The Most Romantic 88 Love Stories - Yilin

Author: Xiaoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: A broken heart in Shanghai, Yin Xiang grew up in a courtyard by the Huangpu River. After graduating from university, she worked as an independent interior designer in Shanghai, a fashionable and free profession with a decent income, yet she was not content. Because Shanghai is a big city, her heart and dreams soared high, and she was unwilling to be just a small and exquisite lady in Shanghai. In the spring of her 21st year, fate deliberately arranged for Yin Xiang to meet Du Huaiyu, who came from the small city of Baishui in the northwest. It was at a small party held at the Shangri-La by the river. Among the guests were many fashionable men and women, but only Yin Xiang and Du Huaiyu, who coincidentally wore simple and elegant cotton clothes, stood out. They sat facing each other and developed a liking for each other because of their similar attire.
Halfway through the gathering, Yin Xiang suddenly noticed that her silk shawl had been burned a hole by a careless guest's cigarette ash. Coincidentally, Du Huaiyu, being a gentleman, stepped forward to pull out a chair for her and noticed the hole. He gently wiped it with his hand and made an expert judgment: "It doesn't seem to be a product from now." Yin Xiang casually mentioned that it was a double gauze silk from a century-old shop in Suzhou. Upon hearing this, Du Huaiyu examined it even more carefully and felt even more sorry for Yin Xiang.
When the gathering ended, Du Huaiyu unexpectedly asked Yin Xiang, who was not very familiar with her, to repair the silk shawl. The word "repair" surprised Yin Xiang. In the vibrant Shanghai of fine clothes, there was no longer a concept of repairing, but this Du Huaiyu was serious about doing it for her. Naturally, Yin Xiang was a little moved. Seeing that Yin Xiang agreed, Du Huaiyu became inexplicably happy and boldly asked for her phone number.
When Yin Xiang got off the car and walked farther and farther, disappearing at the end of the path in the residential area, his thoughts also stirred. He had originally come to Shanghai to study carving techniques and was about to leave as his studies were nearing completion. But suddenly, he had the idea of staying. People are sometimes strange. At first, he only wanted to see the world of Shanghai, but after meeting Yin Xiang, he truly made up his mind to stay for this girl.
Du Huaiyu stayed in Shanghai and worked as a craft designer for a company. After about two and a half months, he sent Yin Xiang a text message, very tactfully asking, "Do you remember the person who wanted to repair your silk shawl for you?" Yin Xiang thought about it and naturally remembered, though the impression was a bit faint.
Their second meeting was at the square in front of the museum. Yin Xiang still wore "Jiangnan Clothing," but the style had changed. Du Huaiyu solemnly returned the silk shawl in a box to Yin Xiang. When she opened it, she found a delicate lotus flower embroidered over the hole in the shawl in a classic Chinese ink wash style. Yin Xiang immediately liked it and put it on her shoulder.
In the evening, the square was bathed in the clear sky, floating clouds, green grass, and white doves. Yin Xiang's leisurely "Jiangnan Clothing" matched the simple silk shawl, and the girl in that scene made Du Huaiyu's heart flutter. After a long time, he said to her, "I'll make a gift to match this shawl for you in the future." What was it? Yin Xiang looked at this melancholic and elegant Du Huaiyu curiously with her eyes. He didn't specify what it was, but in his heart, he hoped for a unique suspense to accompany the beginning of love.
Days passed quickly, and by the second year of their devoted relationship, another Taiwanese young man, named A Jian, entered the picture. This A Jian had just received his Ph.D. from the University of California in the United States, had businesses in Southeast Asia and other places, and had recently set up a factory in Shanghai. In the face of all these backgrounds, Yin Xiang's thoughts became confused. She kept weighing, comparing, and hesitating, then kept convincing herself to make a decision between the two men as soon as possible. After all, some temptations could not be taken lightly.
Yin Xiang's 23rd birthday arrived amidst her hesitation, and the gifts from both men arrived almost at the same time: A Jian gave her a platinum ring engraved with his family's mark, unmistakably showing its high value; while Du Huaiyu gave her a crystal-clear glass heart in a small lacquered box, which clearly revealed that the glass heart was the promise he had made at the museum square—that beautiful, beautiful promise.
When Yin Xiang closed the lacquered box, she looked at Du Huaiyu's eyes, where the expectation gradually faded, and her heart ached inexplicably. But she knew very well that she could no longer continue to hesitate. The glass heart was placed in front of Du Huaiyu, who blocked it, saying, "It's just a birthday gift. Happy birthday. Wishing you both happiness." His tone remained polite, but Yin Xiang could discern the hidden sadness. She didn't dare to look up and walked out with the lacquered box in her hand. Outside was A Jian's blue bird car waiting for her—he had already booked a birthday party for her at Shangri-La. A little girl from Shanghai could not escape her desire for worldly desires.
Later, Yin Xiang married A Jian as she wished and emigrated to France, gradually losing contact with her friends in China. Three years later, in the summer, Du Huaiyu, as a young artist, held an exhibition in Paris and unexpectedly met Yin Xiang by the fountain at the Place de la Concorde in the evening. She was wearing a gorgeous silk dress and still looked young and beautiful. Du Huaiyu didn't ask how she was doing, because he could immediately see the hidden sadness and resentment in her expression.
They went for coffee together at the roadside and spoke little, even when they did, it was just polite. In such a moment of changed circumstances, all one could do was leave the past behind. At the moment of parting, Du Huaiyu said to Yin Xiang, "It's a bit cool. You should bring a shawl." Yin Xiang immediately understood and smiled, "I've been wearing that silk shawl, but I forgot today. And the glass heart you gave me goes well with that shawl." Du Huaiyu didn't say anything more—the glass heart had taken him ten months to make, fusing glass and gold to create such a lustrous and delicate glass heart—this was something Yin Xiang would never know.
Yin Xiang watched Du Huaiyu's figure walk down the street, her smile gradually fading—the glass heart had shattered in her luggage when she and her husband came to Paris. It was her own luggage, and just a slight shake had broken it—this was something Du Huaiyu would never know.
As night fell, Paris woke up. Amidst the city's shimmering lights, Yin Xiang, alone, faintly remembered Shanghai, the silk shawl at the Shangri-La party, and the broken glass heart. Young love, sometimes, is like that glass heart—very true and beautiful, but also very fragile, easily shattered by the vibrations of material desires and the extravagance behind.
P17-19