The earthquake in 2008 shook the whole world, and in this disaster, a 22-year-old girl, Sha Ou, was unexpectedly rescued by a 40-year-old strange man, Ba Shuai. Two years later, Sha Ou decided to marry Ba Shuai to repay the grace of saving his life.
Is this marriage, which seems to be intertwined with gratitude and love, really as beautiful as outsiders imagined, and are they happy now? After experiencing the baptism of time, the story behind this pair of "year-old love" gradually surfaced.
A life-and-death encounter in an earthquake
On May 12, 2008, 22-year-old Shaou and his friends were enjoying their last trip before graduation. They chose the beautiful scenery of Wenchuan. At noon that day, Sha Ou and a few friends had dinner in a quaint Sichuan restaurant, ready to treat themselves.
Just as everyone was talking and laughing, suddenly, there was a strange sense of tension in the air. There was a slight "click" from the wooden ceiling of the dining room, followed by a violent vibration. The dishes and chopsticks shook, the tea on the table overflowed, and then the ground trembled as if it had been torn apart by some invisible force.
At first, the sand gull thought it was a delusion, but instantly realized that it was a terrible earthquake.
"Run!" Someone shouted, and the restaurant was in a panic. Customers rushed out desperately, and tables and chairs crashed to the ground with a screeching sound. Sand Gull was momentarily stunned by the chaotic scene in front of him, his mind went blank, his legs stiffened in place, and his body seemed to be frozen, unable to move. Her friends are gone, leaving her alone to face the sudden disaster.
At the moment when her thoughts were completely overwhelmed by fear, a strong arm suddenly grabbed her wrist.
The sand gull barely had time to react, only to feel its body jerk backwards. She turned around and saw a strange middle-aged man appear beside her. His face was full of determination, and his voice was calm but unquestionable: "Follow me!" ”
The man's steps were firm and swift, leading her swiftly through the crowd, avoiding the collapsing floor, and finally rushing out into the street. Just as they stepped out of the restaurant, there was a loud bang behind them—the second floor of the restaurant collapsed instantly, and heavy tiles and wooden beams rained down, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Sha Ou looked back and found that the dining table where he was sitting just now had been completely buried, and he couldn't help but be afraid for a while.
She looked up at the man who had saved her life, and found that the sweat on his face had mixed with dust, his sideburns were slightly white, and his clothes were covered with dust and mud, but his expression was still calm and composed. "Thank you......" Shaou's voice trembled a little with nervousness. The man nodded slightly, still not smiling.
"It's okay, everybody does it." He replied briefly, then turned around, ready to move on.
Sand Ou suddenly realizes that this man may venture out again to save someone else. She hurriedly called out to him, "What's your name?" The man stopped, turned around, and replied in a hoarse voice, "Ba Shuai." ”
Before he could finish speaking, he quickly disappeared into the crowd, as if this brief encounter was just a brief episode in the cataclysm.
This life-and-death encounter not only saved her life, but also planted a seed in her heart - gratitude and inexplicable feelings for this man quietly took root.
Friendship warms up, and crosses the line for love
After the earthquake, Wenchuan was devastated, and the ruins and dust in the sky after the disaster were gradually covered by time. As the reconstruction work unfolded, Shaou also returned to his hometown of Henan. Although her life seems to have returned to peace, the scenes of the disaster in her heart often emerge in the dead of night. Especially Ba Shuai's resolute back, which always lingers in her mind.
At first, Shaou thought that this feeling was just gratitude to his benefactor, and that he just had a respect for the man who reached out in the most dangerous moment. So, a few days after returning to her hometown, she plucked up the courage and dialed Ba Shuai's phone, intending to formally thank him.
On the other end of the phone, Ba Shuai's voice was still calm and powerful, with a hint of exhaustion. He responded briefly to her thanks, without too much emotion in his words, and didn't seem to think he had done anything special. His attitude made Sha Ou feel a little embarrassed, but deep down he was more determined to think that she had to know more about this man's story.
From that day on, Sha Ou began to take the initiative to contact Ba Shuai frequently.
At first, the conversation revolved around the aftermath of the earthquake, with Sha Ou curiously asking about the progress of Wenchuan's recovery and the reconstruction of the affected areas. Ba Shuai's reply was still concise, but as time went on, the content of their exchange gradually became richer.
