Our first encounter reminded me of thousands of peonies in full bloom, fervent and vivid; or just as the sweet aroma given off by orchids, serene, far-reaching and unforgettable. The hearthrob and wonder brought by the first encounter, and the imagination and reverie it left behind hardly loosened its hold on me. I could still memorize the person’s look at the first sight, and for some time, I would believe that without her, all the rest of my life would be spent in void. What if life is full of fun, but there is nobody to share?
However, due to many facts like war, and that nothing can be easily foreseeable, destiny does not always turn out as it is supposed to be, and the selfishness and foolishness we harbor, we can hardly renew our encounter after the first meeting. However, life is not all about longing and melancholy. Once departed and as long as we live our own lives, we are too preoccupied with life’s trivia to spend time and energy recalling the wonder or regret of the old days. Both of us may meet each other at the God’s mercy when we are very old, or until it is too late. The moment we meet each other, the bright aspect of life has already been replaced by a bleak look. Both of us are surged with a lost feeling, only to lament the God can change a person’s look easily, and life’s springtime has gone with the flowing water and falling flowers. And for us, nothing can be brought back.
Our ancestors have invented quite a few sayings that can ease people’s mind, like Fate brings together people who are far apart. It makes many young men look to a happy life that lies ahead, believing the other part will show up even separated by thousands of miles, as decreed by providence. But at the same time, we find in the modern society more and more people without predestined relationship. They meet and depart forever.
Sometimes I doubt ancient romance. The couple fell into love with each other so readily—the girl did not have so many material terms whatsoever, and the boy was no more fussy with the girl’s look. When the marriage proposal came, the girl hid behind a folding screen to steal glances at the boy. If she thought the boy looked alright, she would not refuse to marry him. And romance was something that began after marriage, and life was as wonder; lifelong company came so natural, like the Chinese saying The man should be monolith, and woman should be reed. Reed is as lithe as silk, and monolith is never to shift.
Just consider why the modern man differs from his ancestors so greatly. The much bigger outside world may be a reason. The more choices, the fewer people ready to value. That’s why If life remains as it looked at the first sight has roused vibe among so many people.
I would rather believe the old saying Decade’s hardships could be exchanged for an occasion for travel in the same boat. Century’s tribulations could be in return for the marriage of the two. The encounter between two people is never easy, and to appreciate each other is even more difficult. If passiveness and arrogance stands in the way, and diffidence makes one hesitate and retreat forever, or otherwise, if it is a cynical attitude without cherishing that makes a romantic story never take place, one will spend the rest of his life in remorse. Even these two people meet again many years afterwards, with all the old days being brought back in memory and the mind fraught with bitterness and sorrow, it is too late to show regret and rewind the time, for time has changed everything. It reminds me of Eighteen Springs in which Manzhen meets Shijun over a decade later, when finding fortune had played such a cruel trick on them, she wept “Nothing will look the same again!”.
Circumstances change with the passage of time, and things are never the same again. Time has made everything look insignificant. You are only left with a gentle asking: “So…it is you?”
Youth is so short-lived that we grow old very quickly. So let’s stay in full alert, and never let it pass.