The Marriage That Measures Achievement

Wu Dawang’s marriage to Zhao Ezi turns career progress into a condition of intimacy, leaving little room for spontaneous affection.

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A Practical Match

Marriage as Opportunity The father’s condition Accountant Zhao offers marriage alongside a route into the army and the possibility of city life. Wu Dawang accepts the match in hope of advancement. Affection absent at the start The arrangement promises material security more clearly than emotional companionship. That imbalance shapes their marriage long before the affair begins.

The Wedding Night Oath

Desire Conditioned An interrupted approach Zhao Ezi rebukes Wu Dawang’s first attempt at intimacy and demands renewed promises about honors and city life. He kneels and swears to fulfill them. Intimacy as exchange After the oath, she accepts him, but the encounter binds sex to achievement. The episode establishes the emotional pattern that later contrasts with Liu Lian’s reciprocal desire.

Letters from Home

Family News Across Distance The rural household Zhao Ezi writes about harvest work, an injury, and the danger their young son faces when left near a field. Her letter conveys the pressures of rural life. Guilt and distance Wu Dawang weeps for his son and rereads the letter, but the account also reminds him how little he shares daily life with his wife. Duty is sustained through absence and news.

Intimacy on Credit

A Conditional Offer Zhao Ezi reaches out She suggests that Wu Dawang may have stayed away from sex because he has not won new honors, and offers intimacy if he continues working hard. This is her first explicit encouragement. The familiar bargain returns Wu Dawang recognizes that she still connects desire to promotion and material progress. Rather than feeling close, he retreats behind his promise to become an official.

A Marriage Left Behind

Separation at Home Withdrawal continues Although Wu Dawang returns to village life, he cannot resume ordinary conjugal intimacy with Zhao Ezi. Memories of Liu Lian make the old pattern feel even more empty. No emotional resolution The family eventually receives the promised move to the city, but the story does not show their relationship repaired. Their practical bargain survives more clearly than their affection.

When Wu Dawang meets Zhao Ezi’s father

On their wedding night

During Wu Dawang’s early service

During Wu Dawang’s home leave

After Wu Dawang’s affair has ended