No. 44, Zhangzhou Road, Gulangyu Island, Xiamen City, is the former residence of Lin Yutang, where Lin Yutang married his wife Liao Cuifeng.

Beside this house, there is a villa whose former owner was the woman who has haunted Lin Yutang for 60 years. Her name is Chen Jinduan.

(1)

Lin Yutang and Chen Jinduan first met at Shanghai St. John's University. At that time, Chen Jinduan was the school beauty of St. Mary's Girls' School.

According to Lin Yutang's words, when we first met her, she "had long black hair, a pair of beautiful eyes looking forward to her posture, and her skirt was swaying in the wind..."

Perhaps There must have been such an unforgettable image of a girl hidden in every boy's heart.

At that time, Lin Yutang was a well-known talent and athlete at St. John's University. In the eyes of outsiders, the two of them were a combination of talent and beauty, a pair that others envied.

However, things that are too beautiful are always as fragile as bubbles. The reason for separating them is very cliché, but very realistic:

At that time, Chen Jinduan’s father, Chen Tianen, was the richest man in Xiamen. Naturally, he comes from a famous family. But Lin Yutang was just a "poor boy". The relationship between them is destined to encounter resistance.

If you are in the wrong family, what can you do even if you have thousands of talents and tenderness?

The reality is cruel. This boat of love finally capsized on the bottom of the sea under the attack of the typhoon "Family Family". The two of them are like "Altair far away, Han girl on the bright river", so close to each other.

Literati are mostly emotional. They always look at the world with affectionate eyes, and they are also loyal and persistent towards love.

Lin Yutang was to Chen Jinduan, just as Hu Shi was to Wei Liansi, and Jin Yuelin was to Lin Huiyin. This infatuated love is buried deep in the heart. After the evaporation and fermentation of time, it will last forever and become a unique symbol of the May Fourth era, exuding a unique charm.

The love tragedy between Lin Yutang and Chen Jinduan is very sad.

But for Lin Yutang, Chen Jinduan was like a beautiful dream. After waking up from the dream, it is difficult to find a beautiful woman again. And his wife Liao Cuifeng is the one who truly accompanies him throughout his life.

(2)

Once, Lin Yutang went to Liao's house for dinner at the invitation of a friend. During the dinner, Lin Yutang noticed a pair of eyes looking at him curiously at the dinner table.

This is Liao Cuifeng, the second young lady of the Liao family. At that time, she fell in love with Lin Yutang's talent and appearance at first sight.

The dramatic thing is that the Liao family lived next door to the Chen family at that time. Maybe Chen Tianen wanted to cut off Lin Yutang's thoughts about his daughter as soon as possible. Maybe Chen Tianen felt ashamed to separate Lin Yutang and his daughter. Break up the compensation made. He introduced Liao Cuifeng to Lin Yutang. But Lin Yutang accepted it without any resistance.

Zhang Ailing once said: "To forget someone, you only need two things: time and new love." Lin Yutang's acceptance of Liao Cuifeng may have just been to heal the pain of lovelorn in his heart.

Liao Cuifeng is a down-to-earth girl, but the only time in her life that she was unrealistic was when she chose Lin Yutang, a "poor boy".

At that time, her mother was worried that she would suffer if she married into the Lin family, but she retorted nonchalantly: "What does it matter if you are poor?"

She had heard earlier that Lin Yutang was in St. I admire the talent and fame of John University very much. In the face of such pure admiration and heartbeat, why does it matter if my family is poor?

Liao Cuifeng's innocence and straightforwardness also struck Lin Yutang's heart.

In terms of talent and appearance, Liao Cuifeng and Chen Jinduan are far apart. However, her "down-to-earth" authenticity and naturalness, her down-to-earth and cuteness without being pretentious, are the charms that many women do not have.

(3)

January 9, 1919, was the day when Lin Yutang and Liao Cuifeng got married.

After the marriage, Lin Yutang took out the marriage certificate and burned it in front of Liao Cuifeng.

He said: "The marriage certificate can only be used when divorcing."

This behavior also represents his "willing to win the heart of a person and stay together forever" good hopes and determination.

At the beginning of their marriage, the couple went to the United States together. While in the United States, Liao Cuifeng suffered from acute appendicitis due to acclimatization. The high cost of medical treatment makes them so embarrassed that they can't even afford to eat.

The day she was discharged from the hospital was in the dead of winter, with snow falling all over the sky and not a single car on the street. Lin Yutang managed to rent a sleigh and drove her back home despite the heavy snowfall.

Although such a scene is not as vigorous as the oath of eternal love, isn't it much more moving than the whispers of love between you and me? How much more romantic is it to ride under the same umbrella on a rainy day than counting the stars together?

True romance is the tenderness contained in these ordinary little things. It does not need to be earth-shattering or ostentatious. All it takes is the natural fusion of two hearts, trust and dependence on each other.

After they returned to China, Lin Yutang's works also brought him fame, and the income from writing gradually made his family richer.

