A Collection of Bedtime Love Stories
Recently, the company hired a few new employees. One of them, a man with the last name Xu, was quite peculiar. Every day, he brought a lunchbox to work. In our large company, we had a pantry and a cafeteria. There were also several decent restaurants nearby. Hardly anyone brought their own lunch to eat at the office; most of us would gather in groups of three or five, find a place to eat, and chat during lunch.
He became an oddity in the company. Once we got to know him better, we often teased him, saying, “Hey, Xu, what delicious food did you bring today? Show us and share some with everyone.”
He would blush and tightly clutch his lunchbox, saying, “Don’t look, there’s nothing good in here.”
Of course, the more he refused to show us, the more curious we became. We always wanted to see what was so mysterious about his lunch.
One day, we all decided to hide and ambush him when he was eating, hoping to finally see what he brought.
Our plan was quite successful. As he was eating in a corner, we suddenly appeared and surrounded him. Unfortunately, there were too many of us, and in the chaos, a colleague accidentally knocked his lunchbox to the floor, spilling the dark, unidentifiable food all over.
His face turned red instantly, and he froze with his chopsticks still in his mouth, unable to react.
No one expected this outcome. Looking at the mess on the floor, we all fell silent.
Xu stood there for a moment, then silently went to the supply room to get cleaning supplies. We dispersed to have our lunch, but someone thoughtfully brought back a meal for Xu.
Xu looked at the food but didn’t eat it, and he remained silent for the rest of the afternoon.
After that incident, none of us were curious about his lunchbox anymore. In fact, just thinking about the dark food in his lunchbox made us feel nauseous. We couldn’t imagine what kind of person would make such food.
One day, Xu didn’t come to work; we heard he had taken leave for personal matters. However, there was an important document at his place, and our boss sent me to retrieve it. Although I was reluctant, I couldn’t disobey the boss’s orders.
Xu lived in a remote area. After much effort, I finally found his home, a small, low house.
I knocked on the door a few times, calling Xu’s name. He answered from inside and came to open the door. He seemed a bit embarrassed and invited me in. I wanted to refuse but didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I followed him inside. Immediately, a strange smell hit me, and I frowned, feeling a bit nauseous.
“Xiaoling, we have a guest,” Xu called out. I saw a woman holding onto the wall inside, her eyes dull and unfocused, clearly blind.
That day, Xu’s wife insisted on having me stay for a meal. Her warm hospitality made it hard for me to refuse. The food was cooked by Xu’s blind wife; some dishes were burnt, and some had an odd color from too much soy sauce. Looking at the meal, I found it hard to eat.
But then I saw Xu eating heartily, frequently helping his wife with food.
Before I left, Xu secretly told me, “We didn’t always live here. One day, my wife was in a car accident. The driver fled, and although she survived, she lost her sight. I sold our house to pay for her medical treatment and moved here. I eat the food she prepares every day so we don’t have to spend money eating out. Keeping her busy cooking keeps her mind occupied, so she doesn’t dwell on her condition.”
So that’s the story. I felt a lump in my throat and couldn’t say a word. His lunchbox didn’t just contain a meal; it held his love for his wife.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
