There was an old couple. The old man’s hair had been extremely pale and his wife’s had also been silver-gray. You not only can observe them hand in hand passed by each and every morning, but also able to catch sight of this couple went together at eventide. While came cross the street, the old man would hold his wife’s hand tightly and double-checked the roads from all directions until they reached the other side. When they arrived at the park somewhere have seats, the old man would draw out his handkerchief to wipe the dirt off and let his wife sat down. After sitting, his wife twitched the old man’s sleeve so he may sit with her.

However, it had been several days that the old couple neither crossed the street nor at the park.

When people almost forget about them, one morning, they appeared again. The difference was that the old woman was pushing her husband in the wheelchair. Unfortunately, the old man suffered from cerebral hemorrhage and after his recovery he ended up in a chair with two wheels.

The first day, the old woman wheeled her partner to cross the street; she hesitated for quite a while, and looking at the comings and goings of vehicles nervously. Beforetime the old man would always hold her hand firmly and led her to go across the street, so she never worried about crossing, let alone vehicles and she just went ahead. They acted this way for nearly a lifetime. Suddenly, she not only had to cross the street without holding the old man’s hand, but had to push him in the wheelchair. It’s a piece of cake for pupils yet seemingly a great difficulty for her. It took only a few minutes, she carefully and resolutely strode up the perfect steps… At last, she crossed the road. Because of the tension and excitement, her face reddened obviously and forehead was oozing sweat.

When they reached the park, the old woman began to give the old man her arm and supported him to practice walking. The old man stood up laboriously but anyhow he couldn’t make the first step. The old woman held him, encouraged him and led him, one step, two steps… to get to the bench. This time the old woman fished out her handkerchief to clean off the dirt and helped him to sit down slowly. After sitting down, the old man lost no time to ask his wife to sit down too and then he used his shudder hand brought out his own handkerchief to wipe the perspiration off for his partner.

 Gradually, the old man was capable of walking by himself. Subsequently he no needed to sit at the wheelchair anymore. People could behold them hand in hand to pass by again. The old woman’s hair simply gone completely white but still led by the old man to cross the street.

But before long the old woman was hospitalized and already reached the advanced stage of lung cancer.

The old man not only accompanied her, attended on her, but also always on the go for her. When he released from chores, he would sit by her side, held her hand tight, and stared at her profile. But the old woman’s condition was deteriorated day by day. She fell into a coma for several times in a day invariably and the illness gnawed her that she even cannot fall asleep. At that period, then the old man was with her, sitting together, recalling the time when they were young. The old woman seemed to be back to her prime, with flushing cheeks and speaking eyes.

One day, when they were looking back the past, the old woman held the old man’s hand and said: “You had taken care of me for my whole lifetime; I supposed to look after you when I got old, but it turned out to be a pity. I owed you in this lifetime that I cannot reciprocate; let me attend to you in next life.”

 “You owned me nothing but I owed you too much”. The old man interrupted her at once and continued: “You had experienced many years of austerity with me, if you were not married me, you might not suffer so much.”

 “I have never regretted.” The old woman said strenuously but still interrupted by the old man.

 “Do you still remember? At that time I came from an impoverished family, everyone looked down upon me, as to you, you were really nice to me. I remembered a most imposing day. It was a rainy day, I was washing clothes in a brook, you were holding an umbrella ran toward  to shelter me. I kept this moment in memory forever. I was deeply touched by heart all at once.

The old man responded: “But you asked me to go away on and on.”

 “My heart was in a great apprehension; I was afraid of that people may sneer you as well as traumatized you".

 “You are tired, please have a rest.” Looking at her talking gaspingly, the old man laid her down speedily. But the old woman regardless of the old man’s dissuasion and continued: “You had taken care of me for my entire lifetime, now, I am afraid I have not more than a few days left, when I disappeared in this world, you.. you heaved a sight of relief.”

Hearing the old woman said that she had no more time left, the old man burst into tears immediately, he cried like a child. He wept as he spoke her name: “As long as you are alive, I would love to do everything for you. Please let me take care of you, I am used to do that. Could you say “yes”, may I fulfill this promise?”

The old man seemed especially dreadful after hearing his partner said that no more days left, and he never cried since that day. Instead, he looked after her attentively. He cajoled her when she didn’t want to eat, just like she could get well soon but not having an incurable disease. He called her name out loud whenever she fell into a coma until she awoke so that he may ease off.

In this way, the old man woke her up repeatedly and then held her hand tightly as if she would disappear if he released his hands.

Then one day, the old woman was woken by him again, she looked at the old man and said: “A lifetime to me, being your wife is not enough, but I am really suffering now, don't ask me to stay anymore, just let me go”.

The old man knew that her lung had broken down and she felt extremely sad so he promised her that he would not wake her up again but held her hand firmly till the last moment…

Since the old woman passed away, the old man went to her grave every day. At the beginning of those days, he would always cry for a while. Later, he stopped sobbing but brought an album with him. He stroked the album as he talked to the tomb. Every day he went there very early and sat at there for a whole day until the day turned dark.

Day by day, after more than a month, one day, the old man didn’t get up despite he sat at there for a full day and it was very late. When people went there for curiosity, they found that the old man was dead. In his arms was a photo of him and his wife taken at their young age, obviously re-edited carefully by computer.