Romance on a Slip of Paper
She married him at the age of 22. He, four years her senior, always provided her with warmth and care, leading a life that was plain but happy. However, after they had a child, their lives began to overlap and diverge. In her words, “We are like the sun chasing the moon.”
Both of them were bus drivers in the city. Their work was intense and monotonous, with few days off. To better care for their child, they decided to stagger their working hours—he worked from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., while she worked from 1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Email, QQ, MSN—these essential communication tools for modern people held no practical value for them. The steering wheel connected to the passengers’ lives, so even using a mobile phone to make calls or send messages became a luxury. Late last year, a fellow driver caused an accident while making a call during work hours, crashing into a tree. Since then, they stopped carrying their phones to work altogether.
That afternoon, he had just arrived home and was about to open the door when he saw a note stuck to it. The neat handwriting was unmistakably hers. The affectionate address, “Child’s father,” instantly warmed him after a long day of dealing with bustling passengers and a cold bus. She wrote, “Our child had a slight fever this morning. After getting an injection, I sent him to kindergarten. Please pick him up early this afternoon…”
Picking up their son, he was still immersed in the warmth of that note. Over the years, because of their early departures and late returns, and the daily grind, they rarely had tender whispers as a couple. She often returned home from her late shift to find him already asleep for his early shift. The little note stirred up long-dormant emotions within him… That night, when she walked in exhausted, he greeted her with a smile and served her a steaming bowl of egg custard.
The comfort brought by that note made them feel refreshed the next day. The city’s scenery, which they passed countless times daily, suddenly became vivid.
From then on, simple, warm notes started passing between them. She conveyed the mundane details of life and her deep, tender love for him through these little notes: “Child’s father, I bought you a pair of slippers. Try them on to see if they fit…” “It’s almost New Year’s. I bought some goods for our parents. Remember to send them home.” “Dear child’s father, today our son learned how to jump rope…” The sign-off was always “Hong,” whom he constantly thought about.
In return, he sent her reminders and romantic surprises: “Hong, you stayed up late last night helping the child with homework. Be careful at work today… Xin.” “Hong, let’s switch shifts with a coworker during the New Year and take our son to the square to see the lanterns. I still vividly remember our dating days… Xin.”
One winter day in 20xx, she was driving her bus just after leaving the station when a middle-aged female passenger suddenly shouted, “Stop! I’ve missed my stop. I want to get off!” According to regulations, once the bus starts, it cannot stop for safety reasons. She ignored the passenger and kept driving. The enraged passenger rushed forward, grabbed the steering wheel, and yanked it to the left. The bus veered dangerously close to the fast lane, nearly colliding with a car behind. She shouted, “Let go!” while firmly holding the steering wheel and slamming on the brakes. She broke out in a cold sweat and was nearly exhausted.
Back home, looking at her husband already asleep, she couldn’t help but write a note: “Child’s father, today a passenger was unreasonable. She cursed at me and grabbed the steering wheel, almost causing an accident. I felt so wronged and scared…”
The next night, as she drove the last bus of the day into the station, she saw from a distance him and their son waiting in the cold wind. Their son ran up and grabbed her hand, saying, “Dad made lots of delicious food, waiting for Mom to come home.” Under the streetlights, she saw his eyes full of concern and affection, not mentioning her grievance but clearly showing his love and care. Her two men gave her strength, making her eyes wet with tears and washing away her sorrow.
Back home, she saw his note: “Hong, you were wronged. That’s just how our job is. Don’t hold grudges against such people. We should live with tolerance and enjoy our happy moments…”
On their wedding anniversary, he was still at work but managed to send her flowers precisely on time through someone else, along with a note: “Hong, you are as beautiful and lovely as you were in 20xx…” She wrote back with tears in her eyes: “Dear husband, thank you for standing by me through thick and thin. Let’s keep loving each other forever…”
This ordinary couple, Wang Hong and Yang Guoxin, were bus drivers at the Shijiazhuang Bus Group. They were awarded the Best Loving Couple by the city’s bus group. To date, they have exchanged over 1,500 notes documenting their daily lives and romantic love. She carefully flattened each note, arranged them in chronological order, and stored them in four boxes.
In an age filled with emails, text messages, and QQ, she looked at their handwritten notes and felt warmth in her heart. She thought, when they grow old, they would definitely take out these notes and slowly reminisce, reliving their romantic and challenging life together.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
