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1
Many friends around me are watching Pretty Sister Who Often Buys Me Food , finding it sweet to a new height, and their hearts are stirred, wanting to date an eighteen-year-old “puppy.”
A friend sighed, “If only these puppies also watched this show, they would want to date a pretty sister. Then I’d have a chance!”
Actually, she’s overthinking—boys would rather be addicted to games than chase Korean dramas!
Unless they’re dragged by their girlfriends to watch Korean dramas, like Lin Zhiyi.
Recently, while I was watching Pretty Sister Who Often Buys Me Food , I pulled him to watch with me. He never opposes me watching Korean dramas because whenever my heart is overflowing with love, I actively snuggle up to him.
One night, after watching a sweet episode, I looked at Lin Zhiyi’s profile and said, “I think you’re one of those ‘puppies’!”
Back in college, he was the typical “puppy,” clean-cut and fresh, with a bright smile revealing a set of neat white teeth, very sunny.
What bothered me back then was that although he was older than me and my senior, his baby face made people think I was the “older woman eating young grass” and mistakenly believed I chased him.
He asked, “What’s a puppy?”
I said, “Someone who’s fair and tender, like Jun-hee from Pretty Sister Who Often Buys Me Food .”
I thought he’d be like before, occasionally jealous of the male lead and dismissively say, “Hmph, those boys aren’t as good as me. After all, they’re ones you can see but not touch, whereas I’m always by your side.”
But this time, he said, “I’m your puppy; you control my happiness and anger.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“But you’ve been too busy with work lately, spending too little time walking with me.”
“Ah! Is this a protest?” Thinking about how my time has recently been squeezed by work and writing, I indeed spent less time with him.
“In fact, it’s for your benefit. You’ve been ignoring me lately. Haven’t you noticed you’ve written fewer dog feeds? Spend more time with me, and you’ll have material to write!”
It sounded quite reasonable.
“How about this weekend, I’ll take you out?” I said.
“It should be me taking you out.” He said.
“Huh? Don’t I get the final say?”
“I’m driving you there! But, I’ll listen to you.”
That’s more like it!
2
Last winter, I had minimally invasive surgery, and half a year later, I went to the hospital for a follow-up.
Every time I go to the hospital, I treat it like a vacation. Stopping work temporarily on weekdays gives me a sense of “stealing half a day’s leisure from life.” Especially after seeing the doctor and being told “no significant issues,” I feel even more relaxed.
Every time we leave the hospital, Lin Zhiyi picks a restaurant that suits my taste and takes me there.
Thinking of the recent Pretty Sister Who Often Buys Me Food and recalling that our relationship started with him treating me to meals in college, and he still treats me occasionally, this is clearly the real-life version of “handsome brother who often buys meals”!
This time, leaving the hospital, Lin Zhiyi asked what cuisine I wanted. “Simmered dried tofu” flashed in my mind, so I blurted out, “Huaiyang cuisine, I suddenly crave simmered dried tofu.”
“I just bookmarked eight major cuisines in the capital, including Huaiyang cuisine. Take a look.” He forwarded me the WeChat article he saved.
“Oh! Rarely do I need to check Dianping.com this time.” I said as I opened the WeChat article.
“I’m just responding to your call. Didn’t you say you wanted to explore and eat across the capital?”
“I just said it casually, and you took it seriously?”
“That’s a must. Every word you say is golden advice to me; I must take note of it.”
Suddenly, I felt a great sense of accomplishment because someone actually treated my words as “imperial edicts.”
We chose a Huaiyang restaurant in Jiangsu Tower, and Lin Zhiyi drove us there.
At the intersection waiting for the green light, he extended his right hand, which was originally gripping the steering wheel, towards my left hand, grabbed it, and kissed it.
My heart sweetened, and I asked, “Is this your pre-meal dessert?”
“Consider it as such. If it’s not enough, I can add more.” He grabbed my hand again and kissed it.
“After so many years of marriage, how can you still be like a pure-hearted young boy?” I said, looking at his profile.
“I’ve always been a pure-hearted young boy. From the moment I met you until now, I’ve never changed.”
“One thing about you has changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve become more loving towards me.”
He smiled, “Loving you is the truth. Life should take truth as its belief and strive daily.”
Alright, I admit I was charmed not only by him kissing my hand but also by his words.
We ate simmered dried tofu, leek stir-fried snails, Yangzhou lion’s head, and Lin Zhiyi’s ever-favorite spicy and sour shredded potatoes at the Huaiyang restaurant in Jiangsu Tower.
After eating, Lin Zhiyi spoke to the waiter for a while.
I asked if he was asking about the parking ticket.
He said, “The lion’s head was delicious. I told her to bring two more portions; I’ll take them to go. I want Mom and Xinbao to try them.”
Under the cool indoor air conditioning, my heart suddenly warmed—this is my Lin Zhiyi, who always thinks of sharing good things with family and friends.
If you ask me what love is, love is the careful care for the people around you.
As long as you put your heart into it, even the most ordinary life will bloom with touching flowers.
3
Our family has a home cinema time—every weekend, Lin Zhiyi and I accompany Xinbao to watch a movie at home.
The movie is chosen by Xinbao, and we give our opinions, mostly cartoons.
This weekend, we watched Rock Dog , featuring a Tibetan Mastiff passionate about music.
While watching the movie, Lin Zhiyi and Xinbao lay on the sofa eating fruit, while I practiced guitar fingering techniques.
The guitar is life to the Tibetan Mastiff in the movie, but for me, it’s more about self-cultivation and refining my temperament.