But Lin Yutang never forgot his promise to burn the marriage certificate, and he was insulated from any romantic affairs. Their relationship, after years of baptism, is as solid as a rock.

(4)

Once, someone asked Lin Yutang what he thought of his wife.

Lin Yutang replied: "I am like a balloon, and she is the heavy falling head. If she hadn't pulled me, I wouldn't know where I would fly!"

As a literary man, romance is Lin Yutang's nature. This kind of personality can bring him unbridled inspiration in creation, but once it is implemented in life, it will appear pale and weak and lose its direction.

At this time, Liao Cuifeng became his solid backing, his virtuous wife in life, and his warmest support when he was confused.

Lin Yutang also felt this: "When a talented poet lives with a plain and shrewd woman, it is often not the poet husband who appears to be wise, but the plain and shrewd wife."

Lin Yutang is bold and free-spirited in his life, and does not stick to trivial matters. So Liao Cuifeng carefully helped him take care of everything. Always remind him: the nose hair should be cut if it grows long, the tie should be straightened if it is crooked...and so on.

For a person who is immersed in creation all day long and is not good at living, there is no more suitable wife than Liao Cuifeng.

Jiang Menglin once said:

“There are three types of relationships between men and women: one is dog skin plaster, the other is rubber plaster, and the third is light balloon. The so-called dog skin plaster is not easy to apply and tear off. It is painful to open, so it is called an old-style marriage. It is easy to apply a rubber plaster and it is not difficult to tear it off. As for modern marriages, both men and women must be careful at all times and separate if they are slightly neglected. "Like a light balloon."

The marriage between Lin Yutang and Liao Cuifeng is like this "dog skin plaster". Although it is not a combination of a talented man and a beautiful woman, it does not look so perfect, but it is half poetic and half practical. A practical “model” for marriage.

(5)

Lin Yutang and Liao Cuifeng have very different personalities, and can even be said to be at opposite ends of the spectrum:

Lin Yutang is very quiet, while Liao Cuifeng is very active ;

Lin Yutang is more "sloppy", while Liao Cuifeng likes to be neat;

Lin Yutang is a romantic, while Liao Cuifeng is a realist.

But this did not bring any disharmony and disharmony to them. On the contrary, they were like the two poles of a magnet, dependent on each other.

Liao Cuifeng did not understand the "Confucius, Plato, Aristotle" mentioned by Lin Yutang, and was not interested. Sometimes he even advised Lin Yutang: "Write the article shorter, otherwise readers will fall asleep after reading it!" Lin Yutang couldn't help laughing.

Once, the couple went to visit the Acropolis on the Mount of Athens. When Lin Yutang saw the beautiful architecture of ancient Greece and the blue Aegean Sea, the unique emotions of literati came to his heart and he was almost moved to tears.

But Liao Cuifeng was indifferent to this scene and still complained: "I don't want to live in a place like this! Even to buy a piece of soap, I have to go down the mountain, how inconvenient!"

Lin Yutang did not feel disappointed. On the contrary, he feels that his wife is real and unpretentious, and he appreciates this attitude very much.

Of course, like all ordinary couples, they will inevitably quarrel over trivial matters. Whenever Liao Cuifeng complained about him, Lin Yutang would remain silent and let her stop when she got tired.

Therefore, these little quarrels did not affect the harmony of the family, but instead added some fun to daily life.

Lin Yutang understands this deeply. He sighed: "How to be a good husband? When your wife likes you, you follow her, but when your wife is angry, don't follow her to get angry."

That's probably what love is like. Even if the two people have different personalities, they cannot sing in unison and have similar interests. But they can gaze at each other, tolerate each other, and appreciate each other in the quiet years. Perform this complementarity to perfection.

(6)

January 9, 1969, was the golden wedding anniversary of Lin Yutang and his wife.

On this day, they held a simple but lively celebration ceremony in the living room of the Lin Family Garden at the foot of Yangmingshan Mountain in Taipei.

Lin Yutang took out a gold bracelet, which was a gift he had prepared for his beloved wife.

Liao Cuifeng was as happy as a child and took the bracelet. It was found that there were three words "Jin Yu Yuan" engraved on it. If you look closely, there is a small poem on it:

We care about each other, and there is a ray of love.

As time flies by, the silver hair on the temples has become thinner.

If there is a different road in the netherworld, the fairy house should be miserable.

If you want to smile, it’s only when you meet each other.

This poem was originally the classic poem "Old Lover" by Joelli. Lin Yutang translated it into Chinese.

Liao Cuifeng, who had never been interested in literature in her life, was holding the gold bracelet and appreciating the poems on it countless times. She was so excited that she burst into tears...

In this way, they supported each other and loved each other throughout their lives.

The story between them is ordinary and has a sweet atmosphere. A look at each other, a scolding, and a smile can conquer countless scenery in the world.

There is no need to talk about true love. Let it flow slowly with the trickle of time, and it will be a lifetime inadvertently.