In 1956, a man and a woman who had fallen in love freely got married. The differences between Wen Li (played by Jiang Wenli) and Tong Zhi (played by Zhang Guoli) were already apparent in the early days of their marriage. Wen Li, who adored Soviet novels and had aspirations for life and a strong middle-class sensibility, was the most doted-on daughter in her family. Tong Zhi, by contrast, was a straightforward man with no sense of romance, and the only son cherished by his parents. Before the sweetness of their newlywed days had even faded, Wen Li gave birth to a daughter, and the first-time parents were overwhelmed. Their second daughter, Nanfang, soon followed. Unable to manage on their own, the couple had to send her to Sichuan to be cared for by Tong Zhi's mother. In contrast, there was also
