Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 blabla100:

There is no doubt în my mind that this discussion she had with Jing în chapter 4 îs foreshadowing their relationship too. 

I agree with this.

Additionally, latter, after the marriage robbery, Tien Er's thought of 2 people helping each other in life had great impact on XY.  She decided to return to Jing to solve their problem (together) 

"Xiao Liu added “Chuan Zi and Ma Zi followed me for 20 years but they don’t belong in this profession. I think you can do it, so if you’re willing then learn from me. I will teach you to treat infertility, and with that skill, no matter where you go you won’t starve to death.”

“Brother Liu is willing to teach me?”

“Why not? If you work, then I can retire.”

Xan Tian Er knelt down and bowed three times and choked up “Thank you, Brother Liu.”

The past always followed her and even if Chuan Zi treated her well with her life experiences she never could rely on a man completely. She was falling deeper into the life with Chuan Zi but she was at a disadvantage so she was always the one resolving any problem. Chun Tao could fight with Ma Zi and go home to her parents house. But she couldn’t, and also realized she couldn’t treat her husband like a customer for the rest of her life because that wasn’t real. She had no skills and no one to talk to, but she hid her hopelessness under her smile. Who knew someone would understand her and give her a reason to be proud in this house, to allow her to protect this family."

Also I belive this is an insight on what drew her to start learning and complete the medical book she focused on for 45 years. 

 H19279:

I agree with this.

Additionally, latter, after the marriage robbery, Tien Er's thought of 2 people helping each other in life had great impact on XY.  She decided to return to Jing to solve their problem (together) 

I might be wrong, but while I agree that the discussion she had with TianEr did open her eyes about her past mistakes regarding her relationship with Jing, I don't really think she went looking for Jing with the thought of solving their problems. I honestly don't remember what her exact motivation was, but I belive it was more as an apologize for her not trying enough and expecting Jing to do all the work for them?  În a way I interpreted that part as her admiting that up til then she wasn't really putting enough effort into their relationship. 

 Kokuto:

I'm pretty sure the PLB only becomes the Heartbreak Bug if love is lost.  A physical act isn't going to change what is in the heart, and that is what matters.

My take on this is that while it's not a change of heart per se, it would be consider a betrayal/infidelity and thus a change of heart by proxy. Remember that the Lover's Bugs are designed to ensure the love and loyalty of the lovers (cant remembered the exact quote , sorry) . And back then virginity/purity is of paramount importance in a woman (as sexist as that is), so losing virginity/purity to a man that is not your lover would be a huge betrayal .

I read a theory somewhere that XL didn't actually died from the arrows, but from the Lovers Bugs turning into the Hearbreak Bugs when XY in Jing consummated their marriage. Someone even wrote that Tong Hua alluded to this in an interview. I don't really remember all the details in the novel  so don't know if it match up/possibility and I have not seen the primary source for this supposed Tong Hua interview,  so take all of this with a gigantic silos of salt. Interesting idea, though. 

@HeadsInTheClouds

I agree with everything you said until this point, especially as you and others very aptly put: XY love XL with her heart despite of… but loves Jing with her mind (conscious choice)

The other reason is the Lovers' Bugs. If I interpret the Lovers' Bug at its most extreme/simplest meaning, which, I'm inclined to do despite Tong Hua's deliberate evasion/vagueness about this, then I would even say, XY doesn't love Jing in the romantic/lovers sense at all.

Maybe because I am in the believer camp of loving more than one person simultaneously is possible, I never see PLB as proof that XY doesn‘t love Jing romantically, as her love for Jing doesn‘t negate her love for XL and vice versa. 

My young idealistic self was loving the idea of love only one person thing, but as I got older I change my stand on this.

@HeadInTheClouds

Yeah, Aheng reaction to Jing was indeed interesting, she was quite confused when she realised he is the man that her daughter chose, and that was not because she thought Jing was not good enough for XY, but în a way I think she was expecting to see another type of man fitting her daughter's desire?  What îs interesting îs the question she asks XY after she puts 2 and 2 togheter "îs he good to you"?,  instead of the more typical question of "do you love him"? Can't help but wonder what XY answer would have been.  I belive Aheng knew that next to her daughter wasn't sitting  the deep burning love that  was sitting next to her and I am not really sure if she was relieved or not, happy or not, but I think she did respect her decision. Also when Aheng asked her why did she choose Jing, XY's answer is because he is the only one who won't abandon her, but the expected answer should have been because he is the one she loves. 

 luv2bafangurl:

@HeadsInTheClouds

I agree with everything you said until this point, especially as you and others very aptly put: XY love XL with her heart despite of… but loves Jing with her mind (conscious choice)

The other reason is the Lovers' Bugs. If I interpret the Lovers' Bug at its most extreme/simplest meaning, which, I'm inclined to do despite Tong Hua's deliberate evasion/vagueness about this, then I would even say, XY doesn't love Jing in the romantic/lovers sense at all.

Maybe because I am in the believer camp of loving more than one person simultaneously is possible, I never see PLB as proof that XY doesn‘t love Jing romantically, as her love for Jing doesn‘t negate her love for XL and vice versa. 

My young idealistic self was loving the idea of love only one person thing, but as I got older I change my stand on this.

I'm very much a realist and in real life having feelings for 2 people simultaneously is possible although, ultimately, I do think your feelings for one will be stronger. And comparing love is rather reductive since it can come in so many different shades - passionate, intense, calm  companionship - which one is "superior" is dependent on who's doing the judging. In real life too, the person you ended up with may not be the one that you have the fiery, burning desire for. That doesn't make the other relationship less then, they are just different. 

But this is fiction and  my comment about Jing/XY doesnt have anything to do with me being idealistic and thinking that you can only ever truly love one person. And I'm also not  invested in the idea of  XY only ever loving  XL - her also loving Jing is not something that bothers me. 

