The Sunflower Promise by the Shoe Repair Stall in the 1970s

Amid the tides of the times, the story of Luo Chengliu and Che Anyou slowly unfolds. In 1970, the red-brick walls of the cotton mill witnessed their first meeting. Luo Chengliu picked up the ration coupon Che Anyou had dropped, and when their eyes met, the threads of fate began to entwine.

Back then, supplies were scarce, and grain and fabric coupons were essential to daily life. Luo Chengliu saved his meal coupons just to buy Che Anyou a bar of Shanghai-brand soap, while Che Anyou used her saved fabric coupons to make him a work uniform that fit just right. They studied together at night school, with Luo Chengliu playing the harmonica and Che Anyou singing. Their simple melodies were full of sweetness.

But one test after another soon came their way. Luo Chengliu was sent to the workshop to do heavy labor after standing up for Che Anyou during a struggle session, while Che Anyou was assigned the hardest job. Yet they supported each other without complaint. Later, when the factory allocated housing, they gave their chance to a coworker in greater need and continued sharing a cramped dorm room.

When the wave of layoffs hit, Luo Chengliu set up a shoe-repair stall, while Che Anyou sold cloth shoes at the night market. Life was hard, but their smiles never faded. The birth of their daughter, Luo Nianyou, brought new hope to the family, and they showered her with all their love.

As the times changed, life gradually improved. They moved into a modern apartment, and their daughter went to university. She even helped them patent their cloth shoes and open an online store. But Luo Chengliu and Che Anyou never lost their simple ways. In their spare time, they tended roses on the balcony and reminisced about the past.

The years flew by. Luo Chengliu and Che Anyou spent their golden anniversary together before passing away one after the other. Their story is a portrait of a generation, filled with all the bitterness and sweetness of life.