Married Midway Through Life, I Promise You a Lifetime of Peace

Reader advisory: A true-to-life story, with no melodramatic love triangle. At forty, Zhu Yulian is divorced and raising her son alone, making ends meet by running a beauty and wellness salon. After several miserable blind dates, she has long since given up on love. All she wants is a quiet, stable life while she raises her child. Thirty-nine-year-old Chen Lei has never been married. After years away, he has returned to his hometown of Bijie and makes a living writing. His parents died young, and after spending half his life drifting from place to place, all he wants is a little home of his own. A simple blind date brings together two middle-aged people who have both suffered through life’s hardships. After only twenty-four days together, they register their marriage, brushing aside everyone’s gossip and doubts. Everyone else is waiting to laugh at their blended family. The child grew up without a father. Will he accept Chen Lei, a newcomer in his life? Life isn’t all tenderness. Her ex-husband, Li Wei, keeps showing up to pester them and cause trouble. Relatives and neighbors never stop gossiping. Business at the wellness salon rises and falls, and the couple argue over everyday expenses and other differences. Fortunately, they are willing to talk things through whenever problems arise, and they never let a quarrel drag on overnight. There are no grand, passionate vows. Amid the ordinary bustle of daily life, two people who met halfway through their lives slowly learn to understand and support each other.