Not a wish-fulfillment story, not reborn, and grounded in reality.
A close look at conflicts between mothers- and daughters-in-law, brothers- and sisters-in-law, and husbands and wives.
Family conflicts don't erupt all at once. They accumulate and fester layer by layer.
Now, let's pick apart that process, thread by thread!
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Su Wan was gentle and mild-mannered.
On her wedding night, her mother-in-law coaxed her with sweet words into lending back the so-called "bride price" she'd given her.
As a newly married eldest sister-in-law, she always believed that a harmonious family could overcome anything.
She was considerate of her in-laws' hard work, helped her husband care for his younger brother, pitched in with every household chore she could, and did her best for her husband's family.
But her patience and kindness only encouraged them to take more and more.
Her in-laws got used to treating the eldest son's household as a free source of money and labor, turning to Su Wan and her husband, Zhou Jiawen, whenever they needed someone to pay or pitch in.
They also expected Zhou Jiawen and Su Wan to keep supporting the younger brother.
Their younger brother, Zhou Jiasheng, remained like a child who never grew up, taking his elder brother and sister-in-law's help for granted.
He needed financial support and help with daily life. Every perk, big or small, always went to the younger brother first, while all the grievances and sacrifices were naturally piled onto Zhou Jiawen and his wife.
Endless demands and one unfair treatment after another wore away the last of Su Wan's affection.
At last, she came to her senses and stopped letting the moral shackles of "an eldest sister-in-law is like a mother" bind her.
She built a wall around her heart, drew a firm line, refused to help without limits, and stood up to her in-laws' moral blackmail.
She no longer craved her in-laws' approval or feared her relatives' judgment. She protected the peace of her own little family and broke free from the relentless entanglements of her husband's family, carving out an entirely new life for herself.
This heroine is so useless. I watched it without even mentioning divorce.