Love is as gentle as water, and a person
as serene as a chrysanthemum. It's a rich spiritual peace, a tranquil and serene existence. Only those with this quality, possessing this kind of love, can be immersed in the gentle breezes and rainy evenings, facing the willows and flowers, hearing the breath of nature, feeling its pulse. At this moment, the small room becomes the vastness of the universe, the heart becomes the cosmos; at this moment, the spirit becomes rich, the heart becomes broad; at this moment, one possesses clarity and tranquility, composure and serenity; at this moment, we can truly possess a self-sufficient and happy life. In "
A Chinese
Ghost Story," Xiaoqian once told Ning Caichen, "If you miss me, look up at the sky we share. If the sky is still blue, don't cry anymore, because my departure didn't take away your world."
Is there really such a person? Someone who can build me a castle without sorrow, willing to give me the best peace, where even the lightest promise will never be empty—that is boundless happiness.
If so, in that castle of love, let us use earnest yet simple strokes to depict the realm of love we most desire to achieve in this lifetime:
Between 20 and 30 years old, riding bikes together
to the lakeside on a romantic winter night to listen to the saxophone. It's cold, so she lets him wear her gloves while she stands on the back of the bike, warming his ears with her hands.
On a summer evening, sitting on the curb eating watermelon together, half for her, half for him, but she still tries to steal his portion. She accidentally spills watermelon juice on herself, and he scolds her for being clumsy while wiping it off for her. On
a spring afternoon, going to the park to take pictures. Since it's just the two of them, they can't take a picture together, so they lie on the ground, looking at the camera and laughing foolishly. They discover that taking a horizontal picture together is cooler than a vertical one.
On an autumn morning, exercising together, she refuses to run, and he, helpless, squats down. She laughs wildly, and just as she climbs onto his back, he throws her down.
She waits happily until that day arrives: she opens the large box of chocolates he gave her and sees "marry me" spelled out in their names. Then, crying, she hugged her mother and, wearing her favorite ring, nestled into his arms.
They waited happily until that day arrived: he would be there to watch their baby come into the world, then kiss her sweaty forehead deeply: "Wife, you've worked so hard!"
Between 30 and 40, they lived together.
Every day, he would kiss her, then the baby, and drink the soup she had cooked. Every night, they would tell the baby stories until the baby fell asleep.
She watched football games with him, going from being "forced" to becoming a "fan"; he watched Korean dramas with her, going from "reluctant" to "willing." They slept in each other's arms at night; if she turned over, he would immediately wake up, pull the blanket over her, tuck her in, and then check on the baby. They raced each other in the morning, rushing to catch their trains, and she would still have time to slip him a bag of milk before getting out of the car.
When it rained, he would pick her up from work, bringing not only an umbrella but also a warm coat. When he had a bad day at work, she wouldn't bother him. Instead, she'd make him a cup of coffee, then quietly slip away to iron his white shirt for the next day. When he glanced up at her, she'd give him her happiest smile.
On holidays, they visited each other's parents: in front of his mother, she was as meek as a lamb; in front of her mother, he was the world's most patient and strongman, and her father no longer had to do heavy housework after he was born… They occasionally argued about the baby: he yelled at the child, and she yelled at him; she hit the child, and he told her to hit him. In their
40s and 50s, they lived a simple life together .
The child grew up day by day, and they grew older, less arrogant, and began to accept tranquility. On weekend mornings, they'd go grocery shopping together, and finding a bunch of fresh vegetables was enough to make them happy for the whole day; when they had time off, they'd travel, avoiding crowded tourist spots and opting for quiet, beautiful towns; she got carsick, and he always carried motion sickness medication in his pocket.
She started nagging him, telling him not to smoke or drink; he became increasingly adept at buying her cosmetics, saying she still looked youthful; she started asking him to thread her cross-stitch; they often helped each other pluck out gray hairs, reminiscing about their youth, he often mentioning the love letters she had written to others, and she even pressed him about whether he had been in contact with his first love, that old woman.
Their child was already in college, and they constantly suspected he had a girlfriend and eavesdropped on his phone calls.
In their 50s and 60s, they grew old together
, their backs slightly bent, they were both nearing retirement and needed to take regular health supplements, and he suddenly started fighting with her over the TV; with a daughter-in-law, their son seemed to belong to her, and they eagerly awaited the weekends to see him. He always looked at his flowers and fish, no longer liking to look at her; she also grew tired of him, always flipping through their photo albums, thinking how handsome he was in his youth…
She fell ill, and he accompanied her to the doctor; the moment the doctor said there was nothing wrong, they both breathed a sigh of relief. They occasionally went to restaurants popular with young people, finding them expensive but still wanting a romantic touch. She often asked him how long it had been since he'd said "I love you," and he'd laugh and say she was younger. She didn't understand—it was menopause!
She found his secret stash of money while making the bed, then quietly put it back. Not long after, on their wedding anniversary, he gave her an incredibly beautiful jade bracelet: she cried, and he said she was being dramatic; she laughed, and he said the old lady was adorable.
In their 60s and 70s, they became
increasingly forgetful and confused, even forgetting phone numbers. He picked up their grandson from school every day, and she cooked and waited for them. While watching TV, he massaged her, sometimes falling asleep during the massage; they practiced swordplay together every morning, and people said they looked like a perfect couple; they both got dentures, and teased each other when they took them out; he was a little hard of hearing, and when she asked him to serve her rice, he gave her an egg. She
complained that her health wasn't as robust as before, but he said they could live to 120, and they were only just middle-aged; she noticed he bought lottery tickets all the time—did this old man still want to get rich? He said he wanted to leave her more money, in case he passed away first… She kicked him: “Don’t talk nonsense! You have to serve me for the rest of your life! We’ll die together. Whoever dies first, the other must commit suicide. Whoever doesn’t is a coward.
70, 80, 90 years old… our minds won’t be what they’ll be doing
anymore. Anyway, we’ll stay together every day, and our children and grandchildren will take good care of us.” If possible, she hoped to take one more wedding photo, and hang it on their joint tombstone after they’re gone—how impressive! Although her hands were full of wrinkles, he still held them tightly, because they had been together for decades, walking hand in hand.
This is the life we want, very happy, and we believe God will make this dream come true.
A spark
of inspiration: The line from the Book of Songs, “In life and death, in separation and reunion, we made a vow; holding your hand, we will grow old together,” has been repeatedly recited for thousands of years, considered a perfect form of love. Thus, to experience the ups and downs of life with the one you love, until the end, is a seemingly ordinary yet incredibly beautiful thing.
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