When she first met me, I had nothing.
No money, no house, and I couldn't even talk clearly about the future. I remember the day we went on a date; I took her a long way just to eat that discounted beef noodle. She smiled and said walking was nice, so we could chat longer. I looked down at her slightly reddened face from the sun and felt a pang in my nose.
She never asked me how much money I made; she only asked if I was tired today. She didn’t ask me to give her gifts; she just gave me a handwritten notebook on my birthday, filled with every one of my dreams.
We have argued, cried, and almost broken up. But every time, she never let go of my hand. She wasn’t unaware of my unreliability; she simply believed that one day I would become reliable.
At that time, I finally understood what true love is: it’s not just adding flowers to a brocade, but providing warmth in the snow; it’s not waiting until you become successful to get close, but being willing to squat down with you when you are at your lowest.
So later, I worked desperately to make money, not to prove anything to anyone, but to fulfill the unwavering trust she had in me back then.
I have done many part-time jobs, stayed up late writing drafts, run business errands, and swallowed humiliation. I told myself—no grievances should reach her; all the pressure, I will bear. She suffered with me, and I can never let her suffer for a lifetime.
She once accompanied me to eat instant noodles by candlelight in a rented room; now I want to take her to see the aurora, eat truffles, and stay in a sea-view suite. It’s not that material things are that important, but because she was willing to share poverty with me, I must let her enjoy glory too.
Some women are the ones you want to pursue after you start making money; but some women are the ones you work hard to earn a living for, just to be worthy of them.
She is the gentleness I owe the most in this life, and she is the promise I want to fulfill the most.
So don’t ask me why I work so hard, because behind me is a woman who never urges me to succeed but is willing to walk through failures with me.
She gave me her entire youth, and I will repay her with the rest of my life.
