The Love Story
That year, she fell ill, and he used a cart to take her to the clinic in town. After saying a basketful of good words and emptying all the coins from his pockets, the doctor finally gave her an injection and handed her two doses of Chinese medicine wrapped in yellow bamboo paper.
He pulled the cart back, and she still sat on it. Passing through a small street, turning right, then through another street, a fragrant smell wafted over. He swallowed hard, hesitated for a few seconds, then stopped and turned back: “Do you want to eat a youtiao?”
She, sitting on the cart, had also been secretly swallowing her saliva. Upon hearing his question, she was stunned for a moment and shook her head, “No, I don’t want to eat.” She pressed the few boiled sweet potatoes in her cloth bag: “I have sweet potatoes here. If I get hungry, I’ll eat them.” She knew his pocket was empty, without a single coin left, so where would the money come from to buy youtiao?
He quietly looked at her, as if he could see straight into her heart. She felt embarrassed and lowered her head. Damn, that delicious smell wafted over again, and she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva again.
He gently pulled the cart to the side of the street and parked it. He then strode towards the small stall selling fried youtiao at the corner. Her eyes followed his broad-shouldered, wide-backed figure, watching him poke and point at the stall owner. Her face turned red, and she closed her eyes in shame. Oh God, we are not beggars, how could he beg from others? When she opened her eyes again, she saw him running towards her with a smiling face, holding a youtiao.
She was angry and turned her head: “I won’t eat. I’m not a beggar, I won’t eat begged food.”
He loudly said, “Who said this youtiao was begged? I exchanged it for tobacco.”
She was surprised, “Exchanged for tobacco? What will you do when you want to smoke?” He had been smoking for many years. People say, “Food is essential,” but he said, “Tobacco is essential.” To him, tobacco was more important than food. When tired, he would light a cigarette and gain energy; when hungry, he would light a cigarette and feel full.
The tobacco he smoked was home-grown, dried, cut into threads, and packed in small plastic bags in his pocket. When he wanted to smoke, he would roll it into a “horn.”
He smiled, “Not smoking for a day or half won’t kill me. If it gets really bad, I can always pick some dry leaves from the roadside, roll them into a horn, and smoke to tide over…” He handed her the youtiao, “Eat it while it’s hot, it’s fragrant and soft.”
She said, “Let’s share it, half for you and half for me.” He shook his head repeatedly, “No, I don’t like greasy food, you eat.”
She took a bite, and her eyes turned misty. She wanted to wipe them but didn’t. He was still happy, asking, “Is it fragrant? Is it sweet?” She blurted out, “Bitter, very bitter.”
He almost jumped up, “Bitter? How can it be bitter? I asked the vendor to fry the sweetest and most fragrant one.” She looked up, frowning, “Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.” She forcefully pinched off a big piece and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed once, then again. Hmm, strange, it wasn’t bitter, it was sweet, fragrant, and warm.
Seeing his puzzled look, she suddenly laughed out loud. He immediately understood. She just “tricked” him into sharing that youtiao, tricked him into eating most of it…
The “he” in this story is my father from 30 years ago. The “she” in this story is my mother from 30 years ago. This story has been told to me “9999” times by both my father and mother.
The versions they tell have some discrepancies. My father always skips the part about exchanging his beloved tobacco for the youtiao but repeatedly mentions my mother tricking him into eating it. My mother always emphasizes the part about him exchanging the tobacco but leaves out the part about tricking him into eating it.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
