The orphan girl Ah Lian and the general Zhao Lin accompanied each other in the mountains and fields. During the three years after they took off their armor and returned to the fields, the two of them farmed, hunted and practiced medicine. They lived a poor but stable life. Ah Lian thought she had found a place to return to for the rest of her life, but the sudden visit of the Crown Princess Liu Junmei completely broke this peace. Zhao Lin hurried to Beijing for an old friend, leaving Ah Lian alone in an empty thatched hut. The warmth of the past gradually dissipated amidst repeated neglect and misunderstandings. Frustrated, Ah Lian burned down his thatched hut and went south, eventually arriving in the capital.