Sha Ou found that Ba Shuai was not only brave and fearless in the rescue work, but also a mature and stable man in life. He has a sense of humor and occasionally tells a little story about what he sees and hears on the phone, which makes Sha Ou laugh.
A few months later, Shaou's company arranged for her to go on a business trip to Sichuan.
After learning the news, her first reaction was not a work assignment, but excitedly thinking that this would be an opportunity to reunite with Ba Shuai. She couldn't wait to send a message to Ba Shuai, telling him about her plans to go to Sichuan. Ba Shuai was silent on the other end of the phone for a while, and finally agreed to walk around with her.
When the plane landed in Chengdu, Sha Ou's heart beat like a drum, and she knew that this meeting would be a turning point in her relationship.
That night, they took a walk by the river.
"Ba Shuai," Sha Gull's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, "I think I like you." ”
Ba Shuai was silent for a long time, as if he was thinking about this sudden confession. He didn't respond immediately, but sighed softly and looked up at the river in the distance. "Ouou," he finally spoke, with a hint of mixed emotion in his tone, "You're still young and have a lot of options, and I'm ...... I'm so much older than you, will your parents agree? Have you thought about the future? ”
Sha Ou knew Ba Shuai's worries, but she had already made up her mind in her heart. She looked up firmly and looked at him with burning eyes. "Age is not an issue, what matters is how we feel for each other." Her tone was unmistakable.
Ba Shuai is still hesitant, he understands that the relationship will face many challenges, especially from family and social pressure. But he can't deny his feelings for the sand gull. During the time he spent with her, Ba Shuai had already been impressed by her youthful vitality and kind and innocent character. He just didn't want to admit it, and he was afraid of causing her more difficulties.
In the end, Ba Shuai still chose to remain silent. He patted Sha Ou's hand lightly and didn't say anything more, but at that moment, the distance between them was closer because of this wordless tacit understanding.
From that day on, there was no longer any hesitation in Shaou's heart.
After she returned to Henan, she decided to fight for this relationship at all costs. Whether it's the opposition of her parents or the pressure of the age gap, she is fearless.
The opposition of the parents and the struggle of the daughter
Sha Ou decided to confess her feelings for Ba Shuai to her parents.
It was a sunny day, a variety show was playing on the TV in the living room, and Sha Ou's parents were sitting on the sofa with a smile on their faces. She stood at the door of the living room, her heart was turbulent, although she had rehearsed it countless times in her mind, but when she actually faced her parents, her heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate.
Shaou hesitated for a moment, but finally plucked up his courage:
"I ...... I seem to have a crush on someone. "Yes...... It was the uncle who saved me during the Wenchuan earthquake, Ba Shuai. ”
The atmosphere in the living room froze instantly, and the smiles of the parents froze on their faces at that moment. After a moment of silence, my father's brows suddenly tightened, and his eyes were full of disbelief: "What? You're talking about the uncle who is 18 years older than you?! ”
The mother's reaction was equally fierce, and her voice was a little shocked: "Ouou, are you confused?" That's just your gratitude to the person who saved your life, how can it be love? ”
Sha Ou bit her lip, a glimmer of tears in her eyes, but she still shook her head firmly: "No, Mom, I'm sure it's not simple gratitude. I like him, really like him. ”
"But he's a full 18 years older than you!" The father stood up in an emotional state and began pacing back and forth in the living room, his voice raising a few points as his emotions intensified. "He's 40 years old, you're 22 years old, what language do you have in common? He has entered middle age, you are in your prime youth, how can you be with someone of this age? ”
The mother's tone was still resolute: "If you insist on being with him, we are afraid that we will ...... I had to sever the relationship. ”
The reaction of her parents completely upset Sha Ou's heart, and she did not expect that the warm support she expected turned into cold opposition.
For the next few days, the sand gull barely went out and did not eat or drink. Her parents tried to communicate with her many times, but her attitude was always firm. When her father tried to convince her again, she shouted into the closed door a heartbreaking sentence for her parents: "If you don't agree, I'll go on a hunger strike until you agree." ”
This sentence plunged parents into an unprecedented level of anxiety.
