It had been a long time since I last spoke up here. Day to day, I’ve been too tired from hauling bricks to sit down and write, and even the kind of plain, diary-like writing I used to do has gotten a little rusty.
Today, after delivering goods to a customer, I got back into the car and was just about to drive off when I suddenly heard a woman crying. Out of instinct, I turned around and saw her sitting with her back to me on a stone bench by Linghu, repeating through her sobs, “He doesn’t want me anymore. He doesn’t want me anymore…”
Directly in front of that stone bench was a marble railing. If there hadn’t been a barrier there, I really would have worried she might do something impulsive. Watching her, I felt an odd sadness. I sat in the car wanting to call out something comforting, but in the end I swallowed the words.
At that moment, an elderly woman who was walking by the lake happened to pass in front of her and started talking to her. I could hear every word clearly; I was less than five meters away.
The woman kept repeating, “He doesn’t want me anymore.” The old lady replied, “If he doesn’t want you, there are plenty of people who do.” They went back and forth like that three times.
Then the old lady asked where she was from, how old she was, and what exactly had happened with the man.
The man was from Huizhou and, from the sound of it, probably lived nearby. The woman had come all the way from Dongguan to look for him, but he refused to come out and meet her. They had been introduced by a friend and had been together for a few months.
When the old lady heard she was only 24, she kept comforting her: you’re still young, you’ll meet someone who truly loves you. This man isn’t worth your pain. You have to look ahead.
After that, the old lady even took her arm and said she would walk with her for a bit, talk for a while, and look at the scenery around Linghu.
As I watched the two of them walk farther and farther away, I could only hope this lost young woman would get out of this relationship soon. And I really have to give a thumbs-up to that kind-hearted old lady — she did something I didn’t dare to do.