Love and Hate in the Mortal World

This is the story of three beautiful young women who, in the fragrant bloom of youth, endure the hardships and frustrations of their careers and suffer the pain and confusion of love. After being tormented by one cruel twist after another, they finally wake up to the truth: life is short, so why not strive to realize their own worth? They set out to pursue an outlandish dream: building a modern, Eden-like paradise in the Land of Abundance.

One is a northern girl who looks just like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Beautiful and brilliant, she passes the civil service exam, only to suffer devastating blows to her feelings and self-esteem, leaving her physically and emotionally exhausted. Her personality and emotional intelligence clash badly with a rigid, rule-bound career. Another, a beauty nicknamed Snow Mountain Flying Fox, has even worse luck. Her extraordinary looks catch the eye of a corrupt, powerful official, who uses every means to force her to become his mistress. She only escapes danger with the help of a just man from a military family, who later becomes her husband. The third is a girl from Bashu. Determined to become the third-generation inheritor of her family’s traditional sugar-figurine craft, she overcomes countless hardships. Her love life takes many painful turns, and in the end she decides to spend her life alone, with only a lamp for company.

Yet beneath the slopes of Mount Qingcheng, the three women find their way to the same destination. They embark on an arduous but fascinating journey to explore a modern Eastern Eden, a Peach Blossom Spring where they can shape their own lives and realize their ambitions. Though their idealistic adventure may seem outlandish, it winds along a path that leads to unexpected beauty. It is a romantic and thrilling journey through the careers, love lives, and marriages of modern women. The stories of these women may stir the seeds of dreams in the hearts of their contemporaries, opening a new window in the minds of female readers. If they do, the author will be deeply gratified.