A Moving Love Story: The Simplest Love
He was born into a scholarly family in Guangxi, with a love for learning and excellent academic performance. At 25, he moved to Hong Kong to find work and became an editor for the “New Evening Post.”
She, six years younger than him, was a well-to-do young lady working for the Hong Kong government, earning twice his salary.
By the age of 32, he was still single, fully absorbed in his writing. The deputy editor of the newspaper admired his talent and decided to introduce his wife’s niece to him. Unable to refuse, he agreed to meet her.
At their first meeting, he happened to have sinusitis and was constantly blowing his nose, looking rather shabby.
He was just a poor scholar, while she was a lady of noble birth. The stark contrast in their social status, combined with his own disheveled appearance, made him want to end the meeting quickly. However, she was satisfied with him, smiling as she handed him a handkerchief to wipe his nose, which warmed his heart.
Touched by her kindness, he began to date her. Her generosity, kindness, and lively spirit won his heart. A few months later, he underwent surgery to remove nasal polyps, and she stayed by his side in the hospital, taking care of him meticulously.
After being discharged, he knelt on one knee and said earnestly, “Although I am poor, I will work hard to write and earn money. Marry me!” She helped him up, blushing as she nodded.
So, less than nine months after they met, they entered the hall of marriage.
After the wedding, she discovered that besides being talented, her husband was actually quite helpless in daily life.
He had the stubbornness of a scholar, rarely caring about social conventions. She was perceptive and pragmatic, constantly making up for his shortcomings. He was untidy, wearing mismatched socks and meeting important people in old suits and worn-out shoes.
She often had to remind him about his attire. He was forgetful; during their travels, his passport, wallet, and even luggage would often go missing. She had to take care of him, making it difficult to enjoy their trips fully. He had a poor memory, often forgetting to bring money to meals or even their home address.
Afraid he would get lost, she would watch for him from the balcony and call out to him when she saw him coming home. He loved meat, and she, concerned for his health, wouldn’t let him eat too much. He behaved at home but often sneaked meat outside.
She became like a supervisor, checking up on him, earning him the reputation of being “afraid of his wife” among his colleagues. But when others mentioned his fear of his wife, he would smile happily.
He was completely like a child who couldn’t take care of himself, constantly worrying her. She had to resign from her enviable civil servant job to focus on caring for him.
Throughout the years together, she became his secretary, nurse, housekeeper, and more. She bore him three children, whom she carefully raised and educated. He devoted himself to writing, producing 35 novels and becoming a famous literary figure in Hong Kong.
At 63, at the peak of his fame and career, he suddenly announced his retirement and moved to Australia. By then, his health had already started to decline, and she didn’t want him to overwork himself anymore. Australia had medical treatments beneficial for him.
He always felt guilty towards her; she had been the one taking care of him and the family all these years. He wanted to make up for it. They moved to Sydney and lived a simple and pleasant life. He continued to read and write poetry daily, while she still took care of him.
They watched the sunrise together, admired the sunset, planted flowers, cooked, or went for walks and attended operas. After the hustle and bustle, only a simple, peaceful, and mutually supportive life remained.
In the following twenty-plus years, he suffered from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and a stroke that left half of his body paralyzed. He had come to terms with life and death but couldn’t bear to leave her. He prayed in his heart: to live on, to leave after her, not to let her be alone.
He disliked the bitterness of the medicine and refused to drink it, so she lied, saying it had sugar, and coaxed him into taking it. Despite his illnesses, he still loved rich foods. Every time he tried to grab another piece of meat, she would glance at him and tap the edge of his bowl, making him retract his hand like a guilty child. To make him eat less sugar, she gave up sweets herself.
Occasionally, she would lean on his shoulder, and he would hold her hand. In their days of battling illness, they reminisced about their past, as sweet as newlyweds, as innocent as children, laughing and playing.
At 85, he finally passed away before her. His death in Sydney was mourned by many back home.
His name was Chen Wentong, and she was Lin Cuiyu. He was also known as Liang Yusheng, the pioneer of the new school of martial arts novels. His works, such as “Seven Swords Down the Tianshan Mountains,” “The Wandering Heroes of Shadow,” and “The White-Haired Demoness,” have been repeatedly adapted for the screen.
The beauties in his novels were countless, but she was just an ordinary woman. Yet, he had said that the virtues of the female characters in his novels all came from her. The love in his novels was entangled and bittersweet, while his real-life love was simple, holding hands and growing old together.
On the day he closed his eyes, their three children cried bitterly, but she calmly said, “Shh, don’t cry, your father left peacefully.”
She held his hand, just as she did when he was alive. In her eyes, he had never left. He was like a child who had fallen asleep after being tired from playing.
He must have had a long and beautiful dream: when they first met, he looked disheveled, and she smiled as she handed him a handkerchief… no matter the weather, as long as she called him from the balcony, he could find his way home… in the frozen moment, there must be him holding her hand, she leaning on his shoulder, standing by his side in the glow of the sunset.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
