The Story of Willow Well

Pan Jihua

Pan Jihua， formerly known as Jihua， comes from Hunan and resides in Sichuan. In 1992， he was appointed as an honorary creator at the Bajin Literature College of the Sichuan Writers Association. In 2004， he was appointed as a mentor of the China Writers Association. In 2010， he joined the China Writers Association and is now a retired cadre of the Cultural Bureau. He has won the Bingxin Children’s Literature Award， the Dandelion Children’s Literature Award from the Ministry of Culture， and the Dandelion Children’s Literature Award from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture， and has been awarded the Yanghansheng Literature and Art Award for seven consecutive sessions.

People said this alley was called Willow Well because of a courtyard on this street with a willow tree standing next to a well.

Each spring and summer， the willow tree flourished just as the Tang poets He Zhizhang and Bai Juyi once wrote： “Dressed in jade green， tall and graceful， with a thousand strands of silk flowing down” and “leaves heavy with dewdrops like weeping eyes， branches swaying like dancing waists in the breeze.” The graceful branches hung down， touching the stone-edged well. The water in the well was cool and clear. Neighbors often came to draw water here， and on the hottest days， dabbing a bit of this well water on their skin helped them shed the summer heat. People even liked to put watermelons in the well to chill; when they were thoroughly cooled， they pulled them up to enjoy—refreshing and delicious. Over time， everyone came to call this place Willow Well.

Once， a family lived in this small courtyard： an elderly grandmother and her granddaughter. The grandmother was petite and graceful， with a gentle， fair face. She didn’t talk much with the neighbors， yet she had a kind reputation and was always ready to help. Zhenzhen， too， liked this kind-hearted granny. Each day on her way to and from school， she glanced up at the willow tree， its crown arching over the courtyard wall， its green leaves like a cloud floating， dancing in the breeze. She peered curiously at the warmly inviting， half-open courtyard gate， hoping to catch a glimpse of something within. Her classmates were curious about it too.

Throughout the summer， rows of canna lilies grew along the sunny north wall of the courtyard. Their bright red flowers and lush green leaves were stunning. Standing in front of them were clusters of garden balsams， also called “nail grass”， stretching out their green leaves as if shyly showing off their layered flowers， which bloomed from their stems. There were also patches of small flowers， almost lying on the ground， called “everlasting flowers”. Their slender， red stems and tiny， needle-like leaves made them look quite ordinary and fragile. Yet every day， as soon as the sun rose， they bloomed with brightly colored petals， like a small， magical display.

Of course， the sights of the courtyard change with each season.

Occasionally， when the granny noticed young girls peeking in from outside the gate， she came over， opened the door， and asked warmly， “Would you like some nail grass to dye your nails？” Her words were an unexpected delight for the girls. Back then， toys were scarce， and children found other ways to amuse themselves. At school， boys would roll iron hoops or spin tops， while girls would hopscotch or play with elastic bands. The girls enjoyed dyeing their nails with nail grass not for the beauty but because it was fun to grind the flower petals into a red paste and spread it on their nails.

Neighbors said that the grandmother had a rather remarkable son. Oh， he was no ordinary man—he was a famous director at a film studio！ A tall， imposing figure with a handsome appearance and immense talent. His connection to this cozy courtyard added a layer of mystique. And his wife？ She was a celebrated actress， with looks and grace that captivated everyone. This only heightened people’s curiosity. However， the renowned director and his actress wife were often away， busy filming for long periods and rarely at home. Yet， despite the allure of such notable figures， the courtyard’s real focal point for the neighbors wasn’t them but rather the grandmother’s intelligent， lovely granddaughter.

This granddaughter， named Lingyue， was a beautiful， graceful girl around fourteen years old， with a charming， short hairstyle. At school， she was not only a top student but also loved reading beyond her coursework and was a key player in cultural activities. Whenever the school hosted a performance， her class would always takes first place with their act. During rehearsal periods， Lingyue barely had time to read her books; it was as if she was on a special mission， constantly busy with planning and organizing. She served as the writer， director， and， as elected by her classmates， the lead performer. The teachers had complete confidence in her and were more than happy for Lingyue to take the lead. Her classmates admired and trusted her wholeheartedly. Once the performance was nearly ready under her guidance， Lingyue started planning the costumes that everyone would wear.

Lingyue always rode a lady’s bicycle to and from school—a birthday gift from her director father and actress mother when she started middle school！

Lingyue had loved cycling from a young age， and over the years， her skill had become second nature. There’s a saying， “Practice makes perfect，” and Lingyue， naturally beautiful， rode her bicycle with truly eye-catching elegance. She attracted attention wherever she went， and when she turned to Willow Well alley， everyone—young and old—looked at her admiringly. They appreciated her graceful， beautiful form and pure demeanor as she rode by， like a princess on her journey.

After school， once she finished her homework， Zhenzhen often ran to the front of the alley to play with her friends. The children gathered in small groups， chatting about childhood stories or playing games they never seemed to tire of， like hide-and-seek， bag-pulling， or elastic-jumping. In the alley， aside from adults commuting by bicycle or students going to and from school， you hardly ever saw a car because they traveled on the main roads， not through here.

When Lingyue cycled past the alley， she would always smile warmly at the children playing there， exchanging a meaningful glance with Zhenzhen， offering her a subtle smile as a greeting. Though they went to different schools and were in different grades， they were both top students.

When the children in the alley saw Lingyue， they would stop whatever game they were playing， almost as if under a spell， staring at her in awe. Her graceful posture while cycling， especially the way she made turns， was truly captivating. Only after Lingyue rode into her shaded courtyard would Zhenzhen and her friends finally look away， returning to their games.

It wasn’t until much later that Zhenzhen would come to understand the term “youth idol.”

When Lingyue got home， she asked her grandmother sweetly， “Grandma， do you know when my tall camel of a dad is coming home？”

Her grandmother replied， “How would I know， dear？”

Lingyue’s father was tall， and so were her mother， brother， and her brother’s new wife. Compared to them， at 5 foot 4 inches Lingyue seemed short. She didn’t quite understand why， so she would say to her grandmother， “Grandma， why is everyone in our family so tall？ They’re like big camels， while I’m just like you.”

Her grandmother would reassure her， “You’ll grow some more yet！”

Lingyue responded， “I don’t want to be a big camel. I like being just this tall.”

And from then on， “Big Camel” became Lingyue’s nickname for her father and the rest of her tall family.

Seeing Lingyue sigh， her grandmother asked with concern， “What’s on your mind， dear？ You look anxious.” Lingyue said， “It’s just the costumes for the school performance. We’ve nearly finished rehearsing， but we still don’t have anything to wear on stage！ I must ride my bike to the film studio tomorrow to borrow costumes.”

Her grandmother replied， “No way！ That’s too far， I can’t let you go alone！” Lingyue didn’t reply then， but she quietly biked to the studio the next day and managed to borrow the costumes. A young man from the studio even volunteered to help carry the costumes and escort her home.

Unsurprisingly， Lingyue’s class put on an outstanding performance at the school show， taking first place once again！