Act 1: First Meeting in the Ancient City - Spring Market in Pingyao
In the late Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, during the spring market in Pingyao City, Lei Lvtai was still a young apprentice at Xi Yucheng Dye Shop, helping the shopkeeper move buckets of dye. He accidentally bumped into a girl carrying a load of books - Yun Niang. The books scattered all over the ground. He hastily bent down to pick them up, only to see her stooping as well, with a jade hairpin carved with Pingyao chrysanthemums stuck in her bun. "I'm so sorry, so sorry!" Yun Niang looked up, her eyes reflecting the red lanterns of the market: "No harm done, I see your hands are scratched. This is an ointment my father prepared—apply it." She took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, also painted with tiny chrysanthemums. Lei Lvtai blushed. When he took the ointment, his fingers brushed hers, as if burned by the spring sunlight. Later he learned that Yun Niang was the daughter of a poor scholar in the city, selling books to support her family. That day after work, he secretly placed two hot steamed buns by Yun Niang's book load, hiding behind a wall to watch her eyes curve into smiles when she found them, planting a seed in his heart.
