s situation.
Just want to add that this scenario in the story with QianLiu was very unusual. It was generally expected that once you entered the Palace, you were pretty much confined to a life within the Palace (it was an unwritten rule). QianLiu must have loved her so much, he was willing to break with convention and go above and beyond for her by indulging her at great expense to himself.
😘😘💯❤️
You’re awesome, @nrllee! You’re definitely our blog’s top researcher. 👍Thank you for ferreting out that information for us.
So it’s about a Chinese Emperor yearning for his Empress to come home? That’s even better than just a common poet wishing his wife back.
And I hear you about the cherry blossoms. I wasn’t feeling the CACTUS flowers. I can’t imagine being inspired by cactus along the road. But cherry blossom trees in full bloom lining the road? Yes, definitely.
Yes, 100 Days My Prince and cherry blossoms!! 😘
Awww. It’s the Forbidden City, right? Yes, she definitely wouldn’t have been allowed to leave.
This reminds me of one of my favorite Greek myths, Persephone and Hades. The middle-aged god Hades who’s the lord of the underworld and keeps company with dead souls, fell in love with the beautiful maiden whose mother is the goddess of harvest.
Death vs Harvest. It’s no brainer which one I’d choose to stay with 😂 but of course, children grow and leave their homes to find their new place under the sun (or in Persephone’s case, a place where the sun doesn’t shine).
This site explains the story very well:
https://www.greeka.com/greece-myths/persephone.htm
It does, doesn’t it?
Heads-up. I’m going on vacation next week. I won’t be able to post everyday unless y’all want boring updates about museums and food. 🤣😜 I’ll try to look for nuggets of info on Yang Yang before I leave.
Howdy! Did you have time to watch episode 1 again? 😊
Wow! Thanks @nrllee ! I love that legend where the poetry was based on. That’s romantic and like you said, the Emperor even bent the rules for his wife just so she could see her Mother. That’s one of those moving heaven and earth for the one you love. 😊
not yet. Am trying to finish The kiss analysis
Yippee!!! I love kiss analyses😜😜😜
Enjoy your vacation next week, @pm3. Incidentally, I’m off to Japan the week after that for..you guessed it..cherry blossom festival🌸🌸🌸
Now I will remember this story about the emperor missing his lady, as the cherry blossoms bloom along the path.💕
Working on Ep 1 this morning. Will post later.
Morning! 😊
No worries. I just posted my comment on the broccoli analysis 😉😄
Enjoy your holiday ok. That’s what I’ve been planning too but the boys and I have different countries of where we want to go 😂 I also thought their passport was not expiring till July but I saw it today and it expired March 3. 😬
Have a nice day! ☺️
I’ll try to post at least one irreverent (or irrelevant topic) once a day.
As the boys reach teenage years, it’s easier to plan vacations if you go with another family with the same aged kids. They have built-in buddies to go with them on the scary roller coasters. And visiting museums become more interesting because they can view things from their perspectives.
We were in Florence Italy one summer and my boys and their friends had a “memorable” time just ogling at David’s naked form. If my boys had just been with me and their dad, they would have received the “artistic” lecture on penises and the changing social mores on the human body.
But since they were with friends… lol… let’s say they had a more “age-appropriate” appreciation of the naked David. And in the end, that’s what really matters: making personal connections.
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