A 90-year-old man personally built a manor courtyard for his wife, fulfilling a lifelong promise

Some say love is a mysterious and profound thing. Many have heard of it, but only those who have truly experienced it know its countless flavors.

Days pass unhurriedly, affection endures tirelessly. The love between Grandpa and Grandma grows even richer and longer in this little courtyard.

Perhaps, from the story of these two elderly people,

we can experience the beauty of holding hands and growing old together.

These two elderly people are from Japan,

the husband is named Tsunoda Shuichi,

the wife is named Tsunoda Eiko.

More than 40 years ago,

Grandma Eiko had a pastoral dream,

hoping that one day,

she could live a life of one house, two people, three meals, four seasons,

and personally grow the days of her life.

However,

due to work reasons,

this dream was kept pressed down in her heart,

but Grandpa Shuichi kept it firmly in mind...

Tsunoda Shuichi was born in 1925,

studied at the University of Tokyo,

once worked at an architect's office,

and participated in the design of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.

He was rigorous in his conduct yet never lacking in grace.

Tsunoda Eiko is the same age as Grandpa Shuichi,

and is the daughter of a Japanese sake brewery owner,

usually enjoys growing flowers and vegetables,

prefers to be direct in her interactions with people,

and is not fussy about small matters,

her common catchphrase is:

"Well, this works too"。”

It seems that Grandpa and Grandma have completely opposite personalities,

but as the days went by one by one,

the two still went from their silver wedding to their golden wedding,

and all the way to their diamond wedding...

Now their ages added together

are already nearly 180 years old.

When he was young, Grandpa Shuichi was busy with his career,

but Grandma always quietly stayed by his side,

and after retirement,

Grandpa finally had time to start designing

his wife's dream manor.

So Grandpa packed his bags and took Grandma,

and the two moved from the city to the countryside.

It was a 200-square-meter courtyard in the countryside of Takakuraji, Aichi Prefecture,

given to them by Grandpa's mother 36 years earlier.

And this place also became the beginning of him fulfilling his wife's dream.

For this, Grandpa Shuichi returned to his old trade,

starting from scratch together,

designing the house and the garden,

both of them busy and joyful without tire,

hoping to grow the beautiful flowers of life.

With "minimalism" as the original intention,

a log cabin of just over 70 square meters

was designed so that they could eat and entertain,

as well as sleep and work.

Every pillar and every beam in the house

was personally designed by Grandpa.

The high ceiling makes the view even more open,

and every summer, a hammock is hung between the beams,

so they can cool off while enjoying the beautiful scenery outside.

And the furniture in the house

is also quite distinctive,

all old items slowly collected by the two elderly people over 35 years,

each one has history,

and is also full of beautiful memories.

Although there are no trendy design decorations,

these items are very sturdy and durable,

even the telephone in the home is an old-fashioned rotary dial.

Grandpa Shuichi explained:

“I like a life that takes time and effort,

and is not very convenient。”

The entire courtyard also has thirty-two tatami mats,

enough for his wife to rest wherever she is,

every detail,

Grandpa Shuichi considered his wife's convenience,

and the small house also carries

all his love for his wife.

Besides designing the house to be comfortable,

Grandpa Shuichi also always remembered his wife's repeated wishes:

a vegetable garden she had longed for,

it did not need to be too big,

as long as it could grow melons, fruits, and vegetables.

This time returning to rural life,

of course he could not forget his wife's greatest wish.

More than 600 square meters of field was divided into 21 plots,

in order to make planting easier for his wife,

Grandpa also made wooden signboards by hand,

so whatever was planted later would be clear at a glance,

and whatever they wanted to eat could be found directly.

And every harvest season

was their most fulfilling time,

vegetables and fruits hanging golden on the branches,

stirring a special feeling in their hearts.

The four seasons hurry by, and over a year,

their vegetable garden can harvest more than 70 kinds of vegetables

and more than 50 kinds of fruits,

of course what made the two proudest was that

all their vegetables were completely natural and pollution-free,

without any trace of chemical agents.

Grandma Eiko said:

"Eating is the most important thing in a person's life,

and food should be eaten in season,

some ingredients can only be eaten once or twice a year,

but the flavor is even purer,

and one can never get enough."

Of course, the food after each year's harvest

was more than the two elderly people could finish,

so they dried and brewed the extra food,

making it easy to store for a long time,

and the flavor would also become even richer.

Sometimes they would also use this food to entertain guests,

or give it to relatives and friends,

and it was repeatedly praised.

Because this was not only the fruit of the elderly people's labor,

but also the ripe fruit of their affection.

However, the only thing that made Grandma Eiko regretful was that

the kitchen was designed slightly too small,

for this reason, Grandma often grumbled to Grandpa:

“Men do not understand,

the kitchen is the most important part of a home.”

And so the old couple spent their later years in their small courtyard,

Occasionally there were small spats, but the two would quickly make up.

After all, there could be more than ten thousand reasons to part,

but there is only one reason to stay together for a lifetime,

and that is love.

It is just as the old couple said:

"Just care for each other in your own way, and that is enough."

Holding hands, working in the fields,keeping each other company in the house,

a life like this

also made the two's affection

grow deeper and deeper as time went on.

Of course, besides working in the fields,

the couple's daily life was also very sweet.

For example, when Grandpa Shuichi made desserts,

Grandma Eiko would go and brew tea,

the two would look at each other and smile,

and they knew just how to pair the next step.

Many people are curious about the grandma and grandpa's emotional life,

why after so many years, they can still be like young lovers?

Grandma Eiko said:

“Complaining and criticizing are taboos in our home,

after all, after an argument you feel very uncomfortable,

I like the warmth of koharu biyori.”

In Japanese,

"koharu biyori" refers to

"fine, mild weather with warm sunshine from late autumn to early winter."

So, whenever the two are unhappy,

their way of handling it is:

write their apologies and forgiveness on the message board,

and let all their knots untie with the wind.

And so, several decades passed in a hurry,

although they also went through dark times,

but as long as a loved one is by your side,

it is the koharu biyori in Grandma's heart.

And Grandpa Shuichi also used his camera to record the two's later life,

Grandpa said: "Earnestly record life, store it away

and you will find that life becomes even more beautiful。”

The days pass neither too fast nor too slow,

and affection never tires.

And the love between Grandpa and Grandma,

in this small courtyard, grew even more lingering and deep.