A'Zhu and A'Zi as Sisters

This flow traces the sisters' separate upbringings, A'Zhu's discovery of their shared parentage, and the legacy of her final request.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Two Childhoods Apart

Sisters Separated Given away A'Zhu and A'Zi are sent to different households after their parents' relationship becomes impossible to acknowledge openly. Gold locks and shoulder marks preserve clues to their origins. An unrecognized bond They grow up without knowing one another, each carrying the consequences of adult choices. Their eventual reunion is shaped by years of separation rather than shared memories.

Recognition at the Lake

The Marks Match A discovery A'Zhu sees the identifying mark on A'Zi's shoulder and realizes that the young woman is her younger sister. Her own matching mark clarifies their family history. A fleeting reunion The discovery comes amid danger and confusion, leaving little time for the sisters to form a relationship. The bond becomes meaningful first through what A'Zhu later asks of Xiao Feng.

The Daughters Reunited

A Family Reassembled Recognition by the parents Duan Zhengchun and Ruan Xingzhu recognize A'Zi as their daughter, while A'Zhu remains hidden nearby. The parents' grief exposes the abandoned past that the sisters share. Unequal temperaments A'Zhu is moved by the family revelation, while A'Zi remains irreverent and self-directed. Their kinship is real, but it does not erase the difference between their lives.

A Sister's Last Request

Care Entrusted to Xiao Feng A request made in pain As she dies, A'Zhu asks Xiao Feng to watch over A'Zi, fearing that her sister may go astray. The request gives their sisterhood a future obligation beyond A'Zhu's life. A promise carried forward Xiao Feng accepts even while overwhelmed by guilt. His later patience with A'Zi is shaped less by trust in her conduct than by loyalty to her sister.

A Sister's Voice Repeated

Memory in a Familiar Voice An echo A'Zi calls Xiao Feng by the intimate name associated with A'Zhu, and he momentarily mistakes the sound for his lost beloved. The resemblance makes his grief vulnerable to manipulation. A difficult obligation He continues to protect A'Zi even when she behaves cruelly. The sister's dying request binds him to a living reminder of the person he cannot recover.

After their infancy, before the events at Little Mirror Lake

At Square Bamboo Forest during A'Zi's apparent death

After Duan Zhengchun recognizes A'Zi

On the bluestone bridge after A'Zhu is struck

On the northern road after A'Zhu's burial