No Choice but to Part on Valentine’s Day

By Xia Yu, Zhang Yan, Li Manying & Xu Ying

The pronunciation of “2020” in Chinese, “er ling er ling,” is similar to “l(fā)ove you, love you.” However, the year 2020 got off to a rocky start amid the COVID-19 which made this year’s Valentine’s Day a very special one. Though movies were postponed, train tickets canceled, and weddings delayed, the epidemic could never stop love.

Different people have different ways to express love, but on this Valentine ’s Day the lovers had a common wish in their mind:

All of us shall be safe and sound. When the spring arrives, I’ll hold you tight.

Once the epidemic is over, I’ll come and hold you

Zhou Hongdong and his wife got their marriage registered 周紅東夫妻領取結婚證書

Narrator: Zhou Hongdong, branch deputy manager of Wuhan First Metallurgical Steel Structure Company. His wife Peng Ye is a doctor in the Laboratory Department of Wuhan No. 9 Hospital.

On the early morning of February 5, my wife and I met at the door of the hotel where she is under quarantine. She handed me some just-incase medicine, and then quickly took two big steps back, for fear that she would spread the virus to me. From January 28 till now, that was the first time we had met. I left her a WeChat message, “Please take good care of yourself. Both of us must stay strong!” And then I set off for the Leishan Hospital in Ezhou (Ezhou version of “Xiaotangshan Hospital”).

Shortly after we got married on January 2, I planned to take my wife back to my hometown in Shandong Province for the Chinese New Year. We planned to have a baby soon. Now the plan has been postponed due to the outbreak of the epidemic.

2020，意味著“愛你愛你”，可被疫情沖擊的2020年，一開頭就這么苦澀。然而，這場疫情卻讓今年的情人節(jié)注定特別難忘。撤檔的電影，取消的車票，不得不推遲的婚期，無法實現(xiàn)的擁抱……然而，疫情阻隔不了愛的表達。

愛，100個人有100種表達方式，但這一次，有情人的心愿卻出奇地一致：

我們都要好好的，等到春暖花開，我要緊緊地擁抱你。

勝利會合后，

我想第一時間擁抱你

口述者：周紅東，一冶鋼構壓容分公司副經(jīng)理，其妻彭燁為武漢市第九醫(yī)院檢驗科醫(yī)生

2月5日一大早，我和老婆在她住的隔離酒店門口見了面。她遞來一些日常藥品，讓我備用，然后趕緊往后退了兩大步，擔心萬一自己感染了把病毒傳給我。從1月28日到今天，那次見面是我們唯一的一次。分開后我給她微信留言：“你一定要注意安全，我們都要加油！”之后我就出發(fā)去鄂州的雷山醫(yī)院項目（鄂州版“小湯山”）了。

我們剛結婚不久，按原定計劃，1月2日擺完婚宴后，我?guī)Ю掀呕厣綎|老家過年。還想著我們老大不小了，結了婚就生個孩子?，F(xiàn)在，因為疫情，計劃延期。

老婆很早就搬進了單位安排的酒店。她上班是四班倒，有時候上凌晨2 點的夜班，就不得不獨自步行20 多分鐘夜路從酒店去醫(yī)院。

記得她第一次下夜班，大概早上8 點多，給我打來電話，哭了。我完全能感受到她的身心承受著巨大的壓力。但我不能崩了，那樣她會更沒有安全感，所以我只能安慰她。之后，我要來她的工作排班表，什么時候上夜班，何時下白班，我都必須掌握。他們上班不能把手機帶進科室，我就掐著點發(fā)語音留言，等著她下班回酒店聽，緩解她的孤單與害怕。

每天關注新聞，我也會害怕。我第一天去鄂州，當天晚上8 點上夜班做活動板房，淋了夜雨，第二天我的嗓子就發(fā)炎并開始咳嗽。我沒敢跟老婆說。幸運的是，睡了兩個小時后感覺身體好了很多，看到溫度計上的數(shù)字，頓時就沒有心理負擔了。

昨天凌晨，我突然收到老婆的微信：“老公，我想你了。”

我也想她，給她回了一個擁抱的表情。我很愧疚，平時工作很忙，談戀愛時就不能常常陪著她。疫情結束我們勝利會合后，我要結結實實地抱抱她。然后，再給她買一個她喜歡的包包吧！

