Below is an extract from the novel (edited MTL) describing the pear blossom scene. Whilst I understand that novel adaptions are always a tricky business because on-screen storytelling has different requirements that a novel and also due to the current restrictions on what can be shown in a drama, I don’t see any reason why this beautiful scene could not have been reproduced on screen.
Comparing this to the drama version of Yinlou trying to uproot a pear tree with brute force, I cannot help but feel that we have been robbed!
In the novel this is the first romantic encounter between Yinlou and Xiao Duo. He has just picked her up from the mausoleum and while travelling they had a long conversation where she learned about his (tragic) childhood. Her feelings are still conflicted between fear, pity, gratefulness and fascination. They arrive at his mansion in the middle of the night.
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She whispered “Ah", stretched out her hand and ran to a pear tree in the courtyard. This tree was extremely tall and had lush branches and leaves. It looked like it was over a hundred years old! There were a few red gauze palace lamps hanging under the tree, staining the petals with a faint layer of red. As soon as the wind blew, they fell and floated in the air, covering the area under the canopy of the tree.
She raised her face, and occasionally petals slid across her cheeks, their touch was cold. She turned around to see him stepping on the falling flowers, and smiled: “I always wanted to have a tree like this. When I was six years old, I bought a seedling on the market, and when I came back to plant it, I squatted by its side and watched it every day, hoping that it would grow quickly and bloom soon. At that time, I thought that more watering would make it grow faster. I didn’t realise that the roots were soaked in water and then rotted. It made me sad for a long time.”
He looked at the top of the tree with his hands behind his back, standing gracefully like a piece of jade under the lamp. The expression on his face was as usual, but there was a faint smile in his eyes, “This pear tree was transplanted from another place last year. I thought that after being so busy, I might have missed the flowering period this year. I never thought it would be so lively. It's a pity that of the two trees that were originally meant to be moved, one went through a cold winter and froze to death before it could be transplanted. The remaining one is now alone, and I don't know how many more springs it can flourish.”
She said it didn’t matter, “You can plant some more seedlings, and wait for a few years to see them all bloom.”
He was a person who liked efficiency, so he shook his head and said, “It takes so much time, and it isn’t as good as the ones that are already grown. I will order someone to go out tomorrow to inquire, pick a few grown ones and transplant them to turn the garden into a pear blossom orchard. What do you think?”
She answered happily, but without looking at him, her gaze lingered on the branches of flowers. He looked at her quietly, the red firelight illuminating her face through the gauze of the lanterns. She had taken off the mourning clothes and changed into the dress he had prepared. The colour was not very bright, but it looked smart and stood out.
A petal fell on her head and he asked her not to move, so he could take it off for her. The thin tender flower was between his fingers, he stared at it, and put it in his mouth.
He had rich lips and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and Yinlou's cheeks flushed watching his movements. On this full moon night, people's hearts would become soft. He was so special, even though she knew that he was a eunuch, she couldn't help but yield to her imagination.
He looked satisfied, squinted, and chewed slowly, as if he was tasting some delicious food. Yinlou leaned over, with curious interest and asked him how it tasted. He took a long time to answer: "It’s okay!”
She had never eaten flowers. She used to hear that some beauties used flowers for entertainment. After eating them, their whole body would be fragrant. She was also a little eager to try, and wanted to pick one, but she brushed against the branches and made the petals fall all over her head. She didn't care. She took off the petals and chewed one. While chewing, she slowly frowned, smacked her mouth and said, “Are you joking with me? Why does it taste bitter?”
“There can be sweet and sour fruit coming from the same tree, isn't it the same for flowers? You were unlucky, and you picked a bad one." He turned his face and smiled, removing another flower from her head, “Try this one."
She wanted to take it, but he raised his hand high and said, “It's not good to turn around, let this minister do it for you!"
Yinlou was foolish enough to believed him! Seeing him hand it over she opened her mouth to let him feed it to her. His fingertips briefly touched her lips, then his eyes flashed and he retracted his hand, stretched out his tongue and licked up the flower. He looked incredibly enchanting. Then he said with a lazy smile: "I guessed it right, it's really sweet!”
