Nostalgia

【Little Jinyao grew up happily under your care, her innocence and charm endearing her to everyone.】

【Your journey did not stop, as you continued to travel and explore the world together.】

【Hand in hand, you strolled through ancient towns with rain-kissed stone paths, rowed across the shimmering Mirror Lake, drove through desolate deserts, and scaled towering, winding mountains.】

【You cheered from the heights of a hot air balloon a thousand meters above, kissed beneath the auroras at the edge of the world, and embraced under the cherry blossoms of Mount Fuji.】

【Your presence was left in every corner of the globe.】

【Your lives were vibrant, passionate, and captivating, a story worth telling.】

【As all stories go, every journey must come to an end, and yours was no exception. After all the wandering, home became your final harbor.】

【As Little Jinyao grew older, her parents aged as well, and you yearned for stability.】

【You felt the weariness too, and after discussing it with Shu Yunyi, you decided to end your travels.】

【At the peak of your vibrant lives, you chose to step back, just as you never missed a beautiful sight, you never clung to the temptations of wealth, resolutely returning to an ordinary life.】

【Except for the occasional updates about your daily lives, you no longer ventured out on trips.】

【Even an ordinary life can hold extraordinary stories, and you composed a symphony of life together.】

【With enough wealth accumulated, you bought a new home, your daughter started elementary school, and your lives were harmonious and fulfilling.】

【Five years later, you and Shu Yunyi bid farewell to her mother, Qin Fangli, who passed away at the age of seventy-nine.】

【Her life had been full of hardships, but the turbulence of her youth did not define her later years. Seeing you and your family happy and surrounded by loved ones, she left with no regrets, smiling as she departed.】

【Ten years later, Shu Yunyi turned fifty, embracing the wisdom of her years. She exuded even more grace, her every movement elegant and dignified.】

【Yet, no matter how naturally beautiful Shu Yunyi was or how diligently she cared for herself, time eventually took its toll.】

【Her skin began to loosen, no longer as smooth and firm as in her youth, and fine lines started to appear on her face. She often fretted over the silver strands in her hair.】

【In contrast, you, in your early forties, looked as if you were still in your twenties or thirties, full of vitality.】

【Your energy seemed boundless, as if time had paused for you.】

【Seeing this, Shu Yunyi became convinced that you were a treasure bestowed upon her by the heavens, and she cherished you dearly.】

【Twenty years later, you bid farewell to your parents one after another. Shu Yunyi was even more heartbroken than you, as they had always been understanding and accepting of her, never criticizing her age or faults.】

【Your daughter, Shen Jinyao, graduated from university and pursued further studies, embarking on a path as a research scholar. You supported her decision wholeheartedly.】

【The passing of loved ones left Shu Yunyi anxious, and she began to fear death.】

【In her youth, she could leap from a building over ten meters high without flinching, but now she avoided any mention of death or separation.】

【Love makes one cling to life, and that clinging breeds fear.】

【If she had never had you, she might not have feared, for there would have been nothing to lose.】

【But now, with you by her side, her fear grew with each passing day, afraid that she might lose you.】

【Thirty years later, perhaps due to her earlier neglect of her health, Shu Yunyi’s condition had declined. At seventy-one, she was not plagued by illness, but simply old.】

【The gap between you two became more apparent. She moved slowly, struggling to sit or lie down, while you remained energetic, your youthful appearance unchanged.】

【Shen Jinyao had her own life now, busy with her research, but she always made time to visit you both whenever she could.】

【Shu Yunyi became incredibly clingy, unable to bear a moment without you.】

【She needed to see you when she woke, hear your goodnight before bed, have you feed her meals, and accompany her on walks. She cherished every moment with you.】

【You noticed her worries and secretly dyed your hair silver, even drawing wrinkles on your face when you went out, slowing your pace to match hers.】

【Your efforts paid off. Shu Yunyi looked at you with a smile in her eyes, her gaze filled with nothing but you.】

【Your story touched countless hearts.】

【The account that had chronicled your lives for over thirty years—from your travels to your daily routines, and finally to your loving companionship—had become a part of many people’s lives.】

【Your every moment, your loving life, had accompanied a generation’s growth. Over the years, countless couples had looked to you as their role models.】

【Two years later, on an ordinary winter morning.】

Early in the morning, Shen Yi got up, dressed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After finishing, he brought a basin of warm water to the bedside. Just as Shu Yunyi woke and opened her eyes, Shen Yi stood before her, and she smiled.

Helping Shu Yunyi sit up, Shen Yi wrung out a warm towel.

As soon as the steaming towel was unfolded, Shu Yunyi tilted her chin forward, allowing him to gently wipe her face. Then she extended her hand, and Shen Yi carefully cleaned her palms and wrists.

As for brushing her teeth, that step had been skipped for years since her teeth had fallen out.

After washing her face, Shen Yi took the basin to empty it. Not a word was exchanged between them.

The love between an old couple was like air—unspoken but indispensable.

