2012.8.24 Today it is still drizzling, but the rain feels much gentler, as if a lover is whispering something in your ear. "Old Wang, are you going to see your wife?" A farmer carrying a hoe passed by Old Wang's house and saw him staring blankly at the doorway, asking. Old Wang did not answer, continuing to do things his own way. Old Wang's full name is Wang Datong, 54 years old, with his head full of white hair, only a few sparse black hairs remaining, and a face full of grooves and lines, as if carved by an axe, making it hard to believe he is only 54! His eyes were also full of stories.
It took him a full half hour before Old Wang stood up with some effort, taking deep and shallow steps as he walked along the path. Old Wang is a cripple and has been so for nearly thirty years. Some mischievous children in the village call him 'Cripple Wang,' but Old Wang has never lost his temper because of it. After about forty minutes, Old Wang finally saw his wife's grave and seemed to walk with more energy, almost imperceptibly faster. His hands, covered with calluses, gently stroked his wife's tombstone as if caressing his wife herself, his sorrowful eyes enough to bring tears to any onlooker.
At this point, everyone may be curious about Old Wang's love story. Let's see... 32 years ago, Old Wang was still a 22-year-old handsome young man, healthy, and the whole story began with buying a wood carving. Old Wang lost both his parents at a young age, and the local carpenter, Fang, took pity on him and looked after the poor child. Wang began helping Fang with carpentry work at age 5 and became skilled in the craft. Fang was a bachelor; although he had saved some money from his carpentry work, his eccentric personality meant no one introduced suitors to him, and over time, the girls who were interested gave up. That day, Fang urged anxiously, "Datong, you lazy kid, take these things, let's go to the city and sell some of our work, hurry up!" Wang hurriedly packed his things because Fang had not mentioned going to the city the day before. After packing one bundle, he followed Fang closely to the city. Although it wasn't Wang's first time in the city, every visit felt brand new. They found a crowded spot and set up a stall, soon attracting a small crowd with people pointing, gesturing, and commenting, "How much is this wooden bird?"A delicate little girl asked timidly. Fang, the carpenter, glanced at her and said, "One mao and five." "Can it be a little cheaper?" the little girl asked bravely. "The cheapest is one mao and two," Fang said thoughtfully. "But I only brought eight fen," the little girl said reluctantly. "How about you come with me to get the money from home?" "Okay, Datong, you take this bird with her," Fang agreed readily. "Oh, got it," Old Wang said somewhat unwillingly. He picked up the wooden bird and asked the little girl, "Where's your home? I'll follow you." "Not far, we'll be there soon!" The little girl happily stared at the wooden bird in Old Wang's hand.\ Following the girl for a short while, she worried about making Old Wang wait and said, "Big brother, we're almost home! Look, that's our house." Following the little girl's delicate finger, a beautiful small Western-style house appeared not far ahead. Because the little girl was too impatient and not paying attention to the road, she misstepped and fell toward the roadside ditch. Seeing the danger, Old Wang quickly dropped the wooden bird and caught the little girl, trying to fall on the road safely. The little girl was so scared her face turned pale. After realizing, she found herself in Old Wang's arms. Embarrassed, she quickly pushed him away and climbed up. "Oh no, where did the wooden bird go?" Old Wang got up to look for it but realized he had no idea where he had dropped it. Seeing Old Wang's anxious expression, the little girl couldn't bear it and hurriedly said, "Let's say I lost that bird. You go with me to get the money." "Is that okay?" Old Wang felt uneasy but didn't want to go back empty-handed and be blamed by Fang. "It's fine," the little girl said with a smile. "What's your name?" "I'm Wang Datong," Old Wang said, scratching the back of his head. "Datong-ge, can I call you that?" the little girl asked sweetly. "You can call me that," Old Wang replied shyly. Arriving at the girl's home, Old Wang didn't enter, feeling some invisible oppression from the house. "Datong-ge, here's the money," the little girl said, handing it to him. Holding the money, Old Wang thought for a while and said, "I carved that bird myself. How about I carve another one for you to give next