My name is Ni Kunyu. I was once a millionaire with everything going for me, but after my most trusted friend betrayed me, I lost everything overnight. My fortune was gone, my wife left, and the few brief relationships I had all came to nothing. Falling from the clouds into the mire, I set aside all my pride, picked up a welding torch, and went wherever I could to make ends meet, covered in grease and bone-tired.
After being tossed from place to place, I settled in a small town in Jinzhou District, Dalian. I thought the rest of my life would be lonely, but at my lowest point, I met Gu Lingyun. She had a family of her own, a son and a daughter. Her daughter was about to get married, and her son was learning to cook. She liked to have a drink now and then, with unspoken heartache and tenderness hidden in every glass.
She never said anything sweet, but she kept coming to my humble little room to wash my clothes, cook for me, and tidy up, filling my cold days with the warmth of home. I gave her all my heart, cherishing this hard-won warmth and waiting to hear her say, “Honey, dinner’s ready.”
We had no official relationship and no future, but when we needed each other most, we became each other’s light. I went from a man worth a fortune to a welder. I lost everything, but at rock bottom, I met the realest person in my life. It turned out that the most precious thing in life isn’t a vast fortune. It’s having someone willing to mend your shattered life with tenderness when you’re down and out.
