The Early Spring - Extra Chapter 15

Side Story 15 - Nian Tao

Luan Nian had been a bastard since he was a young boy.

The moment anyone provoked him, a fierce hostility would ignite within him. When other children fought, they merely pushed and shoved one another—brawls that seemed completely harmless. He was different; whenever he got into a fight, he would pin the other kid to the ground and strike their head with heavy force.

In that small Jiangnan town, the five- or six-year-old Luan Nian was a name that made people turn pale at its very mention. When elders disciplined their children, they would almost always tack on a final warning: "Stay far away from Luan Nian," or, "Don't mess with Luan Nian."

As a child who was strictly off-limits to provoke, Luan Nian often came and went all by himself. He didn't mind it in the least; being on his own suited him just fine, and he had no desire to play with those kids anyway. He found their constant throwing of tantrums extraordinarily bizarre.

His absolute favorite thing to do was curl up inside his grandfather's study.

His grandfather knew how to paint, having studied under famous masters in his youth. Seeing that Luan Nian took a liking to it, he taught him how to paint as well. Even from a young age, Luan Nian possessed the rare ability to sit perfectly still, often remaining rooted in place for half a day. Everyone called him an oddball—astonished that a boy so combative could also sit so quietly.

Luan Nian lacked compassion from an early age. He simply could not comprehend why people harbored such intense, overflowing emotions. Sometimes while walking through the small town, he would see someone sitting by the roadside weeping bitterly over some misfortune, with well-informed onlookers sitting nearby wiping away tears; he would merely knit his brows, finding the entire scene thoroughly baffling.

A person like him seemed to have never experienced a real childhood.

It was only after meeting Shang Zhitao that he began to pay attention. He rarely gave a second glance to anyone before, but perhaps it was the manner of Shang Zhitao's arrival that rubbed him the wrong way. She had displayed virtually zero bright spots during her phone interview, yet Tracy had given her the green light. Luan Nian was curious as to why the habitually impartial Tracy would grant a green light to such an ordinary person. Thus, he attributed his focus on Shang Zhitao entirely to the way she had appeared in his life.

For the first time in his life, he paid extraordinary attention to an individual.

He exerted immense pressure on her, harboring a complex mindset he couldn't even explain to himself—he wanted to see just when this girl would give up. Yet she was far too resilient; timid and perpetually anxious as she was, she possessed an admirable, stubborn tenacity. She simply refused to admit defeat easily.

How could a person like this exist?

Clumsy, yet carrying a touch of endearment; timid, yet occasionally flying into a bristling rage; plain and ordinary, yet unexpectedly exuding a breathtaking beauty she herself was entirely unaware of.

Back in that tea restaurant in Guangzhou, when he caught sight of her snow-white, translucent skin and that softly blushing face, a man's wild, primal instincts were abruptly awakened within him.

Gradually, he came to discover that "getting along with someone could actually feel comfortable." He possessed only a handful of bosom friends, keeping everyone else at a firm distance. Even when dating, he loathed being micromanaged or overly fussed over. He detested restraint. When interacting with others, he was fastidious and notoriously fussy; if others disliked him, he disliked them right back, making it exceedingly difficult for him to find a comfortable state of companionship. Shang Zhitao, however, lacked sharp edges—she simply bloomed quietly on her own, never forcing her will on others, nor driving herself into a dead-end wall.

Luan Nian felt that this effortless, comfortable dynamic was delightfully novel.

Further down the line, Luan Nian slowly began to understand what it meant to feel genuine heartache for someone. Her life was a chaotic mess, yet she was always smiling. It was as though all those hardships were nothing more than clearing levels in a video game to her. Even if she lost a round, she could simply restart from the beginning, and she could afford the loss. Whenever she was bullied by shady rental agents, harassed by creeps, or used by her colleagues, Luan Nian couldn't help but think: Even a person like her is someone you bastards would lay your filthy hands on—are you people even human?

What kind of person was "a person like her"? She was probably someone like Shang Zhitao—forever sunny, earnest, and pure-hearted.

Luan Nian knew he was a bastard.

Ever since he was a child, he had been cold-blooded, violent, and utterly clueless about love. For someone like Shang Zhitao, a bastard like him was truly a calamity. Luan Nian had never possessed much of a conscience, yet he found himself harboring a profound sense of guilt toward Shang Zhitao.

