In Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, in a corner of the new village of Kozoji Temple, there is a forest of miscellaneous trees and a beautiful log cabin, which is the home of 90-year-old Shuichi and 87-year-old Hideko. When he was young, Shuichi, an architect who loved sailing and sailing, brought Hideko here with hideko in order to fulfill his wife's pastoral dream, and personally built a pastoral wooden house and opened a vegetable garden orchard for her. Shuichi often said: Cities need forests. He felt that a person who wanted to live a good life could not be far away from the trees. So 180 trees were planted on the west side of the house. They and the more than 50 species of fruit, 70 kinds of vegetables and 180 trees here have been living for more than 40 years.
01
More than sixty years ago, the captain of the sailing ship, Shuichi, and his team members lived in Hideko's house because they did not have money, so the two met. At that time, Hideko was the only daughter of a 200-year-old sake brewery, and girls were taught from an early age that they could not smile. And Shuichi was probably a poor boy, and Hideko laughed at the time, and Shuichi was wearing crumpled pants and straw shoes made of sackcloth.
On that very cold winter, they got married, and there was no wedding. Shuichi, who has always had a dream of sailing and earns only 4w yen a month, tells Hideko to buy a sailboat for about 70w yen. Hideko said quietly, "That's it." And then I thought it would be a good idea. Then she canceled all the insurance contracts, and the valuable things in the family were taken to the pawnshop by her trip. And Xiu Yi didn't know it. Eiko said that this kind of thing could not be told to him.
For more than sixty years of getting along day and night, Hideko has never changed, and the most comfortable thing about herself is that her husband is doing well. More than three hundred square meters of courtyard, every inch is tirelessly brewing love for more than 60 years. Remembering the title page of a manuscript for a few years, I always stubbornly copied down the passage from 1 Corinthians: Love is eternal patience and kindness; love is not jealousy, love is not boastful, not arrogant, not shy, not seeking one's own benefit, not easily angry, not counting human evil, not liking unrighteousness, only liking the truth; all things are inclusive, everything is believed, everything is hoped, and everything is patient. Love never ends.
Shuichi and Hideko's love is like this. There are so many differences between them. But so what?
A traditional Japanese breakfast with seaweed rice and pickled vegetables, Hideko loves a Western-style breakfast with bread spread and butter. So Eiko had to cook two different kinds of breakfast every day, and until Shuichi died suddenly, Eiko insisted on doing the same.
Shuichi's favorite food is potatoes, and coincidentally, the only thing Hideko doesn't like is potatoes, because eating potatoes will cause flatulence. However, Hideko often made it for Shuichi to eat until After Shuichi's death, she would, as always, bring Shuichi's favorite fried potatoes to Shuichi's photo.
She said that my biggest wish in cooking is to hear him say "delicious".
Mr. Shuichi does not like to eat fruit, and the first thing Ms. Eiko does every morning is to go to the garden to pick up fruit and squeeze it into juice. "He doesn't like fruit very much, so I'll juice it, and he might be able to drink it." So the cute Hideko had to drink juice with Mr. Shuichi every day.
Hideko said that after such a long time, she still couldn't distinguish so many vegetables and fruits in the garden, and Xiuyi made a clear little name for each vegetable and fruit. Ying Zi is frizzy, always easy to be tripped or bumped into the head, carefully xiu yi in the eyes and can not bear to blame, just write a small wooden card to remind Ying Zi. "Attention! It hurts when you hit it! "The gas is on, don't forget."
Shuichi also gave Hideko a small wooden sign for help, and if Hideko found out which piece of land needed to be repaired and turned over, she inserted it: "Please!" XiuYi", after Xiu Yi saw that it was done, he inserted: "Done, Hideko!" "This is Shuichi's romance, and he always says that there should be a gap between husband and wife. In love, there is no need to blame.
Eating only with a wooden spoon of Shuichi, Hideko shouted the name of Shuichi how many times Shuichi could not hear can only run to him, always like to ask Hideko "Is it okay to do this" Shuichi, always answer "This is a good thing, do it" Hideko, do the window Shuichi, next to the only paste paper Hideko. The 87-year-old Hideko, who was like a girl, said: "You see we Shuichi is getting better and better." And the 90-year-old Xiu Yi said: Hideko is the best girlfriend for me.
02
In the daily life of Shuichi and Hideko, in addition to love, there is a stronger enthusiasm and courage to love life.
