Love was at a distance of 47 years

It was back to 16 years ago, Guixiang had married to his beloved wife of neglect the secular remarks. When he met a woman whose name was Xiulian, a graceful name. She had divorced from her previous marriages twice already. He fell madly in love with her, by the time he was only 21 years old. And he was suffering from the eyes disease at that time. His parents extremely annoyed at their romance. 

Seeing his lady was rejected, he took her to live in a cave of the mountain for a couple of weeks. He wanted to prove to his parents that she was the only one he would share his entire life with. He built a bamboo hut next to his parents’ house when they returned to the village. They got married finally three years later. Besides helping his parents for the farm work, Xiulian did almost everything for them too. She always presented them everything but the best. She was just a peacemaker in the entire family. Her virtue was well received gradually.  

Lack of money for his eyes sickness, Guixiang had lost his sight completely three years later. Apart from the cultivation, Xiulian also raised the livestock in order to maintain their livelihood. In contempt of her age, she climbed up to the mountain to chop the firewood and let him carry it on his shoulder. They went home by taking each other hands. She even went to the forest to cut the bamboos. Then, they weaved the wicker baskets in return for the daily basis. The sightless husband had to learn to do the housework and fed the livestock to lessen his wife's burden. Xiulian reminded him, ‘I must leave before you one day. You have to ask your family to help whenever you meet the difficulty.’ She even prepared her own grave, which was just several meters away from their bamboo hut. And she hoped to keep him company after her depart. Although the family circumstance was impoverished, their love cleaved together like burrs. Wherever she went, he was like her shadows. They sat and sang together under the tree always. She did his haircut, and she struggled to mend his broken clothes with her dim old sight. They shared everything even a piece of small bread. 

Xiulian fell very ill one evening; the headache made her getting more and more painful. The infirmity wife tried to reduce her pain by leaning on his chest. On the verge of her rest, she said, ‘You are my deeply concerned always, I still hope to be by your side after I …!’Guixiang held her in his arms tightly until her final breath next day when the first wisp of sunlight passed through the  bamboo wall slit. 

In spite of the poverty, Xiulian always wanted to save up some money to heal her husband’s eyes disease. Her only wish was never achieved, but. He broke down completely and cried his heart out all day long. Nothing he could do just to let her go, he sat there so helplessly and hopelessly. He whispered and sang to her in tears at her grave every day. The song he sang, [The tears is with me after you were gone. I always fantasize to meet you once again next life. Then, we will marry for a lifetime…]

He believed his wife would stay with him always. She was 87 years old the day when she passed away and he was 40. They got married for the precious 16 years. All he could comprehend that Xiulian always was his beloved wife no matter how old she was, no matter what her age was. Their love was perfectly justified, then.

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Why did their love story begin? No one knows! It was truly existed somewhere in time, but. We have to admit that the happiest moment is to pass away in the arms of our beloved and pass away earlier than our beloved. I honestly hope they will continue their love story once again, if they have another life after that one. I always believe that love is never having a reason when it comes. To them, it was a love of truly unforgettable.

Notwithstanding we try so hard to love or be loved sometimes, we just never have the title for it. 

If you can love and be loved, be sure to love with all your soul.