To people he didn't care about, what kind of person he was or how atrocious his personality happened to be didn't matter in the slightest—because their paths rarely, if ever, crossed, so it couldn't inflict any real harm upon them. But Shang Zhitao was different; they had spent so much time together, and she had suffered greatly because of it.

Luan Nian came to realize this step by step. He was deeply grateful to Shang Zhitao for loving him, for love had transformed him.

At one point, a word flashed through Luan Nian's mind: "redemption."

Those tiny, seemingly insignificant matters back then had gradually accumulated, filling up a person's hollow shell until he became a man of flesh, blood, and genuine emotion—it felt like a complete redemption.

From the very beginning, she was special.

From the very beginning, he was terrible.

Later on, as Luan Nian observed the way Song Qiuhan and Lin Chun'er interacted with each other, he slowly came to understand where the problem lay between himself and Shang Zhitao.

Loving someone was never something to be ashamed of; it ought to be brought out openly and proudly into the light. One should truly appreciate and respect their partner, communicating on equal footing. Yet he had been dead wrong from start to finish.

Luan Nian was willing to learn, and he was profoundly grateful that Shang Zhitao was willing to grant him the chance. All dazzling, beautiful things would eventually settle into the quiet rhythm of ordinary life, whereas precious inner qualities would shine forever. Shang Zhitao was precisely that person who would forever radiate light, and in the culmination of the first half of his life, Luan Nian had finally found his very own old-fashioned romance and tenderness.

If he were given a second chance, he would stand by her side during all those pivotal moments and say to her: "You are truly amazing. Keep going."

Keep going, Shang Zhitao.

And... stop feeling ashamed of how things started between us—I was the one who fell in love with you first.

When little Nian Tao reached thirteen months old, she fell ill for the very first time in her life.

Luan Nian was away on a business trip that day, while Shang Zhitao was out meeting a client. Doctor Liang called Shang Zhitao and said to her: "Don't panic, okay? I've already tried physical cooling methods on her, but her fever will probably fluctuate. I just felt I had to let you know."

"I understand, Mom."

Returning from her client meeting, Shang Zhitao drove straight home. Upon arriving, she saw little Nian Tao with a fever cooling patch stuck to her forehead, lying flat on top of Luke. Perhaps because Luke's fur was soft and warm, she was hugging Luke's neck to comfort him, mimicking the words adults usually said to her: "Good boy." Her words were still slurred and garbled, and drool was still trickling from her lips.

Luan Mingrui sat off to the side with an unsightly expression, clearly fuming with anger.

"What's wrong?" Shang Zhitao quietly asked Doctor Liang.

"Pay no mind to him," Doctor Liang said. "He wanted to rush Nian Tao to the hospital, but I refused. I'm a doctor myself—what is he adding to the chaos for!"

"Ah, I see."

Shang Zhitao washed her hands and picked up little Nian Tao, who was actually quite delighted to see her: "Mama, Mama!"

"Are you feeling sick, sweetie?"

Little Nian Tao patted her own forehead and pointed at her grandmother: "Nai-nai."

"Oh, Grandma took care of you! Mama understands. Then shouldn't you thank Grandma for taking care of you?"

"Thank you." Nian Tao clasped her tiny hands together, waving them toward her grandmother.

"And Grandpa too!" Shang Zhitao reminded her.

"Thank you."

The little girl's speech was slurred, making that "thank you" sound exceedingly funny and strange. Luan Mingrui burst into a smile, then let out a light hmph. He was still thoroughly displeased about not taking the child to the hospital for X-rays.

By midnight, Nian Tao's fever indeed flared up again. Shang Zhitao was busily attending to her according to Doctor Liang's instructions to bring down her temperature when she suddenly heard Luke bark. Luan Nian was back.

Carrying the chilly chill of the night air from outside, he shed his overcoat on the ground floor, crouched down, and spoke to Luke: "Why aren't you asleep yet? You're getting up there in years—don't stay up late."

"Woo-woo-woo." Luke barked back stubbornly, as if arguing that he wasn't staying up late.

Luan Nian chuckled and pinched his dog face firmly: "Let's go check on your little sister. She's sick."

Heading upstairs, he first washed his face and hands and changed his clothes, waiting until every last trace of the cold air had completely dissipated before walking over to little Nian Tao's crib: "Running a fever again?"

"Yes."

"You go sleep; I'll keep watch over her."

