To Be a Kapok Tree Standing Beside Me
Back then, she was pure and beautiful, from a good family, and had many suitors. I, on the other hand, was plain and came from a poor background. Yet, she followed me without hesitation. She said that love had nothing to do with money. She also said she believed in my abilities and that we would have a good life together.
To live up to her love and trust, to give her a good life, and for our shared future, I quit my job and ventured into business after we got married, working tirelessly day and night. She adhered to the traditional role of men supporting the family and women managing the household, happily becoming a full-time housewife, spending her free time watching Korean dramas and occasionally indulging in small romantic gestures.
My exhaustion grew heavier, the pressure increasing day by day. Sometimes, I deeply longed for her to share the burden and grew weary of her romantic gestures. But she remained blissfully unaware, always seeing me as a dependable, unbreakable mountain. Even when our child was in elementary school, she still acted like a little bird relying on me, never truly growing up.
She couldn’t understand my hardships, nor that men, too, are made of flesh and blood and have moments of vulnerability and the brink of collapse. During such times, I needed her to be strong, like Jin Guoxiu in “Mother, Mother,” or Yao Mulan in “The Family.”
Even if she couldn’t support half the sky, just holding up a corner would drive away the overwhelming gloom. But faced with her gentle affection and trusting eyes, I always swallowed my words.
Finally, I broke down. That night, I had a high fever and was delirious. But she seemed to mature overnight, caring for me tirelessly and running around for my business matters. I recovered, but she lost four or five pounds. Looking at her thin face, my eyes welled up, but I felt a deep sense of mutual understanding I had never experienced before.
She said, “You should have told me earlier. It’s my fault for being immature. If I hadn’t heard your honest words during your illness, I wouldn’t have known about the immense pressure you were under.” I said, “I never knew you were so capable. I just didn’t want to disappoint you. But I’m really just an ordinary man…”
That night, we talked a lot, more than we ever had before, and our hearts had never felt so close.
Maybe every woman hopes her husband will succeed and become a dragon. But for most ordinary men, what they need most is a wife who can walk hand in hand with them, supporting each other and communicating openly.
He hopes she can be an independent and strong woman, not just someone who depends on his success, a fragile ornament.
Yes, my dear, if you truly love me, then be like the kapok tree in Shu Ting’s poem, standing beside me, sharing the journey of life through all its storms and rains. Let us walk together, side by side.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
