This is a story about "accompanying". Shen An, a dock coolie, was saved by a female doctor, Jiang Lan, and he followed her for thirty years. He won't say he likes or loves, he will only say "that's enough" and "remember them all". She called him a fool for thirty years. She was finally buried in Fulu, and he came back alone and spent the rest of his life writing this book.
This is not a romance novel, or even an emotional novel in the traditional sense. This is a story about "how one person spends his life responding to another person." Shen An couldn't give Jiang Lan anything, couldn't give her the whereabouts of her mother, couldn't give her father peace, couldn't give her the truth she wanted. The only thing he can give is "presence". He was there when she was here, he was there when she cried, and he was there when she died.
The wandering cry in the book has been following for thirty years. The woman in white can't come back, Lin Guan can't come back, Doctor Liu can't come back, and finally Jiang Lan can't come back either. Only Shen An came back. He lives to remember. Remember the way she squatted down to get the needle, remember the corner of her mouth moving when she said "shut up", remember the look she looked back at him.
Purpose: Companionship is the longest confession of love, remembering is the best reward