Farewell Summer - Chapter 13
After that day, I finally began to seriously consider marrying Xie Shuyan.
Xie Shuyan assured me with great certainty that my illness had a very high survival rate and would hardly affect my lifespan.
If it doesn’t relapse, there’s a high chance I could live to be an old lady.
So, the wedding date was roughly set for six months later.
In the meantime, I wanted to grow my hair out.
At least when we get married, we won’t both be bald.
Soon, six months flew by in the blink of an eye.
I became lively and energetic again, gained some weight, and my hair grew much thicker.
From a distance, I looked rosy and full of vitality.
That day, I took some time to call my parents.
It had been nine months since our last contact.
My mom answered.
“Hello, Tingyue, how are you doing in Beijing? What did the doctor say?”
“The condition is very stable, there should… be no major issues.”
“That’s good. We haven’t heard from you for so long, your dad and I were thinking of visiting you. If it weren’t for your brother being busy with his entrance exams, we would have gone.”
Shortly after I fell ill, my parents had my brother.
Their focus shifted entirely to him.
Honestly, I don’t blame them.
A daughter who might pass away at any moment can’t compare to a second child who excels in academics and personality and is healthy.
Moreover, before my brother was born, they spent a lot of money on my treatment.
I managed to say before hanging up the phone, “Mom, I’m getting married.”
“Married? Someone is willing to marry you?”
She blurted out, unable to hide her surprise.
“Yes, someone you know, Xie Shuyan. He’s now an expert in hematology in Beijing.”
“That’s great. Your dad and I have no objections. Having someone to take care of you puts us at ease. Have you set the wedding date? Where will the wedding be held?–Oh, wait, your brother spilled the puppy’s snacks, let’s talk about the rest another day.”
Listening to the dial tone, my words about “meeting the parents” got stuck in my throat.
Xie Shuyan squeezed my hand and asked, “What did they say?”
I looked up, dazed for a long time, and said woodenly:
“They have a puppy now.”
“No one told me.”
From the time my parents were with me every day, to after my brother was born and they took turns taking me to the doctor, then to me seeking treatment alone, with calls every week, every month, every six months, until today, when they have a puppy, no one told me.
I couldn’t quite describe the feeling in my heart.
Xie Shuyan understood everything, firmly holding my hand, “The wedding is our business. We decide, okay?”
“Okay.”
The wedding was finally set in Beijing.
We didn’t have a big ceremony, just invited classmates and friends for dinner on the night we got our marriage certificate.
The monitor got drunk again, cried loudly, insisting on hosting the event, and no one could stop him.
The atmosphere that night was wonderful.
Under the monitor’s hosting, Xie Shuyan and I had a small wedding and received heartfelt blessings from classmates and friends.
My bestie tugged at Xie Shuyan’s sleeve, insisting he swear to treat me well.
Everyone was in a joyful uproar.
The next day, Xie Shuyan and I started our honeymoon trip.
We agreed to take many photos at each place we visited and stick them on the photo wall at home.
In the years that followed, we traveled across the country.
Mountains and lakes, deserts and snowy peaks, all became the scenery in our photos.
The young couple gradually matured.
Eventually, fine lines crept up to the corners of our eyes.
Now, it’s been 20 years since we got married.
I just came out of the hospital, holding a “healthy” medical report, looking at Xie Shuyan leaning against the car waiting for me, wishing I could stay healthy and accompany him through the next twenty years.
Epilogue (Elderly Male Protagonist’s Perspective)
Meng Tingyue passed away that year, already a little old lady.
She lived energetically for most of her life, but at 69, her illness relapsed, and she didn’t survive the third chemotherapy, leaving this world.
By then, Xie Shuyan was already a renowned academician in the medical field.
Many people came to comfort him.
They all said, “The old lady lived to 69, that’s a long life.”
“Diagnosed with leukemia at 18, living to 69, she really made the most of it.”
Even before Meng Tingyue passed away, she held Xie Shuyan’s hand, smiling and comforting him.
“I lived to 69, you should praise me.”
“When I’m gone, you can use my case to publish papers, and in your spare time, dance in the square with other old ladies. You’ve been with me for so many years, aren’t you tired of it?”
Xie Shuyan just held her hand tightly, saying nothing.
The medical advancements by then had greatly improved compared to back then.
But those treatment methods applied to a 69-year-old were still too aggressive.
Conservative treatment was a choice made by both Xie Shuyan and Meng Tingyue.
So, when the day came, Xie Shuyan appeared very calm.
He calmly handled Meng Tingyue’s funeral.
Returned to the empty house.
He and Meng Tingyue had been together for over forty years, without a child.
The old house suddenly missing a person was hard to get used to.
Xie Shuyan didn’t sort through Meng Tingyue’s belongings.
Her clothes still hung in the closet.
Her toothbrush lay on the sink.
The barely-alive spider plant on the balcony, he continued to water for her.
That photo wall–
From the first honeymoon at 28, to the photo of them at Humble Administrator’s Garden1 in Suzhou2 at 68, densely packed, over a thousand photos, remained stuck on the wall.
Sometimes, Xie Shuyan would just sit quietly on the sofa, staring at the photo wall in a daze.
Then, when it was time for dinner, he went out to buy groceries and came back to cook.
At first, his students were worried about him and often came to visit.
The teacher and his wife had loved each other for a lifetime, and they feared the teacher might not be able to cope.
But for half a year, Xie Shuyan lived his life as usual.
His home was spotless.
He even started writing books.
