Classic Tragic Love Story: No More Tears in Heaven
The morning in Wenchuan was still cool, and as usual, she and he were busy with their work.
The two of them were newlyweds, married only a few months, and deeply in love. He was eight years older than her and had cherished her like a treasure ever since they met three years ago. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t transfer to the same city, and it wasn’t until six months ago that he finally resigned from his job and moved to the city where she lived.
Before the earthquake, she was working overtime in her office on the first floor of a building, eating the lunch he had brought her.
She had a report that had to be submitted in the afternoon, but she had made a mistake with one of the data points, causing the totals not to match. She had to keep working, but by two o’clock, she still couldn’t find the problem. Frustrated, she called her husband to complain. He then brought her lunch to keep her company and help her check the numbers. As soon as he walked into the office, all her frustration vanished.
He had always been her rock. To others, she was a capable young woman, but in front of him, she was always a little girl. Looking at her handsome husband’s face, her mood became as bright as the sunlight outside. He lovingly stroked her hair and commanded, “Be good, eat your food. I’ll check it.” She obediently took her lunch and sat opposite him, eating while gazing at him with love. She could never get enough of looking at his face, at everything about him. She believed that as long as her husband was involved, there was nothing in the world that couldn’t be solved. Sure enough, within fifteen minutes, he found the error and was about to tease his wife with a smile.
At that moment, they felt the ground shaking violently. The building, which was supposed to be demolished a year ago but had been in use until now, seemed unable to bear the load anymore and collapsed in the strong earthquake.
In seconds, the two were buried under the rubble. She didn’t know how long it had been when she woke up from unconsciousness to find herself in complete darkness, momentarily unable to figure out where she was. A hollow concrete slab was pressing down on her, but she was lucky because the other end of the slab was supported by another concrete slab. It pressed on her body, making it impossible to move, but it didn’t cause her any injuries. She had fainted earlier because something hit her head. Her leg was also hit by something, possibly breaking a bone, and seemed to be bleeding, but she couldn’t reach her calf because of the slab. Her shoulders and back hurt too, and when she touched them, she realized they were bleeding.
“Jun! Jun! Where are you?” she suddenly remembered her husband and cried out. There was no response. She was terrified and began to sob.
“Mei, I’m here. Are you hurt?” His weak voice came from nearby. She remembered that when the building collapsed, he had lunged over to protect her, but now they were separated. She couldn’t remember how it had happened.
“Are you okay?” she asked, hearing the difference in her husband’s voice, her fear growing.
“I’m fine, just trapped and can’t move.” His voice suddenly calmed, just as it always did, “Baby, don’t be scared. I’m right here. Don’t be afraid!” She felt his hand reach out and touch her arm, and she quickly grabbed it tightly. He held her hand, trembling slightly but firmly, which eased much of her fear.
“My leg is bleeding. A concrete slab is pressing on my thigh. Are we going to die here?” “No, someone will come to save us soon.”
He squeezed her hand tightly. “Use my tie to bind your bleeding leg. If you can’t reach your calf, bind your thigh, as tightly as you can.”
He withdrew his hand and handed her his tie. She followed his instructions and tied the bleeding leg, but her strength was insufficient to effectively stop the bleeding. If no one came to rescue them, wouldn’t she bleed to death? She thought in terror. She stretched her hand again to grip his tightly; it was the only thing that made her less afraid. She suddenly felt his hand trembling, was he scared too? At that moment, she heard a squeak from somewhere, and she screamed. She had always been terrified of mice, and in this situation, even if one climbed on her head, she couldn’t resist.
“Don’t be scared. I’m here, and the mice won’t dare come near you. If they do, I’ll smash them!” He knew what she was afraid of and spoke lightly on purpose. “Heaven is just giving us a chance to share in each other’s hardships. Did the bleeding stop?”
“No, it’s still bleeding.” His joke lightened her mood a bit. “Oh well, if I die, at least I’ll be with you. I’m not afraid of anything!”
She remembered how they met three years ago. It was during her final year of college, when she was interning at a company in his city. One day, they met by chance in an elevator. He looked at her with a face full of admiration, but she pretended not to see.
