Love and loyalty over time: If You Don’t Come, I Won’t Grow Old
He and I met in Chengdu when we were both university students. We got to know each other through a student social event. In his eyes, she was quiet, elegant, and graceful; in her eyes, he was handsome, upright, and talented. It was the age of youth and blossoming emotions, and naturally, they fell in love. You could often see them together in the peaceful campus, always holding hands as they walked. He loved telling jokes, and every time she heard one, she would burst into uncontrollable laughter. In those moments, he would gaze at her tenderly, his eyes filled with boundless warmth and affection. Feeling shy under his gaze, she would steal a glance at him, her face blushing bright red.
Their love was so beautiful and sweet, yet this beauty was also fleeting. In the blink of an eye, graduation was upon them, and like their classmates, they were faced with the challenge of finding jobs. They had promised to stay together in the city, but things changed by the time graduation arrived. His father had suddenly suffered a stroke, and with his younger siblings still in school, the burden of the entire family fell on his mother’s shoulders. He couldn’t bear to see his parents, who had toiled for half their lives, still working so hard to support the family. He told her, “Ying, I’ve heard that salaries are higher in Shenzhen. I want to go there and give it a try. Can you wait for me? Once I’ve earned enough for my siblings’ schooling, I’ll come back, okay?” By this time, she had already been accepted to work at the court, a hard-won job, and she wouldn’t have let him go otherwise.
She went to see him off, repeatedly saying, “You have to come back. I’ll be waiting for you.” He held her tightly, and tears welled up in his eyes. He said, “I’ll come back.”
When he first got there, things didn’t go smoothly, and finding a job wasn’t as easy as he had imagined. She was extremely worried and called him every day to check in. She said, “If it doesn’t work out, come back. We’ll work it out together.” At those times, he would always say, “Ying, wait for me. I’ll come back.” Gradually, his career started to take off—after all, becoming a lawyer takes both experience and time.
One day, he said, “Ying, I’m coming back.” She was overwhelmed with excitement because by this time, they had been apart for three years. During those years, he had turned down advances from other women, and she had declined matchmaking arranged by friends and family. For the sake of love, they had both worked hard to remain true to their commitment, longing for the day they would reunite.
At the train station, she saw him walking slowly toward her. His steps were steady, and his face showed signs of the passing years, but his eyes were still as bright as ever. She ran toward him and hugged him tightly. He whispered softly in her ear, “Ying, you’re still as young and beautiful as ever.” She chuckled and said, “You didn’t come, so I didn’t grow old.”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
