@headinthecloud
Zeng berjanji pada Aheng dan Chiyou
The Zhuyan flower on Aheng's head, under the influence of their unintentional release of the earth's spiritual power, floated out countless peach blossom petals, and peach blossoms began to rain all over the sky.
Under the moonlight, among the phoenix- tailed bamboos and on the balcony, peach blossoms rained down. The two of them lay with their necks crossed, their limbs hugging each other, and they were affectionate.
Chi You was very gentle, like the spring breeze in March, slowly blowing Aheng's body, making her body bloom like a flower for him. But after she accepted him, he became more and more like the roaring sea and the violent storm. A wave swept across A- Heng like this, and just when A- Heng thought it was about to calm down, another higher wave arose. Aheng's consciousness was swept by one higher wave after another. A wave of joy had just exploded in her body, and another wave of joy hit her. She was surprised that her body could produce so much joy.
With each wave, the consciousness flew higher and higher, as if it was flying above the night sky, exploding with a bang, Aheng couldn't help but scream, and her whole body was trembling with extreme joy.
Sauvignon Blanc Xiang Liu Xiaotian
It was different before Xiang Liu fed his natal essence and blood to Xiaotian. If his natal essence and blood could drive away the coldness of death in Xiaotian's body before, then tonight, his essence and blood would be able to fire. The sky is scorching. They collided wildly inside her body, as if her body was exploding into pieces, and the bits were blended together.
Xiaotian couldn't scream or scream, and his body was shaking violently. Gradually, her hands became able to move, and so did his. Finally, she screamed in pain, her consciousness merged into her body, and she fainted in extreme pain.
The moment Xiaotian wakes up, he learns the sunshine
blabla100:
"My father is Chichen."
Am I the only one who's laughting every time she's seeing this translation?
The most shocking thing was when they met for the first time after 37 years. Just hearing his voice made Xiaoyao's heart beat fast and she even wanted to run away. Isn't this a very guilty reaction???
@AHHeadInTheClouds:
Please take my posts as friendly discussion. I don't take disagreement over a piece of fiction seriously. It's really difficult to monitor tone in written words, so if some of this comes across as combative, it isn't intended to be.
Of course! ^^
It's called Lovers Bugs, not familial, friendship or even love bugs, but lovers. That word has a specific connotation. You don't call a truck a car even though they both have four wheels and are modes of transport.
Yes, I agree that the name and its connotations are unambiguous. However, I don't think we can conclude, based on the name of the bugs, that they could never, under any circumstances, be used by two people of opposite genders who had love in their hearts for one another, where one of them had platonic love rather than romantic love for the other.
In my travels, I once stayed in a honeymoon suite with my sister because the upgrade was discounted and the room and view were way better than our original two-bedroom room. The fact that we were not a couple on a honeymoon didn't stop them from offering the room to us, and didn't stop us from using the room. Honeymoon suites (as the name suggests) are typically used by couples and are intended for couples on their honeymoon, but that doesn't mean that other people can never use them.
Its unsuccessful implantation on CX demonstrated that you need to be willing for the bugs to take root. What kind of person would willingly have something this deadly planted on them? The kind that have a deep love for the other person. And I know, that's not proof that it has to be romantic love
Agreed.
the kind of love that would motivate someone to willing to subject themselves to this is the romantic kind (obsessive, possessive romantic). This isn't something that you would do with a friend or a sibling no matter how much you love them. Maybe with your child
I agree that is likely true in most cases, but I don't think we can say that it is always true in all circumstances. Especially given the example we have from CX and XL, where they both had romantic feelings for XY and XY (who was ignorant of the true nature of the bugs) either had deep platonic or deep romantic feelings for each of them.
My thoughts here are who's to say that marriage to someone you don't love deeply in a romantic sense means that you can't have a happy marriage? This occurs all the time where the focus is on companionship and sharing a life together. And XY does care about Jing, more than she cares about Feng Long. Not to mention what XY desperately wants is someone who will always place her as top priority above all else and Jing has done that (this was also something that Jing has over Feng Long that makes him more suitable for XY). So she got what she wanted, why wouldn't she be happy?
It sounds like we agree on a lot (i.e., that XY cared about TSJ and she would be able to have a happy marriage and ending with TSJ) and the difference in our interpretations of XY's feelings for TSJ (as romantic vs. strictly platonic) is relatively minor.
And speculating on the author's thoughts and intentions is a real slippery slope. It's fun though :-)
Yes, this is the thing with reading. We interpret things through our own subjective lens. I will say that it isn't about one particular thing, but rather a combination of things that lead to my overall impression. Like a tapestry that needs to be viewed as a whole rather than separate parts.
Agreed. ^^
My comment was more about how by sending XL that crystal ball if he had shown up and asked her to leave with him (and he would leave Chen Rong's army as well), she would have left CX and everything behind.