Only two kinds of men caught her attention: the smart and the handsome. In his handsome face, she could see intelligence. It seemed mysterious at the time, but later, as she got to know him, it proved she had a good eye for people. He was indeed a very clever man, but he only showed a silly side when he was with her. She almost burst out laughing at the thought.
Once, she had severe stomach pain and lay on the bed, her face pale. He sat by her side, his face paler than hers with worry. He took off his coat, lay beside her, and held her tightly. Warmth seeped from his body into hers, and she was so immersed in his embrace that she forgot the pain that had been unbearable before. The power of love—who can fully explain it?
They both fell silent, knowing there was nothing they could do but wait. She felt the warmth of her husband’s hand and continued thinking about the past. Strictly speaking, she had been the one to pursue him. After that fateful encounter, she was determined never to regret it, though he always believed he had pursued her. Silly man, if I hadn’t given you the chance, how could you have chased me? She thought with a slight smile. They lived in different cities, and neither of their parents approved of the relationship, but they both knew they would love each other for life.
Only they could understand their love. In the pitch-black, silent ruins, she was lost in memories, whispering softly to her husband, “I love you.” He squeezed her hand in response. She continued recalling their moments together. Every few minutes, he would talk to her, so she wouldn’t feel afraid. But she was getting sleepy, feeling so drowsy.
“Honey, I’m tired. I want to sleep for a bit,” she whispered.
“You can’t sleep!!” he shouted, startling her. His reaction was so intense it shocked her. He gripped her hand tightly and said, “Listen to me, you have to stay awake, no matter what. You’re losing blood, and this drowsiness isn’t from fatigue—it’s from blood loss. If you sleep, you won’t wake up! Do you understand? You can’t sleep. Talk to me.”
She tried to fight the drowsiness, but the overwhelming urge to sleep seemed impossible to resist. She just wanted to drift off. He kept talking to her, recounting memories, but she barely had the energy to respond. She drifted in and out of consciousness. She didn’t know how long it had been when she heard a dull thudding sound outside—they were finally being rescued! Excitedly, she squeezed her husband’s hand and shouted, “Do you hear that? Someone’s coming! Someone’s coming!!” His hand loosened, and she heard a sigh or a groan. Then she too lost consciousness.
The next morning, a large team of rescue workers arrived for an assessment. After checking with the unit’s personnel, they confirmed she had been inside when the building collapsed. They notified the hospital and construction teams and organized a rescue operation.
The rescue went smoothly. As they removed one concrete slab after another and pried open steel bars, they found him first. When they lifted him out, he was still conscious, but he refused medical treatment on the spot and wouldn’t get in the ambulance. Lying on a stretcher by the rubble, he kept mumbling, “Save her, save her.” An experienced doctor at the scene saw his condition and knew there was no hope. They didn’t insist on moving him, as even the slightest movement could be fatal.
A nurse was instructed to give him a blood transfusion, but the blood wouldn’t flow into his veins. Blood was continuously trickling from his mouth, indicating severe internal injuries, likely from broken ribs puncturing his organs. One of his arms was broken, the bleeding stopped, and both legs were suffering from severe compound fractures. The most critical issue was his face, which showed he had lost almost all his blood. The doctor couldn’t understand how he had survived until now.
His eyes never left the rescuers as they worked. When she was finally pulled out, he turned to the doctor, his eyes pleading. Though he could no longer speak, the doctor understood why he had held on for so long and gave him a reassuring look. He quickly examined her, performed some necessary first aid, and instructed the rescuers to carry her to the ambulance. Then he returned
to the man’s side and squatted down. Seeing the urgency in his eyes, the doctor said, “Don’t worry, she’s not in any danger. No serious internal injuries, though she’s lost a lot of blood.” As he heard this, the tension in his body seemed to release, and he collapsed. His gaze followed the stretcher carrying her away. The doctor, not wanting to prolong his suffering, called the stretcher bearers to bring her back. They laid her down beside him.
Everyone present focused on the scene. In the vast area, no one made a sound. He used the last bit of his strength to look at her, his beloved wife, with eyes full of love and deep sorrow, as if trying to etch her image into his memory forever. He tried to lift his uninjured hand but could only move his fingers slightly.
