Itching in marriage

Author: Li Junhu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Following "Chinese Divorce," this is another profound work that deeply portrays the current state of Chinese marriage. Liu Ying is hailed as a classic novel that surpasses Liu Zhenyun's "A Mess of Fur" and Wang Shuo's "Die Before You Get Bored." Its namesake TV series is set to premiere. A novel that lets men know what women around them are thinking, and a novel that lets women know what men around them are thinking. Marriage relationships are too complex, tangled and hard to untangle, yet this work presents them so clearly—a rare achievement. "The Itch of Marriage," a single word "itch" reveals the conflicting mentality of people both inside and outside the fortress. Itchy and hard to bear, they dare not cross the line in testing, yet feel guilty when flirting. You have perfectly captured the mindset of the Chinese. Cultural company planner Ma Xiaobo, yearning for a happy married life, gets entangled in trivial household chores and endless arguments with his wife, Zhuang Li. He discovers the vast gap between ideals and reality, gradually developing a desire to escape from marriage. However, reality cannot be surpassed. He is exhausted from catering to Zhuang Li's demands for romance and material comfort, feeling extreme pain. The love between spouses is overshadowed by conflicts, and their understanding and tenderness for each other gradually turn into attacks, arguments, and absences. Under such circumstances, Ma Xiaobo begins to doubt Zhuang Li's loyalty and seeks comfort with his old flame, Su Xiaomei, leading to intensified conflicts. Forced to leave the family, Ma Xiaobo starts cohabiting with his former lover, Liu Aduo. As time passes, Ma Xiaobo realizes that Liu Aduo shares the same nature as Zhuang Li and all other women, while his buried feelings for Zhuang Li gradually resurface. He leaves Liu Aduo, returning to Zhuang Li with a sense of repentance. Zhuang Li seems to forgive Ma Xiaobo, but the devastating blow causes her to suffer mental and physical illness. Just as Ma Xiaobo is wholeheartedly determined to repay Zhuang Li with happiness, Zhuang Li leaves this world, burdened with immense confusion about marriage and boundless love-hate for Ma Xiaobo. Ma Xiaobo is heartbroken and filled with regret.