The Tragic Love Story of Tears of Longing
Legend has it that if a person spends their entire life waiting for someone they love but never finds them, and can’t let go, they will turn into a tree and wait in that spot forever.
A long, long time ago, there was a pair of young lovers who were deeply in love. The man was handsome, kind-hearted, diligent, and brave, while the woman was beautiful and gentle. They were so deeply in love that they often leaned on each other and wove dreams of their future together.
However, they never imagined that their union would be met with obstacles from all directions. The woman was plunged into a sea of tears, and the man was left to struggle in the ocean of sorrow.
One night, when darkness engulfed everything, an elderly lady with white hair suddenly appeared before the couple and said, “In the distant mountains of Qigula, there is a millennium-old lingzhi mushroom, known as the ‘Wish-Granting Herb.’ If you can find it and each eat half, you will live happily together forever.”
For the sake of love and to be with his beloved, the man decided to embark on a journey to find the millennium-old lingzhi, no matter how far or arduous the journey would be.
On a night without stars or moon, the man decided to set off. The woman tearfully bid farewell to her beloved.
“Don’t cry, I will find the lingzhi, and then you will truly become my bride. I will return, wait for me, my love,” the man said, choking back tears.
“I won’t cry. I will wait for your return. But the journey ahead is perilous, take care of yourself. I will be here, waiting to be your bride,” the woman said through tears, unable to speak further. Her frail figure seemed so helpless under the night sky.
The man held the woman tightly, kissing her tear-streaked face, knowing that once he left, he didn’t know when he would return. If he couldn’t find the lingzhi, it might mean he would never see her again. He wasn’t even sure if he could find the herb… They looked at each other with tear-filled eyes.
“Go back. The road back is too dark, I can’t bear the thought of you walking it alone. I’ll return soon.” With tears in his eyes, the man walked away, looking back with every step as he began his journey.
The woman’s heartbreaking cries echoed in the night sky. She stood still, watching as the man’s figure slowly disappeared into the night, but she did not leave.
After the man left, the woman waited for him every day at the village entrance, praying and wishing for his safe return. She knew in her heart that the man loved her and would return soon. Year after year, day after day, spring came and went, flowers bloomed and fell, but the man never returned.
The woman’s once-black hair began to turn gray, and her beautiful face grew haggard, yet there was still no news of the man.
The woman decided never to return home and built a small hut at the village entrance, determined to wait for him at the place where they parted.
The man endured countless hardships, crossing village after village, mountain after mountain. In winter, when snow blocked his path, he dug with his hands to continue moving forward; in summer, under the scorching sun, he did not stop his hurried steps, driven by the love in his heart.
The man kept walking, constantly searching for the lingzhi. His shoes were worn out, his feet were festering from the long journey, and the merciless years had etched deep lines into his weathered face.
The man did not realize that fifty years had passed since he began his journey. Finally, he could walk no more. As he was about to collapse, he shed tears of despair, like a lion roaring in the deep valley, echoing through the mountains and shaking the earth.
Suddenly, he saw a halo of light on the mountaintop ahead. His eyes lit up; after fifty long years, he had finally found the Wish-Granting Herb. He crawled desperately towards the mountaintop and finally reached the herb.
A voice suddenly whispered in his ear, “This herb is called the Wish-Granting Herb. If two people who love each other eat it, they will live happily together forever. However, this herb can only survive for three days once removed from the soil. If your beloved doesn’t see it within three days, the herb will disappear.”
“Three days?!” The man fell into the depths of despair, crying out in anguish at the cruel twist of fate.
Finally, his devotion and persistence moved the mountain god, who said, “If you want to deliver the herb to your beloved within three days, you must transform into a dove. But, if you are not destined to be together, she will leave you the moment you reach her. If you are destined, you will live happily together forever.”
The man exclaimed with excitement, “I am willing! Please turn me into a dove quickly, I want to see my beloved as soon as possible.”
The man transformed into a snow-white dove, holding the Wish-Granting Herb tightly in his beak, and hurriedly flew back home.
Meanwhile, the woman was still at the village entrance, waiting anxiously for the man’s return. Her tears no longer flowed, but her heart had not yet given up. At the end of her life, God was moved by her devotion and persistence and decided to make an exception for her.
“You have waited a lifetime without seeing the one you love. As your life comes to an end, do you have any wishes? I can grant them.”
“He will return. Perhaps he was delayed on his journey, or maybe he lost his way and can’t find the way back. Let me turn into a tree here and wait for him forever, sheltering him from the wind and rain, shading him from the sun. When he is tired, he can rest against my trunk; when he’s cold, he can cut my branches to warm himself.”
God granted the woman’s wish. As she looked up one last time, she distinctly saw a white dove flying urgently in her direction, and in that moment, the woman disappeared.
A lush tree appeared in her place, but its branches were unique—each one bore glistening droplets of water. Later, people said these were the woman’s tears, the tears of longing.
The man, now a dove, had been flying non-stop. After two days of flight, he finally returned. When he reached the village entrance, he saw his beloved woman, though she looked much more haggard than before. He tried desperately to fly towards her, but the closer he got, the harder it was to see her face clearly. When he finally reached her, she vanished, and in her place stood a tree. From its branches fell tiny droplets, like the gentle rain of spring, drenching the white dove.
The dove tirelessly searched for the woman he loved, but the Wish-Granting Herb was on the brink of withering, and the dove was out of strength. It landed on the tree’s branch, looking around in confusion. Suddenly, it cried out, and a drop of crimson fell from the tree. Where it landed, a sapling sprouted, and the dove remained forever on the tree, its eyes full of longing, waiting for its beloved. Little did the dove know that the tree was, in fact, the woman he loved, and that he was in the embrace of his beloved.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
