Translator: Flying-Lines
I wanted to tell him that he had to guess her mind instead of asking her. But I managed to mute myself on this matter. I heard that the boy was exactly 5cm taller than Liu Xiaomi. We finally knew why Zhou Jiujin didn’t get her for so many years.
Later Zhou Jiujin said: “Nothing forcibly done is going to be agreeable. Even I find them a good match.”
I felt sorry for him and called him a fool. But he did not refute it, saying that he didn’t regret about chasing Liu Xiaomi since primary school, but he was tired now.
Half a year later, Zhou Jiujin left Shanghai and went to Ningxia for his transport business. He traveled from south China to north China every month.
Then, after graduating from college, Liu Xiaomi broke up with the president of the student union. Then she looked for a job and moved house, Zhou Jiujin never failed to be there to help. Every time, he didn’t make any comment, he just buried himself in the work that made her life easier.
Looking at the figure of Zhou Jiujin, Liu Xiaomi felt torn. She didn’t know her feeling about Zhou Jiujin, she was not sure whether she was moved by him, she was not sure why her heart ached for him, but she was sure that she didn’t love him.
Liu Xiaomi knew that the one she wanted was a person who could always read her mind even if she said nothing. But Jiujin couldn’t do that even once.
He booked movie tickets on Groupon, he picked restaurants where discounted meals were available, without checking with Liu Xiaomi. He always made a decision on his own will.
For Liu Xiaomi, Zhou Jiujin changed the transport line into Shanghai--- Ningxia line, starting from Shanghai and coming back from Ningxia. He said that he felt more motivated this way, because Liu Xiaomi was waiting for him in Shanghai. One night, Liu Xiaomi asked Zhou Jiujin at dinner:
“Jiujin, aren't you tired of chasing me for so many years?”
“I am not tired. I just feel a little aggrieved when you give me cold shoulders.”
“Then I'll be your girlfriend next month. Don't be aggrieved, ok?”
“Why wait until next month?”
“Next month marks the 13th anniversary that you chase me.”
Zhou Jiujin finally got Liu Xiaomi, which cost him 13 years, across his entire life phase. Although he had to wait for it until next month, he was still happy. A month was nothing, he had been waiting for so many years after all.
After the news spread, all the former class chatting groups were stirred up. All classmates of Zhou Jiujin in the primary school, junior high school and high school have witnessed his hard work along his way. All of us deem love worthless. But as for Zhou Jiujin, love is always such a pure and genuine thing.
Zhou Jiujin was over the moon. He wanted to give Liu Xiaomi a good life. When he called me, he raised his voice and said, “Hard work pays off. Look, I made it. Liu Xiaomi is indeed my darling.”
I said, “Yes. You have liked her for so many years, of course she is your darling. When is the wedding party? Our classmates are waiting for it for so long.
Zhou Jiujin grinned: “Pretty soon. We will get married at the end of the year, and all of you must attend it.”
I said, “Sure.”
Sometimes, when someone had been in your heart for a long time, you would take it for granted that someone is yours.
Zhou Jiujin was gone in the winter of 2009. He died in a car accident on the highway from Ningxia to Shanghai due to the heavy fog.
There were only 15 days away from the day that Liu Xiaomi agreed to be Zhou Jiujin’s girlfriend.
Zhou Jiujin's funeral was held in his hometown, and most of our classmates attended it. On the funeral, all of us cried.
At the end of the funeral, Liu Xiaomi showed up barefoot, with her hair scattered and high heels in her hands.
She came to Zhou Jiujin slowly, leaned near to him, as if she was coaxing Jiujin to sleep, and said gently:
“Zhou Jiujin, look! I am as tall as you now.”
“I can be your girlfriend now. Talk to me, please!”
“Zhou Jiujin, I am Liu Xiaomi. Get up and take me to school. I'm gonna be late.”
“There's a new restaurant near our building. Come on. Take me there, please.”
We couldn't watch it any more. Then we dragged Liu Xiaomi to leave. While she was struggling, her tears fell on Zhou Jiujin's face.
His mother cried: “How could my boy Jiujin leave now? He can’t go, he can’t go.”
It wasn’t until later on when I knew why his mother said that. The old said that the deceased shouldn’t be touched by the tears of the living, otherwise he could not reincarnate, and even his soul had to accompany the person whose tears were shed on his body all the time.
