A widower's entertainment

Chapter 349 [The Mystery of Love] (Please Subscribe)
Decheng, Chunfeng Primary School.

As usual, life was uneventful. After finishing her classes at school, Li Aihong prepared to go home.

On her way home, she would still pass through Chunfeng Lane and pass by Lin Youcheng's old house.

However, Li Aihong's complicated emotions have now disappeared.

Li Aihong also heard that Lin Youcheng had gotten married in Beijing, but she didn't care much because she already knew that she was just one of those unfamiliar readers who wrote to Lin Youcheng.

There was no real relationship between them; she simply enjoyed the literary stories written by Lin Youcheng.

Of course, she herself got married, and her husband was not the literary talent she had imagined, but a colleague who worked in the neighborhood office.

They met through a matchmaker and went on a blind date. Li Aihong didn't know why she agreed, but they ended up together without realizing it.

Of course, Li Aihong still loves literature, and when she passes by bookstores and newsstands, she will still flip through the latest issue of literary magazines.

"Teacher Li, you've arrived?"

"The latest issue of People's Literature magazine has arrived, and this issue also includes a novel by Lin Youcheng."

Hearing the newsstand owner's words, Li Aihong was pleasantly surprised and also very much looking forward to it. She walked over immediately, curious about what story Lin Youcheng had written this time.

Li Aihong picked up the latest issue of "People's Literature" magazine, flipped through it, and sure enough, Lin Youcheng's name was on the table of contents page.

"If Love Has a Destiny" - Lin Youcheng.

What if love is preordained?

Li Aihong looked at the novel's title with some surprise; it was quite unusual. She bought the magazine and left, even if this issue of *People's Literature* hadn't published Lin Youcheng's novel, she would still have bought it.

After returning home, Li Aihong cooked for her husband and waited for him to come back before they ate together. After dinner, they chatted and laughed for a while. When her husband had to go out, Li Aihong started reading the latest issue of "People's Literature" magazine.

Of course, the first thing I read was Lin Youcheng's article, "If Love Has a Destiny".

What literary youth wouldn't love Lin Youcheng's novels and look forward to his new ones?

Li Aihong flipped through the pages of "If Love Has a Destiny," gradually becoming immersed in it, and then she came across the love story of Lin Xi and Lin Xi's mother, Song Qingyue...

She watched, watching until Song Qingyue, in order to bid farewell to her lover Zhou He who was about to go to the battlefield, weaved through the crowded train station, searching hopefully through window after window, hoping to see her lover Zhou He's face in the next window.

But it wasn't him. Song Qingyue kept searching and searching, never giving up, until she finally saw the face she had been longing for.

Song Qingyue frantically pounded on the car window, calling Zhou He's name again and again with tears in her eyes, hoping that Zhou He would turn around and look at her, but unfortunately, Zhou He resolutely did not turn around.

Just then, the train was about to leave, and Song Qingyue kept repeating: You must live! Promise me! Promise me...

As Li Aihong watched this scene, the image seemed to appear before her eyes. With the train's whistle blaring a sharp, long cry, the train began to move forward step by step. Song Qingyue couldn't help but quicken her pace, pounding even more urgently on the train window, pleading with her lover Zhou He, her cries growing more heart-wrenching with each plea: "Promise me! Promise me! Promise me..."

Li Aihong's eyes welled up with tears without her realizing it, and she was deeply moved. She didn't know what the fate of Song Qingyue and Zhou He would be, but she had a bad feeling, just like when she first watched "Under the Hawthorn Tree." She felt a great unease for Song Qingyue and Zhou He.

Because she felt that if Zhou He and Song Qingyue were together, then Song Qingyue's daughter should have the surname Zhou, not Lin.

Li Aihong continued reading this love story, or rather, these two love stories. She hadn't expected Lin Youcheng's love story to be so moving, flowing gently through her heart like a stream, making it impossible for her to stop reading.

