Wen Lanlan had been determined since childhood to make something of herself. After graduating from college, she chose to marry, believing that marriage would give her a peaceful life. But her husband's coldness and criticism were like a blunt knife, slowly carving away at her self-respect day after day. He took all her hard work for granted and dismissed her anxiety as needless fuss. Over the long years of wearing down, she went from a bright, beautiful flower to a patch of moldy moss hidden in the dark, and ultimately died quietly, consumed by depression and illness.
After death, she wandered the world and watched the lives of two old friends. One had dropped out of school early to venture into the world; though life was hard, she lived with vitality. The other had pursued an independent career; though single, she was in control of her own life. They were both moving forward. Only Wen Lanlan had turned down a dead-end road in the prime of her life, trapped until death in the narrow alley called "dutiful wife and loving mother."
Overcome with regret, she unexpectedly returns to that pivotal afternoon when she was twenty-one. Her boyfriend's gentle yet fatal temptation rings in her ears: "Don't work anymore. I'll take care of you."
This time, she looks at the youthful veins on her wrist and presses the power button.
She will not go down that narrow alley again, begging for a meager scrap of pity.
She will walk out and embrace the vast, harsh world that should have been hers all along.
Some peaceful lives are disguises for an abyss. Sometimes we turn back so we won't make the same mistake again.
Theme: Staying positive
