Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 MengXiang:

I have asked before but wondering if anyone has a link to Chinese version of the book online. I keep finding the 2013 version. 

Sorry for asking again. Just want to check some things.

Here is the link for 2013 version: Sauvignon Blanc Tonghua, Sauvignon Blanc Novel, Sauvignon Blanc Novel Full Text Free Online Reading - Luoxia Reading (luoxiadushu.com) 

 MayaDavid:

I know that love bugs is a big plot device,

They are absolutely a plot device and, IMO their primary goal is to make clear that the relationship between Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu is romantic love (and that it remained constant throughout the novel) and not whatever soulmate of the friendship kind of nonsense that some fans like to insist on. If Tong Hua wanted to leave YaoLiu's relationship vague and easier to interpret as one-sided from Xiang Liu, she could have removed the Lovers Bugs from the story. 

 MayaDavid:

Part of this could be that I was convinced enough by the other evidence in the novel indicating that XY’ s feelings for XL was much much stronger than what she had for TSJ.

It is interesting, that you see evidence in the novel pointing to Xiao Yao's feelings for Xiang Liu being stronger. I've seen people who said that the epilogue took them by surprise because they didn't pick up on YaoLiu's relationship at all. Out of curiosity, what evidence in the novel convinced you that Xiao Yao feelings were stronger for Xiang Liu?

 MayaDavid:

However my general conclusion is very much based on my cultural backgrounds and I don’t dare debate with you folks about the love bug :) I do very much enjoy all the discussion though.

You should join in the discussions. People get passionate and pull out their quotes, but we're a friendly and courteous bunch. Differing opinions keep things lively, otherwise, it just ends up being an echo chamber.

 windiaaa041293:

@liddi @H19279 @HeadInTheCloud

The text in the leaked Episode 19 script says  XL bitten by a bug. and only XL was bitten by the bug.
xy wasn't bitten, and in this episode the bug didn't bite XL, but instead shone a light on XL and xy's chest.
So it's not due to being bitten by a bug (in my opinion). And it has nothing to do with reactions involving jing

Can you please share the Ep19 script?

 windiaaa041293:

Sorry, I can't upload images from Weibo, so I can only copy and paste.

Thank you. Can you send me the Weibo link as well?

Chinese mythology about the Milky Way

According to Chinese mythology, when the king of the sky was creating the heavens, he asked his daughter, the seventh princess of heaven, to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a tiresome job, and eventually the princess grew weary, so her father told her to take a break to play among the stars. She went to bathe in the Milky Way, a small stream in the heavens, and met a handsome herd-boy. They lost track of time together and when she finally returned to her father, he was furious. To prevent her from visiting the herd-boy again, he poured thousands of more stars into the Milky Way so that it grew from a small stream into an impassable river. The princess was so distraught that her father resolved to allow her to visit the herd-boy once a year by sending a flock of magpies to form a bridge over the Milky Way. [1]

Mythology about Guixu Sea: Guixu (simplified Chinese: 归墟; traditional Chinese: 歸墟) is a location in Chinese mythology where all water, including the Milky Way, flows into a bottomless void. Even as water keeps flowing into it, the amount of water in it never changes.  [2]. Thus the milky way (silver river) was considered as a kind of water form (upstream filled with stars )

How Milky Way in called in Chinese:

• 银河 : literally means Silver River
• 星河: literally means Star River
• 银汉: the galaxy, 银 = silver; 汉 = strong man
• 天河 : literally means heaven river

Example of literature work about The Milky Way

Du Fu(杜甫) (712–770) of the Tang dynasty wrote a poem about the heavenly river [3]:

From all the reference mentioned above, it can be concluded that the perception of "Milky Way" in Chinese literature and ancient Chinese culture was a large river filled with stars and had bright silver color. In fact, the composition of the word for Milky way 银河 (silver river) already reflects its color.

------------------

Now let go back to the text in chapter 14 about what XY saw when Jing untied his hair and stood agaist the sunrise on the boat: 

却看璟一边站起，一边随手解开了束发的发冠，满头青丝如银河泻九天*，披落在他背上，飘散在海风中。他侧倚着船栏，几分慵懒，几分随意地看着东边天空初露的晨曦。

But she saw Jing standing up and casually untying the crown that bound his hair. His head was covered with fine black hair falling down on his back and drifting away in the sea breeze like the Milky Way (TH used the word "silver river") flowing down from the nineth level of Heaven. He leaned against the railing of the boat, looking lazily and casually at the light of the dawn in the eastern sky.

