A-hsiung has not been able to stand since that moment he fell off of a steep cliff. Regrets seem to be inevitable for A-hsiung and Ling. However, through a series of struggles against all the trials and hardships in life, the couple show the world how they turned a terrible tragedy into a heartwarming love story.

The cabbage on the hillside grew luxuriantly. Ling, dripping with sweat, bent over to pick the fruit of her hard work. A-hsiung sat in the truck looking at his wife tenderly. Even though he was paralyzed from the waist down and could not help her physically, he was there to give her his thoughtful reminders. Seeing the love in his eyes, Ling smiled.

Ling's weather-beaten face radiated with satisfaction as she loaded one basket of cabbage after another into the truck. Soon it was time to go home. After making sure Ling was sitting tight, A-hsiung started the engine and adeptly drove down the winding mountain road.

Eight years ago, A-hsiung fell off of a cliff. Since then, he has not been able to stand up. For a very long time, the young couple's life was filled with nothing but regrets. However, through their long struggle against all the trials and hardships of life, they found true love, which is rarely seen in this world.

Life in the Mountains

In 1988, A-hsiung's father went to Ling's home to propose to her on behalf of his son. A-hsiung had just gone into the army for his compulsory two-year service, and Ling was sixteen.

Soon after graduating from elementary school, Ling had gone to the city and worked in a factory. Back in the village where she grew up, many people were always trying to find a match for her, and she was asked to come back home. Afraid that her future husband might become an alcoholic, just like her father, she had turned down all the proposals. Not until A-hsiung's father appeared in her home did she finally say yes. Although Ling had never met A-hsiung, she knew, just like everyone else in the village did, that he never smoked or drank. She was sure he was the one she had been looking for.

Even though they had grown up in the same village, A-hsiung did not know much about Ling, but he still had some good impressions of her. Just before the wedding, they met for the first time. Ling was just a young girl then, quiet and shy. A-hsiung felt it unfair to ask the girl to spend the rest of her life with him, so he asked her softly, "Life won't be easy for you if you marry me. Aren't you afraid?" "No matter how hard it may be, it's my choice," Ling answered.

A-hsiung was surprised at her determination. Not knowing what to say, he simply nodded his head. He really could not understand what made her make such a decision. However, he did need someone to take care of his parents, so he accepted the arrangement.

Shortly after they got married, A-hsiung returned to the army. Ling stayed at home and looked after his parents. Life was stable and smooth, just as she had imagined.

Two years later, A-hsiung completed his army service. At that time, many young people in the mountains went to the cities to get better jobs. It was true that life in the mountains was harder than that in the cities. But, having been raised in the area, A-hsiung thought this was where he belonged. Besides, his parents were not young anymore, and his mother was not too healthy either. They needed him. For all these reasons, A-hsiung, then twenty-four years old, chose to stay in the mountains and take over his father's work of cultivating the orchard and raising a family.

The End of Happiness?

It was dusk. The glow of the setting sun slipped through the clouds. The mountains were shrouded in mist. Everything seemed so tranquil.

After finishing cutting bamboo, A-hsiung raised his head to look at the sky. He thought that it was still early. Maybe he could go pick some orchids. Orchids could be sold at a good price at this time of the year. With luck, he could make some money to help out with the family expenses. He asked several of his friends to meet him at the cliff to pick wild orchids.

Taking advantage of their dexterity and physical strength, A-hsiung and his friends fearlessly walked on the edge of the steep cliff, cutting wild orchids. All of a sudden, A-hsiung stumbled on a rock and fell. A scream of dismay disturbed the tranquility of the mountains. Before anyone could react, A-hsiung was lying at the bottom of the cliff.

In the little log cabin, Ling was playing with their seven-month-old daughter. She was so happy and satisfied with what she had. Just at that moment, a friend of theirs, who had not yet recovered from the shock, rushed in. In a frightened voice he said, "He... he fell off a cliff!"

Shaken at the news, Ling left the baby with her mother-in-law and ran to where the accident had happened. When she got there and saw A-hsiung lying still on the ground with his pale face bathed in blood, she finally broke down and cried.

Normally, it would take two hours to drive down the mountain, but that day, in their anxiety to get him to a hospital, they drove as fast as they could along the bumpy mountain road. One hour later, A-hsiung was in the emergency room.

Looking at A-hsiung, who was still in a coma, Ling faintly sensed a strange atmosphere in the air. During their three years of marriage, they had lived together for only one year or so. She could not bear to think of the future waiting ahead.

Being with Him

A-hsiung was lucky to survive the disaster, but he was paralyzed from the waist down. He could not reconcile himself to the fact that he would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but he could not find a way to get himself out of the nightmare either. Once vigorous and optimistic, A-hsiung now became helpless and insecure. "You aren't me," he yelled at people who tried to comfort him. "You'll never know what I'm going through." He complained, he shouted, and he cried all the time. His changeable, unpredicatable temperament was like a time bomb, waiting to go off at any time.

