Three years into our marriage, I discovered that Chen Xu had a secret memo.
It listed all my likes and dislikes:
I hate chives, can't eat spicy food, and am allergic to mangoes...
Each entry had a reason and a date beside it.
My friends all envied how considerate he was.
Then, in the depths of his drawer, I found another diary, its pages yellowed with age.
The first page said:
“She hates chives because A-Yuan likes them.”
“She doesn't eat spicy food. Neither does A-Yuan.”
“She is allergic to mangoes, but mango smoothies are A-Yuan's favorite.”
I flipped to the last page. The most recent entry read:
“Today I taught her to make A-Yuan's signature borscht.”
“She learned it almost perfectly, but in the end, she's still not her.”
