From One Second to a Lifetime (Love Volume)

Author: Zhensheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: If I love you—
I will not climb the climbing clematis,
showing off myself on your high branches;
I will not learn the lovesick bird,
repeating monotonous songs for the shade;
Nor will I only be like the spring source,
bringing cool comfort year after year;
Nor will I only be like the perilous peak,
increasing your height,
highlighting your majesty,
even the sunlight.
Even the spring rain.
None of these are enough!
I must be a cottonwood tree beside you,
standing together as trees.
Roots tightly grasped underground,
leaves touching in the clouds.
With every breeze that passes,
we greet each other,
but no one understands our words.
Delivery room. Tao Yujie is sorting newspapers and letters.
She skillfully categorizes them,
tying them up and placing them into the bicycle mail bag.
She, with a focused expression and nimble hands,
wears a grass-green uniform, exuding a simple and elegant beauty.
She has excellent cycling skills,
and when she proudly rides her shiny olive-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.
She places the newspapers and letters,
walks to the table,
and takes a moment to sniff the "Jasmine" on the windowsill:
The flowers stretch their long necks,
showing off their charming beauty.
Outside the window,
fine rainflakes fall;
the sky is a misty, grayish blue.
She pushes open the window,
peeks out,
and the rain touches her face;
she frowns,
then glances at the door—no one is there.
She checks her watch again,
glances at the door once more,
as if waiting for someone to come in,
yet afraid of someone entering.
Actually, no one comes in.
Every noon, when her mail truck stops at No. 27,
Huaflower Lane,
a young man is always waiting in advance:
tall, fair-faced,
with a neatly combed hairstyle.
From the mail delivery,
she knows his name is Xia Yutian.
When the truck stops,
he eagerly comes forward,
says, "You've worked hard!"
and flashes a flattering smile,
reaching out to take the newspapers and letters.
For some reason,
she smiles warmly for others,
but in front of him,
she doesn't say much.
Look at his enthusiasm:
"When does People's Literature arrive?"
"Has China Youth come yet?"
"Why is there one less newspaper today?"
"Truly!"
"Are you tired every day?"
"What about rainy days?"
"Where do you live?"
And so on.
He always tries to linger and chat a bit longer,
and keeps being overly attentive,
inviting her to his home:
"Have some water,"
"Sit for a while."
Whenever this happens,
the girl's cheeks turn slightly red,
nodding or shaking her head with "Hmm" or "Ah."
Honestly,
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 her.
When she drives down a street or lane,
three or five young men often 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,
twists the handlebar,
and skillfully pushes through.
Laughter and a few whistles follow behind.
There are also times when she's drinking soy milk at a snack bar,
and they appear again:
They sit opposite her on the bench,
wink at each other,
then boast about their newly bought imported color TVs and recorders,
intentionally matching their watches,
flashing the white light of their imported automatic watches.
In such situations, Tao Yujie remains dignified and unyielding,
returning them a challenging gaze.
Only once, when the young men mispronounced "Kasuga Small Roll" as "Piyou Small Roll,"
she couldn't help but chuckle and corrected them.
But they were overjoyed and wanted to flatter her.
Just as they were about to awkwardly make small talk,
she wiped her lips with a white handkerchief and walked away.
They noticed:
Her lip-wiping motion was truly charming.
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