A Keepsake for You

Older man/younger man | Age gap | Old flame rekindled | Mutual pining | The aloof beauty comes down from his pedestal | Both are each other’s only one “This is your Uncle Wen. From now on, you’ll live with him.” When Fang Che was ten, his father died, and his mother left him at a crowded train station. He clutched his small bundle and didn’t dare look up. The tall man crouched in front of him, took his hand, and wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. For more than a decade afterward, the man cared for and guided him like a father. Fang Che thought they would spend their lives together as father and son, teacher and student, and friends. He never imagined that the day he came out, the man would throw him out of the house without hesitation. -- “Proust once said that writing is like sending a letter into the void. One of them will eventually reach eternity. If you’re sad, don’t try to suppress your feelings. Write down all your unhappiness and pain, and give your soul somewhere to let them out.” “Do you ever feel sad, too?” Fang Che asked. The man didn’t answer directly. He only replied with something unrelated: “I’ve kept a lot of diaries.” So he had a lot bottled up inside. He was a scion of a wealthy family and a renowned medical expert. He could have anything he wanted with ease, so what could possibly weigh on him? Later, the two drifted apart. One day, while moving house, Fang Che accidentally came across a bookcase. Inside, he found the man’s diary. Every page had the same line written on it: “Wherever you sit or walk, seeing you sets my whole body ablaze.” * “The sun and moon gaze at each other from afar. My heart twists, yet cannot leave yours. Wherever you sit or walk, seeing you sets my whole body ablaze.” Dunhuang Manuscript S.1824, “Text for Receiving the Ten Precepts” Cool and abstinent doctor sent to support rural medical care, Uncle Wen (gong) x carefree, rebellious senior in college (shou) Note: Thirteen-year age gap; told in reverse chronological order. They’re mutually in love from the start, and the gong falls first. There is no adoption or guardianship relationship, and no romantic feelings before the shou comes of age. Theme: Love begins with acknowledgement, then comes restraint.