Breakfast was a pot of millet porridge. Shu Yunyi’s stomach was weak, and the porridge was easy to digest. Shen Yi fed her a small bowl.

After breakfast, it was their routine to go out for a walk and bask in the sunlight.

Before leaving, Shen Yi wrapped a scarf around Shu Yunyi and placed a round felt hat on her head to shield her from the wind.

Shu Yunyi leaned on Shen Yi with one hand and held a cane with the other, walking slowly out the door.

In recent years, Shu Yunyi’s legs had become less agile, but she refused to use a wheelchair, insisting on walking. Shen Yi let her have her way.

Along the way, many greeted them, and Shen Yi nodded and smiled in return.

Their love story was well-known, making them local celebrities. Almost everyone in the neighborhood recognized them.

With her limited mobility, they didn’t go far. When they reached the small garden, Shen Yi carefully placed a cushion on the edge of a flowerbed for Shu Yunyi to sit and rest.

Under the bright sunlight, amidst the trees and flowers.

Shen Yi circled around, then pulled out his phone and knelt down in front of Shu Yunyi.

“Yunyi, this angle is nice. Let me take a few photos of you.”

“Alright.”

Shu Yunyi placed her cane across her knees, instinctively smoothing her hair before smiling in agreement.

“Tilt your head a little…”

“Place your left hand on the flower. Your hands are beautiful.”

“Don’t look at me. Gaze into the distance. Yes, that’s it. Hold still…”

Shen Yi adjusted the angle of his phone, offering suggestions as he went.

Shu Yunyi sat among the flowers, her expression soft, her smile warm and radiant.

After taking the photos, Shen Yi joined her, and together they examined the pictures on the phone, selecting a few they liked.

Then they exchanged a smile, the brilliant sunlight casting a halo of happiness around them.

A day can feel both long and short.

In old age, life becomes routine, and decades pass in the blink of an eye.

After dinner, they prepared to retire for the night.

Shu Yunyi sat on the sofa, watching videos of their travels from their younger days, her face filled with nostalgia. She chuckled softly at the memorable moments.

Shen Yi brought over a bucket of warm water, knelt down, and removed her shoes and socks to soak her feet.

“How’s the water temperature?”

“It’s perfect, just right.”

Shu Yunyi replied without taking her eyes off the tablet, as if she could never get enough of the memories.

After rolling up her pant legs, Shen Yi stood and went to the kitchen to wash the dinner dishes. If he didn’t, the cold weather would leave them frozen by morning.

Once done, Shen Yi dried his hands and returned to the living room. Shu Yunyi had put down the tablet and was resting on the sofa with her eyes closed.

Shen Yi quietly turned up the heater a notch.

He knelt by Shu Yunyi and tested the water temperature. As soon as he touched her feet, he frowned in concern.

“Yunyi, why are your feet still so cold?”

“You’ve been soaking for so long, but they’re still not warm. Let me add some hot water.”

Just then, Shu Yunyi, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and grabbed Shen Yi’s hand.

“No… it’s fine.”

"Ah Yi, don't... don't go. I have something to say to you."

Her eyes were filled with longing, her voice faltering.

Shen Yi seemed to sense something, his expression turning solemn in an instant. He clasped her nearly lifeless hands tightly and said,

"I won't leave. I'm right here."

Shu Yunyi's eyes widened as she stared intently at Shen Yi. As soon as the words left her lips, cloudy tears streamed down her face.

"I... I'm leaving...."

"I'm not afraid of death, but I can't bear to part with you... You... You're still so young. After I'm gone... you should find someone else."

She was old and frail, while Shen Yi was only in his sixties, with many years ahead of him. The facade he had maintained had fooled their daughter, Shen Jinyao, but not her.

The life of a widower was a lonely one, and she couldn't be selfish enough to keep Shen Yi bound to her memory.

"You're going to be fine. Hang on, I'll take you to the hospital right away."

Shen Yi ignored her words, staying by her side without a moment's pause, comforting her in a gentle voice.

"Don't trouble yourself...."

"Without anyone by your side, you'll be so lonely...."

Shu Yunyi's voice was filled with endless regret as she closed her eyes and breathed her last.

She lay there as if peacefully asleep. Shen Yi stood frozen, as if unable to process what had just happened, unsure of how to react.

Shu Yunyi's face no longer carried the radiant smile she had once worn atop Mount Yuhuang, but when Shen Yi closed his eyes, he could still see her tear-streaked face, her eyes brimming with hope as she had said to him, "It's too late for regrets now."

Now, she had passed away, her face deeply lined with wrinkles, her lips dry and thin. Only her frail, bony hands still clutched Shen Yi's, refusing to let go even in death.

Shen Yi stood motionless like a statue, as if turning into an inanimate object might ease the pain in his heart.

After a long while, he finally reached out to gently stroke her brow and whispered,

"I have no regrets."

Only then did he pull out his phone and call his daughter.

"Jinyao... your mother is gone. Come home."

"What?!"

A cry of shock came from the other end of the line, followed by the sound of something falling and shattering.