"It's fine, tomorrow is the weekend anyway."

Shang Zhitao measured little Nian Tao's forehead temperature; seeing it had dropped slightly, she breathed a minor sigh of relief.

"Didn't you say you were coming back tomorrow?" Shang Zhitao pulled Luan Nian down to lie beside her, draping her arms and legs across his body.

"Once things wrapped up, I came back early." Luan Nian held her cold feet in his hands to warm them up: "Go to sleep."

"Okay."

Though Shang Zhitao said okay, her eyes remained closed for a long time. Sensing Luan Nian's arm move—likely reaching over to check Nian Tao's temperature—she let out a soft laugh: "The two of us are truly hopeless!"

"You're the hopeless one; don't drag me into it."

"Then why aren't you sleeping? Aren't you just nervous about Nian Tao?"

"I'm simply not sleepy."

Luan Nian was stubbornly defensive as always, a habit Shang Zhitao had long gotten used to. She simply sat up and stared straight at him.

"What?"

"Someone has a crush on me."

"?" Luan Nian let out a disdainful scoff.

"I'm serious." Shang Zhitao found it quite baffling herself—she was married and had even given birth to a child, yet she still managed to attract unwanted romantic entanglements. At first, she merely felt this particular client was being overly enthusiastic, until daytime today when he suddenly pulled out a jewelry box and handed it to her. Shang Zhitao naturally turned it down, but Lumi had urged her: "Tell your husband right away! Give that donkey a sense of crisis!"

"Mm. And so?" Luan Nian asked her.

"So I'm actually in high demand." Shang Zhitao's expression was exceptionally earnest. If Lumi were to know that Luan Nian still wore this deadpan face, she would definitely say: Your husband is beyond all doubt facial-paralysis material.

"Congratulations on still possessing charm as you enter middle age." Luan Nian sat up as well and asked her: "Just this one?"

"...How many else were you expecting?"

"Seven or eight, or maybe ten—as many as my own romantic admirers?" Luan Nian naturally knew that Shang Zhitao was trying to flex her appeal; at a time like this, he naturally refused to back down. He needed to let his wife know just how sought-after he was and take her down a peg or two. So he pulled out his phone and tossed it to Shang Zhitao: "Here, take a look."

Shang Zhitao didn't usually check Luan Nian's phone, but on this particular night, she suddenly found herself harboring a bit of curiosity. Picking it up, she said to Luan Nian: "I'm looking then—I'm really looking!"

Luan Nian raised his eyebrows: "Knock yourself out."

Shang Zhitao tapped it open. Luan Nian's phone was honestly quite boring, but he had pinned her chat window right at the top, followed by the "We All Love Nian Tao" group and the "Tao-Tao's Family" group. The first group contained Da Zhai, Old Shang, Doctor Liang, Father Luan, plus the two of them, filled entirely with records of Nian Tao's growth; the second group consisted of Luan Nian, Da Zhai, Old Shang, and Shang Zhitao. Further down were pinned work groups. Shang Zhitao continued scrolling downward with her finger, until she finally spotted something a little different. The girl's avatar was truly pretty; tapping it open, she saw that the girl had added Luan Nian as a friend and sent him a message: "Luke, I'm truly delighted to have met you. If there's an opportunity next time you visit Shanghai, I'd love to treat you to dinner individually. How about we sit by the Bund together at night?"

Luan Nian had replied: "No need. I'm married."

Shang Zhitao curled her lips. Scrolling further down, she saw five or six girls like that. Tossing the phone back to Luan Nian, she let out a light hmph. Luan Nian pressed his advantage, adding: "Those are just the ones I haven't blocked yet. Care to check my block list?"

"You just have to win, don't you?"

"It wouldn't look good to lose a contest like this, would it?"

Luan Nian was completely aboveboard; he never bothered telling Shang Zhitao about the temptations he encountered because there was simply no need to. He handled every temptation cleanly and decisively, leaving the other party zero opportunity. When traveling on business, he was swamped with work, but the moment he returned to his hotel, he would work out and read books; once work concluded, he would head straight home at the very first instance, unwilling to linger until the next day even if it meant traveling in the dead of night. When not traveling, he would head home early right after stepping off work, because his heart was set on seeing Nian Tao as soon as possible. He didn't expect Shang Zhitao to arrive home early; her branch company had just gotten off the ground, and being able to stay home on weekends was already a rare luxury.