Li Aihong clearly felt the love between Song Qingyue and Zhou He in the story, so pure and beautiful, without any impurities. Their innocent encounter in the countryside touched her heart.

As time passed, Li Aihong continued reading this captivating story, unable to put it down, and kept watching the rest of the story.

As Li Aihong knew, the story did not end well. Zhou He returned alive from the battlefield, but he went blind.

Li Aihong saw that Zhou Heming was blind, but he still pretended to be able to see, and looked at Song Qingyue with a smile, telling Song Qingyue that she was very beautiful.

Upon seeing this, Li Aihong could no longer hold back her tears, which flowed uncontrollably.

Li Aihong felt extremely distressed and moved. She thought of Zhou He risking his life on the battlefield to find the pendant, and how he pretended to see when he was blind, telling Song Qingyue that it was beautiful. She felt extremely distressed.

Thinking of all this, Li Aihong was moved to tears and cried uncontrollably.

Such love is so beautiful and so moving; how could it not touch one's heart and bring tears to one's eyes?

This Zhou He even reminded Li Aihong of Lao San in "Under the Hawthorn Tree". Zhou He is just like Lao San. Lao San always puts Jingqiu first. He is happy when she is happy and suffers more when she suffers. How many men in the world can love a woman to such an extent?
You should know that Lao San is a man who would rather die than go back on his word to his lover. Now that Zhou He is blind, he pretends to be fine, smiling as he tells Song Qingyue that he looks good, and even lies to Song Qingyue that he is already married.

Li Aihong watched it like that, and time passed by unnoticed. It was late at night when she finished watching "If Love Has a Destiny" in more than four hours without missing a single word. When Lin Xi finished telling her mother's story at the end, Zhou Weimin couldn't help but cry. Then, with red eyes, he took off a pendant from his neck—the necklace that Song Qingyue had given to Zhou He back then. The two of them smiled.

Clearly, this story is about love being destined in the end.

Li Aihong naturally understood the whole story and was deeply moved. Zhou He had gone blind, and to prevent Song Qingyue from knowing, he didn't realize that Song Qingyue had already noticed his blindness. Tears streamed down her face, but Zhou He couldn't see them falling. Later, Zhou He frantically tried to escape but fell to the ground. After learning that Zhou He was already married, Song Qingyue also married someone else and had a daughter, Lin Xi, the very first female protagonist of the novel.

As for the later flashbacks in the novel, it is mentioned that Zhou He died soon after, and that Zhou He actually married after Song Qingyue got married and had a son, who was Zhou Weimin, who later fell in love with Song Qingyue's daughter Lin Xi.

Li Aihong was deeply moved by this love story.

This feeling is different from Lin Youcheng's previous novels "Atonement" and "The Reader". It is more like the first time I read Lin Youcheng's "Under the Hawthorn Tree".

Just like Li Aihong's emotional reaction, it can be said that countless readers across the country were moved to tears by Lin Youcheng's "If Love Has a Destiny" after its publication in the latest issue of People's Literature magazine.

It was like a sudden shower of love, falling on the hearts of countless readers.

It's important to know that even in 1991, a year of economic development, there were still many young people who loved literature. After all, the era of "Long live literature, long live poetry, long live love" was not far away, and many readers still look forward to Lin Youcheng's new novel.

It was under such expectations that the latest issue of People's Literature magazine appeared before those readers, and Lin Youcheng's novel If Love Has a Destiny appeared. This was undoubtedly a huge surprise for these young readers who love literature.

After the initial surprise came the感动 (feeling of being moved).

Lin Youcheng's new novel after his marriage is called "If Love Has a Destiny". Domestic readers who love literature read Lin Youcheng's "If Love Has a Destiny" as soon as possible. They were all completely moved by this pure, beautiful and incredibly touching love story, and were moved to tears.

After all, no one expected that Lin Youcheng, the widower author, would still write such clean, pure, and moving love novels after getting married, and it could even be said that he had returned to the beautiful love of his original love trilogy.

