love and reunion
When Mi Hua appeared on the street wearing that string of red bean necklace, her metropolitan style and decorations attracted many admiring glances from passersby. Those who knew her all said, “Miss Mi is back!”
Mi Hua had been wandering around this street for several days. She hadn’t been home for years and was surprised to see how much her hometown had changed. Even this small county-level city now had a pedestrian street bustling with people.
Mi Hua wanted to rent a small shop here to sell women’s accessories, but upon seeing the crowded area with shops packed tightly together, she found there was no available space. The few shops that were available were being sublet by owners looking to make a profit, and the prices were exorbitantly high. Helplessly, Mi Hua had no choice but to turn back.
After just a few steps, she heard a sweet voice call out from behind, “Miss Mi Hua, how much space are you looking for?”
Mi Hua turned around and saw a pretty and delicate young woman greeting her. Curious, she asked, “How do you know my name? Do you know me?”
“I heard others calling you that, so I picked it up. But I do know your red bean necklace,” the young woman said cheerfully. “Nice to meet you. My name is Lin Qing.”
Mi Hua smiled, acknowledging their introduction, and then got to the point: “The size of the space doesn’t matter.”
Lin Qing said, “Why don’t you take a look at my place?”
“Oh! Another one?” Mi Hua had already seen several places and followed Lin Qing out of curiosity. Though small, the ten-square-meter room was a world of umbrellas, featuring all kinds of patterns, sizes, colors, and moods. They were hanging, standing open, and filling the space in an array that was particularly pleasing to the eye.
Mi Hua was mesmerized by the umbrellas and asked, “Do you specialize in selling umbrellas?” Lin Qing nodded. Mi Hua looked carefully at the place again and asked, “If you rent it to me, what will you do?”
Lin Qing said, “Not the whole place, just half of it.”
Mi Hua was inwardly amazed at the girl’s cleverness. Smiling slyly, she measured the size of the space with her eyes, finding it both economical and practical for selling women’s accessories. Feeling a sense of liking for the place, she asked seriously, “How much rent do you want for this half space per month?”
“You can decide. I don’t know how your business will do yet.”
Hearing this, Mi Hua found it strange, thinking: Are there still such good people in the world, who are considerate of others? She hesitated, afraid of falling into a trap, and said, “Then let’s sign a rental contract.”
Unexpectedly, Lin Qing said, “No need for a contract. Just use it first. I won’t cheat you. Once you make money, you can decide how much to give me.”
The more Mi Hua listened, the more confused she became. It seemed too good to be true. She looked at the kind-hearted girl who seemed to have no ill intentions and, needing the space urgently, agreed to come back and organize the shop the next day. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed it had started raining outside. Retracting her step, she hesitated.
At this moment, Lin Qing took a red umbrella from the shelf and handed it to her, saying, “It’s raining, take an umbrella!”
“Oh?” Mi Hua felt awkward, not sure if Lin Qing was trying to sell her an umbrella or had other intentions. She hurriedly said, “No need, no need.”
Lin Qing seemed to understand her hesitation, pressed the umbrella into her hand, and said, “Take it. It can shield you from the rain and the sun. If you don’t need it anymore, just return it.”
For some reason, Mi Hua felt a warm feeling upon hearing this, though she couldn’t recall where she had heard similar words before.
The next morning, Mi Hua went to organize her half of the shop. Upon entering, she found that Lin Qing had already cleared the space for her, allowing her to start her business immediately. Feeling fortunate to have such a kind shop owner, Mi Hua set up quickly. However, business was not great, as this was not a wealthy metropolis.
Few girls came to buy accessories. Fortunately, Lin Qing had good connections and recommended Mi Hua’s accessories to everyone who came to buy umbrellas. Especially when there were no customers, Lin Qing herself would buy some, often choosing the best and most expensive ones.
Mi Hua noticed that Lin Qing had a great love for life and a sense of style. At the end of the month, having barely broken even, Mi Hua tried to give Lin Qing several hundred yuan, in line with the street’s rental prices. But Lin Qing refused, saying, “I know it’s hard starting a business, and you didn’t make a profit this month. Your family also needs money. You can pay me once you’ve saved some capital. I don’t need this money now.”
Seeing Lin Qing’s sincerity, Mi Hua was dumbfounded. She had never met such a kind-hearted person in her years of working away from home. Curiosity drove her to pay close attention to Lin Qing. One rainy day, after closing shop, Mi Hua followed Lin Qing to her home, discovering she lived in a small attic of an umbrella factory.