time, free of charge?" "Really? Datong-ge, your craftsmanship is so good! When will you come next time?" the little girl asked eagerly. "Maybe next month," Old Wang said, looking at the little girl's beautiful face.The little girl said with slight regret, "It will take so long?" The atmosphere immediately grew silent, and the two young people who had just met appeared reluctant to part. After a while, the little girl smiled at Lao Wang and said, "Brother Datong, next time you come, just come to my house to see me, okay? Don't forget the way, hehe." After saying this, the little girl hurriedly ran home. Lao Wang didn't realize that the little girl wasn't telling him to remember the way, but to remember her. At that time, Lao Wang was obviously naive and clueless, and he just vaguely replied and turned to leave. They didn't know that this scene had been witnessed by a woman upstairs… (To be continued)
When Lao Wang returned home, he was filled with excitement, unable to sleep at night, with the little girl's figure constantly appearing in his mind. Perhaps this is what is called love at first sight! The wooden bird took Lao Wang two days to carve, and it turned out even more lifelike. He was eager to sell it as soon as possible. Soon, half a month passed. Lao Wang could only sleep five hours a night, and in his dreams, all he saw was the little girl smiling! Another week passed, and the wooden carpenter Faeng fell ill with a high fever. Faeng asked Lao Wang to go to the city to get some fever medicine. Thus, Lao Wang set off for the city, both anxious and excited.
When he arrived in the city, he went to a pharmacy to buy the fever medicine, then hurried to the little girl's doorstep. After lingering for a long time, he finally decided to knock. "Knock knock." The door creaked open, and a white-haired old man appeared. "Young man, who are you looking for?" the old man asked. "I'm looking for a little girl in your family. She bought my wooden bird last time, and I made it for her," Lao Wang said naively. "You mean the young lady, right? (Don't get the wrong idea)," the old man muttered to himself. "Please wait." *Slap*, he closed the door again.
"Young master, there is a young man at the door looking for the young lady. He said the young lady bought his wooden bird and he brought it over," the old man respectfully said to a young man who was not much older than Lao Wang. "Oh, please send him to the young lady's room," the young master said, frowning. "But young master, the young lady is sick, I'm afraid…" the old man began. "I told you to go, so go, Steward Ding!" the young master said angrily. "Yes, I understand," Steward Ding replied, retreating from the room with fear and trepidation.
"Young man, please follow me," Steward Ding said respectfully to Lao Wang. Lao Wang, looking flustered, hurriedly said, "Okay, okay!"After speaking, he followed Housekeeper Ding to the little girl's room. The room was very simple, but also very elegant. Seeing the little girl he had been thinking about day and night, Old Wang couldn't help but smile with delight. "Datong Ge, you're here?" The little girl's previously pale face suddenly showed some color, instantly making her look much prettier. Housekeeper Ding also felt amazed in his heart. He quietly stepped out of the room. "Look, this is the wooden bird I carved for you," Old Wang said to the little girl with a hint of excitement. "Hmm, it's really beautiful. Datong Ge, you're really skillful," the little girl said happily. "It's nothing, as long as you like it, haha..." Old Wang scratched his head and said foolishly. "Datong Ge, you don't even know my name. My name is Yang Xiuzhi. Hehe~" At the door of the room, the young master who had just been watching the two laughing endlessly inside was stunned. "My sister hasn't been this happy in a long time." This young man was called Yang Zhanfan. Since his father's death, his mother had managed the family business. Although she hadn't expanded it, it was steady and solid, with a good reputation. Because his mother was busy with business, the family rarely had time to care for him. All she could give the children was a huge cage, with no lack of food or clothing. Yang Zhanfan, as a boy who would inherit the family business, had no choice but to go out with his mother to social occasions sometimes. But Yang Xiuzhi was different; a girl from a wealthy family could only remain alone in her room, having few friends since childhood, which made her seem much lonelier. That's why she especially liked wooden birds, because they, like her, didn't have a life of their own.
