Relentless love story
Qiuling hid inside her house, too afraid to go out. The woman outside was too fierce, and she didn’t want to confront her.
The woman was jumping and cursing loudly. Qiuling felt embarrassed. She knew this woman was trouble, but she didn’t expect her to be this bad. No wonder Shange wanted a divorce. Although they were divorced, because of their son, they were still somewhat entangled.
Qiuling had been with Shange for seven years. Their relationship wasn’t an extramarital affair; they met through friends after he had already divorced. Qiuling, who was plain-looking, had long given up on the hope of a prince charming. She just wanted someone to love and cherish her, and she felt grateful for that, regardless of his marital status. Shange was a middle school teacher in the city, and Qiuling was an ordinary office worker.
Shange gave her endless warmth, love, and romance. But their love was filled with bitterness because his ex-wife kept pestering them. They had a son together, and the son was the reason they still interacted. But soon Qiuling discovered that Shange and his ex-wife had slept together again, and she had even had an abortion for him. The ex-wife called to taunt her: “If you’re smart, you’ll back off. He doesn’t love you; he just wants your money.”
Qiuling was devastated. Over the years, she had given him all her savings. He always had a reason: his ex-wife took all his money, and he had no choice but to provide for his son. He promised that once his son grew older, they would live a good life together.
Qiuling sympathized with him. She wasn’t after his money; she just wanted to be an ordinary couple, to love, marry, and have children. She wanted a normal life, to enjoy the happiness of marriage. But Shange never dared to mention marriage. It wasn’t until this woman came to curse her that she found out that when they divorced, they had agreed not to remarry until their son turned eighteen. Their son was about to take the college entrance exam in a year.
The ex-wife accused Qiuling of being a homewrecker, disrupting her son’s life and their family’s peace. She said, “There are so many men in the world; can’t you find one who’s not divorced? You’re over thirty, don’t you have any sense? Can’t you tell if a man loves you or not? Or are you just desperate and cling to my husband because you can’t find anyone else? We’re about to remarry. If you don’t let go, I’ll sue you for being a homewrecker.”
Qiuling cried silently on her bed. She didn’t want to confront this woman. She knew the woman would leave once she got tired of cursing. This small house was her and Shange’s place. Who else would tell the woman about it? She had just fought with Shange yesterday because she was pregnant again. She wanted to keep the baby and asked Shange to marry her.
Shange hesitated and finally said, “Abort it. We’ll have another one later. We can barely support ourselves now.” Qiuling, furious, yelled at him, “I’ve had three abortions for you. This is the fourth child. I want to keep it.” Shange ignored her and left her small house in a huff. Qiuling’s grievance hadn’t yet subsided when his ex-wife came knocking. Her heart was bleeding.
The landlord called the community officer to drive the ex-wife away. Before leaving, she said, “You won’t come out? I bet you don’t have the guts! I’ll make sure you never come out. You just stay inside and dream on.” She locked Qiuling’s door from the outside with a key she had from Shange.
The landlord opened the door for Qiuling. He was a kind old man. “Girl, you’re not young anymore. Find a reliable man.”
Qiuling had a big cry, had an abortion, moved, and quit her job. She thought it was time to completely break free. It took courage to end an unhappy relationship, a seven-year dream.
Qiuling no longer believed in love. She was thirty-two, and her best years had been ruined. What more could she expect from love? She started to listen to her friends’ advice, constantly going on blind dates and living with different men. She didn’t want to work anymore. After working for over ten years and gaining nothing, she wanted to rely on men to make up for what she had lost.
Shange searched everywhere for her, crying and begging for her forgiveness. He said he loved her and asked her to wait one more year, promising to marry her and have their love baby. Qiuling ignored him, hung up the phone, and smiled faintly. She was tired of all this.
Qiuling changed her phone number, dressed up beautifully every day, and went out to have fun. She had many men around her. After leaving Shange, her friends introduced her to a bunch of single men. She suddenly realized how ridiculous she had been. With so many single men in the world, she had sworn her life to Shange for so many years. She had been restraining herself, not Shange.
In her interactions with single men, some cherished her, some were eager to sleep with her, and some had one-night stands with her. But none wanted to marry her. Since she no longer longed for love, she no longer needed to give or wrong herself.
