While a couple in their 80s were unable to utter the words "I love you" face to face while they were separated during the novel coronavirus epidemic, they found other ways to express their feelings.

Zhang Shifa, 84, began writing the words in letter after letter to his wife, Shen Meizhen, also 84, who resides at a nursing home.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in January, the Meizhou branch of Shanghai Jinshan Social Welfare Institution in Jinshan district, where Shen has lived for two years, was locked down for safety reasons. To comfort Shen, Zhang wrote: Over nearly 70 days, he penned 66 love notes.

"We've never been apart for such a long time, so I'm writing this to give her some comfort when we couldn't see each other," said Zhang.

The notes, including messages such as, "Dear Meizhen, I love you," "You need to think more about happy things and enjoy the sunshine,""The epidemic is getting better and we will meet soon," were written on pieces of paper of different sizes and given to guards at the institution.

The couple, who met in Shanghai, has been married for over 50 years. Zhang said his wife Shen has an even temper and is very loving to their children. They have barely argued in the past 50 years, he said.

However, their peaceful life was interrupted when Shen moved into a nursing home in Qingpu district due to her physical condition five years ago. To spend time with her, Zhang spent six to seven hours commuting between Jinshan and Qingpu every day just to stay with his wife for an hour or two.

"Later, we made an application with the Jinshan Social Welfare Institution and we moved her to the Meizhou branch because it is only five minutes' walk from home," Zhang said.

After Shen moved into the branch home, Zhang showed up every morning at 6:30 am to feed her and help her to turn over in bed before leaving at 6:30 pm. For the past two years, Zhang was never late or missed a visit.

On January 27, the institution refused family visits to ensure the safety of the elderly residents during the epidemic in accord with city government regulations.

"It was really sad to be separated for the first time," Zhang said.

Although he was not allowed to visit, Zhang still showed up outside the institution every morning, brought fresh juice or Shen's favorite snacks, and handed them to the guard. Included with the food was a note with all kinds of encouragement and instructions to his wife and thanks to the nursing staff.

"These letters gave me great spiritual comfort. I missed him and hoped the situation would get better soon," Shen said.

"The relationship between the couple is very good. Zhang comes to our institution every day to talk with his wife, listen to the news, and sometimes call their children to chat," said Quan Xiu'e, head of nursing at the social welfare institution, who has known the couple since 2017.

"While Shen's mood became unstable after 10 days of separation, Zhang started to write letters," Quan said. "They made me deeply understand the beauty of love."

With improvement in the epidemic situation, the institution opened for small family visits. On April 4, the couple finally were able to visit for 10 minutes after more than two months of separation. They both broke down in tears.

(Source: China Daily)