lasting love Story: A Lifetime Isn’t Enough to Love Someone
My marriage could be said to have been the result of a joke among colleagues.
Because my surname is Hou, my coworkers used to call me “Monkey.” Monkeys are known for their love of jumping and playing on high branches, and it just so happened that my wife’s name is Gao Tianzhi. Together, our names formed the image of a “Monkey Climbing a Tall Branch.”
So, whenever we were together at a gathering, our colleagues would tease us by shouting, “The monkey’s climbing high!” Over time, we started to see each other in a different light, and a mutual fondness developed. As we spent more time together, we eventually confessed our feelings for one another.
I still remember fifty years ago, at our wedding, our friends and colleagues were having a great time joking around: “The monkey really climbed that high branch!” “Monkey, be careful you don’t fall and break your tail up there!” “The monkey has successfully climbed high!”
My wife has a straightforward nature and a kind heart. Though our marriage started as a joke, our life together has been peaceful and warm. However, when she scolds me, she does it without holding back, and she never hesitates to do it in front of colleagues or family.
“He’s the kind of person who needs constant reminders, like a wooden fish that needs to be struck to make a sound. He’s always forgetting to wear his knee brace or take his stomach medicine, which he needs because of the ailments he picked up during the land reclamation work. Can you imagine how much I have to worry?”
“He’s the type to forget to bring an umbrella on cloudy days or skip meals when he works late. I end up having to bring him food. Isn’t that annoying?”
Her nagging often leaves me a bit embarrassed in front of others, but since everything she says is true, I can only smile awkwardly in response. I’ve worn the “henpecked husband” hat from my youth to my old age.
I never expected that after a lifetime of hard work, her nagging would become even more frequent after we retired: “Time to take your medicine! How can you be so forgetful?”
One time, during the New Year, I was engrossed in grabbing red envelopes on my phone, and she suddenly snatched it away: “Look at you! You’ve been staring at it for over an hour! Competing with your grandson for red envelopes—isn’t that embarrassing? Go do some eye exercises!”
Despite her constant nagging, both in public and in private, I’ve never felt the slightest bit of resentment or annoyance. It’s not just because I’ve gotten used to it over the years, nor because I’m now old and wise. It’s because I know that behind her “nagging” lies an endless amount of care and deep affection between us as husband and wife.
In the end, it all comes down to one thing: you’re a part of me, and I’m a part of you. A spouse is someone no one else can replace. The saying “old couples are companions in old age” reflects the mutual encouragement in youth and the mutual support in old age.
Among the billions of people on Earth, the one you meet isn’t just anyone—it can only be this one person. This is what the old saying means by “a marriage predestined.” What seems like coincidence is anything but ordinary.
I remember when we were young, we’d argue and ignore each other. When we had to speak, she’d call me “hey,” and I’d call her “you.”
In the blink of an eye, fifty years have passed. Now, in our twilight years, her hair is full of silver, and mine is white as frost. She calls me “old man,” and I call her “old lady.”
This year, March 12th marked our golden wedding anniversary. We politely declined our children’s invitation to a banquet at a luxury hotel, and instead, the two of us, now frail, helped each other climb a mountain.
It was the perfect time for an outing. The warm breeze was gentle, the grass was lush, and the new buds on the branches were clustered together, signaling the lively energy of spring. Without the noisy and festive celebrations, my wife and I quietly enjoyed the liveliness of spring and the blessings of nature.
I’m well aware that the time left isn’t much. So much of our life has been devoted to making a living and raising our children. What little time remains, we must cherish each other even more.
Fifty years marks a new beginning. If you truly love someone, perhaps a lifetime isn’t enough time.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