I see. I'm not sure I'd bet the farm (or my boba ^^) on XY for sure running away in that circumstance given her personality, but I do think her actions up to that point strongly suggested that she would. I guestimate betting odds of 4:1.
It's from the Leaked script Ep3 (S2 Ep11), here's the link:blimarch:
Thanks for the link!
For the promise to marry him, I guess they remove it for censorship and propriety reasons...
That seems to be the case. Same for changing XY's mother to seemingly being a disciple of the Queen of Xiyan rather than her daughter.
You have done a great job in explaining the differences when 快感 is used in different contexts.liddi:
Thanks for the additional details liddi!
My thought is that her anger at Xiang Liu for Feng Long's death isn't really about FLong. Rather it's about the fact that his target was CX. If his arrow had hit, CX would have died (FLong did) and that would be the end of the line for them. So for her, XL's action is a blow to her heart because it's again another confirmation to her that she isn't important to him.
I agree with you at this. She was angry because XL wanted to kill CX. However I think XL's action blew to her heart because it confirmed that He always placed or chose Shen nong army rather than her. She was not his top priority.H19279:
I generally agree with this. I would add that the fact that XL almost succeeded in killing CX was probably upsetting to XY for a few reasons.
First and foremost, he's CX - in the next chapter (chapter 47) she describes him as her most important person. The thought of losing him for any reason would be deeply upsetting, and of course she would be angry at any person who targeted him.
Second, the fact that XL was still willing to try to kill CX was continued proof (as you mentioned) that he was choosing the Sheng Nong remnant army over her feelings.
And (a very, very distant third that probably barely registers compared to the first two reasons), if CX was killed at that point (with no heir) that would throw the world into chaos with various factions fighting to claim power in the vacuum he left behind, causing immense unnecessary suffering across Dahuang. Objectively, the Sheng Nong remanent army's cause was not worth that price. Even if she took her personal feelings out of the equation, she couldn't rationalize that action. Which makes reasons 1 and 2 all the more upsetting.
Haha, I read the following excerpt of chapter 43 (that @AH posted) again. The more I read, the more I find it written similar to a sex scene (of course there is no intercourse here) but the moves, the used verbs, the image of tide raising up and down, sleeping afterward. All are very commonly used to describe a sex scene in literature. Was XY still in her red wedding robe? FFB/XL had robbed her from the wedding (in wedding costume), and here it is like they "consummated" their "marriage"
100%
And yes, XY was wearing her wedding dress in that scene.
Tong Hua is clever in how she hints at things without outright saying them. The euphemism here is quite clear. I personally don't think it's accidental, just as it's not accidental that she left the Lovers Bugs vague, but with hints to point towards a particular direction of interpretation. YMMV, of course.
Agreed. I don't think anyone reading that would think it was accidental.
I haven't read the novel, but Sound of the Desert (another drama adapted from a Tong Hua novel) has its fair share of amusing innuendo that I assume is similar to, if not directly drawn from, the source text.
What I am trying to say is that obviously she is not an author that shy away when it comes to sexual intercourse. Not hardcore, but still, it's there.
Once Promised also includes the before and after of sex scenes between Ah Heng and Qi Yo / Chi You. The way those scenes ended up being portrayed in the drama adaptation was one of the things I found disappointing about the adaptation. I felt like the drama totally failed to capture their passion.
The 37 years underwater IMO has more going on than what meets the eye, windiaaa did post a few theories on this subject, but I don't belive there are many people who share her conclusion, so this subject wasn't really discussed. As you and others have said, I too belive TH is being sneaky and she does use some methaphors and analogies to describe some things, but ofc that's not something that can actually be proven and it's just my personal feeling, especially if I take into consideration her writing style and compare LYF to her past works.
Let's talk about the 37 years in the shell, under the ocean. We know that the shell is the love nest of merfolks- this one Tong Hua made clear. XY even spied on them doing the horizontal tango . So for 37 years, XL held her as they slept together in their "love nest". He drank her blood and gave her his - an exchange of bodily fluid, a mingling of bloodlines. By the end of 37 years she became part demon aka, he had given her his DNA. This is even more intimate than giving her his name. Do you know how else you combine bloodlines and DNA? By having a child together. The imagery is there to show the intimacy and how they are a couple with a 'child".
Please note that I'm not saying that they actually had intercourse or actually have a child.
I agree with HeadInTheClouds' take. Tong Hua added a ton of details in in chapter 22 and chapter 43 that are commonly associated with sex, but didn't intend for the reader to conclude that actual intercourse took place in those scenes.