"Xiuzhi, I have to go back; my master is still waiting for the fever medicine!" It had been a while before Old Wang remembered that Carpenter Fang still had a fever. "Leaving so soon? Your master is sick? Then go back, but remember to come see me in the future." Upon saying this, she seemed to realize something was wrong and blushed immediately. "If I can, I will come to see you. Xiuzhi, I'm leaving." Old Wang's eyes showed reluctance. Xiuzhi looked at Old Wang with deep affection; Old Wang also looked at her, as if the world around them had disappeared and only the two of them remained. "Ahem… Did I disturb you?" Outside the door, Yang Zhanfan saw the situation seemed a bit unusual, and untimely interrupted the affectionate pair. "Brother, why are you here?" Xiuzhi complained. "Oh, not married yet, and already getting in someone else's way?" Yang Zhanfan teased. "Brother, why are you like this?" Xiuzhi turned away in embarrassment. "Datong, right? I want to talk to you!"Yang Zhanfan said calmly, "You are just a carpenter. Can you take care of my younger sister?" After briefly inquiring about Lao Wang's situation, Yang Zhanfan asked. Lao Wang was left speechless. "If you can't, please stay away from her! This is what I say to you as her brother!" "I can, I won't let her suffer," Lao Wang said bravely, encouraged by Yang Zhanfan. "Think it over before you talk to me again. You should go back first," Yang Zhanfan said calmly. "Oh right, my master still has a fever! I'll go now. Help me tell Xiuzhi that I'll come to see her in a few days," Lao Wang said as he hurriedly left. Yang Zhanfan shook his head slightly. "Brother, what did you say to Brother Datong?" Xiuzhi slowly walked in and asked. "Nothing. Why don't you rest properly?" Yang Zhanfan asked worriedly. "Brother, please tell me, okay?" Xiuzhi insisted. "What do you think of Datong?" "Brother, why do you ask that? Brother Datong is kind, upright, responsible, and a man with a sense of duty. Although he can be a bit silly at times, he's still very lovable." "You really think so? Sister, things are not looking good!" "What's wrong? Is something wrong with Brother Datong?" Xiuzhi asked anxiously. "I mean, you like that silly boy!" Yang Zhanfan said with a hint of regret. Xiuzhi was momentarily stunned, then blushed and hurriedly said, "Brother, don't talk nonsense! I don't like him at all!" Suddenly, Yang Zhanfan's expression turned serious. "Sister, if one day you have to leave this cage, don't hesitate, and don't hold back because of me. You know mom's character." "Brother, I…" Xiuzhi seemed to want to say something but didn't know how. The two stood silent for a long time. "Sister, go rest!" "Oh, then I'll go back to my room first," Xiuzhi said heavily. "I hope it won't be too bad. Mother, don't let your children down again."
"Master, I'm back!" Lao Wang returned home, sweaty all over. "Why were you gone so long?" asked Carpenter Fang weakly. "Hmm, there were so many people buying medicine, I waited a long time," Lao Wang stammered. After helping his master finish the medicine, Lao Wang sat blankly in the yard. Love is really strange; it can cause pain and also bring sweetness. Carpenter Fang slowly recovered from his illness. Every day, Lao Wang did nothing but work and sit in the yard in a daze.That day, 'Datong, let's go to the city, I want to visit an old friend!' Fang the carpenter shouted to Old Wang, who was daydreaming. Old Wang, hearing this, shot up like he had taken a stimulant. 'Really, Master? We're going to the city? Great, I'll get my things ready.' Fang the carpenter looked at Old Wang somewhat strangely. 'I haven't seen you this happy before. Next time you're going to the city, just give me a heads-up.' Old Wang was so happy he couldn't even walk properly.
'Master, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back later.' Old Wang accompanied Fang the carpenter to his friend Lao Xing's house and then stepped out. 'Butler Ding, is Xiuzhi at home?' Old Wang asked Butler Ding in front of him with a smile. 'She is. The young master instructed that if you came, you could go straight to see the young lady.' Butler Ding still maintained his polite demeanor. 'Xiuzhi, I came to see you, hehe.' For some reason, whenever Old Wang saw Xiuzhi, he couldn't help but grin foolishly. 'Brother Datong, you're here. You've lost weight, working hard every day, right?' Xiuzhi asked with concern. 'Not tired. I lost weight? I don't feel like it. Hehe. You're getting more and more beautiful.' Old Wang scratched his head and said.
