A New Beginning

I was in the personnel office handling my retirement paperwork when I discovered my wife was cheating on me. It turned out that my wife, Xu Li, had been traveling with her childhood sweetheart every year, exploring mountains, seas, rivers, and streams. From the age of twenty-two to fifty-two, from snow and wind sweeping across Changbai Mountain to palm trees reflected in clear water over white sand, they had traveled all over our country. Half a lifetime had passed in the blink of an eye. I sat there in a daze all afternoon, carefully thinking back over what I had been doing for the past thirty years. I was a mine worker, diligently working for decades at Hongtu Mining, the biggest local company. I was always busy with meals, clothes, and taking care of my wife and children. Then, when the children finally started families of their own, I was busy helping raise my grandchildren. At last, I’d reached retirement age. I thought my happy later years were about to begin. But when I took all my paperwork in to retire, everything changed! Looking at them, I kept asking myself: We’re already in our fifties. Why are we getting divorced now? They say it’s best not to see things too clearly. Pretend you don’t know, and in time, you might forget. But as a man, I couldn’t lie to myself, and I couldn’t forget. Looking at my family members, each with a different expression, I said firmly, “This marriage has to end...”