Status Updates From La ciudad escondida

正在看小美和阿強的故事，他們果然是夫妻，小美是童養媳，阿強是「媽寶」，雖說這裡的媽寶不褒也不貶，但憑心而論我不喜歡他，可感情的事誰說的清？畢竟從小一起生活，從小就知道會成為夫妻了。我只能說看到現在，我還是覺得林祥福實慘，慘到不行，被莫名其妙來的人騙了感情騙了錢財，最後連命都沒了

It is very sad that Xiaomei and her daughter didn’t get to meet when Lin was in the village, how Lin didn’t see that Xiaomei had frozen to death or see her grave. They were always so close but so far

I don’t like to diagnose but Aquiang seems like he’s got ADHD, not being able to sit still, always moving to the next thing, highly anxious, mood changes

Aquiang’s mother dying and asking for Xiaomei is an interesting concept - considering how poorly she treated her. It really doesn’t sit right with me that they both just lived off of Lin Xiangfu’s money and Xiaomei never tried to make things right by her abandoned daughter. You could argue that she was also abandoned herself as a child bride so there’s a wound there that’s being repeated

We really needed the backstory of Xiaomei but I don’t think what’s described here really is filling the gap. Is it the translation but a lot of the narrative here feels thin. I can’t really empathise with Xiaomei, I’m not sure why she kept following Aquiang, did she have feelings for Lin Xiangfu, her decision to leave her baby wasn’t really explored properly. I was a bit annoyed with Aquiang and Xiaomei

開始描寫小美了，但其實我並不是特別好奇，因為我還是沒有很喜歡他

多看了幾眼
田大死了
病死的
在接少爺回家的路上死了
怎麼會這麼苦這麼苦啊⋯⋯
好難過

林祥福居然死了！
而且好突然，一點準備都沒有
沒有想過他會死
也沒想過他會這樣死
他們都很好 也很努力生活
但命運好像一向如此不公平
雖然報仇了 但好像還是沒得到安慰

However, trying to link it back to the earlier story on how she meets Lin Xiangfu, it’s clear that Aquiang doesn’t do the same for her. Effectively he leaves her with Lin, so she is discarded once more. I’m intrigued to see how it links back because Xiaomei is such a mystery. Where did she go after she fell pregnant? Why did she leave?

Aqiang has never really travelled or managed his money so this runs out quick. They’re now looking for his uncle in Beijing, which for all we know could even be a lie, something his mother boasted about for clout. He’s a little chop and change - I can feel Xiaomei’s anxiousness at not knowing what’s going to happen. Though she seems committed to doing what she needs to do to help them survive

It’s cute watching Aqiang and Xiaomei explore Shenidan, then Shanghai and now Beijing. You can see how the more cosmopolitan the city, the introduction of westerners- we see men with briefcases, opium sellers in French restaurants, blonde blue eyed men in rickshaws. Both of them are so wide-eyed and bushy tailed as they walk through the city but this doesn’t last long

I’m glad Aqiang came back from Xiaomei. I feel for her, taken from her home as a child bride and then discarded so frivolously, the honour of her whole family rests on her shoulders. The 7 rules of divorce is crazy, barren being one of of them. Her MIL is a product of misogyny but the way the household is run by her is fairly progressive for the time. Still she upholds these values and reminds Xiaomei regularly

The descriptions of Xiaomei’s family, and the village, the way poor people behave around the affluent, the feeling that wealth means purity- really reminded me of life in Bangladesh. Being called “esteemed” because you’re middle class like Aqiang, and being excited that someone of this status would even step foot in your village. Feeling embarrassed by being a labourer with dirty feet from grafting

綁架真的好恐怖

Such a satisfying death… one Axe Zhang is finally gone