等到春暖花開，

我?guī)阕鲎蠲赖陌l(fā)型

口述者：龐騫，湖北崇陽縣供電公司高枧電工組負責人，其妻汪耀萍為湖北崇陽縣人民醫(yī)院重癥監(jiān)護室護士

唉唉呀，你不說情人節(jié)，我都差點忘了，那我跟老婆發(fā)個紅包唄，肯定是520 呀！

以前情人節(jié)基本都是在一起過的，記得去年，我和老婆特地帶著兩個兒子，一家人開開心心去看了一場電影。

Wang Yaoping cheers on her husband Pang Qian 汪耀萍給丈夫龐騫打氣

我這會兒在崇陽縣高枧鎮(zhèn)石咀村的防控疫情值守點，保障供電，有時也跟村干部一起防守路口。老婆在醫(yī)院重癥監(jiān)護室。從大年初一到今天，我們快有20 天沒見面了。

初三晚上，老婆在微信告訴我，她所在科室已收治新冠肺炎確診患者。她有些憂傷和擔心地說：“明天起，我不能回家了，看樣子要一個月后才能見面了，我的內(nèi)心有些難受……”

我也有一些擔心。但我還是給她打出一行字，鼓勵她：“為了國家的需要，為了人民的健康，你是我的驕傲，我的愛人，我永遠支持你！”

我也挺難受。春節(jié)前，我準備回縣城與家人團聚過年的，但現(xiàn)在一家人四口，分處三地。兩個兒子放在我父母家里。12 號那天，12歲的大兒子特意還發(fā)了一張4 歲小兒子的照片給我和老婆看，照片上小兒子拿著一張紙，上面寫著：“爸爸媽媽，您們辛苦了，加油?！卑盐腋掀趴吹帽亲右凰帷?/p>

我跟老婆當初認識挺浪漫的。我沒有QQ，一個同學就給了我一個，因為我老婆也在這個號的好友列表中，所以后來我開玩笑說，這等于還送了一個老婆給我嘛。我們偶爾聊天，又沒想到我一個同事居然跟她是親戚。同事便撮合我們見面。

My wife moved into the hotel arranged by the hospital where she works. She works on four shifts in turn, and sometimes the night shift starts at 2 am, so she had to walk more than 20 minutes alone in the midnight from her hotel to the hospital.

I remember her first night shift. It was about 8 o’clock in the morning when she was off work. She phoned me and wept. I could easily feel the pressure on her. I tried to keep calm and make her feel more secured—a few words of comfort was all I could offer at the moment. After that, I asked for her work schedule so that I could get to know her shifts. She was not allowed to bring a cellphone to work, so I always left a voice message which could help to relieve her loneliness and fear right after she returned to the hotel for rest.

I would get scared, too, especially when watching the news on TV every day. The first day I went to Ezhou, I helped to build prefab houses on a night shift. Sadly, I got caught in the rain and the next day my throat got inflamed and I started coughing. I didn’t dare to tell my wife. Thankfully, after two hours of sleep, I felt much better. When I saw a normal temperature on the thermometer, I felt relaxed.

Yesterday, I received my wife’s WeChat message in the deep night, “Honey, I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” I responded and sent her an emoji hug. I felt bad that I was so busy with my work that I couldn’t spend more time with her. I promised when the epidemic was over we would reunite in a delightful triumph. At that time, I would hold her tight, and then buy her a new purse!

When flowers bloom in spring, I’ll take you to have the most beautiful hairstyle

Narrator: Pang Qian, head electrician of Gaojian team, Hubei Chongyang Power Supply Company. His wife Wang Yaoping is an ICU nurse of People’s Hospital of Chongyang County, Hubei Province.

Ooooh! I almost forgot the Valentine’s Day if you hadn’t mentioned it. I’ll send my wife a red envelope. It must be 520 yuan, which indicates I love you! This is our first Valentine’s Day apart. Last year my wife and I went to see a movie with our two sons on this day.

I’m now in charge of power supply in Shizui Village, Gaojian Town of Chongyang County, Hubei. Sometimes I also work at the checkpoints with the village officials. My wife works in the ICU of a hospital. We haven’t seen each other for nearly 20 days.

On the evening of the third day of the lunar year, my wife told me on WeChat that her hospital had admitted patients with confirmed COVID-19. She was a bit worried, “From tomorrow on, I can’t go home. It looks like we’re not going to see each other for the coming month or more and I feel sad.”

I was a little worried, too. But I needed to encourage her, “You are protecting the country and people’s lives. I am proud of you and I love you. I’ll always have your back.”

It was a difficult time for the family. Before the Spring Festival, I was going to return to my hometown to spend the New Year with my family, but now my family of four are in three different places. The two boys are at my parents’ home. On February 12, my 12-year-old son sent a photo of our 4-year-old son to my wife and me. The photo was of our little son holding a piece of paper with the following words: “Mom and Dad, thank you for your hard work. Cheer up!” On seeing it, both my wife and I felt tears welling up.

