The Most Beautiful Smile. By Lilac Class 14.
It was only two thousand years ago here in China. There were so many wars everywhere. This story is about a man and a woman from this period in time. The man’s name was Cang and the ladie’s was Ju. Cang had left his home town village and joined the army. Ju was left behind and missed and worried about him everyday that he was away. The young man didn’t know that Ju loved him very much. After a time he forgot about his hometown friend. Three years later the war that Cang had joined to fight finished so he returned to his village. Ju was so happy when she heard that Cang had returned. She straight away went to Cang parent’s home to welcome him home. When she saw him she didn’t know what to say so she rushed up to him and hugged him. Cang was rather thick (Not smart or quick thinking) so he thought that Ju was welcoming him home as a war hero and friend. So he chatted to Ju as a friend would. Soon however after Ju started kissing him and talking about having babies with him he realized that Ju was in love with him. After this Cang started to date with Ju. They would go for walks into the mountains and swim in the waters of the nearby river. They very much enjoyed each other’s company.
However another war started and the army sent for Cang to join again as he was a brave fighter. Of course Cang thought that seeing that he was a hero that it was only right that he should go and fight again. So he said goodbye to his one true love and rode off on his war horse with the other soldiers to fight in the new war.
After a time word came back to the village from the army that a couple of the village men had been killed and that Cang had been badly wounded while fighting to protect the leader of the army who was his friend in a bloody battle. He had fought and great bravery and saved his friends life. In those days to be hurt badly in battle usually in death as there was little that could be done to care for the badly wounded.
When Ju’s mother heard that Cang had been badly wounded she decided to find someone for Ju to marry as Ju was at the age where she was expected to marry. Seeing that most of the young men of the village had been killed in the wars Ju’s mother could only find an older man for Ju to marry. Poor Ju cried for a long time as she thought that she shouldn’t marry this man. But in the end she agreed to marry the older man that her mother had found for her. After she married she would often cry when see was alone in the nearby mountains where no one could see or hear her.
Little did Ju know but that Cang was receiving good care and that his wounds were healing. Cang pictured Ju in his mind as he lay for months waiting for his body to heal. He now loved Ju with all his heart. His friend whom was rich and powerful had sent for Buddhist monks that were skilled in herbal medicine to come and care for his brave friend. When his wounds had healed Cang came back to his hometown village. He straight away asked about Ju and was sad when he learned that Ju had married an older man by an arranged marriage. He felt so sad as Ju’s smiling face came to his mind. Suddenly he broke down and cried.
Three years later Ju’s husband died. One late afternoon at dusk as Cang was walking about the village his eyes caught sight of Ju. She looked a little old. At least she didn’t look like the smiling beautiful girl of three years ago. Ju ran away quickly as she caught sight of Cang as she was shy and knew that her beauty had fled from her. Cang just stood looking as Ju fled away from him. Crag felt so sad for Ju and himself. Ju of course was also feeling very sad. She didn’t think that Cang would want her know that her beauty had gone. Ju fled to another town where she worked as a dress maker.
Cang missed Ju a lot and would have happily taken her as his wife but Ju didn’t know this of course. Cang never forgot the way Ju used to smile at him when she was in his company. Ju’s smile always stayed in his heart, it never ever left him. Forty five years later Cang died. He had never married. Ju never remarried either. When Ju heard that Crag had died she went back to live her remaining time in her home village. She asked the village people to let her sleep with Cang under the earth when she died. She didn’t know that Cang had requested the same thing of the village people once also. Soon after Cang died Ju also died so now they sleep together.