Seeing that Shang Zhitao's pouting lips had yet to relax, he deliberately teased her: "What's wrong? Unconvinced after being defeated in battle?"

"This isn't fair—I only have one."

"Your brain really has a glitch sometimes. Is this something you measure by quantity?" Luan Nian let out a scoff, completely forgetting that he was the one who insisted on comparing just moments ago: "It's not worth boasting about at all. Any confession that can't be turned into a real story is nothing more than an interlude that can be edited out at any time. If you try to compete with me over stuff like this..." Luan Nian paused for a beat: "...I'll wring your neck."

Throughout their lives, they would undoubtedly encounter countless temptations. Being in a continuous state of marriage could screen out a portion of them, yet there would still remain those who were persistent, harboring impure motives, seeking thrills, or simply playing around with relationships. It was impossible to keep the other person tethered to one's side, constantly domesticating and policing each other until their true selves were lost.

Tapping his fingertip against her forehead, he pushed her back down onto the pillow: "Go to sleep." Turning around, he reached out to feel Nian Tao; her fever had broken by now, and she was no longer whimpering in her sleep. Picking up her small water bottle, he called out softly: "Drink a little water, little Nian Tao." In her drowsy state, Nian Tao gulped down two mouthfuls of warm water, turned over, and drifted right back to sleep.

Only then did Luan Nian lie back down. Seeing that Shang Zhitao's eyes were still wide open, he pulled her into his embrace: "What's the matter?"

"With so many temptations coming your way, will there ever come a day when you fail to hold yourself back?"

"Yes," Luan Nian feigned a grave, serious tone. Shang Zhitao pinched his arm with all her might: "Say that again!"

Luan Nian let out a groan of pain, habitually pinching her cheek: "Who did you learn this pinching habit from?"

"Lumi."

Lumi had gotten into a fight with Will and pinched a huge purple bruise onto his arm. When she mentioned it to Shang Zhitao during the day, she even said: "Don't say I didn't warn you, it feels amazingly satisfying."

Those two truly talked about everything under the sun—whether it was raining, traffic jams, someone having an affair, or even ants fighting, they could chat about it for a few lines.

"Learn some good habits instead. Be selective when making friends too. Lumi's brain doesn't work right—don't let her lead you astray down the road."

"Nonsense!" Shang Zhitao scolded him for talking nonsense, snuggled into his chest, and closed her eyes to sleep. She was utterly exhausted too; hearing that Nian Tao was sick during the day had worried her to death. She had rushed back in a frantic hurry, spent time until past ten o'clock persuading her parents-in-law to leave, and then continuously tended to Nian Tao. Only after her child fell ill this once did she truly understand what a mother feared most—a sick child. With Luan Nian back, her heart finally settled a little, allowing her to finally fall asleep.

During the night, she was vaguely aware of Luan Nian getting up multiple times. When she opened her eyes the next morning, she saw Luan Nian leaning against the headboard asleep, cradling Nian Tao in his arms. Shang Zhitao tiptoed downstairs, took Luke out for a walk, and then set to work preparing breakfast for them.

Luan Nian didn't like having strangers around, and he still didn't enjoy eating meals prepared by others. The housekeeper only came daily to clean up before leaving. Shang Zhitao had never thrown a fit at Luan Nian over this; marriage was a journey of spiritual cultivation, requiring mutual understanding and accommodation. She accommodated Luan Nian's quirky, difficult temper, while Luan Nian accommodated her hard work. Slowly but surely, life would yield a heavy, rewarding harvest.

Shang Zhitao was still terrible at cooking, so she simply fried some eggs and steak. The salt and pepper sprinkled over the fried eggs had been toasted beforehand by Luan Nian, and the sauce for the steak was also something he had prepared earlier. For breakfast, Nian Tao had tomato and egg noodles—cooked with minimal oil and salt and sprinkled with shredded seaweed. The rest of the small snacks were items Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian had baked together previously, packed into a small snack box with just a tiny bit remaining. Luke's meal consisted of freeze-dried chicken and dog kibble prepared earlier.

By the time she finished preparing the meal, both Luan Nian and Nian Tao were awake. Luan Nian led little Nian Tao—who was still toddling unsteadily on her feet—down from the elevator. Seeing Shang Zhitao, Nian Tao was overjoyed, releasing Luan Nian's hand and running toward her: "Mama, Mama!"

