The old dynasty is teetering in the storm, while new ideas surge beneath the surface. Lin Weilan, newly returned from studying abroad, takes her first step off the train at Pingjing Station and is swept into the tide of the times. “Do you really think women know nothing about the fate of our country, Mr. Xu?” The day she reunites with Xu Zhiyuan, leader of the Reform Association, neither of them imagines that their war of words will mark the beginning of a romance in troubled times.
When childhood sweethearts become opponents divided by their political views, and an old letter found by chance in a study reveals family secrets, Weilan must choose between her ideals and her family. The boy who once raised crickets with her has grown into a resolute revolutionary, one who can say, “The land must be transformed, and I need you by my side, too.”
Assassinations and betrayals follow one after another. The candlelight from her sister’s deathbed plea to care for her child has yet to fade when the warlord Xiao Zhenhuan points his gun at their chests. As political plots intertwine with matters of the heart, every promise made on the brink of death, “If I survive this, I’ll settle things with you once and for all,” becomes a confession left unspoken in a troubled age.
This is no simple love story, but a high-stakes gamble over ideals and their price. When the red leaves of Xishan once again cover the mountains, what remains is not only the promise that “when the land is renewed tomorrow, every family will be reunited,” but also the legend of a nation reborn through blood and fire.
Where the smoke of war has cleared, only sincerity and conviction remain worthy of our faith.
(This is a short story, so the pacing may be quick. It’s my first time writing, so please point out any issues with the details and I’ll correct them.)
