Minjiang Memory

Preface This book tells a story about waiting. The protagonist Zhang Shuying was born in an ordinary family in Fuzhou in 1921. When she was 14 years old, she met the young military officer Qian Chongxin. The two fell in love at first sight and got married the following year, spending a short but sweet time together. When the Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937, Qian Chongxin rushed to the battlefield and was never heard from again. For more than seventy years after that, Zhang Shuying's life was almost filled with "waiting": she fled from Fuzhou to Chongqing with her mother-in-law, and made a living by doing coolies at the dock, sewing and washing. No matter how difficult the life was, she always carried the military uniform and buttons left by Qian Chongxin with her, and asked for news about him when she met everyone; the current situation was turbulent. She once remarried, but never let go of this concern. She buried the past deeply in her heart and only cried silently in front of old photos late at night. It was not until the age of 93 that, with the help of her children, she finally learned that Qian Chongxin had died in the battle to defend Nanjing, and she was finally able to say goodbye more than 70 years later in front of his funeral. This is the story of a woman who spent her whole life fulfilling her promise of "waiting for you to come back." The main plot revolves around Zhang Shuying's waiting: from the initial sweet expectations, to the difficult perseverance in the war, to the persistent search after years of accumulation, between the lines are her short but profound love with Qian Chongxin, the heartbreaking pain of being forced to separate, and the deep affection and strong heart that have not been erased in the long time.