Old Love Story: Old Man, I’m Leaving, Hug Me
The old lady woke up, her heart beating erratically, making her feel a bit overwhelmed.
She thought to herself: It’s about time; I’ll probably be leaving within a day or two.
The old lady was already 76 years old, and though her health had been fairly good, this year, the extreme cold and heat had taken a toll on the elderly. Since the Spring Festival, she had been feeling weaker by the day.
She turned her head and saw her 78-year-old husband lying in the warm chair beside her, and she felt slightly comforted.
The sun was warm, sinking slowly towards the horizon, and the old lady began to reminisce about the life she had shared with her husband.
In her youth, she had been known as the beauty of the village. Many matchmakers had come to her house, wearing down the doorsteps. But she had already given her heart to someone else—the only schoolteacher in the village.
He was a gentle young man with a pair of beautiful eyes that, when he looked at you, were full of a warm smile that made you feel completely enchanted.
They had passed each other on the village paths many times, exchanging only brief glances before blushing, lowering their heads, and quickly walking by. These brief encounters were the happiest moments they both anticipated.
However, that year, her father went out to buy New Year’s goods and encountered bandits on his way back. In a moment of danger, a rough-looking passerby saved him at the cost of his own injury.
While the man was recovering at their home, she took care of him out of gratitude for saving her father’s life.
When the man’s injuries began to heal, he started helping out around the house, taking on almost all the farm work and household chores. Despite his rough appearance, he was surprisingly skilled at everything—cooking, cleaning, farming. Her parents were delighted with him, often basking in the praise and envy of their neighbors.
This made her very anxious because, one night, she overheard her parents discussing plans to bring this man into the family as a son-in-law. She leaned weakly against the door, feeling lost.
The next day, she deliberately went to the alley where she often met the schoolteacher and waited for a long time, but he didn’t appear. Later, she asked a village child and learned that the teacher had returned to the city days ago due to family matters and wouldn’t be back for three months.
When the schoolteacher finally returned, he hurried to her house, only to see a glaring red wedding character on the door and her standing in the courtyard, dressed in red, her eyes full of sorrow.
From that day on, the schoolteacher completely disappeared from her life.
Later, she settled into life with the man.
They lived through the founding of New China, the three years of natural disasters, the ten years of the Cultural Revolution, the period of reform and opening up, enduring many hardships together. They moved from the countryside to the city, supporting each other through thick and thin, raising children, and watching their family grow until they reached their current old age.
It wasn’t easy, really wasn’t easy!
The old lady thought about this, feeling a bit stifled in her chest, and started coughing, waking her husband from his nap.
Her husband quickly got up, looked at her with concern, and handed her a cup of water. She held the warm cup and looked at the man who had spent his life with her, wondering if there was anything she regretted. It didn’t seem like there was.
This man had been so thoughtful and had done everything for their family. No matter how hard things were, he had taken good care of her and their children. Although they rarely spoke much, they had developed a deep understanding of each other over the years. Sometimes, they could just sit together quietly, holding hands, saying nothing, and still feel content.
The old lady thought of all the sacrifices her husband had made for the family.
She remembered one autumn when their second son needed school fees, and money was tight. The family hadn’t had meat for a long time. Her husband sat in the house for a long time, then got up and said he was going to borrow money. From whom? They had no relatives in that city, and their few friends were all poor. But by evening, her husband returned with the school fees and, surprisingly, a live chicken.
That night, the family gathered warmly, as happy as if it were New Year’s.
But when she was helping him change his clothes that night, she noticed a faint trace of blood on his sleeve. She quickly checked his arm and saw a needle mark in the crook of his elbow and a large bruise.
Ah! This man! This husband! This old man!!
He had sacrificed his health for this family. Even now, at nearly eighty, he was still working tirelessly, like a machine that didn’t know what fatigue was.
And herself—how heartbroken and reluctant she had been when she married him. Yet after so many years of holding hands, he was the one who had always been by her side, never leaving, never changing.
As she thought about this, her eyes grew wet with tears. Suddenly, she felt like a child and softly asked him, “Old man, tell me, if there’s a next life, would you still want to be my husband?”
The old man was taken aback by her sudden question, then smiled mysteriously, his face full of wrinkles. “It’s hard to say. If in the next life, I’m born as a big official or a rich man, I’ll come find you and let you enjoy life with me. But if I’m still poor, then no, I’ll help you find a wealthy family to marry into. As for me, I’ll stay nearby, just watching you from afar, as long as you live a good life, that’s enough.”
The old lady was deeply moved, smiling happily, “You old fool, what would you be doing near my house?”
The old man turned seriously to look at the woman he loved, and said earnestly, “Nothing much, just… just being a schoolteacher.”
The old lady suddenly froze, looking sorrowfully at the man she had spent her life with. She wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words, and the tears in her eyes kept flowing.
After a long time, the old lady said with deep emotion, “Old man, I’m leaving, hug me.”
The old man slowly got up and gently, gently held her in his arms. The old lady whispered in his ear, “Old man, let’s be husband and wife again in the next life…”
When their little granddaughter came home from school, she saw the setting sun and the red glow of the sunset completely enveloping her grandparents. She said, “Grandpa, Grandma, who knew you two could be so romantic?” Then she was surprised to find that they were happily embracing each other, but both had already passed away.
They had loved and supported each other throughout their lives. Love doesn’t have to be grand to be moving; even in its simplicity, it can deeply touch the heart.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