"Are you still running a fever?" Shang Zhitao felt her forehead; the little creature's fever had completely subsided.

Luan Nian walked over to the dining table. Seeing that Shang Zhitao had prepared breakfast, he cut a piece of steak and popped it into his mouth—brilliant, well done, utterly overcooked.

"Is it good?" Shang Zhitao asked him.

He recalled one of the core essences of marriage he had summarized in the past—mutual appreciation—and thus gave a subtle nod: "Delicious. You should eat more." Turning his gaze to Nian Tao's breakfast, the noodles seemed decent enough.

The three people and one dog enjoyed their respective meals. Little Nian Tao ate her food as if engaging in a brawl; by the time the meal concluded, half of the noodles had landed inside her bib, with food clinging to her hands and face. Finding it hilarious, she even attempted to smear the leftover bits onto her hair and neck. Hearing Shang Zhitao scold her, she merely giggled, assuming her mother was playing a game with her!

Shang Zhitao was a bit exasperated: "Little Nian Tao, your habits are extremely bad. You're wasting food and intentionally getting yourself filthy."

"Could you take care of yourself entirely when you were a little over one year old?" Luan Nian grew displeased, scooping Nian Tao up from the dining chair: "Besides, she's still sick!" He was talking utter nonsense—little Nian Tao's illness had come quickly and gone just as fast; she was already completely recovered.

Nian Tao understood, curling her lips at Luan Nian as if saying: Mama is so mean.

Shang Zhitao was thoroughly infuriated by the pair of them, glaring at Luan Nian: "Don't keep spoiling her like this—rules must be established from an early age."

"Mom and Dad said nobody set rules for you when you were little; you just grew up doing as you pleased."

"Nonsense..."

"How about I tell Mom and Dad that you scolded Nian Tao just because she got herself dirty while eating on her own?"

"..."

Luan Nian winked at Nian Tao: "Come on, Daddy will take you to soak in a warm bath. As for you, getting dirty while eating doesn't matter, but you definitely can't run a fever again today."

Shang Zhitao felt Luan Nian was doting on the child far too excessively. Following behind them, she still wanted to add a word or two, when Luan Nian suddenly came to a halt at the elevator entrance. Turning back, he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead: "Don't be jealous."

Implying that Shang Zhitao was only scolding Nian Tao out of jealousy toward her—it was truly infuriating. Luan Nian looked rather pleased with himself, using his foot to block the elevator door: "Not coming up?"

"Oh."

The two of them undressed Nian Tao and placed her into the bathtub. Nian Tao was ecstatic, intentionally slapping her tiny palms against the water. Hearing Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian let out exaggerated cries of "Oh my!", her laughter grew even merrier. Shang Zhitao wiped away the water droplets on her face, no longer wearing the stern expression of a strict mother. The two of them played in the water with little Nian Tao, splashing water everywhere.

It soaked Shang Zhitao's clothes as well.

Glancing sideways, Luan Nian caught sight of her lace bra showing through her damp white t-shirt, his eyes darkening noticeably. Wrapping Nian Tao in a bath towel, Shang Zhitao noticed Luan Nian's expression, covered Nian Tao's eyes with her hand, leaned over to kiss his lips, and quickly drew back.

Nian Tao assumed Shang Zhitao was playing peek-a-boo with her, pretending to cover her own eyes before uncovering them, even letting out a sound: "Nao!" Unable to pronounce "peek-a-boo."

...

After Doctor Liang and Luan Mingrui arrived, he took Shang Zhitao to the supermarket for groceries. As the car approached the supermarket, it suddenly veered off course. Shang Zhitao was stunned for a moment: "Where are we going?"

Luan Nian remained silent, driving all the way to a resort hotel before telling Shang Zhitao: "Get out of the car."

"Our home is literally ten kilometers away," Shang Zhitao reminded him.

"There are people at home."

"Oh."

Luan Nian had been away on a week-long business trip, and the previous week coincided with Shang Zhitao's period; he felt he couldn't wait until nightfall. And when night came, he didn't dare make a sound, always feeling that something was lacking.

He was a little eager, his teeth alighting upon her chest. Hearing Shang Zhitao let out a delightfully tender hum, a wave of complete, exhilarating relief washed over him. Neither of them had enjoyed such uninhibited freedom in a long time; in an instant, it felt as though they had returned to the days before Shang Zhitao gave birth—perhaps even better than back then.