Although I didn’t know whether it was true or not, I did not tell Liu Xiaomi. However, I believed that no way Zhou Jiujin wanted to go. How he wished to accompany Liu Xiaomi all the time.
When we had Jiujin cremated the next day, we wanted to burn the stuff he cherished to keep him company.
But finally we found that, all the stuff he cherished were nothing but photos of Liu Xiaomi, Liu Xiaomi at different life periods, Liu Xiaomi taking the exams, Liu Xiaomi at the graduation ceremony, etc. If only there were photos of them together.
Liu Xiaomi begged us to give them to her. A few friends were angry and scolded her: “Although he liked you for so many years, you did not deserve to take possession of what belonged to him!”
I pulled them apart and gave those photos to Liu Xiaomi. Holding them, she squatted on the floor and burst into tears. I knew why she was so sad. That boy who had loved her for so long was gone. There would never be a man like him any more.
Since then, I had never seen Liu Xiaomi again. Some people said that she returned to Shanghai, others said she went to Ningxia. In short, she didn’t settle in a place any more. I didn't know if she could get used to a life without Jiujin. But I believed that after such a long time, she should have realized that Jiujin really took a lifetime to love her.
My classmates in high school organized a reunion at the end of the year. I did not intend to go. Later, several persons in the group DMed me, “Liu Xiaomi probably attend it. How rare it is that all of us are gonna show up. So come please if you can make it.”
Liu Xiaomi, who had not been seen for three years, was still single, wearing Buddha beads on her hands and looking otherworldly. I asked, “Are you a Buddhist believer now?”
Liu Xiaomi nodded and said, “Not exactly. I just miss him. I practice Buddhism to keep me calm and penetrate the profundities of the purpose of life.”
I said, “So will you be single all the time?”
Liu Xiaomi smiled and said: "I could not fall in love with another one. What I have owedJiujin was too much, which cannot be paid back even with the rest of my life.
“What have you owed him?”
“An answer.”
"What do you mean?”
“...”
Zhou Jiujin asked Liu Xiaomi with a smile:
“Xiaomi, look at me. Am I a little taller than before? I'm almost as tall as you. When will you be my girlfriend?”
Translator: Flying-Lines
I wanted to tell him that he had to guess her mind instead of asking her. But I managed to mute myself on this matter. I heard that the boy was exactly 5cm taller than Liu Xiaomi. We finally knew why Zhou Jiujin didn’t get her for so many years.
Later Zhou Jiujin said: “Nothing forcibly done is going to be agreeable. Even I find them a good match.”
I felt sorry for him and called him a fool. But he did not refute it, saying that he didn’t regret about chasing Liu Xiaomi since primary school, but he was tired now.
Half a year later, Zhou Jiujin left Shanghai and went to Ningxia for his transport business. He traveled from south China to north China every month.
Then, after graduating from college, Liu Xiaomi broke up with the president of the student union. Then she looked for a job and moved house, Zhou Jiujin never failed to be there to help. Every time, he didn’t make any comment, he just buried himself in the work that made her life easier.
Looking at the figure of Zhou Jiujin, Liu Xiaomi felt torn. She didn’t know her feeling about Zhou Jiujin, she was not sure whether she was moved by him, she was not sure why her heart ached for him, but she was sure that she didn’t love him.
Liu Xiaomi knew that the one she wanted was a person who could always read her mind even if she said nothing. But Jiujin couldn’t do that even once.
He booked movie tickets on Groupon, he picked restaurants where discounted meals were available, without checking with Liu Xiaomi. He always made a decision on his own will.
For Liu Xiaomi, Zhou Jiujin changed the transport line into Shanghai--- Ningxia line, starting from Shanghai and coming back from Ningxia. He said that he felt more motivated this way, because Liu Xiaomi was waiting for him in Shanghai. One night, Liu Xiaomi asked Zhou Jiujin at dinner:
“Jiujin, aren't you tired of chasing me for so many years?”
“I am not tired. I just feel a little aggrieved when you give me cold shoulders.”
“Then I'll be your girlfriend next month. Don't be aggrieved, ok?”
“Why wait until next month?”
“Next month marks the 13th anniversary that you chase me.”
Zhou Jiujin finally got Liu Xiaomi, which cost him 13 years, across his entire life phase. Although he had to wait for it until next month, he was still happy. A month was nothing, he had been waiting for so many years after all.
