At that time, fireworks

Author: Xi Lingxue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: There is an animal that is neither bird nor beast, with an unstable stance. In the war between birds and beasts, it doesn’t please either side and is eventually forced to hide, living in hiding during the day and coming out at night, plagued by constant anxiety. There is also a flower that blooms only once in its lifetime, storing up the essence of the heavens and earth for a whole life before choosing a night bathed in the most beautiful moonlight to bloom brilliantly. However, when it blooms at its most beautiful, it is also the time of its decline. This is a love story between a bat and a lotus flower. A story set in chaos, about survival and choice. The protagonist, Huang Chang, was born into a family of refined descendants. The Huang family was a Qing loyalist who followed the banner, with an older brother, Huang Fengji, who was solely interested in profit. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, he transitioned from official to merchant, navigating between the government and the Japanese, becoming the number one traitor in Shanghai. The younger brother, Huang Jiaqi, was a typical heir with a rebellious temperament, indulging in opium and mistresses, living aimlessly without any ambition. He married Zhao Yifan, giving birth to a daughter, Huang Chang, and a son, Huang Huang, before divorcing her. The family moved to Shanghai. Huang Chang grew up in a loveless home. At the age of 15, unable to endure the abuse of her stepmother, she ran away and joined her aunt, Huang Jiaxiu, to live together. Under the guidance of her aunt’s boyfriend, Ke Yi, a director, she became a renowned female scriptwriter, gaining fame for a time. At her 23rd birthday banquet, she accidentally met Cai Zhuowen, the Minister of Propaganda, and they left a great impression on each other. However, since Cai served the government and was married, their relationship was strictly forbidden by Huang Jiaxiu.
World War II broke out. Zhao Yifan’s foreign lover died in the Singapore war, and she returned to Shanghai in despair, her mental state deteriorating. Soon after, Ke Yi’s identity as a member of the Communist Party’s underground organization was exposed, and he was arrested by the Japanese Imperial Police. To save Ke Yi, Huang Jiaxiu struck a deal with Cai Zhuowen: if Cai could secure Ke Yi’s release, she would no longer interfere with his relationship with her niece, Huang Chang. Cai Zhuowen indeed secured Ke Yi’s release, and soon after, he secretly married Huang Chang. By then, Huang Jiaqi had already passed away, and his property had been seized by his older brother, Huang Fengji, who had recently moved to Shanghai. Huang Huang was adopted by his uncle, becoming the fourth young master of the eldest branch—Huang Qian, who was originally engaged to the eight princess of the family but broke off the engagement due to the war. Huang Kun, the second young mistress, whose husband died in the artillery fire of Changchun, came to Shanghai alone, hiding her age and reappearing as an unmarried young lady, becoming a famous hostess of salons. Huang Zhong, the third young mistress, was romantic and sentimental, secretly harboring feelings for her cousin, Huang Huang, and was consumed by self-pity and sorrow. Huang Huang, on the other hand, was timid by nature, and his only joy in life was meeting Han Kedi, a nurse from a church hospital, with whom he fell deeply in love and secretly promised to marry.
A week after Huang Chang’s marriage, her cousin, Huang Kun, married again in Shanghai. During the wedding, Huang Fengji was attacked by an assassin, and Huang Chang instinctively stepped forward to save her older brother, inadvertently causing the arrest of two Communist Party members. Distressed, she turned to Cai Zhuowen for help, hoping to atone for her mistake. Cai Zhuowen feigned an order from Jingwei to free the two Communist Party members and secretly sent them to his hometown, Fengdu, while he himself was placed under arrest. Huang Chang endured great hardships to find Cai Zhuowen in Fengdu, only to discover that his wife had divorced but not left him, still living with Cai Zhuowen’s mother and children. Cai Zhuowen, realizing he could not escape the judgment of history, proposed to break up with Huang Chang. The two living people had a farewell in the ghost city, making a promise to be reborn in the next life. However, in this life, their fate was sealed.
After being stabbed, Huang Fengji, during his recovery, grew increasingly obsessed with Han Kedi, realizing that both his son, Huang Qian, and his adopted son, Huang Huang, loved her. He decided to strike first, raping the helpless Han Kedi and forcing his son to call her "Second Mother." Huang Huang, unable to bear the trauma, drowned himself in the river; Huang Qian left after drinking his father’s wedding wine and went into exile; Han Kedi endured the humiliation, feeding the tiger with her body, transforming herself into an angel of revenge and luring Huang Fengji into taking morphine, which led to a deep addiction.
In October 1945, Japan surrendered. Huang Fengji took Han Kedi to his old mansion in Beijing. Han Kedi sent away the servants and locked Huang Fengji in the ancestral hall, destroying all the morphine through the door. Huang Fengji’s addiction flared up, and he screamed for three days and nights before finally dying. Han Kedi disappeared without a trace after that. Huang Zhong, long suffering from illness and shock, passed away, leaving a final wish to be buried with Huang Huang. Huang Jiaxiu arranged her funeral. Zhao Yifan’s mental decline worsened until she became mute. Ke Yi suggested that Huang Chang accompany her mother abroad for medical treatment. Huang Jiaxiu and Ke Yi, who had loved each other for half their lives, were separated by misunderstandings and could never marry. After the revolution succeeded, Ke Yi accepted the organization’s arrangement to marry someone else, while Huang Jiaxiu, with her younger sister as her only companion, spent her remaining years in solitude. A true love story, ultimately thwarted, maintained a lifelong friendship of ice and snow. Meanwhile, Cai Zhuowen also informed Huang Chang that he had left Fengdu and would never see her again. With nothing left to hope for, Huang Chang accompanied her mother on her journey. In the dazzling fireworks of the founding of the New China, a misplaced, love story finally came to an end.
This is a story set in old Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s. It caters to the contemporary nostalgia trend, yet its tone straddles tradition and popularity. The writing is elegant and graceful, showcasing a strong sense of fashion and legend amidst the rich tapestry of Shanghai’s charm. It is believed to deliver a powerful impact to readers and has significant market potential.