Realizing she had been discovered, Lin Qing didn’t get angry but warmly invited Mi Hua inside. The small attic was clean and tidy, with no unnecessary items. Mi Hua asked, “Is this umbrella factory owned by your family?” Lin Qing shook her head. “Then do you sell umbrellas for them?” Lin Qing nodded. From their chat, Mi Hua learned that Lin Qing had come to the city from the countryside to work and that her family was also struggling.
Lin Qing had to earn money to support her brother’s education. Mi Hua felt a pang of sorrow and asked, “Why do you buy so many accessories if you’re struggling? I haven’t seen you wear any.” She noticed Lin Qing glance at a plastic bag nearby. Sensitive to this, Mi Hua went to check and found the bag full of accessories she recognized as being from her shop. Shocked, she asked, “Why did you do this?”
Lin Qing calmly replied, “I like them.”
“You like them? With so little money from your job, can you afford such a luxury?” Mi Hua sensed something else behind Lin Qing’s words and asked, “Who told you to do this? Will your boss agree to you not charging me rent?”
Lin Qing said, “Our boss said you’re a good person and told me to learn from you.”
Mi Hua was stunned, “Learn from me? Learn what?”
“Learn how you worked hard to save your mother’s life.”
Hearing this, Mi Hua’s heart skipped a beat. She asked, “Who is your boss? How does he know me?”
“His name is Hongdou.”
The name “Hongdou” struck a chord in Mi Hua. It turned out that Hongdou was none other than her first love. They had grown up together in the same small town, going to school and playing together. Their families had even hoped they would marry someday. But as they grew older and societal changes occurred, poverty widened the gap between Mi Hua and Hongdou. To support her brother’s education, Mi Hua dropped out of high school. She first worked in a county town company where the boss’s son had taken a liking to her.
Shortly after, her mother fell seriously ill, needing a costly surgery. Just then, the boss’s son lost interest in her, and she lost her job. In desperation, Mi Hua vowed to earn big money and decided to go to Shenzhen.
Before she left, Hongdou came to see her. He had also dropped out of school due to poverty and had learned to make umbrellas with his uncle in the city. Hearing that she was going to Shenzhen, he tried to persuade her to stay, saying that without capital, she would only end up doing menial jobs and be mistreated there. He said he still loved her and promised to come for her once he made a lot of money.
At that time, Mi Hua found his words laughable, thinking how foolish it was to talk about love when poverty was all-consuming. In a society where money was everything, love without it was like a pot of cabbage with no seasoning—it would only get worse.
Hongdou, tearfully, said, “Mi Hua, I will miss you and love you forever!” He handed her a crude umbrella, jokingly calling it her talisman. “Take it with you! It can shield you from the rain and the sun. Let it accompany you until you return!” Mi Hua took the rustic umbrella, turned, and boarded the train to Shenzhen.
In Shenzhen, Mi Hua quickly realized that, as Hongdou had said, opportunities were scarce without a diploma or technical skills. She could only rely on her youth and beauty to secure a hostess job at a hotel. Watching the wealthy, happy women on the streets of Shenzhen, Mi Hua knew she couldn’t continue like this.
At the critical moment, her brother called, saying their mother needed a kidney transplant, which would cost over 200,000 yuan. Desperate and with no other options, Mi Hua turned to a Hong Kong businessman she knew, Mr. Zheng. He immediately agreed to help and even promised to buy her an apartment in Shenzhen, saying he would marry her once he divorced his wife. Mi Hua believed him and became his mistress.
Her mother’s life was saved, and Mi Hua lived comfortably as Mr. Zheng’s “kept woman,” awaiting the day he would marry her. One weekend, while waiting for Mr. Zheng at the station, she suddenly heard a rough voice behind her, “Mi Hua, is it really you? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Turning around, she was shocked to see Hongdou in his
rustic attire. “Why are you here?” she asked. He smiled, “I’m here to take you home!” “Take me home? Who said I wanted to go home?” With Mr. Zheng’s arrival imminent, she grew anxious and said, “You’re so foolish! Just go!” Hongdou, hearing this, knelt down.