The doctor, tears in his eyes, placed his hand over hers. He mouthed something, though his voice was inaudible. A single tear fell from his eye, blurring his vision, but he wanted to keep looking at her. He wanted to see her until the end. The doctor, understanding, gently wiped away the tear, but his eyes, wide open, could no longer see his wife. He was gone.
Only the doctor, who had examined his injuries, knew that to keep his wife from feeling scared, to prevent her from dying from blood loss, he had resisted death for several hours. The pain he endured from his injuries was unimaginable, yet he held on for her. The elderly doctor, usually composed, wept uncontrollably for this man he had never met before. The young nurses standing nearby had long since broken into sobs.
It wasn’t until her injuries had fully healed that her family told her of his death. When she realized it was true, she requested his death certificate and medical records as his wife. She read through them word by word, her face calm, which reassured her family. Her brother mentioned, “People say that before he passed, your husband said something to you, but only that old doctor heard it.” She said nothing and left the room alone. Her mother followed her to see where she was going and found her heading straight to the old doctor’s office. She sat down opposite him.
The old doctor smiled at her, “Are you feeling better? You should still rest and not run around.”
“What did my husband say to me?” she asked directly, her tone different from usual, not bothering with pleasantries. At this moment, she only wanted to know what her husband had said, nothing else.
The old doctor was surprised by her bluntness but quickly understood. He replied gently, “He couldn’t speak then; his mouth was too dry, so I could only see the shape of his lips.” She didn’t press him further, just continued to stare at him. The doctor sighed, recalling the moment with sadness. “If I read it correctly, he was looking at you and saying, ‘I love you,’ before…”
She remained silent, her face turning pale as snow. The doctor was about to offer some comfort when she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Nine days passed, and her parents took her home. During those days, she hadn’t spoken a word to anyone, acting as if she didn’t recognize anyone. If someone gave her water, she drank it. If someone gave her food, she ate it. The rest of the time, she sat in her room, staring blankly or talking softly to his photo.
Seeing their daughter in such a state, her parents seemed to have aged ten years in those few days. All the doctors shook their heads at her condition, and even a psychologist couldn’t reach her. She seemed deaf to everything the doctors said.
One day, her brother’s young daughter came to visit. The six-year-old saw how different her aunt had become and, tugging at her hand with no response, became anxious, “Auntie! Auntie! You said you’d take me to the park, but you lied!” Her grandparents tried to hush her, but the child didn’t care and continued, “And Uncle! He promised too! Hmph, you both broke your promises!” The mention of “Uncle” made her tremble.
No one had dared to mention him around her. It was the first time in nearly two weeks she had heard his name. She took her niece’s hand and said, “Uncle promised? Okay, I’ll take you now.” Her mother, hearing her daughter speak for the first time, cried with relief. Her father, realizing there might be hope for her recovery, struggled to keep his voice steady, “All right, dear, take her to the park.”
In the park, her niece held her hand and asked, “Auntie, where’s Uncle? Daddy says he’s gone far away, but I overheard him telling Mommy that Uncle’s dead, right?” Over the next few days, her niece’s presence seemed to bring her back to life. She talked more with her parents, though they avoided discussing him. But on the day his ashes were to be interred, her mother found she was missing at lunchtime. Her son’s call soon came—she was at his grave.
When her parents arrived, they found her sitting before the tombstone, wearing the dress she had worn on their wedding day, her eyes closed, but a smile on her face. Her brother and sister-in-law stood in front of her, their eyes red from crying. Her mother fainted on the spot, and her father, trembling, approached to see the words she had written on the tombstone in her own blood:
“If I meet you in heaven, will you remember who I am?
If I meet you in heaven, will you still be the same?
I must be strong, but I can’t do it; I don’t belong here, I only belong with you.
If I meet you in heaven, will you hold my hand?
If I meet you in heaven, will you help me be strong?
I will find the way from the night to the day because I know I will find you.
Please take me with you; I believe there will be peace in heaven.
Please take me with you; I know there will be no more tears in heaven.”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
