The Foil in a Period Novel

Nan Sheng always thought her mistaken marriage was an unfortunate misunderstanding, so she quickly adjusted and devoted herself to her marriage and her husband's family. Even though they were much fonder of her younger cousin, she had no complaints and fulfilled all her duties as a wife and daughter-in-law. As her husband steadily rose through the ranks, she never forgot to look after her birth family, including her widowed cousin. Over the years, she earned her husband's family's approval through her own efforts and built a comfortable, contented life. The only thing that troubled her was that she never had a child. She was a traditional woman and always felt she had let her husband's family down. As her husband's position grew higher and his authority increased, she felt the distance between them growing, too. To bridge that gap, she picked up her books again while trying for a child. But when she finally got her diploma and went to share her joy with her husband, she opened the door to his office and saw him embracing her cousin. Her husband's first reaction wasn't to explain. He shielded her cousin behind him. It all became clear to her. So this was the difference between the beloved white moonlight kept in one's heart and the plain rice stuck to the wall, as they said in books? And she was that tasteless bowl of rice. That was why her husband had never been in a hurry to have children: someone else had already borne him a son, so he had an heir. That was why her widowed cousin had never remarried: she had set her sights on the position of general's wife long ago and was waiting to take her place. Both her birth family and her husband's family had known about it. Then what was she? She'd swallowed her anger and been meek her whole life, but at last she fought back. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong way. She threatened her husband with his improper conduct, demanding that he not divorce her and send her cousin and illegitimate son far away. She clung to her anger, determined to defend the last of her dignity. But no one took her side. Everyone blamed her. She died from the sheer injustice of it all. Only after her death did she learn that she was the malicious foil in a period novel: a woman who had rejected her fiance's family because of their bad class background, deliberately switched marriages, clung to her position as the general's wife, and depended on her husband to survive. Her cousin was the heroine, who had suffered endlessly, been widowed at a young age, and been forcibly separated from the general she loved. Though denied a life together and made to endure years of hardship, she remained strong and independent. Nan Sheng kicked over the book that had appeared before her and cursed it with the foulest language she knew. Then everything went black, and she lost consciousness. When she woke again, she had returned to the night before the mistaken marriage. Remembering that her cousin had been widowed the day after her wedding in her previous life, Nan Sheng decided that sounded pretty good. This time, there would be no mistaken marriage! In this life, she'll be a rich widow. Nobody's going to stop her! Theme: Be self-reliant and create a good life for yourself.