Main plot
Shu Yan never imagined that Uncle Tang, who seemed so upright, and her own father were actually responsible for wiping out another family.
Shu Yan also never expected that the man she risked being burned alive to save would have such deep ties to her family.
What surprised Shu Yan most was that all the grudges and grievances had started with a misunderstanding.
How ridiculous!
Romance plot
On Shu Yan's first birthday celebration, snow fell in winter. Beside a short plum tree, Shu Yan and Tang Xiao made a promise: when her birthday came around the next year, Tang Xiao would grant every wish hanging from the tree.
But life is unpredictable. A month later, the Tang family was wiped out.
On her second birthday, Shu Yan sat alone beneath the plum tree, now hung with red ribbons, drinking and cursing Tang Xiao for being a promise-breaking bastard.
On her third birthday, Shu Yan returned to the plum tree, following the words on a note, though she didn't know whether she would see the person she longed for.
On her fourth birthday, two cups of wine sat beneath the plum tree, on a patch of ground that had been swept clean.
Two years later, in a cottage amid a plum grove, the room was decked with wedding decorations, and Shu Yan got married.
Please note:
1. The male lead never changes throughout the story. It is strictly one-on-one romance: a childhood friend will always beat a newcomer.
2. There are no absolutely good or evil characters in this story. Different past experiences shape different people. I've carefully told each supporting character's story, so I hope everyone will read with an open mind.
3. This story is entirely fictional, with no basis in historical research. Everything in it is made up.
Theme: The unresolved entanglements of one generation carry over to the next. When will the cycle of vengeance end?