I still remember the first time I met my wife. At that time, I did not have a QQ number. A classmate of mine offered me one in which my wife was on the friends’ list. I joked later that my wife was given over by my friend. Since then, we chatted online occasionally. Then we found that one of my colleagues was her relative, who then encouraged us to have a date.

Pang Qian cheers on his wife 龐騫給老婆打氣

PangQian,s little son encouraging his parents 龐騫小兒子鼓勵爸媽加油

嘿嘿，這一見面，我們就對上眼了。結婚14年了。在我眼里，她是天下最好的老婆。

這一二十天，我和老婆都很忙。她更辛苦，一般下午或晚上，我才能和她用微信聊聊天。她每天都要上八九個小時的班，為了不上廁所，不敢喝水。視頻中，我看她就跟電視上播出的那些醫(yī)護人員一樣，臉上都是戴口罩和護目鏡勒出來的印子，神情也顯得很疲勞，我好心疼。

初二那天，她把頭發(fā)剪了。她一直很愛臭美，這一回為了工作忍痛割愛，把那么長的頭發(fā)說剪就剪了，說實話我挺佩服她的。

今年情人節(jié)只能發(fā)紅包了，但我告訴過她：“春暖花開的時候，我?guī)闳プ鲎蠲赖陌l(fā)型?！闭f到做到！

老婆你一定不要害怕，

我一直在陪著你

口述者：余平，武漢市第三醫(yī)院急診科醫(yī)生，其妻李葉子為武漢市第三醫(yī)院急診科護士

老婆，今天是情人節(jié)，也是我們這么多年來，第一次不在一起過情人節(jié)。在這個特別的日子里，我有一些心里話想跟你說。

2011年，我到急診認識你。2014年，我們結婚。2015年，我們有了第一個寶貝。2018年，我們有了第二個小寶貝……

我是從農(nóng)村出來的，是你在武漢給我了一個新家，還給了我一兒一女。而且，你的爸爸媽媽還主動提出幫我們帶小孩，因為我們一個急診醫(yī)生、一個急診護士，平時都太忙了。對于這一切，我除了感激還是感激。

這次新冠肺炎來了之后，我沒有征得你的同意，就加入到抗疫一線。你不但沒有怪我，自己還主動提出要加入抗疫一線，把父母和兩個孩子都送回老家，讓我們沒有后顧之憂，全心投入戰(zhàn)斗。

急診是這次疫情的重災區(qū)，好多同事都倒下了，但我們從沒想過退縮。為保證安全，我們相互隔離，只是在每天交接班時，才相互鼓勵：注意防護，注意休息，加強營養(yǎng)。有時輪到一起上班，穿著隔離衣不好認，我們也要相互尋找半天。即使面對面，我們也只能相視而笑，相互鼓勵。兩個小朋友從未離開過我們，每次視頻都會哭。都在問：“爸爸媽媽，你們什么時候打敗病毒？”我看你哭過好多次。當疫情越來越嚴重時，我看到了你眼中的恐懼，我自己也時常走到崩潰邊緣，但我們一直相互加油鼓氣。相信我們，一定會取得最后的勝利。到那時，我們可以再也不用戴口罩穿隔離衣，我們可以聽到孩子們在耳邊戲鬧、叫爸爸媽媽，我可以陪你一起逛街購物吃東西……相信一切都會好起來的！

老婆，我們都要好好的。你也一定不要害怕，因為有我一直在陪著你。我相信，現(xiàn)在只是黎明前的黑暗，我們一定一定會戰(zhàn)勝病毒的。

在這個特殊的日子，我想跟你說：“老婆，我愛你，謝謝你。待到疫散花開時，我們一起回家！”

Yu Ping and his wife余平夫婦工作照

We fell in love with each other at first sight. After 14 years’ marriage, she is still the best wife in the world in my eye.

In the last ten or twenty days, my wife and I have both been very busy with our work. She is busier than I am, and mostly works at night. Usually in the afternoon or evening, we have time to chat with each other through WeChat. She would normally work for eight or nine hours a day and to avoid using the toilet frequently, she dares not drink water. In the video, I saw her goggle-imprinted face, just like those medics on TV. She looked so fatigued that I felt extremely worried about her.

On the second day of the New Year, she got her hair cut. She always loves getting a nice style. This time, she had her long hair cut short without any hesitation just for the convenience of work. To be honest, I admire her.

On this Valentine’s Day I could only send her an online red envelope, but I told her, “When flowers bloom in spring, I’ll take you to have the most beautiful hairdo.” I promise!