Note (*) quoted from the poem "望庐山瀑布" (Watching Lushan Waterfall by Li Bai). In this poem the waterfall was describled as a white silk hang in front of the moutain, like the Milky Way falls from the 9th level of Heaven (the highest level of Heaven/sky). Thus in this poem, the perception of the Milky Way is white, flowing down stream (similar like a waterfall)

望庐山瀑布                Watching Lushan Waterfall [author : Li Bai]

日照香炉生紫烟，The "inscense burner peak"produces purple haze under the sunlight,
遥看瀑布挂前川。and the waterfall looks like a white silk hang in front of the mountain.
飞流直下三千尺，The height of the waterfall seems to be thousands of feet,
疑是银河落九天。just like that the Milky Way falls from the nineth level of heaven to the cliff. 

What impressed XY is the image of hair driffting away in the wind which like the Milky Way flowing down from the Heaven. This not only depicted the stage, free form of the hair but it also could indicate the perception on the color of fine hair thread when subjecting under the sunlight - silver white color. It is worth to remind that XY was druken and she wore a hat with white veil in front of her face which could influence the perception of color into her eyes.  

Xiao Yao’s heart leaped to her chest like a little deer lost. Zhuan Xu had to call her a few times to get her attention. He pushed her softly “What are you thinking?”

Xiao Yao quickly said “Oh, you guys are back.” Her face was bright red but thankfully it was covered by the veil so no one could see it. Zhuan Xu seemed to understand something and concern flitted across his eyes.

And it's the perception of "like milky way flowing down from the heaven" that made her heart leap in her chest. The reason is the similarity with XL's hair (Collection of XY's impression on XL hair can be found in [4]). As mention in the analysis about haircare and hibiscus flower [4], WXL's memory of XL's hair is the hair characteristics itself (e.g., white, the loosen form, dancing like clouds etc) while before this moment the hair-linked memory with YSQ is haircare (e.g., washing, drying).  And since this moment XY started her interest in playing with Jing's hair (untied it, playing with it as said in chapter 16). When she washed his hair in the past (when he was wounded, she just dried his hair with towel). However, after this point and chapter 16 when she did played with his hair, the thing that she enjoyed most when washing Jing's hair is combing his hair with her fingers. "She soaked the hibiscus leaves in water to create a fragrant bubble which she ladled over Jing’s hair. His hair was beautiful, thick and lustrous, smoother than silk, and Xiao Yao loved using her fingers to comb through it as she washed his hair." 

XY's memory of Jing hair from chapter 14+ had root or link to her impression, sense of XL/FFB's hair. It is a way of release her desire or longing for XL through Jing. And of course, the later memory of washing hair with Jing was attributed to her memory of Jing. Note: extra information about washing hair (e.g., using hibiscus) is referred to the analysis in the following link.

[4]  https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=2882267&page=386#p2882267 

 windiaaa041293:

@H19279

I have no doubt that xy's heart beats because of xl.

It is described as being like a waterfall, just like XY saw XL's hair under the sea.

I just wanted to write a proper analysis. 

 blabla100:

IMO XY did try to open the door for XL. The crystal ball and her wait for him is a clear message, I mean what more can one ask of her?

Maybe call off the wedding to Feng Long before attempting to start something with Xiang Liu? Maybe asked him directly? Maybe hashed it out when he did the marriage robbery? But of course, if she had done that, she wouldn't be Xiao Yao anymore.

I thought about why she didn't call off the wedding with Feng Long before sending the crystal ball. Did she want to use it to motivate Xiang Liu to declare his intention? Or did she think the odds that Xiang Liu would respond in the affirmative were so low, that she was just hedging her bet?

When it comes to her relationship with Xiang Liu, I always sense passivity and avoidance from her. I think it was windiaaa who brought up the scene in chapter 33? between Jing and Xiao Yao may not just mean to apply to Jing alone:

My own pessimistic personality and attitude, my own distrust of others, it caused me to lose the man I like. If I made a bit more effort, said more or did more, perhaps the result would be completely different. 

What kind of message does her behaviour send to Xiang Liu? That she's not entirely committed, that she's still weighing up the gains and losses; that she's still fearful of a bad outcome. When he takes that step towards her outside the Bone Prison, she rejects him because he's not "suitable", and it seems as if she still thinks that he's not entirely suitable even when she's confessing her feelings to him.