The Paper Cranes in the Rain
When the boy and girl were experiencing their first love, the boy folded a thousand paper cranes for the girl, which he hung in her room. The boy told the girl that these thousand paper cranes represented his thousand heartfelt wishes. Back then, every moment the boy and girl spent was filled with the sweetness and happiness of being in love.
Later, the girl gradually distanced herself from the boy. She got married and moved to France, to Paris, a place that had appeared countless times in her dreams.
When the girl broke up with the boy, she said, "We must face reality. Marriage is like a second reincarnation for a woman, and I must seize every opportunity. You are too poor; it's hard for me to imagine our life together..."
After the girl went to France, the boy sold newspapers, worked temporary jobs, and did small trades. He put effort into every job he did. Many years passed, and with the help of friends and his own efforts, he finally owned his own company. He became wealthy, but he still couldn't forget the girl. One rainy day, while driving his black Audi, the boy saw an elderly couple walking slowly ahead. Recognizing them as the girl's parents, the boy decided to follow them. He wanted them to see that he not only owned a car but also a villa and a company, proving that he wasn't a pauper anymore but a young boss.
The boy drove slowly behind them as the rain continued. Even though the elderly couple had an umbrella, they were still soaked by the slanting rain. Upon reaching their destination, the boy was stunned—it was a cemetery. There, he saw the girl’s tombstone, her ceramic portrait smiling sweetly at him. Hanging on a thin wire next to the small grave were strings of paper cranes, looking vivid in the drizzle.
The girl's parents informed the boy that she never went to Paris. She had cancer and had gone to heaven. The girl hoped that the boy would succeed and have a warm home, which was why she made such a decision. She understood the boy well and believed he would definitely achieve success. She had said that if one day the boy came to visit her grave, please bring some paper cranes with him.
Kneeling down before the girl's grave, tears streamed down the boy's face. The Qingming Festival rain showed no sign of stopping, soaking him completely. The boy remembered the girl's innocent smile from many years ago, and his heart began to bleed drop by drop. As the elderly couple walked out of the cemetery, they saw the boy standing nearby, the door of the Audi already opened for them.
From the car's sound system came a mournful song: "My heart, without regret, over and over again, all for you. A thousand paper cranes, a thousand feelings, flying in the wind..."
Relevant thematic articles:
- That Sunshine, So Cold
- Gazing Far, Love Elsewhere
- Rainy Days