The Gentleman Came Home with a Beauty

Qin Xiangwan was the beloved young lady of a distinguished traditional family, carefully raised by everyone around her to meet the standards of the day. She was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, books, rites, and music. The people of Liucheng talked about her incessantly, calling her the ideal woman and debating which family would be lucky enough to marry her.

Her parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words decided her fate. She wore a phoenix crown and a red bridal gown, and her dowry stretched for miles. At a young age, she married into the Xu family, whose men held government posts, and became Mrs. Xu Qin.

On her wedding night, she learned that her husband wanted to travel abroad for his studies, but the elders in his family would not allow it.

"First you start a family, then you build a career!" And so she married into the family.

"You're the only heir in the family. At least give the Xu family a successor!" And so she bore him a child.

For a long time, he tried to get out of it. He ran away, went on hunger strikes, and tried to hang himself, but none of it worked.

Finally, three years later, Qin Xiangwan let him have his wish.

Her husband didn't stay even one night. He never even saw their newborn child.

That world was beyond her reach, a place whose appearance she couldn't even imagine in her dreams.

When he returned, there was an elegant young woman by his side. Her hair curled like waves on the open sea, and she was bright, sunny, lively, and cheerful. She spoke foreign languages fluently and knew how to use strange Western gadgets. Who could help liking a girl like that?

"If you like her, take her as a concubine!" She made a concession.

She had never seen him get so angry. He pointed at her nose, trembling with rage, yet unable to utter a single insult. In the end, he slammed the door and left.

Could it be that he wanted that woman to be his equal wife? Or even his principal wife? She'd better prepare for a divorce in advance.

But she waited and waited, until war broke out and they said they had to flee. The young woman was there too. Perhaps she would make a good mother.

When they met again, he was still a minor author, while she owned the biggest factory, the finest weapons, and a company famous throughout the world.

Yet everyone called her a lackey, first for feudalism, then for money.

Didn't I do what you told me? You liked proper young ladies, so I became the most perfect one. You liked gentleness and virtue, so I embodied every aspect of those qualities. I did everything as you wished. If I'm a lackey, then who is the tiger?

When he stopped her and begged her to give him another chance, Qin Xiangwan smiled and showed him the ring on her hand. "Mr. Xu, I've remarried."

You have your own road to the sun, and I have my own narrow bridge.

Theme: Even a flower growing through a crack yearns for the light