Heartwarming couple stories: Washing Feet
It was already the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, but Jin Feng had yet to return home. A-Qiang had already gone to the hill at the village entrance several times to look out for her. In the evening, A-Qiang lit the fire in the stove, and the flames quickly leapt up joyfully—even as the wind howled angrily outside the window.
Finally, there was a knock at the door. A-Qiang hurriedly opened it, and sure enough, it was Jin Feng with a large bag on her back. A-Qiang quickly took her luggage and welcomed her into the house.
Jin Feng went straight into the inner room, where the child was already fast asleep. She bent down, kissed the child’s forehead, and then asked A-Qiang, “When did the child fall asleep?”
“Just now. He was waiting for you, knowing you were coming. But he fell asleep while waiting.”
“Mm.”
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Oh, I did. With the Spring Festival travel rush, the journey wasn’t easy. After getting off the train, I had to wait for a minibus. I even twisted my ankle on the way.”
As soon as A-Qiang heard that Jin Feng had twisted her ankle, he was immediately worried. He sat her down on a stool by the bed. “Sit down quickly. I’ll get some hot water for you to soak your foot.”
Very soon, A-Qiang placed a basin of steaming hot water by the bed.
“You should wash up first,” Jin Feng said politely, feeling her eyes sting. She quickly turned her head to look at the child.
“What’s the need for politeness? Let me wash it for you. You’ve been sitting on a bus for days; you must be exhausted, and now you’ve twisted your ankle too. Let me massage it for you,” A-Qiang said as he began to remove Jin Feng’s shoes.
“No, it’s been days since I’ve washed my feet; they must stink. I should do it myself. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Jin Feng struggled, trying to wash her feet herself.
“No way, I’ll do it. You’ve been away working for exactly 333 days now. I haven’t washed your feet for a year; my hands are itching to do it.” As he spoke, A-Qiang quickly took off Jin Feng’s shoes and socks and submerged her delicate feet in the water.
A-Qiang carefully washed, scrubbed, and massaged her feet. The water in the basin soon turned cloudy. Through the misty steam, Jin Feng noticed a few gray hairs amidst the messy nest on A-Qiang’s head. She reached out to pluck them gently, saying, “A-Qiang, you’re not even forty yet, why do you already have…” Jin Feng suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
After a pause, she said, “Your health isn’t good. Didn’t I tell you to take care of yourself? Sharpening the axe won’t delay the work. I can take care of the money.” As she spoke, Jin Feng took out a thick wad of cash from her clothes and waved it in front of A-Qiang. “Over seventeen thousand yuan. This is what I’ve earned in the past three months.”
“Jin Feng, you shouldn’t overwork yourself either… Ouch!” A-Qiang cried out as his wrist trembled. Jin Feng quickly grabbed his hand, rolling up his sleeve, revealing a scar that hadn’t fully healed. Jin Feng stared intently at A-Qiang and asked, “Is it true, what our son secretly told me in his letter—that you went to fix houses for others again?” Seeing that A-Qiang didn’t respond, Jin Feng’s voice grew louder. “Didn’t we agree that you would stay home and rest, do nothing? Your illness…”
“Jin Feng, everyone else is building new houses, but our family… it’s all because of my illness that you’ve been burdened.”
“A-Qiang, don’t say that. We’re still young, aren’t we?” Seeing the tears in A-Qiang’s eyes, Jin Feng lowered her voice, quickly dried her feet, and slipped on her shoes. She fetched another basin of water and motioned for A-Qiang to take off his shoes.
As Jin Feng washed A-Qiang’s feet, she said, “I’m earning quite a bit now. Once you’re well, we’ll definitely live a good life. By the way, our boss is really kind to us. He knows we have difficulties at home, so he lets me work at the factory during the day and at his wife’s shop at night. It’s like I have two jobs, which is why I can earn so much money… Do you like how I’m washing your feet? Want me to massage you a bit? You don’t know, but I’ve gotten really good at it…”
“Jin Feng, stop lying to me. Little Mao, who came back earlier, told me everything. Why did you…” A-Qiang suddenly bent down and grabbed Jin Feng’s hand. “Look at your hand, it’s so red and swollen. Jin Feng, I know you sew clothes at the factory during the day and go to the foot massage shop at night to wash feet and give massages. Never mind if the job is degrading or not, but your hands can’t take it!”
“A-Qiang…” Jin Feng pulled her hand back and threw herself into A-Qiang’s arms.
Outside, the cold wind still howled angrily, but the fire in the stove continued to burn brightly, just like the two hearts inside the house that were burning with love.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
