Some people are dependent to the core, born without the resolve or ability to stand on their own. The slightest upset can send their lives tottering, and without someone else to support them, they can barely get by. Living off others becomes their way of survival.
Xiang Ping, the man in this story, may be an excellent calligrapher, but he has a split personality. One side lives off others while shamelessly demanding more. He survives on other people's efforts without the slightest gratitude or restraint, always looking contemptuous and cursing under his breath. The other side puts on the airs of a cultured scholar around beautiful women, yet in secret he does despicable things, like taking petty advantage of others and molesting little girls.
In everyday life, he takes for granted the comfortable life his second wife, Zhong Hui, works so hard to provide. The slightest dissatisfaction sends him into a rage, spewing obscenities. Yet when he sees a sentimental mother, his heart softens. People like him are utterly rotten, yet laughably full of themselves.
Zhong Hui, who both loves and hates him, falls gravely ill after years of overwork and constant anger. By then, she is consumed with regret. As she lies dying, she comes to a realization: “If I could live my life over, I would...” In an instant, she is reborn...
