The first time they met, the girl beside him kept smiling at him and sneaking glances his way. Li Shu felt nervous, but a little flutter of excitement too.
The next time they met, she was wearing a wedding dress so beautiful it seemed unreal. She twirled in front of him and happily asked, “Do I look pretty?”
He carried that image in his mind for the rest of his life.
On their wedding night, looking at the not-too-bright girl in front of him, he finally reached out and held her tight.
Later, they had children. As he watched her earnestly tell their child, “Xiao Qing is Mommy,” Li Shu’s face broke into an exasperated yet doting smile.
On his hundredth birthday, she was busy playing with their great-great-grandchildren and had no time for him at all. He silently picked up the health tonic on the table and took a sip.
Later, a new grave appeared on the hill behind their old home.
Every year, when the children came to pay their respects, she seemed delighted. She tugged him along to greet each of them, and whenever she met someone she didn’t recognize, she cheerfully introduced herself, even though they couldn’t answer her. She never tired of it.
“A Shu, look, it’s Momo’s little baby. Hi there, little one! Xiao Qing is your mommy’s mommy’s mommy.”
“A Shu, look! Look! The baby smiled at Xiao Qing.”
Li Shu saw the same smile on her face that she’d worn when they first met, and couldn’t help smiling too.
“Mm, I saw.”