He put all his life’s knowledge into those books.
Gradually, the students felt at ease.
In the blink of an eye, five more years passed.
Xie Shuyan was already 74 years old.
Even a cold would make him cough for half a month.
Today was his wedding anniversary with Meng Tingyue.
The students knew he was going to the cemetery to pay tribute to his wife, so they didn’t disturb him.
Xie Shuyan got up early, dressed neatly, and used hair dye cream.
On the way, he specially picked a bouquet of roses.
Just bloomed, still with dewdrops.
As usual, Xie Shuyan first went to find the cemetery’s caretaker, a man in his seventies.
Seeing Xie Shuyan, the caretaker cheerfully greeted him, “Old Xie, here again?”
“Have you received her letter?”
The caretaker rummaged through the mailbox for a moment and shook his head, “Not this year.”
Xie Shuyan nodded and went straight in.
He arrived at Meng Tingyue’s grave, placed the roses before her, and then sat beside the tombstone.
He took out a stack of well-preserved letters from his pocket.
Each one was protected in a sealed bag.
Not even a corner was folded.
These were the letters Meng Tingyue wrote to Xie Shuyan, which the cemetery caretaker received after her death.
Meng Tingyue had instructed the caretaker, “If he doesn’t come to see me, don’t bother giving them to him.”
“Why?”
“That means he’s started his new life.”
“What if he keeps coming?”
“Then give them to him.”
Xie Shuyan opened the first letter, and although he knew the content by heart, he still read it word by word.
“Xie Shuyan! Are you missing me? Stop, I know what you’re thinking. Remember what you promised me, to live well. Your students came to me complaining about academic difficulties. For the sake of humanity’s development, you must work hard. And my spider plant, take good care of it. Remember to bring it indoors in winter, avoid direct sunlight in summer, and water sparingly to prevent root rot. Next year, if you have time, bring the spider plant to see me.”
The second letter, from the second year.
“Alright, alright, you’ve managed to keep the spider plant alive, a natural plant saint. If I’d known, I’d have had a child, so you’d be careful with it. Now you’re old and have no one to accompany you. Have you taken a liking to any elderly ladies recently? If you have, tell me. It’s convenient when one’s spouse has passed away. I’ll inquire for you down here.”
Among them were a few letters filled with rambling thoughts.
“Suddenly remembered the yak hotpot we had in Jiuzhai Valley3, it was so delicious. If I’d known, we would’ve gone again. Let’s go again, just for me.”
“The lychees in the south will ripen by summer solstice, fly over to eat them?”
“Ah, so many places we haven’t visited, we’ve only been halfway through Jiangxi4. I remember you could eat spicy food, can you still?”
As Xie Shuyan read, he smiled.
He could imagine Meng Tingyue’s expression as she said these words.
Rambling, just like when she was alive.
The stack of letters quickly reached its end.
Only the last one remained, sent last year.
“You’re here again? How do you come every year? Has life become so boring? How can someone be bored enough to chat with a dead person, Professor. What to do, I can’t write anymore. I’m always afraid you’ll impulsively come down to find me, so I’ve written so much, counted them, there should be over twenty letters, right? Hahaha, I bet you won’t read this far. By now, you should have started a new life, right? Congratulations! But if you still manage to read this, alright, I admit I’m touched. But this is where it ends. Xie Shuyan, I won’t write any more letters. I’m really sorry to leave you alone. Sometimes I think, commanding you to run here and there, selfishly making you live in this world, it’s really unfair. Everyone has a different understanding of life, I won’t interfere with your decisions anymore. I won’t wish you health and longevity, I’ll wish your dreams come true, and eternal happiness.”
After reading all the letters, Xie Shuyan sealed them again.
This year’s late autumn, he truly didn’t receive any more letters from Meng Tingyue.
Perhaps, he no longer needed them.
The cemetery’s caretaker drank a bit of alcohol at night and fell asleep.
After a night, the outside was covered in snow.
It snowed last night.
He carried a broom, wobbling as he walked inside.
Passing rows of “little houses,” at the corner, the view suddenly opened up.
He hiccupped, and from afar saw a person leaning against a tombstone.
Covered in thick white snow.
He was curled up, holding something in his arms, motionless as if asleep.
The caretaker walked over and saw frost on his old friend’s eyebrows.
He raised his hand and nudged him, “Hey, Old Xie.”
Xie Shuyan fell straight down.
He lived to be 74 years old.
Five years after their separation, in the biting wind and snow, Xie Shuyan seemed to see Meng Tingyue’s figure.
She was a warm ball of light, smiling and waving at him from afar.
Xie Shuyan lifted his foot, walked towards her.
Their fingers interlocked.
The reunion of people is destined.
Xie Shuyan and Meng Tingyue will always be together, it’s just a matter of time.
(The End)
Footnote:
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- Humble Administrator’s Garden(拙政园):A renowned classical Chinese garden in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of the finest and most famous examples of classical Chinese garden design.
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- Suzhou(苏州):A major city in southeastern Jiangsu Province, East China, known for its beautiful classical gardens, canals, and traditional architecture. It is often referred to as the “Venice of the East” due to its extensive waterways.
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- Jiuzhai Valley(九寨沟): A nature reserve and national park in Sichuan Province, China. It is famous for its stunning multi-level waterfalls, colorful lakes, and snow-capped peaks, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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- Jiangxi(江西):A landlocked province in East China, known for its mountainous terrain, rich history, and distinctive local cuisine, which is often characterized by its spiciness.
