Childhood Sweethearts Steal from Their Own Garden

The things Yu Ge heard most often from Xie Jinnian were, “At this rate, no one will ever marry you,” and, “Even if every woman in the world died, no man would want you.” Seven-year-old Yu Ge never imagined that at seventeen she would fall in love with her childhood friend, Xie Jinnian. Their once inseparable bond had become a distant dream. For his sake, she changed her brash personality, learned the grace and elegance she used to despise, and studied hard just to catch up with him. By the time her hair reached her waist and she had the air of a proper young lady, she heard that Xie Jinnian had started dating someone. “I was here first. Why can’t it be me?” Tears streamed down her cheeks. For the first time, proud Yu Ge was so utterly humble. Weeping bitterly, she said, “I can be gentle, too. I’ll change. Please believe me, okay?” Xie Jinnian watched Yu Ge sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath, unmoved. Years later, at a school reunion, Xie Jinnian gently wiped Yu Ge’s tears away and soothed her. “You still cry so easily?” “None of your business!” “You belong to me for life. If I don’t look after you, who will?” He bent down and kissed the girl in his arms. The seed of a dream Yu Ge had planted in her heart at seventeen had quietly blossomed.