They got engaged. Despite the opposition from his family.
Afterward, he didn’t seek her out for a long time. She should have been resentful, resentful of his silence, resentful of his weakness. Yet, she still loved him. There were rumors that he was pursuing another girl, but she didn’t believe them, never did.
Her life was tough, with many siblings and frequent conflicts at home. She lived with her fourth brother and his wife, her mother was old yet still worried about her affairs.
Life is a long river, and fate is the分流 within it, filled with twists and turns, rapids, and whirlpools, teasing everyone alive. Despite the hardships, she was strong, and nothing in life—poverty, despair, illness, or worries—could break her. She just endured the torment of longing, bore the gossip of others, and submitted to her love for him. She was the kind of person who, once decided, would not easily change.
For more than two months afterward, he did not visit her. She thought about breaking off the engagement. Yes, she was unwilling to continue in such an ambiguous relationship, nor to be looked down upon by his family. She was not afraid to wait, but she wanted an explanation!
A friend helped her to arrange a meeting with him. After not seeing each other for over two months, he had become thinner, showing signs of vicissitudes. He was unwilling to share his inner thoughts with her, saying that even if he did, she wouldn’t believe him and couldn’t help; he mentioned that he was very poor at the moment.
She became angry and asked him if he was willing to break off the engagement.
He replied, “If you are willing, so am I.”
She felt perhaps they really should go their separate ways.
In the blink of an eye, several months had passed. She fell ill. The doctor said it was caused by neurasthenia, mental depression, and lack of sleep. She had severe headaches but could only go to the doctor alone. She didn’t know to whom she could pour out the sorrow and bitterness in her heart.
She was angry with him and resented him, but she couldn’t forget him after all. In fact, she knew clearly that her love had no way back. She would always think of him, intentionally or unintentionally, care about his situation, feel melancholic for his loneliness and hesitation, and want to become his strength.
Day after day of hard work, day after day of lonely longing, until a new year began again. During these days, despite her hatred for the cruelty of fate, she never gave up on herself. Because life is long, and she had her hopes. She couldn’t forget that day in the north wind when they met and talked a lot, and she knew he still loved her as before. They went to see a movie together, holding hands and embracing happily.
He escorted her home but insisted on not entering the door, so they chatted by the vegetable field for over two hours. When he was about to leave, she felt heartbroken that he had to travel such a long way home on such a cold day.
Later, they got married. Although his family still opposed it, and they didn’t even have a decent wedding, she still felt like the happiest woman in the world.
She is my mother, and he is my father. When I shared their story with my friends, a friend said, “Love is as beautiful as a rose. Although roses have thorns, it does not hinder people’s love for them because they are truly beautiful. I wish my fervent tears could turn into glistening dewdrops hanging on the rose petals, keeping them forever vibrant.”
Perhaps time will eventually change the appearance of lovers, but the beauty of love, like a blooming rose, always has a beautiful soul. So even though it hurts, people still can’t help but touch it. On that hill where roses are in full bloom, I still seem to hear my father reciting a poem he wrote for my mother:
On this quiet evening, Let us spend some leisure time together, Don’t speak, don’t move, don’t think, Just like this, quietly, Forget the world.
On this quiet evening, The fields are covered with silver moonlight, Don’t speak, don’t move, don’t think, Just like this, quietly, Gaze at each other.