"Family Letters" is inspired by the Qin Dynasty wooden tablets unearthed in 1975 in Shuihudi, Yunmeng, Hubei Province. It tells the war and family story of two brothers, Heifu and Jing, soldiers of the Qin State. In 224 BC, a young man from Anlu County, Nanjun, Qin State, was drafted into the army. Although his mother tried to stop him, he still went to the battlefield with dreams of military success. Before leaving, he hurriedly married his new wife Yu and left his hometown with his family's expectations and worries. On the battlefield in Huaiyang, Jing reunited with his second brother Heifu, who had already joined the army. The two brothers supported each other in the cruel war.
Heifu was seriously injured and was rescued by Ji Mi, a female doctor from the Chu State. In the troubled times, the two developed feelings that transcended the enemy and ourselves. However, the shadow of war always hangs over them. Shocked by the injustice and corruption on the battlefield, his dream of military glory was gradually shattered; Heifu sacrificed his life to save Ji Mi when the city was destroyed. Jing was eventually seriously injured and died in the battle to suppress the rebels. Before his death, he wrote down his concern for his wife in blood.
At home, the mother and eldest brother were eager to raise money to support the brothers, but they waited for the sad news that the two had died in battle. My mother died in depression. After remarrying, I still did not forget the old love and named my children "Nian" and "Jing" to express her grief. Many years later, Zhong repeatedly touched his brother's family letters in front of his sickbed, and finally passed away with endless thoughts.
Through the perspective of ordinary soldiers, the story shows the personal destiny and conflicts between family and country in the Qin unification war, reveals the glory and cruelty of the military title system, and the tenacity and helplessness of family and love in troubled times. The wooden family letters have become a link through time and space, connecting the battlefield and hometown, recording a tragic past event that has been dusted for thousands of years.