After the news spread, all the former class chatting groups were stirred up. All classmates of Zhou Jiujin in the primary school, junior high school and high school have witnessed his hard work along his way. All of us deem love worthless. But as for Zhou Jiujin, love is always such a pure and genuine thing.
Zhou Jiujin was over the moon. He wanted to give Liu Xiaomi a good life. When he called me, he raised his voice and said, “Hard work pays off. Look, I made it. Liu Xiaomi is indeed my darling.”
I said, “Yes. You have liked her for so many years, of course she is your darling. When is the wedding party? Our classmates are waiting for it for so long.
Zhou Jiujin grinned: “Pretty soon. We will get married at the end of the year, and all of you must attend it.”
I said, “Sure.”
Sometimes, when someone had been in your heart for a long time, you would take it for granted that someone is yours.
Zhou Jiujin was gone in the winter of 2009. He died in a car accident on the highway from Ningxia to Shanghai due to the heavy fog.
There were only 15 days away from the day that Liu Xiaomi agreed to be Zhou Jiujin’s girlfriend.
Zhou Jiujin's funeral was held in his hometown, and most of our classmates attended it. On the funeral, all of us cried.
At the end of the funeral, Liu Xiaomi showed up barefoot, with her hair scattered and high heels in her hands.
She came to Zhou Jiujin slowly, leaned near to him, as if she was coaxing Jiujin to sleep, and said gently:
“Zhou Jiujin, look! I am as tall as you now.”
“I can be your girlfriend now. Talk to me, please!”
“Zhou Jiujin, I am Liu Xiaomi. Get up and take me to school. I'm gonna be late.”
“There's a new restaurant near our building. Come on. Take me there, please.”
We couldn't watch it any more. Then we dragged Liu Xiaomi to leave. While she was struggling, her tears fell on Zhou Jiujin's face.
His mother cried: “How could my boy Jiujin leave now? He can’t go, he can’t go.”
It wasn’t until later on when I knew why his mother said that. The old said that the deceased shouldn’t be touched by the tears of the living, otherwise he could not reincarnate, and even his soul had to accompany the person whose tears were shed on his body all the time.
Although I didn’t know whether it was true or not, I did not tell Liu Xiaomi. However, I believed that no way Zhou Jiujin wanted to go. How he wished to accompany Liu Xiaomi all the time.
When we had Jiujin cremated the next day, we wanted to burn the stuff he cherished to keep him company.
But finally we found that, all the stuff he cherished were nothing but photos of Liu Xiaomi, Liu Xiaomi at different life periods, Liu Xiaomi taking the exams, Liu Xiaomi at the graduation ceremony, etc. If only there were photos of them together.
Liu Xiaomi begged us to give them to her. A few friends were angry and scolded her: “Although he liked you for so many years, you did not deserve to take possession of what belonged to him!”
I pulled them apart and gave those photos to Liu Xiaomi. Holding them, she squatted on the floor and burst into tears. I knew why she was so sad. That boy who had loved her for so long was gone. There would never be a man like him any more.
Since then, I had never seen Liu Xiaomi again. Some people said that she returned to Shanghai, others said she went to Ningxia. In short, she didn’t settle in a place any more. I didn't know if she could get used to a life without Jiujin. But I believed that after such a long time, she should have realized that Jiujin really took a lifetime to love her.
My classmates in high school organized a reunion at the end of the year. I did not intend to go. Later, several persons in the group DMed me, “Liu Xiaomi probably attend it. How rare it is that all of us are gonna show up. So come please if you can make it.”
Liu Xiaomi, who had not been seen for three years, was still single, wearing Buddha beads on her hands and looking otherworldly. I asked, “Are you a Buddhist believer now?”
Liu Xiaomi nodded and said, “Not exactly. I just miss him. I practice Buddhism to keep me calm and penetrate the profundities of the purpose of life.”
I said, “So will you be single all the time?”
Liu Xiaomi smiled and said: "I could not fall in love with another one. What I have owedJiujin was too much, which cannot be paid back even with the rest of my life.
“What have you owed him?”
“An answer.”
"What do you mean?”
“...”
Zhou Jiujin asked Liu Xiaomi with a smile:
“Xiaomi, look at me. Am I a little taller than before? I'm almost as tall as you. When will you be my girlfriend?”
