Era background: 1917-1927, Shanghai French Concession
In the early years of the Republic of China, there was a Rouge Lane in the French Concession in Shanghai. The alley is so narrow that it can only accommodate two sedan chairs, with rows of red buildings on both sides. Red lanterns sway in the wind, like the eyes of a drunkard who can't open their eyes.
Zuihua Tower stands in this alley.
This is a story about three women——
Liu Ruyan, the daughter of a scholarly family in Suzhou, fell behind in her family and was sold into a brothel. She guarded her father's Zhongni-style guqin and lived like a plain orchid among the piles of makeup and powder. It wasn't until she met revolutionary Jiang Yunfan that she realized that there was another way to live in this world, which was to refuse to accept fate.
Bai Magnolia, a poor peasant girl in northern Jiangsu, was sold at the age of fourteen and spent eight years crawling in the mire. She only wanted to save money to redeem herself, thinking that leaving the brothel would mean "turning over." But when she finally got the gold bar, she realized that she could no longer tell what was right and what was wrong.
Aunt Jin was sold into a brothel at the age of sixteen. She saved money to redeem herself at the age of twenty-six, and settled in Zuihua House at the age of thirty-six. She had been torn between interests and conscience all her life. It wasn't until that night when an old lover from twenty years ago pushed in the door that she remembered that she was also called A-Feng.
And Hong Ling, that little girl with eyes as bright as a wild cat in the mountains. She spent the rest of her life learning to recognize those three words - jasmine, li, and flower.
In the past ten years, warlords were fighting, the May 4th Movement, the May 30th Massacre, and the Northern Expedition. The torrent of the great era rolls by, and the fate of the little people is caught up in it. Some people die for their beliefs, some sink in desire, and some finally find themselves after losing everything.
Reader comments
Book Review: Half a lifetime of wrong payment, one contract becomes empty
After reading Aunt Jin's story, my heart felt uneasy for a long time. Ah Feng was once a woman full of hope, waiting for a promise and redemption in the world. But the world is ruthless and the years are cruel. The person who said he would redeem her life has been gone for twenty years.
When they reunited, the old friend returned with the old contract and savings, but Ah Feng was no longer there, leaving only Aunt Jin who had lived in Zuihua House for half her life. It's not that she doesn't complain or feel pain, it's just that all her love and hate have been worn into silence by time. The belated affection cannot be worth the passing years; the belated redemption cannot save the hearts of people who have long accepted their fate.
Aunt Jin finally chose to stay, not because she was numb, but because she had already made herself a part of this building. This chapter describes how women in troubled times can't help themselves, and also expresses the most helpless regrets in life: some waiting, waiting is a lifetime; some missing, parting is forever.
Book Review: Half a lifetime of wrong payment, one contract becomes empty After reading Aunt Jin's story, my heart felt uneasy for a long time. Ah Feng was once a woman full of hope, waiting for a promise and redemption in the world. But the world is ruthless and the years are cruel. The person who said he would redeem her life has been gone for twenty years. When they reunited, the old friend returned with the old contract and savings, but Ah Feng was no longer there, leaving only Aunt Jin who had lived in Zuihua House for half her life. It's not that she doesn't complain or feel pain, it's just that all her love and hate have been worn into silence by time. The belated affection cannot be worth the passing years; the belated redemption cannot save the hearts of people who have long accepted their fate. Aunt Jin finally chose to stay, not because she was numb, but because she had already made herself a part of this building. This chapter describes how women in troubled times can't help themselves, and also expresses the most helpless regrets in life: some waiting, waiting is a lifetime; some missing, parting is forever.