The readers were completely immersed in the story. They never expected that Lin Youcheng would continue his love story after "The Reader," but in a different way, such a touching love story.

Readers were pleasantly surprised!

This film, "If Love Has a Destiny," is so beautiful and so moving, just like when they first read Lin Youcheng's "Under the Hawthorn Tree" and "Love Letter."

Like Lin Xi in the story, these readers, along with Lin Xi as she opened her mother's diary, also entered into that beautiful yet regrettable love story. Who would have thought that Lin Youcheng would write about a love story that intertwines the past and the present in such a way?

Although it also involves the interweaving of past and present timelines, Lin Youcheng has designed this time to be a love story spanning two generations.

Different stories, but the essence of love remains unchanged; it is still a pure and unforgettable love.

What shocked readers the most was that Zhou Weimin was actually Zhou He's son. It was such a coincidence that two generations fell in love again. Such love was truly like destiny.

The mystery of love is beyond words.

Clearly, even in 1991, the word "love" still resonated with people, let alone such a poetic kind of love.

The entire love story is so real and poetic. More importantly, Lin Youcheng's new love story is like a pure love from the past reappearing before the reader's eyes. Scene after scene unfolds, and the love between two generations that transcends time immerses literary and artistic young readers.

Zha Haisheng, a literary youth, said with emotion, "It has to be Lin Youcheng. He's really amazing when it comes to writing about love."

Hearing Zha Haisheng's words, his colleague nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, I never thought Lin Youcheng could write such a love story. It really felt like I was reading his first romance novel. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I almost cried a few times while reading it. I don't even know why I cried; I just couldn't control my emotions!"

Zha Haisheng had too many feelings in his heart, and said excitedly, "That's right, I couldn't help but feel moved. He is really good at writing about time and memory. Two generations record different time and space through diaries. The final pendant reveals Zhou Weimin's identity. Although I guessed it, I was still moved when I saw the ending."

In Zha Haisheng's view, this may be the meaning of the title of Lin Youcheng's novel, "If Love Has a Destiny." The word "fate" encompasses many inexplicable reasons. Fate is destiny, arrangement, predestination, and destiny.

Love is a mysterious thing, elusive and unpredictable, like the will of heaven.

Thinking about it, Zha Haisheng couldn't help but say, "His romance novel is so beautiful, like a poem. It's not fate, but poetry itself, as if it were a love poem that transcends time."

This is Zha Haisheng's true feeling. Just like when he watched Lin Youcheng's "The Untouchable Lover," he was very grateful that Lin Youcheng had not changed.

Nowadays, when people go into business, the word "money" is mentioned more and more, and discussions about poetry seem to be less and less. But he is glad that the love stories written by Lin Youcheng are still so moving, so pure, and so beautiful.

These complex feelings gave Zha Haisheng a conflicting urge to write a poem, a reflection on the romance novel "If Love Has a Destiny".

With these thoughts in mind, Zha Haisheng began to write: "If love is destined, please let me..."

Just as Zha Haisheng felt, many readers were moved by Lin Youcheng's "If Love Has a Destiny". They also have many feelings they want to express, perhaps about their own love stories, or perhaps about their parents' love stories. But no matter whose love it is, no matter when, no matter which generation, people who love each other will eventually love each other. This seems to be destiny, but it is also love itself.

This prompted some readers to continue writing letters to Lin Youcheng and to the People's Literature magazine, reflecting their deep longing and admiration for such a beautiful love story.

It can be said that whether it is the 1990s, the 21st century after the 1990s, or even the day of the end of the world, true and pure love will still be just as romantic and moving.

No matter when, people who love each other will always be together because of fate.

This is fate, a mysterious destiny.

Of course, readers were moved by the story written by Lin Youcheng, but the literary criticism community was not entirely moved; there were also voices of criticism and disappointment.

(End of this chapter)