A breath in the cracks of Fuzhou, a moment of tenderness in the heaviness

In the midsummer of 2023, my father returned to China to visit his family and unfortunately had a stroke in Fuzhou and was hospitalized. Because our family had settled overseas long ago and no family members were in China, my second sister and I took a temporary leave and rushed back to Fuzhou to take care of the elders. For a month, we stayed in the hospital almost every day, dealing with trivial matters and guarding the bedside. The days were heavy and confused. After the nursing shifts at night, we had a short time to breathe. The night of the city is like a layer of gauze, gently covering the bitterness of reality, and leaving us with some less heavy moments. The roads we walked and the scenery we saw in Fuzhou at night became our rare memories of that summer. That day was a rare morning with a lighter shift, and my second sister and I decided to take time to walk in Sanfang Qixiang. The sun was shining on the street, and the warm light was sprinkled on the bluestone slabs. The old houses and old banyan trees deep in the alleys have witnessed the wind and rain of Fuzhou for hundreds of years, and they also seem to silently watch our fatigue and miss. One night we went to Shangxiahang. This was the old commercial center of Fuzhou, and now it has become a gathering place for literature and art. The old houses on the corners, the lights at dusk, and the hurried footsteps of people, everything made people forget the pungent smell of disinfectant in the hospital for a short time. Another night walk, we walked to Santong Bridge. The bridge silently spanned the water, and the reflection under the bridge was like another parallel world, without illness, no rush, only lights and tranquility. We sat by the bridge for a while, maybe because we haven't looked at a river carefully for too long, even the sound of water seemed particularly beautiful. We saw someone renting a boat for a night cruise at the pier. We also improvised and rented a small boat, sitting on the boat and drifting with the waves. Under the night, the reflections of the bridge lights and street lights were reflected on the water, like a flowing scroll. The boat swayed slightly, and there was a mixture of water vapor and incense in the air. On the way, we passed a small temple, with incense in the dark, quiet and sacred. My second sister said, "I want to get off the boat and worship." We docked. She took off her shoes and went to the temple, slowly lit incense, clasped her hands, and prayed in a low voice to the Buddha statue: "May he be safe, may we all make it through." One night the weather was particularly good, and we went around Yantai Mountain. The mountain road was a bit quiet at night, with gravel roads under our feet and cicadas chirping in our ears. We walked up slowly, and among the lights, we had the illusion of escaping from reality. Standing on the top of the mountain and looking at the entire city of Fuzhou, the lights were beating like countless heartbeats. We thought that this might be a kind of comfort. Even if the city is unfamiliar, people are still willing to shine. On the way home, we passed by the Student Street Night Market. This is the most lifelike place in Fuzhou. There is no deliberate tourist dress, only authentic food and lively crowds. That night we ate fish balls, meat dumplings, grilled squid, peanut soup, and my favorite watermelon ice. The shouts and the smell of oil smoke from the vendors seemed to pull us out of anxiety and fatigue, making us feel a little more solid about the "human fireworks". That summer was not a vacation trip, nor a planned life segment, but it became a particularly deep page in my memory. We came to Fuzhou not to see the scenery, but in the heaviest moment, we saw the most real and gentle appearance of this city. It does not have the prosperity that makes people's eyes bright, but it has a reassuring temperature. Perhaps every city has such a "cracked journey" not for traveling, but to steal a moment of respite between life and reality. And those nights, the roads we walked, the lights we saw, and the midnight snacks we ate will gently remind me one day in the future: "You once tried very hard to survive the most difficult time in love and responsibility." #Fuzhou Good Place