A food courier in northeast China who greeted a US nursery teacher he delivered noodles to with the words “I love you” in a lift married the woman five months later.
Recently, the man, surnamed Liu, 27, from Shenyang, Liaoning province, shared his love story on social media.
In a video, Liu introduced his wife as Hannah Harris, a 30-year-old from the US state of Alabama who moved to Shenyang last August to teach English at a kindergarten.
In November last year, Liu first met Harris after she ordered a bowl of noodles on a delivery app.
While he was delivering her food, they ran into each other in the lift.
Liu recalled: “I do not speak much English, so I just said, ‘Hello, I love you’. She laughed when she heard it.”
The two exchanged contact details after the encounter.
Harris said she wanted to get to know him better and swap language skills, learning Chinese while helping him with English.
Liu sent her photos of his two cats and clips of himself cooking or rollerblading.
He said they quickly discovered they had plenty in common, including a love of animals, tasty food and sport.
After they began dating, Harris often joined Liu on delivery runs and the pair spent weekends exploring villages outside Shenyang.
In January, Liu bought a diamond ring and proposed to Harris at an underground station.
He told Jimu News: “Although we have not known each other for long, I feel she is a kind person. She is the one I have been looking for.”
Two months later, the pair married in Liu’s hometown, with Harris’s parents sending their blessings by video from the US.
Liu said he comes from a poor rural family with no house or car, but Harris did not care.
She told him love could not be measured in material things.
“We are soul mates,” said Liu.
They use translation apps to communicate and spend evenings learning each other’s language. Both now know a little Chinese and English.
They share a teddy dog called Pudding, swap national dishes in the kitchen and enjoy cycling together.
Liu dreams of them travelling across China together, while Harris, who loves writing, hopes to become an author.
“Even though I cannot read English novels, I hope she can publish her own one day,” Liu said.
He also had some advice for people chasing love: “If you love someone, say it out loud.”
Their story has attracted much attention on mainland social media, with related posts gaining more than 3 million views.
One online observer said: “Most Chinese people know three English phrases: I love you, hello and thank you. Liu picked the most touching one at the perfect moment. Brave people enjoy love first.”
“Marrying in under half a year might be too fast, but may they continue to support and love each other through everyday life,” said another person. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
