From One Second to a Lifetime: The Love Volume

Author: Qiu Yepeng Gong Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: If I love you— I will not climb the climbing clematis, showing off on your high branches; If I love you— I will not learn the loving birds, repeating monotonous songs for the shade; Nor just like the spring source, sending cool comfort year after year; Nor just like the, increasing your height, highlighting your majesty, even the sunlight. Even the spring rain. Not all of this is enough! I must be a tree of kapok next to you, standing together as trees. Roots tightly grasped in the ground, leaves touching in the clouds. With every breeze, we greet each other, but no one understands our language. Delivery room. Tao Yujie is sorting newspapers and letters. She skillfully categorizes them, tying them into bundles and placing them into the bicycle mail bag. She, with a focused expression and nimble hands, dressed in a grass-green uniform, exudes a simple and elegant beauty. She has good cycling skills, and when she proudly rides her shiny green bike, she adds a touch of life to this remote county. The young men on the streets see her and are magically filled with a sense of comfort in their hearts. She places the newspapers, walks to the table, and takes a moment to sniff the "Jasmine" on the windowsill: the flowers stretch their long necks, displaying their charming beauty. Outside the window, fine rain is falling; the sky is a misty grey-blue. She pushes open the window, peeks out, and the raindrops land on her face; she frowns, then glances at the door—no one is there. She checks her watch, glances back at the door again, as if waiting for someone to come in, yet afraid of someone coming in. Actually, no one comes in. Every noon, when her mail truck stops at No. 27 Baitu Lane, a young man is always waiting in advance: tall, fair-faced, with a neatly combed head. From the mail delivery, she knows his name is Xia Yutian. As soon as the truck stops, he eagerly comes forward, saying, "Hard work!" and flashes a flattering smile, reaching out to take the newspapers and letters. For some reason, she smiles brightly for others, but in front of him, she doesn’t say much. Look at his enthusiasm: "When will People’s Literature arrive?" "Has China Youth come yet?" "Why is there one less newspaper today?" Really! And: "Are you tired every day?" "What about rainy days?" "Where do you live?" etc. He always tries to linger and chat a bit longer, and keeps offering to let her come to his house for a drink or to sit for a while. Every time, the girl’s cheeks turn slightly red, nodding or shaking her head with just "Hmm" or "Ah." To be honest, Yujie isn’t deliberately acting aloof in front of young men; she simply despises their attempts to curry favor or play tricks in front of girls. When driving on a certain street or lane, she often encounters three or five young men who suddenly appear in front of her. She rings her bell frantically, but they pay no attention. So, she doesn’t back down, extends the front wheel into the gap between them, then skillfully turns the handlebar to push through. Laughter and whistles echo behind her. There’s also the time when she’s drinking soy milk at the breakfast stall: they sit opposite her, exchanging glances and boasting about their newly bought imported color TVs and recorders, intentionally matching their watches and showing off the white light of their imported automatic watches. In such situations, Tao Yujie remains dignified and unyielding, returning their with a challenging gaze. Only once, when the young men mispronounced "Kasuga Small Roll" as "Piao Yuan Small Roll," she couldn’t help but laugh and corrected them. Unwittingly, they were flattered and wanted to come forward to flatter her. Just as she was about to politely respond, she wiped her lips with a white handkerchief and walked away. They noticed: her lip-wiping motion was truly charming. P3-4