My sweet, don’t be afraid, I am always here for you

Narrator: Yu Ping, a doctor of Emergency Department from Wuhan No. 3 Hospital To his wife Li Yezi, a nurse of Emergency Department from Wuhan No. 3 Hospital

My dear, today is Valentine’s Day, and it’s the first time we couldn’t spend the festival together. On this special day, I have something to tell you.

In 2011, I met you in the Emergency Department of our hospital. In 2014, we got married. In 2015, we had our first baby. In 2018, we had a second baby.

I came from the countryside. You gave me a new home in Wuhan as well as a son and a daughter. Moreover, your parents helped us look after our kids, because we both work in the Emergency Department and are usually as busy as bees. For all this, I’m more than grateful.

When COVID-19 started, I joined the fight against the epidemic without asking for your opinion. You didn’t blame me and you also volunteered to join the fight. You sent your parents and two children back to your hometown, so that we didn’t have to worry about them and could commit ourselves to our work.The emergency department was one of the most-afflicted places during the outbreak and many of our colleagues were infected, but we never thought about retreating. Though isolated from each other, we could encourage each other when we took over shifts every day: take care of ourselves, have enough rest, and eat well. Sometimes it’s our turn to go to work together. It’s not easy for us to recognize each other in gowns. We also had to look for each other for a long time. Even when face to face, we could only smile and try to cheer each other up. Our two children have always been with us and would sob every time we video chatted.

They kept asking: “Mom and Dad, when will you defeat the virus?” I’ve seen you weep many times. When the epidemic became more and more serious, I saw the fear in your eyes and I would be often on the verge of breakdown, but we have been supporting each other. Believe us, we’ll definitely win the final victory. By that time we will not have to wear masks or protective gowns. We can hear children playing around and calling us mom and dad. I can go shopping and eat out with you. And I believe everything will be better!

My dear, we must take care of ourselves. You don’t need to be afraid, because I’m with you all the time. I believe it’s just the darkness before dawn now, and we’ll definitely defeat the virus.

On this special day, I want to tell you, my sweet, I love you and thank you. When the pandemic disappears and the flowers bloom, we’ll go home together!

We’ve made the right decision of postponing the important visit

Narrator: Xu Xiaoke (pseudonym), a salesman. His girlfriend Xu Xiaoli (pseudonym) is an office clerk.

I’ve been dating my girlfriend for three and a half years. We enjoy keeping up with the new movies, visiting popular restaurants from the web, and traveling together.

As our relationship is stable, we are planning on getting married.

Before the Spring Festival, we went back to the hometown in Luotian County of Huanggang together. My parents had been looking forward to the “l(fā)ucky day” for a long time. They were going to invite my girlfriend and her parents to “visit” on the fourth day of the first lunar month.

In my hometown, “visiting parents” is a big step before marriage. When the girl “pays a visit” with her family, the boy’s family should serve a banquet and throw a party with his relatives and friends so that the girl’s parents know more about the boy’s family.

As the epidemic was getting worse day by day, I advised my parents to postpone their meeting for the time being. My parents didn’t understand it at first, thinking it was hardly justifiable to change the schedule. But as I insisted, my parents had no choice but to agree.

I also told my girlfriend’s family about my decision. They showed their understanding and agreed to meet my family after the epidemic.

We learned later that during the epidemic, many young lovers who were going to get married delayed their weddings. We are delighted that we have made the right decision. I look forward to the day when we get married after the pandemic!

(Translation: Qing Run)

取消“上門”，

我們慶幸做了正確的選擇

口述者：徐小可（化名），公司銷售，其女友徐小麗 （化名）為公司職員

我和女朋友談了3年半，喜歡在一起追電影、打卡網(wǎng)紅餐廳、一起旅游。

隨著感情日益穩(wěn)定，談婚論嫁提上了日程。

春節(jié)前，我們一起從武漢回到羅田老家。我父母老早就看好了“日子”，準備正月初四，請我女朋友和她父母一起來家“上門”。

在老家，“上門”是走向婚姻中的一道鄭重的程序。女方“上門”時，男方家里要擺酒，將男方家的親友都召集在一起，熱鬧熱鬧，也讓女方家里了解男方的家庭情況。

眼看著疫情越來越嚴重，我向我父母提出，暫時取消“上門”。我父母開始不理解，認為這個時候改“日子”，說不過去。由于我堅持，父母只好同意了。

我跟女朋友家里也說了我的想法，他們表示了理解，也同意等疫情過去之后再歡聚。

后來，我們才知道，疫情期間，許多準備結婚的人紛紛改期，慶幸我們做出了正確的選擇。我期待疫情過去后，我們迎來婚期的那一天！