The Elopement of a Young Girl
A 17-year-old girl’s dream is bold yet naïve, childish yet colorful. In the eyes of such a girl, everything is vibrant and alluring, everything is filled with happiness and beauty. Everything seems so simple, carefree, and reckless. Whether her actions are right or wrong, she herself doesn’t know. She just has a hopeful feeling that maybe, by doing this, she will find her own happiness.
One September morning, with a light drizzle falling, Lingling was hurrying home along the village road, carrying a bundle of pig feed she had gathered from the fields. As she walked, a man approached her from the opposite direction.
This man, named Yalang, had come to the village to visit another girl. However, she had already left for work elsewhere, and Yalang, unable to find her, instead encountered Lingling on the village road. Perhaps frustrated by not finding the person he was looking for, Yalang became impulsive when he saw Lingling. Despite her protests, he insisted on helping her carry the pig feed home. Lingling was scared. As a 17-year-old girl, how could she explain bringing home a man ten years older than her after simply going out to gather pig feed? How would she tell her family, her parents? She didn’t even know his name, where he came from, or what he did. He was just a passing stranger, which frightened her.
Despite her fear, Yalang had already followed her to her home.
In her panic, it was fortunate that Lingling’s parents found Yalang to be likable. He was polite and well-mannered, and though they found him a bit old, they didn’t express any real objections.
From that day on, Yalang visited Lingling’s house every day, rain or shine, whether there was a reason or not. He even proposed to her, but Lingling refused.
Days passed, then months. In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by. Throughout this time, Yalang’s infatuation with Lingling remained steadfast and unwavering, his pursuit relentless. Eventually, Lingling, whose young heart was just beginning to understand love, started to feel touched.
Originally, Lingling had already experienced her first love and had someone in her heart. However, in those past few months, that person hadn’t contacted her, leading Lingling to believe he had forgotten her, no longer cared for her. Her heart was filled with loneliness. On top of that, her family was poor. Her father was in poor health and lacked frugality, and the living expenses and school fees for her three sisters were all covered by her mother’s hard work alone. Her mother had sacrificed so much to keep the family afloat, and Lingling worried deeply.
In 20XX, Lingling graduated from elementary school. Due to her family’s financial struggles, Lingling, who understood her family’s difficulties, refused to continue her education. Besides, her family simply couldn’t afford it. To help ease the burden on her mother, Lingling decided to find work. However, her mother, seeing how young Lingling still was and fearing that she might never return once she left for work, refused to let her go. Lingling had no money for school, yet she couldn’t leave to work either. The frustration and boredom of staying home day after day became unbearable.
In the midst of these circumstances, Yalang suddenly entered her life. After months of relentless pursuit, Lingling’s heart began to waver. She yearned for a home of her own, and as she thought about it, she realized that every girl eventually gets married — it was just a matter of sooner or later.
A young girl’s emotions can be impulsive. Without fully considering the consequences, once she made up her mind to do something, she would act on it. Perhaps she experienced moments of hesitation, but in the end, her youthful impulsiveness took over.
That very night, Lingling eloped with Yalang. Their night of elopement was fraught with hardship and struggle.
In the pitch-black night, Yalang held Lingling’s hand as they ran through the harvested fields of their village. Guided by the small beam of a flashlight, they stumbled and fell as they hurried toward an uncertain future.
They crossed the harvested fields, climbed over a mountain, and by the time they were drenched in sweat and gasping for air, they finally reached the road where Yalang had parked. At the roadside, Lingling suddenly stopped and began to cry softly. In the darkness, she gazed at the distant village, where lights still glimmered. With tear-filled eyes, she waved a deep and emotional goodbye. Her heart felt like it was on fire, and a torrent of emotions beat within her, creating a turmoil of anxiety and fear.
The mountain wind blew fiercely, causing Lingling to shiver. Noticing her trembling, Yalang quickly draped a coat over her shoulders. No man had ever cared for her in this way before — not even her own father. Only her mother had ever fussed over her like this. In this moment, a gentle warmth flowed through Lingling’s heart, making her feel like she had found happiness. Yet, despite not regretting her decision, she felt a deep guilt for leaving her family behind to pursue her own happiness. She sat quietly in the car, watching the night-shrouded village fade into the distance until it disappeared from view, blurred by her tears.
Throughout the journey, the cold mountain wind howled, and the deep night enveloped them. They hurried toward the city. But perhaps because they were in such a rush, disaster struck. While rounding a sharp curve, Yalang lost control of the car. The vehicle flipped over at the base of the mountain, its four wheels spinning in the air like a windmill. Fortunately, there was no major accident. Lingling only had a scratch on her face, but Yalang had sprained his hand. He touched her wound with trembling hands, filled with regret. Lingling, terrified, said nothing during the rest of the journey, her eyes filled with tears. They had no choice but to wait for a friend to come pick them up and take them to the city.
At around five in the morning, with dawn just breaking, they finally reached the city.
Once they arrived at Yalang’s place, just as they were about to rest from their ordeal, Yalang’s parents called. Both families had discovered their elopement, and Lingling’s family had already gone to Yalang’s house to demand her return. Yalang’s parents called to ask what had happened. After Yalang explained everything, his parents told him that Lingling’s family did not agree to the marriage.
But it was too late—everything was too late. After spending this time together, through waiting, interactions, the collision of emotions, and the struggles of their souls, their hearts had already fused together. No amount of family opposition could change that now…
Now, Lingling is the mother of two children. What does she feel now when she thinks back to her elopement? Perhaps there are still secrets in her heart that no one else knows.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
