5 Impoverished life

We managed to pay for our transportation expenses ourselves. Five to six hundred yuan doesn't seem like much now, but back then, our monthly income was only 3000 yuan for the two of us. I really can't imagine how we had the courage to return to Guangzhou. I forgot to mention earlier that our rent was a little over 1000 yuan. The rest was our living expenses! He eventually became so thin that you could see his ribs from the back. I once saw him hunched over coding at home, and I could see his protruding ribs in a row. I suddenly cried. He didn't know about this. I always acted cheerful in front of him, not letting him feel that I was suffering, otherwise, I was afraid he would immediately return to our hometown.

He was a guy who was very reluctant to ask his family for money, especially after his father got sick. Anyway, since our senior year and starting work in Guangzhou, he never took a penny from his family. On the other hand, because my mom loved me and I occasionally pretended to be poor, she would always send me a thousand or two thousand yuan.

Every time we received our salaries, we would treat ourselves to something delicious. At that time, we didn't dare to go to expensive places, so we would go downstairs to a Hunan restaurant and order a sour fish dish for seventy to eighty yuan, and it would taste so good. Even now, I still love eating sour fish.

I still remember when he bought me a bag for 133 yuan, and I said, "It's too expensive", and I didn't dare to accept it.

He said, "This is a gift, carry it, and it makes me happy to see you using it. It will be worth the money in the long run."

I'm still using that bag now. I don't buy things often, and I don't like to go shopping. It's still the "bad habit" I developed back then.

The above is about winter. Then it was Chinese New Year, and we both went home to celebrate. After coming back from New Year's, his salary increased to over 4000 yuan per month, while I still had my meager salary. We were still living in that small house.

Then my grandmother passed away.

It was a heavy blow to me! We were originally supposed to go to work that morning, but when we received the phone call, we immediately took the car back home. I didn't get to see my grandmother for the last time, and I cried uncontrollably. He said, "I will take care of you."

Because of illness and two family incidents, I kept taking leave from work, and heartless company fired me, so I became unemployed. At that time, his workplace moved to Tiyu West Road, and he had to squeeze onto a crowded bus for an hour every morning.

6 Went through hardships

He has been working hard while I have been diligently searching for a job. It seems like our life is getting better. His salary has increased, and we have started to save a little. He said, "We shouldn't live in this unsafe area anymore. I worry about you being home alone."

So we started looking for a new place to live. I had high standards, but eventually we found a duplex in a small community that we liked. It was a bit expensive, 1900 RMB per month, but he decided to rent it. He said, "Having a nice and cozy home gives us a sense of belonging. We will look forward to coming home every day after work."

After moving to the new house, our life really started to improve. I also found a job at a magazine company that I liked, although it was just an internship. I earn 1500 RMB per month, and with his over 4000 RMB, we can save some money every month. We bought a vacuum cleaner, a desk from Ikea, and he bought me a Redmi phone. Later, we even adopted two cats. It has always been my dream to have cats, but my mom disliked them, so we never had any before.

He is a very hardworking and ambitious guy, and a competent programmer. Just as he said and promised before, he wants to become an excellent programmer. In less than a year, he became the leader of his project. While others praised his natural talent, only I knew that our bedside table was filled with books about coding. Every night, he would stay up until one or two in the morning, typing on his keyboard. He communicated with foreign programmers, learned from them, tested different methods, and stayed updated with the latest technology trends. He didn't use sweet words to deceive me. In the past year, he showed me what hard work and ambition really mean. I saw it and finally believed that a bright future truly exists. His efforts also inspired me to not settle for the status quo and strive for excellence.

As a result, our life kept getting better and we decided to get married. We then moved to our current two-bedroom apartment in another community, which costs 2400 RMB per month. I also found a more relaxed job, earning over 3000 RMB per month. His salary has more than doubled, but I won't disclose the exact amount. Anyway, our life is really good now.

From earning just over 1000 RMB to 1900 RMB, and now 2400 RMB, the increase in rent shows that our life is gradually improving. And this change happened in less than two years, from October 2012 when I came to Guangzhou, to June 2014.

7 He gives me a sense of security

I am truly grateful to God, but I am even more grateful to him, and grateful to myself, because it is our perseverance that has brought us to where we are today. I am also grateful to our parents, because it is their understanding and support that have given us our current life and upcoming marriage.

Perhaps from an outsider's perspective, I am the kind of "unrealistic" girl? Because I do not despise my boyfriend for being poor or having poor conditions, and I am willing to endure hardships with him.

But in reality, I want to say that I am also very practical. I bargain when buying groceries, and I pick up loose change from the ground. I am not some artistic young woman who treats money as dirt; I am just an ordinary woman. The reason I am willing to accompany him is because he has given me great confidence. The care and concern he has always shown me is not something any man in this world can do.

I have a bad temper and easily get angry and cry, but he always comforts me.

He doesn't hide anything from me and introduces all his friends for me to meet. Now his friends are also my friends. He tells me exactly how much his salary is, but I don't have control over it. We have unified financial records, and we both know each other's details, but we spend our own money.

I cook every day, and he washes the dishes.

No matter how late he works overtime, he will never fail to come home. He won't go out casually without informing me beforehand; he always calls me and tells me who he is with and what time he will be home.

He never has any private communication with any woman outside of work.

He used to not like cats, but after we got a cat, he started loving our cat along with me.

He speaks highly of me in front of his family and they all really like me.

Every day before he leaves for work, regardless of whether I am awake or asleep, he will kiss me.