One year after A-hsiung was injured, his father passed away. Losing the spiritual support in his life, A-hsiung cried harder than anyone else. The road ahead of him was dark and no one was there to guide him. To him, life was hopeless.

In order not to be a heavy burden on his wife, A-hsiung reluctantly forced himself to tell her again and again to go back to her parents' house because he was not worthy of her. Ling replied that since he couldn't walk, she wanted to help him. The two fought this desperate battle many times. Both sides got hurt, and they always ended up weeping in each other's arms.

The accident forced Ling to be independent. She learned to drive. Sometimes in order to get her critically ill husband to the hospital in time, she would race down the rugged mountain track. Not willing to give up on A-hsiung's paralysis, she did odd jobs around the town, trying to make some extra money so that she could send him to a rehabilitation center for better medical care. She kept doing this for three years, until one day the doctor said it was no use.

After accepting the fact that A-hsiung could no longer walk, Ling shouldered the responsibility of supporting the family. Her husband, his mother, their daughter, and their niece, who had lost her father at a very young age, all depended on her. Each day before dawn, she was already out working in the fields. She seldom stopped to rest, because to her there was never enough time. Sometimes she even forgot to have breakfast. Years slid by this way, and her health declined as a result of constant overwork.

Hard though it was, she never thought of giving up. Under her quiet appearance, there was a determined, persistent woman.

Never Surrender to Fate

Deep inside, A-hsiung knew how much Ling was doing for him and the family. Not knowing what else he could do to free her from the misery, he kept asking her for a divorce. After five years of inner struggle, he finally came to realize that life had to go on, no matter what attitude he took towards it. After this idea sank in, he felt more peaceful and optimistic. He promised himself that he would be brave and strong.

He started to join Ling in the fields, and he formed a cooperative with some friends to grow vegetables in the mountains. They even held regular meetings every month to discuss new techniques to obtain higher yields.

A-hsiung had learned pipe fitting in the army, and he tried to work out a way to make a living with this skill. Finally he came up with the idea of working with his brother. He told his brother what to do, and together they did a good job. They won quite a few regular clients in a short time.

Last year while typhoon Winnie was sweeping across Taiwan, Ling climbed up to the top of the house to nail down loose roof tiles. The wind was so strong that she was nearly blown away. This episode made A-hsiung blame himself for not being able to provide her with a safe living space. His biggest wish then was to build Ling a solid house. Knowing that, several of his best army buddies generously offered to loan him money.

With the money, the talented A-hsiung set out to design the new house. He enthusiastically participated in every detail of the construction. He even operated the excavator himself. Ling and his brother were mainly responsible for paving and measuring. Their friends were also there to help. In fact, each and every tile in the house represented the sincere friendship of all of them.

"I don't want to be a loser," A-hsiung said confidently. "What other people can do, I can do too. I'm a man of iron will. I've fallen from my wheelchair many times, but each time I climbed back into it on my own. Now I can handle not only my wheelchair, but also my truck and my excavator."

A-hsiung did not like to bother others, so he was always running around in his wheelchair. This might explain why his wheelchairs break so often. So far, he has already gone through nine wheelchairs.

A-hsiung was interested in almost everything, and he was a fast learner. He was quite clever with his hands too. From time to time, he made nylon flowers to sell. A few months ago, a friend gave him a computer, but he gave it away to a high school student. "I don't use a computer. It is a waste to put it in my house. Why not give it to someone else who can really use it?"

Soaring in the Sky

Three years ago, in addition to the routine work in the vegetable fields, Ling started to do some odd jobs in the city. A rumor started going around in the village that she was working in a nightclub to make easy money with her body. Ling was hurt that people were speaking ill of her behind her back. A-hsiung told his wife that he didn't care what people said. He had every confidence in her.

Facts eventually scotched the rumor. With their simple yet sincere hearts and minds, A-hsiung and Ling bravely fought against all the hardships and broke one barrier after another. It was true that A-hsiung and Ling were not madly in love with each other when they first got married, but after what they had gone through together, they learned to know the true meaning of love.

Following Chinese custom, the character "hsi," which means joy or happiness, had been pasted on the mirror in their bedroom since their wedding day. Thinking of those days, a serious expression darkened Ling's face. Then a shy smile flickered across her face as she said in a low voice, "I can't ask for more--he is the best husband in the whole world."

For a long time after the accident, it had been hard for the family to make both ends meet. During that period of time, some Tzu Chi members tried to help them financially. However, what impressed the Tzu Chi people most was the hope the family held towards life in spite of all the adversities confronting them.

"I feel as good as if I were an ordinary person. Sometimes I even forget the fact that I can't walk." A-hsiung sat in front of the house, looking towards their pear orchard in the distance. As a shadow skimmed the sky, he raised his head. "Look! There's an eagle up there!"