Love through time: Ten Years of Walking to Love You
She fell in love with him in just one second; but for him, it took until 20xx. At that time, her parents were both in the military, holding positions of significant influence. She was pampered like a princess from the day she was born. He was an artist temporarily assigned from elsewhere, shunned by others due to his poor background. He could only stay quietly in his room, focusing on his painting.
One day, she passed by his window by chance, and just a fleeting glance immediately attracted her to him. She saw his empty room filled with paintings—smiling faces, weeping faces, sad faces, joyful faces. The lifelike facial close-ups hung on the walls, basking in the cold winter sunlight, exuding an unusual beauty and tenderness. He slightly closed his eyes and silently started to dance. It was the most romantic dance she had ever seen—no music, no audience, no applause—yet she could hear a heart breathing freely in the passionate dance moves.
From that moment, she fell in love with him. Only when they performed on stage together did she have the chance to dance joyfully shoulder to shoulder with him. Once, by chance, she even held his hand. His palm was so warm, and she wished she could stay like that forever. But it was just a luxurious fantasy that shattered before she could even savor it.
Her father noticed her distracted demeanor and quickly discovered that she had fallen in love with the lowest-ranked artist in the troupe. He sternly warned her not to seek trouble, or it would drag the entire family into it. She understood, but soon he was sent to a remote mountain area, and her first thought was to follow him no matter what.
Of course, he went alone, but she secretly disguised herself as a staff member on the train. At the moment he was about to board, she quietly slipped an envelope with her photo into his hand amidst the crowded station. He had a moment of doubt, but before he could see her next expression, a crowd pushed him into the carriage.
However, she remembered the village he went to very well. A year later, she found an opportunity when the army was recruiting female artists to go to Xinjiang. When asked why she wanted to go so far, she blurted out, “Because Xinjiang is the closest place to someone I know.” She always believed that there was a way to reach him as long as she tirelessly followed his direction.
This journey took ten years. When the disaster ended, he was finally exonerated and returned to his hometown. Upon learning that he was assigned to a neighboring province, she didn’t hesitate for a second, grabbing her suitcase and rushing to the train station.
She finally intercepted him on his way to a blind date. He only remembered her from a single photograph, but she had loved him for ten years. When she saw him, she smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “The person in the photo has walked ten years to finally meet you.” In that second, he was easily captured by her.
They spent many decades together afterward. Life changed in many ways, but it never altered their way of walking—hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder; when they stood still, their heads gently leaned together like a full, obedient flower.
Only they knew how this seemingly wonderful moment in the eyes of outsiders had been painstakingly polished by the grindstone of time to bloom into its simple and elegant form today.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
