Zhang Hua, born in 1966, met He Huilan one spring when he was eighteen. She was the sixteen-year-old girl who worked at the village shop, with long black hair, big eyes, and a charming dimple. A basket of chestnuts picked from the mountain that autumn marked the beginning of their romance.
The next spring, Zhang Hua helped He Huilan’s family rebuild their tiled-roof house, chopping firewood and working the fields as he eagerly tried to win her future parents-in-law’s approval. Though neither family formally arranged an engagement, both sides understood what was between them. But fate had other plans. A neighborhood dispute over a goose eating rice seedlings dragged Zhang Hua into trouble through no fault of his own. The goose belonged to his neighbor, Shen Fuchun, but He Huilan’s father took his anger out on Zhang Hua and tore the young couple apart.
Their first love ended just like that. He Huilan’s words, “They won’t let me see you. There’s nothing I can do,” became a thorn in Zhang Hua’s heart for years. He fell ill, then left home to seek his fortune elsewhere. Starting as a laborer on construction sites, he carried bricks and mixed mortar, toiling through wind and rain. After years of hard work, he climbed up from contractor to businessman and eventually founded his own real estate company. He married and had children, and his life flourished.
In October 2008, Zhang Hua returned to his hometown after many years away to keep his recently discharged mother company. At a little fish stall by the street, he ran into He Huilan, now a fish seller. Time had left its marks on her face, but he could still glimpse the girl who had once captured his heart in her features. As they chatted, he learned that her husband was in poor health and the family needed someone at home, so she had to make a living raising and selling fish.
Before leaving, Zhang Hua gave her 1,000 yuan. More than thirty years of love and resentment came to an end in a few ordinary words of greeting.