Life was always a chaotic mess, yet having such moments of wild indulgence once in a while felt unexpectedly like a reward. Both of them loved it this way. Luan Nian asked her in a soft voice: "Want to go on a trip?"

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes."

He felt they needed a brief escape—even if it was just for two or three days—where they thought about nothing at all and simply stayed together. That would surely be wonderful.

"What about Nian Tao?" Shang Zhitao raised a very realistic question.

"Leave her behind."

Luan Nian spoke those words, and he acted accordingly. On the following weekend, he flew Shang Zhitao south to the place where he was born. Shang Zhitao lacked composure; even as the plane was taking off, she was still asking Luan Nian: "Will Nian Tao blame us? Will Luke miss us?"

"You're only granting yourself three days of vacation a year, and you're still hesitating and worrying about everything?"

Deeply as Luan Nian loved Nian Tao, he nevertheless craved one-on-one time with Shang Zhitao. The grandparents on both sides were exceptionally fond of Nian Tao, leaving him completely at ease. He simply felt that every year, they ought to have those two or three days strictly to themselves—just like in the past, without a single care in the world, doing whatever they pleased and abstaining from whatever they didn't.

The small town where Luan Nian was born was no longer what it used to be.

Over the years, he occasionally returned once or twice during Qingming Festival to sweep tombs and honor his ancestors; each time he returned, he felt the city had put on new clothes once again. Only that single ancient street alongside the river retained traces of bygone days. Luan Nian's paternal grandmother lived at one end of the ancient street, while his maternal grandmother lived at the other end.

Hand in hand, the two of them strolled leisurely along the ancient street as Luan Nian recounted his childhood to Shang Zhitao. He seemed to have had virtually no childhood to speak of—the things he mentioned now were nothing more than fighting with that kid or climbing trees over there; for the most part, he had spent his childhood coming and going entirely alone. Because he was so anti-social, Doctor Liang had wept in secret many times.

Yet he loved painting and could sit still. His grandfather taught him to paint and even praised his natural talent.

However, what left the deepest impression on Luan Nian—aside from all of that—was the curling smoke rising from kitchen chimneys along the ancient street every evening, and the fragrant aroma of home-cooked meals wafting through the cracks of people's front doors.

Listening to Luan Nian ramble on about his past, Shang Zhitao felt his childhood was quiet and mature beyond his years, whereas hers was noisy and innocent. Yet people inevitably undergo various changes over the course of time. Just like life itself, it wouldn't remain earth-shattering forever, slowly settling down into tranquility.

And what was most precious of all was that after everything returned to tranquility, we were still willing to go on occasional adventures—going on adventures together with that special someone. This became Shang Zhitao's absolute favorite part.

That evening, as they sat by the window of their hotel room watching the bustling crowd come and go outside, Luan Nian like a magician produced a small cake with two candles stuck into it. Shang Zhitao stared at it for two seconds before remembering that today was actually her birthday.

Time was passing far too quickly—so quickly that a person who used to flip through the calendar eagerly anticipating her birthday would now actually forget it altogether.

Luan Nian stood up: "Allow me to perform a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' for Ms. Shang Zhitao." Swaying his body slightly to keep beat for himself, he sang a delightfully playful birthday song. Shang Zhitao giggled uncontrollably at his antics, suddenly recalling that year when he sang on stage.

What exactly time had changed in them was something neither of them could put into words.

Looking at each other at this moment, both harbored a sense that the dust had finally settled.

"Make a wish," Luan Nian said to her. Shang Zhitao pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a devout wish. The wish was tiny yet deeply earnest—the thing she craved most from the bottom of her heart after weathering all those years.

"What did you wish for?" Luan Nian asked her.

Shang Zhitao smiled faintly: "May every year have a day like today."

In the year they first met, the distance between them was far too vast; she loved him with humility, never daring to extravagantly pray for a future. It was time that bestowed upon them hardship and the courage to charge forward against all odds; bestowed upon them chaos and a clear conscience to pursue innocence; bestowed upon them the bittersweet joys and sorrows of separation and reunion; bestowed upon them rainy days, and bestowed upon them clear skies.

The present was truly wonderful.

May every year have a day like today for us.

And may everyone possess a bright, clear early spring of their very own.

(The End)