The theme song of Rock Dog is inspiring and catchy, called Love . After the movie ended, Xinbao and I were still humming:
“Always unexpectedly encounter some beauty, making me willing to give up everything. Occasionally, you meet cruel people who hurt you deeply. We embrace hardship as joy and keep company with the brave.
With a broken guitar, you can still change the world...”
Singing here, I changed the lyrics: “With a broken computer, you can still change the world.”
Xinbao also changed the lyrics: “With a broken paintbrush, you can still change the world.”
Lin Zhiyi followed up: “With a broken camera, you can still change the world.”
Xinbao glanced at Grandma beside her: “Grandma, you sing too. With what will you change the world?”
“I’m old; I can’t change the world anymore, only myself.” Grandma said.
I thought she would say, “I change the world through my son!” Isn’t traditional thinking all about “a mother’s status rises through her son”?
Xinbao said, “Grandma, you can change the world. You cook for us, making us better, and that changes the world. You can sing like this—’With a broken spatula, you can still change the world.’”
Under the guidance of the “little teacher,” Grandma began to sing: “With a broken spatula, you can still change the world.”
Looking at the harmonious scene at home, I suddenly realized that changing the world is not such an unreachable thing. As long as we do what we can, we are gradually changing the world.
In fact, everyone can change the world, making it beautiful, as long as they do what they can and find something they love and persist in. You must love something to be in love with the world.
4
Little Xinbao is about to take her ballet exam and needs extra classes on Sunday. During the break while Xinbao was in class, Lin Zhiyi said, “Dà Níng, let’s go watch a movie.”
I asked, “What movie?”
He directly sent me a screenshot via WeChat—the QR code for the ticket of the movie How Long Will I Love You .
I laughed, “Action speaks louder than心动 (heart movement). Sir, you’ve been planning this for a while!”
“Just need one word from you—shall we?”
“Yes!”
“Then I’ll send Xinbao to class, and you go get the tickets.”
When we were leaving together, Xinbao asked me, “Mom, where are you going?” Usually on weekends, if Lin Zhiyi takes her to class, I stay home to write or do housework.
I said, “Mom has no inspiration for writing; I need to go out to find inspiration.”
Xinbao understood, as she also needs to find inspiration for painting.
Watching How Long Will I Love You , the protagonists’ comical stories made the audience burst into laughter.
Throughout the movie, Lin Zhiyi held my hand tightly, only letting go after the final “post-credit scene.”
“The air conditioning isn’t strong enough; it’s so hot!” he said as we walked out of the cinema.
“Why did you hold my hand so tightly?”
“That way, I can truly experience dating in the same space-time.”
“If we went back twenty years, I wonder what it would be like?” I fantasized.
“Twenty years ago, we didn’t know each other. I was still preparing for the college entrance exam!”
He said.
“Oh. I was in high school back then.”
I pinched his arm and said, “It’s true! It’s like a dream that we, who didn’t know each other twenty years ago, can be together now!”
“Not a dream!” He linked arms with me, “But meeting you feels like a beautiful dream.”
No matter how hot the day, we still walked home arm in arm.
I believe that no matter in which space-time or starting from which moment, I would meet you, like you, and fall in love with you. Because the missing piece in my life is perfectly filled by you.
Sometimes we hope time can rewind, but life is beautiful precisely because time is irreversible. Because time flies, all the beauty becomes precious.
5
One day, Lin Zhiyi said to me, “Dà Níng, I strongly recommend you watch Wife On a Romantic Journey .”
“Is it a movie? About a wife who loves to travel like me?”
“No, it’s a variety show. You’ll definitely resonate with it.”
I’ll watch anything he recommends. Seeing Xie Na dawdling for a long time before going out, I suddenly understood why Lin Zhiyi recommended it to me.
Every time before going out, I also waste time wandering around here and there. Sometimes, after leaving, I have to go back because I forgot something.
After frequent traveling, my habit of procrastinating when leaving has improved a lot. But compared to Lin Zhiyi, who doesn’t need makeup whenever he goes out, my speed is still incomparable to his.
“Are you feeling superior? Someone takes longer to leave than you?” Lin Zhiyi asked.
I said, “I think Zhang Jie’s words are sweet. Every time he waits for her to leave without complaint, he says, ‘I’m used to sharing my time with her.’”
“When Xie Na went to the restroom, Zhang Jie initially didn’t even know to wait for her. When we first started dating, I knew to wait for you at the door.”
“...” Is this someone competing for the “Good Husband” medal with Brother Jie?
The program’s “Understanding Society” said, Ying Chun and Chen Xiaochun’s love belongs to the spicy category, Zhang Jie and Xie Na’s love belongs to the sweet category, Guo Xiaodong and Cheng Lisha’s love belongs to the bitter category, and Fu Xinbo and Ying Er’s love belongs to the sour category.
I asked Lin Zhiyi, “Which category do you think our love belongs to?”
He said, “Spicy-sweet category.”
“Why?”
“Don’t I often tease you for not being spicy enough? Don’t I spoil you sweetly?”
“That’s true! It also combines the characteristics of our regional cuisines—Guizhou’s spiciness and Jiangsu’s sweetness.”
You see, love comes in a thousand forms, and one form uniquely belongs to you.
What is love?
Literary giant Victor Hugo said, “Reducing the universe to one person and expanding one person to God—that is love.”
This sentence perfectly interprets “Being with you is my whole world,” because loving someone deeply makes the entire world become one person, and one person becomes your entire world.
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