Even if Hideko, in order to realize Shuichi's dream of buying a sailboat and raising a sailboat, her mother's dowry was taken to the pawnshop, and although she no longer had enough money, she would insist on buying the freshest ingredients at the local high-end department store.
Because of the dream of building a sailboat to go to sea. Outside the wooden house, there are masts, and on important festivals, the masts raise flags, just like on a sailboat. Inside and outside the wooden house, there is a rudder hanging. Hideko describes this kind of day: every day is a small yangchun, living a peaceful and stable life.
They insisted on a self-sufficient life, working together to run the garden and take care of vegetables and fruits. The 200 pyeong vegetable patch is divided into 21 pieces, each planted with different ingredients and surrounded by fruit trees. Cabbage, eggplant, cucumber, strawberry, cherry, plum, persimmon, fig, small ceviche... Pull out the grass and insects every day, water and fertilize.
Special water tanks are also prepared for the birds to bathe and drink. Not long after Shuichi's death, the water tank cracked, and Hideko in the camera held back tears and said, "No way, just when life is over." "Fortunately, then her daughter was repaired and the birds could bathe again."
Shuichi writes at least ten letters a day to people he doesn't know and haven't met, including a guy who sells fish at the supermarket. When Hideko buys fish, the young man will take out a letter written to him by Shuichi: The fish is very fresh and delicious, so you have to come up! It takes about three days to receive one.
Eiko super likes to make food, probably like to hear Shuichi's words "it's delicious". Would make a wide variety of meals and desserts. The unfinished fruits and vegetables are also pickled in glass jars, and the desserts are packed and packed, carefully labeled, and given to guests and friends.
One day, the architect Shuichi received a letter of help from a psychiatric hospital: the hospital recently wanted to build a new facility. Most of our patients are people who have experienced economic and social tempering and lost themselves in overwork. How can they live like individuals? Please help.
In his final days, Shuichi refused all thanks and design fees, and replied: "This is the happiest job of a lifetime for me." Please feel free to discuss the details with me. Something good is bound to happen.
Hideko sees if Shuichi is always busy and busy, and always tells him, find someone to do this. But he insisted on doing everything he could. He said to do it slowly, don't worry, it will always be done well. In the process of doing it, there will always be inspiration and harvest. Just like in "Tomorrow Is Also a Little Spring Day" they wrote, Rachel Carson was quoted: The heart that sees, feels, and is amazed is the most important.
This is probably the best life, the life that everyone yearns for, but it is far away.
03
In this 177-year-old life, in these days when you are crying and laughing, it seems that death has become beautiful and no longer feared. There were many people who wanted to interview and contact them, and Shuichi refused without hesitation, saying: I don't have much time left, and I want to enjoy it myself.
As the years go by, each day is like a countdown. Eiko is confronted with the question "Who will leave first" and says, "If I go first, it will be a big problem." ”
Shuichi said: I like romantic places, like the Southern Cross, it must be crowded, so I plan to go to the small stars next to the Southern Cross. The charcoal-burned bones were sprinkled into the seas of the South Pacific. Eiko will follow, which is good. But if Hideko is gone first, I will be like a kite with a broken line, and I don't know where I will fly. I don't want to think about this, and I can't think about it.
One afternoon in June 2015, Shuichi, after shoveling grass and insects, took a nap as usual. I never woke up again. Although there will be sorrow and tears, this time, the fear of death has disappeared out of thin air. To cherish death is to cherish the present of being alive.
Eiko was wearing a black dress that day and was sitting on her knees next to Shuichi, still with a smile on her face and tears in her smile. She choked up and said firmly to Shuichi: Rest assured, I will live alone for the rest of the day. You'll be lonely over there, don't worry, I'll be with you soon, waiting for me.
In the days that followed, Hideko looked lonely, but she did what she didn't do on weekdays, and she still made Coke potato cakes for Shuichi to eat, and breakfast was still one for each person. She guards Shuichi's home.
The wind blows dead leaves fall
Deciduous soil
Fertile soil with fragrant fruit
Tireless, not hurried, not slow
Life is like fruit
Down-to-earth fireworks days, the long-term companionship of each other, harvesting fruits from the land, a self-sufficient courtyard, speechless and old, sitting and watching the clouds and clouds, enjoying the sound of birds singing and rain, is simply the ultimate ideal of life; life is short, everything must be done to do a good job, do not let regrets stay behind, then even if death comes, it is unusually calm and peaceful, the longer you live, the more transparent you are.