On her thirty-fourth birthday, a friend introduced her to a man. The man was fifty but looked young, maybe around forty. He was energetic, wearing a navy blue suit and brown shoes, looking neat and meticulous. Qiuling felt a stir in her heart. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time, but she controlled her feelings and smiled indifferently.
The man was very talkative, his humorous words making Qiuling and her friend laugh heartily. At that moment, Qiuling forgot her coldness and seemed like the innocent girl from many years ago.
Seeing them getting along well, the friend left. The man promptly invited Qiuling to a movie. Qiuling was taken aback. Most men took her shopping and bought her clothes to please her. A movie? That was for little girls. At our age, aren’t you afraid of being laughed at? She said casually.
The man looked at her deeply and smiled softly, “We’re not old enough to lie in bed waiting for our children to take care of us, are we?”
Qiuling couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, let’s go. What’s there to be afraid of? I’m just afraid you can’t sit still. I have no problem.”
The man laughed. “Let’s see who has more patience.”
She hadn’t watched a movie in years. It felt so thrilling and warm, as if her youthful years had returned.
The man was very gentlemanly, buying her a lot of snacks and drinks. Sometimes, when a scene excited her, Qiuling couldn’t help but slap his leg and laugh heartily, as if he were her friend, the kind who shared joy and passion.
When they left the cinema, Qiuling couldn’t stop laughing. She held his arm and discussed the movie’s plot and characters with him. The man didn’t argue, smiling and listening to her comments, her happy chatter. Then he smiled and said, “Seeing you so happy makes me feel joyful. It turns out you’re such an easily satisfied little girl.”
Qiuling was stunned. She was already so old, still a little girl? She asked, a bit embarrassed, “Do you think I’m too casual?”
“No! Actually, you’re very genuine. Your friend told me you’re a genuine girl. I didn’t believe it. A thirty-four-year-old woman still pure like a little princess? Do you know how rare that is? Women can be complex, dull, but never lose their genuine smile, the original expressions of life.”
The man told Qiuling his ex-wife was a beautiful, strong woman who demanded the best and most perfect in everything. But the man just wanted an ordinary life. He was an engineer, leading a monotonous but solid life, using his humor to spice it up. His wife didn’t want to live a mundane life, so she went abroad with their son, saying she wanted the best education and life for him. The man was tired and let her go, believing she could give their son the best because she had the capability.
He had been single for over ten years. During this time, he had women in his life, but none lasted long. The women all wanted the best enjoyment, which he couldn’t provide. He could only offer a simple life, which they couldn’t accept, and he couldn’t meet their endless demands because he only wanted an ordinary life, to live plainly and peacefully.
Qiuling felt emotional listening to him. She envied those women who could live an ordinary life, something she had longed for but never got.
That night, she slept soundly beside the man, as if they had been together for a long time. She woke up early, wanting to make breakfast for him. She had never made breakfast for anyone before; no man had ever been patient enough to wait for her breakfast, including herself.
The man pulled her back, “Sleep a little longer. I like making breakfast for my wife. It’s been a long time.” Qiuling held him back, “No, you sleep a little longer. I’ve always wanted to make breakfast for someone, but no one has ever wanted to eat my breakfast.”
The man was moved, holding her tightly, “Then let’s make breakfast together, shall we?”
Qiuling smiled sweetly.
The two happily busied themselves in the kitchen.
They hadn’t been in the kitchen for years, but it seemed they found the most authentic, homely feeling.
Eating breakfast, the man said happily, “Do you know my greatest wish in life?”
Qiuling shook her head. The man smiled, “I hope to have breakfast with my wife every day, just like now.” He held her hand tightly, “Qiuling, I believe you have the same simple wish. Let’s get married.”
Tears streamed down Qiuling’s face. For so many years, she had been waiting for this simple sentence, longing to be an ordinary wife, needed and loved.
Qiuling smiled through her tears, “Thank you for giving me this simple wish. Do you know? My lifelong wish is to make breakfast for you!”
They smiled at each other, holding hands, speaking without words. They married quickly, with a simple wedding, simple blessings, and a simple life.
They enjoyed every day together, because each morning, he made breakfast for her, or she made breakfast for him. Eating together, smiling and laughing, was the most satisfying happiness!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
