Liu Lian’s Search for Agency

Liu Lian moves from secluded dependence toward an intense but temporary private life, then faces pregnancy and the return of the power structure she cannot escape.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Life in Seclusion

A Restricted Household Work abandoned A nurse by training, Liu Lian has not worked in a hospital since marrying the Division Commander. Her life centers on the senior officers’ residence rather than a public profession. Privilege and confinement Her position brings status and material comfort but leaves her isolated. The novel presents her domestic life as both protected and severely narrow.

Choosing the Orderly

Attention Turns to Wu Quiet observation Liu Lian watches Wu Dawang work in the garden and studies him from inside the house. His physical presence becomes a focus in her enclosed routine. A risky initiative She uses the sign and private conversation to draw him closer. Her actions show agency, though the unequal positions of wife and orderly remain in place.

A Briefly Shared Life

Intimacy and Recognition A different marriage Liu Lian cooks for Wu Dawang, shares meals, and speaks to him as a husband. Their exchanges offer reciprocal pleasure unlike the distant marriage she describes. Dependency persists She promises to help with his promotion and family’s move to the city. Even in intimacy, practical power and personal affection remain intertwined.

Possible Pregnancy

A Future Complication The disclosure Liu Lian tells Wu Dawang she may be pregnant, noting her late period while remaining uncertain. Their private liaison now carries a possible consequence beyond their control. Testing his choice She asks whether he fears the Commander and whether he would leave his wife. Wu Dawang promises marriage if circumstances permit, but his answers do not make the danger disappear.

An Unreachable Reunion

Distance at the Gate A guarded message When Wu Dawang visits, Liu Lian does not invite him inside. She sends a note offering practical help or money, suggesting both changed circumstances and emotional distance. A token returned Wu Dawang gives the sentry the red-wrapped sign instead of stating a request. Liu Lian’s response remains unknown, leaving her later life deliberately incomplete.

Five years before the affair

In the months before the affair

During the affair’s middle weeks

The final night of the affair

Fifteen years after Wu Dawang leaves