Woman in the courtyard

Author: Pearl S. Buck (Nobel Prize in Literature, Pulitzer Prize winner)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-04-01
Features: In 1938 China, the iron hooves of the Japanese army were ever closer. Yet in the small town along the Yangtze River, the prominent Wu family continued to live in luxury within their high walls. In this isolated courtyard, the refined and cultured mistress of the house, Mrs. Wu, skillfully managed every aspect of the Wu household. However, the tranquility of the Wu family was suddenly shattered on the day of Mrs. Wu’s 40th birthday celebration. Before the celebration, Mrs. Wu’s closest friend, Mrs. Kang, faced a difficult delivery and was in critical condition, wishing to see Mrs. Wu one last time before dying. Rushing to Mrs. Kang’s house, Mrs. Wu encountered the foreign orphanage doctor, Andrew, who had come to help. Andrew saved Mrs. Kang’s life with Western medical techniques. However, the townspeople were greatly frightened and embarrassed by Andrew’s refusal to avoid the "danger of bloodshed during a woman’s delivery." Mrs. Wu was both grateful and shocked by this. The son of the Wu family, Feng Mu, was asked by his future father-in-law to study some Western knowledge. Mrs. Wu invited Andrew to the Wu household to be Feng Mu’s private tutor. While observing Feng Mu’s lessons, she was captivated by Andrew’s enthusiasm and erudition, and Andrew, in turn, was amazed by Mrs. Wu’s rich classical literary knowledge. One day, a fire broke out at the orphanage, and the Wus rushed into the flames to save people. Andrew realized that beneath her reserved exterior, she concealed extraordinary courage and strong emotions. Thus, the two fell in love. One was a missionary who had vowed to serve God for life, and the other was a married woman from a respectable family. How would their relationship develop?