"Uncertainty of life years"

Author: Xue Liye
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1998-04-01
Features: Guan Lianzhen is the training director of the Provincial Sports Bureau. Just before the institutional reform, his 20-year-old lover Ni Cuiping suddenly appears. After some twists and turns, he discovers they had a daughter born out of wedlock. The daughter Ni Yun eventually acknowledges this father. To help Ni Cuiping get better, Guan Lianzhen resigns his directorship during the institutional reform and seeks self-employment outside the government agency. Guan Lianzhen's wife Xia Yuhong discovers her husband's involvement with another woman, leading to a gradual breakdown in their marriage and their decision to divorce. At a class reunion, Xia Yuhong encounters her college lover, and both wish to relive their old dream. Later, they realize that people and times have changed, and neither can fully re-enter each other's hearts. When Xia Yuhong learns about Guan Lianzhen's past, she understands and forgives him, returning to the family. After going through hardships, the fractured family eventually mends and reconciles. Family conflicts arise alongside social transformation but also find harmony in the march of time. This work stands behind its romance with a banner of reason and morality, carrying a clear warning significance.
Morning, the city streets were bustling with cars and pedestrians, flowing like a mighty river forward. The summer in the north was quickly approaching its end, and the weather was no longer so hot; evenings had a slight chill, with more people wearing long-sleeved shirts. Guan Lianzhen, a cadre from the Provincial Sports Bureau, was lost in the river of bicycles, dressed in a suit. As he walked toward the office building, he was secretly watched by a woman who fixed her gaze on him intently. Her eyes seemed a bit unfamiliar, or perhaps lacking confidence, as it had been twenty years—she feared she might have mistaken his identity. Guan Lianzhen did not notice the woman's presence because she had hidden behind a stone pillar in front of the building. Just as he was about to enter, the woman suddenly called out timidly, "Old Guan." Guan Lianzhen paused, suspicious, "Are you calling me?" The woman stared at Guan Lianzhen for a moment in silence, certain she had found the person she was looking for, and nodded slightly.
Guan Lianzhen felt puzzled and narrowed his eyes, focusing on the woman's face. It was the face of a rural woman, appearing to be around forty, though her actual age might be older. Though her clothes were rustic, her features were pleasant, and one could imagine she was beautiful in her youth. Guan Lianzhen thought the woman looked familiar but couldn’t place where he had seen her, so he shook his head and said, "I don’t recognize you."
The woman hesitated and a mix of embarrassment and disappointment appeared on her face: "Guan teacher, I’m Cuiping… Ni Cuiping from Malugou."
Guan Lianzhen was startled: "Ni Cuiping?" When he looked closely at her again, the face no longer seemed unfamiliar. The innocence of eighteen years had faded, but it was indeed her face! The night twenty years ago, candlelight flickered, raindrops dripped, and they sat face to face in a classroom at Baishan Middle School, gazing silently at each other, their breaths urgent. Suddenly, thunder rolled from outside, and he jolted, grabbing her face. What happened afterward is unnecessary to say—the world could imagine it. They shattered in the thunder and melted in the raindrops.