We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"In the name of youth, I solemnly swear! From this day forward, I bid farewell to immaturity and shoulder responsibility! I bid farewell to ignorance and embark on my mission! I uphold conscience and uphold virtue and goodness... I will dedicate my youth to the mountains and seas! I will strive for the future! Oath taker..."

People come and go under the statue of Confucius, but what remains the same is that at the same age, boys and girls in school uniforms raise their right fists to celebrate their coming of age.

Unfortunately, today coincided with the coming-of-age ceremony of another school near the Confucius Temple. The square was packed with people—students, teachers, parents, and a couple who came to fulfill a vow.

Xie Shu took Li Mubai's arm and walked around the crowd and the statue of Confucius, through a moon gate, and to the back of the Wenyuan Hall.

A gentle breeze blows, and the trees provide ample shade. Students stand on tiptoe to hang prayer plaques inscribed with their wishes under the trees. As the wind blows, the red silk threads flutter in the air.

"I wonder if our prayer plaques are still there." Xie Shu looked up, his gaze sweeping over the swaying wooden plaques on the tree.

The prayer plaques in each scenic area should be cleaned regularly; otherwise, over the years, they will no longer be a single red sign among thousands of trees, but rather a single green sign among thousands of red ones.

"I remember it was over there," Li Mubai pointed in a direction.

Xie Shu walked over, looked up, and searched row by row, pushing aside several overlapping wooden plaques with his fingers, then turned his head to look at the branches higher up.

Suddenly she stopped: "Found it."

"Hmm?" Li Mubai walked over, his expression surprised. Ten years had passed, yet it was still preserved. This was truly a miracle.

Xie Shu reached out and gently turned the wooden plaque over. The edges were blackened and the knots on the rope were frayed, but the words on it were still faintly discernible—"Admitted to Renmin University Law School! I hope Li Mubai and Xie Shu will be together."

"Isn't this Chen Qiuhe's?" Li Mubai asked in confusion.

"Hmm." Xie Shu nodded, looked down for a moment, and said, "I remember after I hung this up for her, our prayer plaques were hung not far away. If hers is still there, then ours should be too."

She held up her phone, took a picture of the old wooden sign, then put it down, tilted her head slightly, and looked at him:

"By the way, there's a joint exhibition at the Xiyue Art Museum next month, and Qiuhe's work will be on display. It'll be her first official exhibition. Want to go check it out together?"

This Chen Qiuhe got into Renmin University's law school, but then discovered she still preferred fine arts, so she switched to the Academy of Fine Arts for graduate studies...

"Sure, is it during working hours? I'll ask for leave then."

"It's the weekend." Xie Shu chuckled softly. "It won't interfere with the professor's work hours."

"What great professor?" Li Mubai chuckled as well, "I haven't reached that level yet."

Li Mubai and Xie Shu continued walking along the path through the woods. He casually asked, "By the way, Chen Qiuhe isn't married yet?"

"No, you didn't know?"

"I don't know." He shook his head. He didn't want to pry into women's feelings. "I'm almost thirty. I hope I'm not really going to never get married."

Xie Shu glanced at him sideways, but didn't reply immediately. After a while, she said softly, "Maybe."

The shadows of the trees fell on her shoulders, swaying gently.

Xie Shu added, "But she told me last month that she has a cat."

Li Mubai paused for a moment, then chuckled, "That does sound like something she would do."

"Found it." He suddenly quickened his pace and stopped in front of a Chinese scholar tree on the side of the road.

This area is close to the wall, so most students hang their prayer plaques nearby, resulting in fewer wooden plaques on the branches.

The tree canopy leans outwards toward the courtyard wall, with a few low branches just high enough for a person to raise their hand. Two old prayer plaques hang side by side, their color faded to white, but their empty surfaces show that they were the prayer plaques that he and Xie Shu hung up back then.

"It's still there." Li Mubai reached out and touched it; the wooden plaque spun slightly, making a clinking sound.

"If they're not there," Xie Shu also looked up, "then we'll buy two more and hang them up."

She looked at the two empty wooden plaques. A gust of wind blew by, and they moved slightly without making a sound.

But ultimately, it's different. Returning to a familiar place, like a fleeting trace in the snow, everything is imbued with the flavor of time.

"Have you decided what to write?" she asked.

"I've made up my mind."

"Then don't peek at me."

"No," Li Mubai glanced at her sideways, "I won't peek at Shu Bao."

Xie Shu's ears turned slightly red. Without replying, she stood on tiptoe, turned the wooden sign over so that its back was to him, and placed the tip of her pen on the sign.

Seeing this, Li Mubai also took out a pen from his pocket, raised it, and hovered it over the prayer plaque.

Ten years have caused the bright red color of the prayer plaque to fade, and you can even smell the astringent odor of withered wood when you get close.

Wood is the least likely material to rot, especially prayer plaques that have been processed and treated with preservatives. Although the surface may be somewhat powdery and peeling, it does not affect writing on them.

But perhaps in the next decade, or the decade after that, the mission of these two wooden plaques will come to an end.

He put pen to paper and finished writing in less than half a minute.

"Is it finished writing? Let me see."

Xie Shu immediately leaned over, and Li Mubai also turned her prayer plaque over...

"Li Mubai".

They both put down each other's prayer plaques without prior arrangement.

"Mm." He nodded.

The next second, Xie Shu gently hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, and Li Mubai also raised his hand and slowly wrapped it around her.

Several students who were in charge of the prayer plaques looked over curiously, then looked away.

The wind rustled through the trees, mingling with the clinking of wooden prayer plaques. They embraced, feeling each other's warmth and scent—the delicate fragrance of jasmine. The surrounding noise faded away, leaving the tranquility undisturbed…

After they left, a girl curiously walked to their spot and flipped over their prayer plaques—hoping to be with Li Mubai/Xie Shu again in the next life.

The wood will rot, the prayer plaques will be cleaned up, so let them take this as a new beginning and fall in love again...