Red beans grow in the southern kingdom.
I wonder how many branches they sprout in Spring.
I hope you will gather as many beans as possible
Because they make you long for a friend the most.
1 Guangdong's New Vocabularies say, "It is said that a woman, who was
searching for her husband, stopped at a tree and cried. When her tears fell on
the tree, they turned into red beans." Thus, a red bean is also known as the
seed of longing. Essential Medical Herbs, written by Shi-zhen Li, say,
"The seeds of longing grow south of Wu-ling (five mountains). A red bean tree is
more than ten feet tall. Its trunk is white. Its leaves look like those of a
pagoda tree. Its flowers look like those of a honey locust. Its pods look like
those of snow peas. Its seeds are as small as a pea. One half of the seed is
red, and the other half is black. Local people embed them in their jewelry."