True love and happiness
The train was chugging along with a monotonous “choo-choo,” sounding incredibly dull. Xiaoxu and I sat listlessly, our eyes empty, with an indescribable sadness in our hearts.
Originally, Xiaoxu and I were lovers who were deeply in love, but her parents had put their foot down, adamantly opposing our relationship. The reason was that I was poor and couldn’t bring happiness to their daughter. Yet, a few days ago, Xiaoxu miraculously arrived in my city. She said she came secretly and wouldn’t leave because the pain of longing was unbearable. She wanted to marry me, and no one could oppose it.
In reality, I missed Xiaoxu even more. Without her, I would never burn with passion again in this lifetime. But after two days, I calmed down. I couldn’t ruin Xiaoxu’s future for my selfish desires, nor hurt her parents. Loving someone means making them happy, doesn’t it?
So now, without hesitation, I was “escorting” Xiaoxu onto the return train. I say “escorting” because Xiaoxu was unwilling to go back. It was only after my patient and earnest persuasion that she finally agreed, on the condition that I accompany her the whole way, because after this, each glance would be one less.
Outside the train window, a light rain started to fall. Xiaoxu murmured, “This rain is like the tears of those parting.” Then she couldn’t hold back anymore and covered her face, sobbing.
My heart ached like a knife was cutting through it, but I had to muster up the strength to comfort her. At this moment, someone across from us spoke up, “What’s wrong, kids?”
Surprised, I looked up. It was a woman around fifty years old, dressed neatly and elegantly. Her athletic wear made her look especially vibrant, and she seemed like a tourist. She was looking at us with concern.
Seeing the woman’s kind and friendly demeanor, Xiaoxu felt as if she was seeing a family member. Overwhelmed with sorrow and the need to confide, she tearfully recounted the whole story, ending with a pitiful question, “Auntie, what should we do?”
The woman listened and pondered for a moment before turning to me. With firm conviction, she said, “You are a hypocritical, downright coward!”
These words left both Xiaoxu and me utterly shocked. I stammered, “W-what makes me a coward? I’m doing this for her good…”
The woman interrupted disdainfully, “Do you think you’re being graceful? Do you think she’ll be happy marrying someone wealthy? You’re wrong, completely wrong. You need to understand that only love brings happiness. Love is the only eternal thing!”
Xiaoxu and I listened dumbfounded, as the woman continued, “The reason you’re sending her away is because deep down, you’re scared. You have no confidence. You’re afraid you can’t handle her love, and even more afraid that you’ll end up letting her down in the future. So you pretend to be rational and send her home. If you’re a true man, a man with responsibility, you should bravely keep her by your side, love her well, work hard, and make sure she never regrets today’s choice. Make her parents eventually see that you are the right choice. That’s the path you should take, not running away!”
Xiaoxu looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something strong. I was sweating profusely. To be honest, the woman’s words had stripped away my façade, hitting the core of my pretense. Struggling, I said, “It’s easy for you to say, but what if you faced such a situation?”
As soon as I said this, the woman wavered, as if struck by an invisible arrow. Her face turned ashen, and she weakly said, “You’re right, I only know how to advise you. The truth is, I’m also a coward. I faced such a situation years ago but ultimately surrendered and gave up. Now I truly regret it! Do you know the feeling of deep, irrevocable regret?”
Realizing my words had hit too hard, I knew I had hurt the woman. Xiaoxu shot me a glare and gently said, “Auntie, let the past be the past.”
The woman shook her head in despair, “It can’t be.”
Xiaoxu then changed the subject, “Auntie, are you traveling?”
The woman nodded, “Yes. But strangely enough, the destination I chose for this trip happens to pass through his city. In a while, the train will stop there for five minutes. After much thought, I realized the real reason I’m doing this is to feel his presence. It’s as if those five minutes can feel like the five hours we used to spend sitting side by side. You don’t know how deeply in love we were back then…”
The woman’s fair face blushed a little, then she forcibly turned her head away, clearly unwilling to reveal such private matters, especially to younger people.
To break the awkward silence, I said, “So, Auntie, why didn’t your husband accompany you on this trip?”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