My comment is based on the ideal of what the Lover's Bugs is supposed to be/designed for. They are Lover's Bugs, not familial love or friendship bugs; they are for those who have romantic love for one another. They are typically grown by stubborn  young women who wants to tie the man they love to them, ensuring loyalty and fidelity. We are talking about Heathcliff and Catherine level of obsession and passion with a dash of Romeo and Juliet naive tempestuousness; You and me, living and dying together, ride and die forever and ever. There is no room for a 3rd person in this relationship, so any change of heart aka, having romantic love for another person would mean death. The person who would use this bug is not someone that would say. "It's OK if you also love another person romantically, as long as you still love me, it's all good". Hah! As if! Nope! That's a betrayal and It will be death for both of us. Having sex with someone else? Same deal. Hence, XY's feelings for Jing is love, but it's not the romantic love that would trigger the Lover's Bugs to turn into Heartbreak Bugs because it doesn't threaten the romantic love that XY have for XL.

Now the novel leave room for interpretation. Like I mentioned above, I think Tong Hua deliberately left the Lover's Bugs mechanics vague as to allow for the idea that XY loves both Jing and XL romantically. It's a story  device to support XY/XL pairing, but she also wants people to be invested and support XY ending up with Jing; she wants her cake and eat it too 😀 . I got to say, if that was her intention, she succeeded, just check out the shippers war going on. Well-played, Tong Hua. Well-played. 

Xiang Liu Xiang Liu's male protagonist configuration:

In the entire book "Long Love", Tong Hua praises, criticizes and sympathizes with every character. Only for Xiang Liu, he praises and praises him. The most essential words and ink create the most beautiful Xiang Liu, but they are not used as supporting roles.

Character design: "Nine Songs of the Red World" "White Lotus"

Note: The meaning of the first sentence can be summarized in an idiom - otherworldly, an elegant state that is unique and separated from the world. The second sentence can be interpreted as - coming out of the mud but not stained, washing the clear ripples without being evil. It grows out of the accumulated silt but is not polluted, and does not look glamorous after being washed by clean water.

Strength: <The Strongest> <makes the sky and the earth eclipse, and the sun and the moon lose their light. >

Note: No. 1 in the universe. In addition, these two sentences are from Xiaoyao’s perspective.

Appearance: <Unparalleled Handsomeness>

Note: This word means that beauty and handsomeness are incomparable. This adjective is a legend that Xiaoyao heard before he saw Xiang Liu. When he saw Xiang Liu's appearance, he immediately understood that the person in front of him was the handsome Xiang Liu, indicating that Xiang Liu was "handsome and handsome." ” is the consensus of everyone.

Temperament: <Clean and cold> <Spotless and graceful> <Arrogant and wanton>

Note: The first word is Xiaoyao’s perspective, the second word is everyone’s perspective, including Xiaoyao, Mazi Chuanzi Laomu, Tu Shan Jing, Zhuan Xu, A Nian, Jun Jun, and passers-by who have seen Xiang Liu... The third word is Tu Shan Jing's perspective.

Character: <The heart is as clear as glass, not even the song that can charm the mind can confuse him> <Xiang Liu: "What I do, I am not ashamed to show to others"> Note: The first sentence reflects that Xiang Liu is the best

. A pure person with a strong mind. The second sentence illustrates Xiang Liu's openness and unruliness.

Appearance: <Like a snowflake, falling leisurely, so beautiful that there is no trace of fireworks. >

Note: This place not only shows that the beauty of Xiangliu is otherworldly beauty, but also uses the image of "snowflake" to represent Xiangliu. I only gave one example here, but in fact, descriptions of snow and snowflakes often appear in the book. It symbolizes Xiangliu or something related to Xiangliu. In addition, this is also Xiaoyao's understanding - when she sees snowflakes, she sees Xiangliu, and when she sees snow, she thinks of Xiangliu.

Smile: <The stern eyebrows melt like spring water> <The perfect side face is no longer cold and ruthless, but has a bit of fireworks. >

Note: Even if you write about your smile, you should also praise your appearance - "perfect profile"... I said it before when interpreting the introduction of Tong Hua's "Sauvignon Blanc 1: First Meeting", " Only the smile and companionship of the sweetheart can be understood. If not, all that is left is deep-rooted lovesickness." The smile here refers to the smile of Xiaoyao's sweetheart, Xiang Liu. Why can Xiang Liu's smile relieve Xiao Yao's lovesickness? Because in Xiaoyao's eyes, Xiang Liu is always cold and ruthless, which makes her "want to get close but is afraid," making her feel that "even if he is in the world of mortals, the fireworks in this world cannot keep him." Only in Xiang Liu When he laughed, Xiaoyao felt that he was "no longer cold and heartless, but had a little sparkle."

Fighting: <Beautiful like snowflakes flying. >

Note: These are Xiaoyao’s original words.

Swimming: <The body is more agile than a dolphin, faster than a shark, and more elegant than a mermaid. >

Weapon: <Crescent scimitar, crystal clear, like ice. >

The above are all quoted from the original words in the book. Apart from Xiang Liu, can you find another person in the whole book who is so praised by the author? No doubt, this is a real male protagonist configuration!

In "Bu Bu Jing Xin", Ruoxi fell in love with Ba Ye and finally married Shi Shi. Could it be that the male protagonist is Ba Ye or Shi Shi? In Tong Hua's works, the hero is never whoever the heroine falls in love with, let alone whoever the heroine marries, the hero is the one who truly loves the heroine.

Zhuanxu is the male protagonist of the story line, and Xiang Liu is undoubtedly the male protagonist of the emotional line. (Weibo: A small garden)