Before Mi Hua could help him up, Mr. Zheng arrived, dismissing Hongdou as a beggar and suggesting they give him some money. In desperation, Mi Hua took out a 100-yuan note and left it in front of Hongdou before getting into the taxi with Mr. Zheng. At that moment, a competing taxi hit Hongdou…
Mi Hua spent several years as Mr. Zheng’s mistress. Just when she eagerly awaited their marriage, she learned from another mistress that Mr. Zheng had secretly taken in a young, beautiful university student in Guangzhou. At first, Mi Hua didn’t believe it, but when his visits became less frequent, she hired a private detective to investigate.
The photos confirmed her worst fears. Furious and disillusioned, Mi Hua left the house she once considered her happy haven, realizing that money was not everything for a woman. Her past would forever be a mark of shame.
Returning home with nothing but the old, crude umbrella she had found while packing, Mi Hua dusted it off and opened it, discovering a string of red beans tied to the handle. Touched by the memories, she decided to rely on herself from then on. To her surprise, she found Hongdou again. What could she say now?
“Is the umbrella factory owned by Hongdou?” Mi Hua asked.
Lin Qing nodded, “Mi Jie, having someone love you like this is true happiness!”
“Love me? Who loves me?”
“Hongdou.”
“Red beans…”
“Yes, when I met him in the city, I was moved by his tenacity. To be honest, I liked and loved him, but when I confessed, he told me his heart was already taken by someone named Mi Hua, whom he had loved since childhood. Mi Jie, I envy you so much…”
Mi Hua felt her face burn with shame. Reflecting on Hongdou’s deep love and her own disgraceful past, she felt unworthy. Without a word, she turned and walked out.
“Mi Jie, don’t you want to see him? He says he wants to make the best umbrella in the world for the woman who understands love, to shield her from the sun and rain… Though he’s disabled, anyone who experiences his love will feel blessed.”
“What? He’s disabled?” Mi Hua was shocked.
“Yes, he said he was hit by a car while returning from selling umbrellas in Shenzhen. I told him to seek compensation, but he just smiled bitterly… Mi Jie, his love is like those umbrellas, shielding people from the sun and rain. Anyone under his love will be happy despite the hardship!”
Mi Hua finally understood what love truly was… pure, selfless, and sacrificial. Reflecting on her past, she felt unworthy of such a deep love.
Suddenly, she felt the urge to see him, to confess her shameful past, and to break his illusions. She also sensed Lin Qing’s love for him and wanted to bless them both.
When Lin Qing brought her to see him, Hongdou was busy designing a new umbrella. Seeing Mi Hua, he forgot his disabled leg and tried to stand, falling painfully. Mi Hua, heart aching, rushed to help him. Lin Qing, with tears in her eyes, quietly left the room.
After some warm greetings, Mi Hua said seriously, “Hongdou, I’ve completely failed your love all these years! Now that I understand and feel it deeply, I realize I’m not worthy.”
Hongdou said, “Love doesn’t distinguish between worthy and unworthy, or between wealth and poverty. Love is love, like this umbrella. The rich in the city need it, and so do the poor in the countryside. It’s a kind of love in anyone’s hands.”
“For years, you didn’t know me. I’ve hidden my life in Shenzhen from everyone, including you. I’m not a good woman, unworthy of your love. To be honest, in Shenzhen, I was…”
“Let the past be the past!” Hongdou interrupted, “You don’t know, but I secretly followed you in Shenzhen for a week. I know everything.”
“You know everything?” Mi Hua was stunned. “Then why do you still…”
“I believe in the rainbow after the rain. She will understand life and love even better… Remember the umbrella I gave you before you left, with the red bean necklace inside? Red beans are a symbol of good fortune in our hometown, a talisman for happiness and safety. Look at the butterflies on the umbrella. A wise person once said, ‘Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you remain still, it will come to you.’ I believe the butterfly is now on us!”
Mi Hua’s eyes glistened with tears. She finally understood Hongdou, realizing Lin Qing’s words were true: “Mi Jie, having someone love you like this is true happiness!”
Moved, she saw a string of red bean necklaces hanging on the wall.
Hongdou said, “It’s raining outside. Do you know what day it is?”
Listening to the rain, Mi Hua shook her head.
“Today is Qixi, the Chinese Valentine’s Day! Also known as the Qixi Festival of Love and Longing. It’s said it always rains on this day, representing the tears of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl reunited.”
Holding the red bean necklace tightly, Mi Hua’s eyes brimmed with tears of happiness…
Mi Hua realized love is indeed like a sunshade.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
