The Love That Needs No Repayment—Just Keep It in Your Heart

Title: The Love That Needs No Repayment—Just Keep It in Your Heart
 

A few days ago, Youyou’s daughter asked her,
“Mom, what gifts did you prepare for Auntie and Grandma?”

There was a hint of hesitation in her eyes, perhaps because they’d had some tension over this topic before.

Youyou smiled but didn’t answer right away. The gifts weren’t expensive—just small tokens of thoughtfulness. But some bonds cannot be measured in money.
This story is a long one—heavy in some ways, yet filled with warmth.

Youyou had a younger sister named Tingting. The two had always supported each other since childhood.
When Tingting was struggling in Beijing as a young woman, Youyou, who was a bit better off, let her stay at her home to prepare for graduate school. When Tingting fell ill, Youyou paid for her medical treatment without hesitation.

Tingting never forgot.
Years later, after enduring many hardships, she finally found stability in her career and became a woman strong enough to shelter her family from the wind and rain. She never spoke of repayment—but when Youyou’s daughter was studying medicine in the United States, Tingting quietly joined their mother and brother to gather $20,000 to help pay her tuition. She insisted, “This is a gift, not a loan.”

It wasn’t about money. It was about family—the unbroken thread of kinship and love.

A few years ago, Tingting’s family came to the U.S. for a visit.
Youyou suggested that her daughter buy a small gift for her aunt’s family, just to show appreciation.
But her daughter grew upset and said,
“Are you saying I have to repay them? That’s like charging interest! I’m an American citizen now. In American culture, when you give gifts to relatives, $25 is enough.”

She did end up buying a $160 gift, but her displeasure and resentment chilled Youyou’s heart.

Youyou didn’t argue. She simply said quietly,
“My child, you don’t owe your aunt anything. What she gave you came from love, not from any expectation of return. If you don’t want to buy a gift, you don’t have to. I’ll tell her, ‘This is how American culture works—we respect and understand that.’
Since you are an American citizen, we as your parents will also follow American ways when it comes to you. We won’t pressure or demand anymore. You are free, and we will let go. Only then can there be peace.”

When Youyou said these words, her heart ached—but also felt a quiet relief.

Family affection is not about keeping score, nor is it a ledger of debts and credits.
It is a kind of giving that asks for nothing in return—a tenderness kept in the heart, a hand that lifts you when you’re still too weak to stand.

Some love needs no repayment.
Just remember it.
Because it was never given for the sake of being repaid.