She hid in her room and did not go out for three whole days, refusing to eat. Her parents' voices rang in her ears over and over again, but she didn't waver. She knew that this was the only way to make her parents understand her determination.
Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, my father could no longer bear this silence and stalemate, and stood in front of the door and sighed helplessly:
"Okay, Gull, you come out and get something to eat first. We can talk about it again, but you can't go on like this. ”
In the following days, Sha Ou began to tell his parents about Ba Shuai's advantages, she described the bits and pieces of their relationship, and told her parents how Ba Shuai was mature, steady, and considerate to her. Although the parents were still apprehensive, their attitude gradually began to soften as the sand gull insisted.
In the end, the parents put forward a condition: "If you really insist on it, then we have to meet Ba Shuai in person and see what kind of person he is." ”
Sha Ou felt a burst of ecstasy in his heart and immediately agreed to his parents' request. She couldn't wait to dial Ba Shuai's phone, with an unconcealable excitement in her voice: "They finally relented!" They want to see you! ”
Although the parents' consent was only reluctant, this compromise was already the first step towards happiness for Shaou.
The sweetness and happiness of marriage persist
In the winter of 2010, the wedding of Sha Ou and Ba Shuai was held in a small hall in their hometown in a low-key and warm manner.
Although the wedding was not large, the joy and sweetness in the hearts of the two were enough to fill the entire auditorium. In the face of the blessings and smiling faces of the guests, Shaou seemed to feel that all the twists and turns and pressures of the past had disappeared.
On the wedding day, Ba Shuai was dressed in a straight suit, although he was in his 40s, he still showed the charm of a mature man in his gestures. He stood in the center of the auditorium, his eyes full of love and appreciation for the sand gulls. And Sha Ou has also changed his stubbornness and resistance in the past, and there is only trust and dependence on Ba Shuai in his eyes. At this moment, they finally walked into the palace of marriage hand in hand with the blessing of everyone.
After the wedding, the couple lived an ordinary and fulfilling life.
Two years after the marriage, Shaou became pregnant. After learning the news, Ba Shuai was so excited that he almost stayed awake all night. He began to take care of the sand gull more carefully, pay more attention to nutrition when cooking, and always stay by her side when walking, worried that she would be hurt a little.
Their first child was born, a healthy and lovely daughter.
That little life added infinite joy to their lives. Whenever Ba Shuai hugged her daughter and coaxed her to sleep, Sha Ou would stand quietly aside, watching this scene, and her heart was full of happiness.
No matter how tired or busy he is, he will go home as soon as possible, take care of his daughter, tell her stories, and play with her. Sha Ou looked at all this in front of him and felt extremely glad that his original choice was not wrong. Although the doubts of the outside world and the eyes of the world had made her feel pressured, Ba Shuai's love and the warmth of her family convinced her that her decision was worth it.
After another 3 years, they welcomed their second child, a boy. There is more laughter and laughter at home, and the busyness of life is also intensified. Whether it is taking care of the children or dealing with daily chores, Ba Shuai has always silently borne the burden of the family, and has never let Sha Ou feel any pressure.
Sha Ou gradually realized that the age gap did not become an obstacle in their lives, but because of Ba Shuai's maturity and stability, the family was more harmonious and happy.
In 2021, they were even invited to a TV show to share their love story.
At the scene of the show, Sha Ou was wearing a pink dress, still young and beautiful, with a bright smile; Although Ba Shuai is over half a hundred years old, he is in good spirits, and he still has the perseverance of the year between his eyebrows. Facing the camera, they told the bits and pieces of this journey, and the persistence and dedication behind love.
After the show aired, viewers were moved by their stories and left messages to bless the couple, praising them as "models of love".
Now, after 14 years of marriage, Sha Ou and Ba Shuai are still as happy as ever.
They have gone through the ups and downs of life hand in hand, welcomed two healthy and lovely children, and the life of a family of four is full of laughter. Sha Ou often lamented how correct her choice was, and Ba Shuai never disappointed her.
Although their marriage was not favorable, they have proved over time that true happiness comes from mutual trust and love. The passage of time did not dilute their feelings, but made their love more mellow like old wine.
What do you think about this?