Not being shy about writing about intercourse between two active lovers is very different from writing a scene were the reader is supposed to conclude that one character had sex with another character that couldn't move, see, speak, or communicate at the time.
it is said that it was added by sir Bi. in Chinese that pomegranate is pronounced similar to It’s Liu (it is xiangliu)
That's an interesting detail!
windiaaa041293:
The most shocking thing was when they met for the first time after 37 years. Just hearing his voice made Xiaoyao's heart beat fast and she even wanted to run away. Isn't this a very guilty reaction???
I wouldn't say "guilty". It's the first time XY sees XL after he spent 37 years healing her, which involved a great deal of tenderness and care on his part. But then he made himself scarce and didn't meet her when she woke up, and instead sent Furball to take her to TSJ. I think she'd be happy (hear heart soared) but also nervous and a bit conflicted and maybe she didn't feel ready to face him so unexpectedly. I don't think her reaction indicated guilt. Especially since she didn't have anything to feel guilty about.
-----
Chapter 23:
When the banquet began, Xiao Yao started drinking and used the excuse of a headache and tossed all the duties to Ru So and snuck away. She followed the mountain path down the hill.
The secluded mountain path was windy and uneven, rising and dipping in places, and there was no end in sight. It was just like life.
Xiao Yao smiled – she hated loneliness and never liked walking alone, but life was naturally the journey of an individual and perhaps she was destined to walk her road by herself.
The sound of footsteps reached her and Xiao Yao turned around and saw Fang Feng Bei.
In a split second her heart soared and beat wildly. She had the urge to run away but forced herself to calm down and casually asked, “I didn’t see you at the ceremony.”
Fang Feng Bei smirked. “Back there you had only eyes for Tu Shan Jing, who else could you see?”
His tone of voice was Fang Feng Bei so Xiao Yao relaxed and awkwardly explained, “Coming to the ceremony, other than looking at Tu Shan Jing, it’s not like I should be looking around.”
The two walked side-by-side along the mountain path, the crunching sound of leaves being stepped on illuminated the expanse of the mountain air.
Fang Feng Bei said, “Little sister said Jing didn’t want to be clan leader, and to cancel their engagement he knelt for a day and night in front of the Grand Madam’s room. If he really didn’t want to be clan leader, knowing little sister’s personality, she would have found a way to cancel their engagement herself. But now that Jing is clan leader, the fruit of little sister’s years of hard work is finally right at her fingertips. She won’t give up now.”
Bei looked at Xiao Yao. “Seeing hope so close but evaporated into the air, are you upset?”
Xiao Yao replied. “Of course I’m a little upset, but perhaps I’ve been disappointed and always getting the short end of the stick since childhood. No matter what good things are promised to me, I instinctively expect it to be crushed. No matter how poignant the promise is, I never fully believe in it. So I’m not that upset.” Having her own mother abandon her for the greater good of the world, what other love in this world could be fully trusted?
Fang Feng Bei softly chuckled. “Your personality isn’t all that. No matter how happy, you always brace for the pain to come.”
Xiao Yao laughed. “That is why I treasure the happiness right before me, because that is the only thing that is real.”
Fang Feng Bei stopped and asked with a smile, “Princess, want to go find happiness?”
“Why not?”
Fang Feng Bei put his fingers in his mouth and whistled and a winged horse came. He vaulted on its back and reached out his hand to pull Xiao Yao on the back of the horse in front of him.
Fang Feng Bei rode the horse to Qing Qiu Castle and took Xiao Yao to the underground gambling den run by the Li Jie tribe.
Xiao Yao accepted the dog mask and marveled, “I can’t beleive the doggie tribe is running their business right under the Tu Shan clan’s nose.”
Fang Feng Bei smacked her upside the head. “Even if you’re not scared of offending the Li Jie tribe, I sure am.”
Xiao Yao put on her mask and changed into a dog faced female body, she made a doggie gesture towards Bei and barked twice.
Bei wearily shook his head and quickly walked inside. “Stay away from me! I don’t want to get beaten up as well when you get walloped!”
Xiao Yao giggled and ran up to him and grabbed his arm. “I purposely want to stay close to you!” As she said that she barked a few times for good measure.
Fang Feng Bei used his finger to pinch her “doggie mouth” shut and begged, “Little lady princess, stop causing a scene!”
Fang Feng Bei was an old hand and took Xiao Yao to gamble at the tables. Xiao Yao always felt gambling and hard drinking was good stuff, able to numb a person’s heart so that no matter how unpleasant life was, a few cups of strong alcohol and the gambling table and everything was temporarily forgotten.
Fang Feng Bei made a “six” gesture and the serving girl brought out six cups of hard alcohol. Fang Feng Bei raised a cup and Xiao Yao raised a cup and the two of them said nothing and each downed three cups of hard alcohol.
Xiao Yao laughed and swanned off to the tables to place her bet and Fang Feng Bei went off to find his kicks.
I think she'd be happy (hear heart soared) but also nervous and a bit conflicted and maybe she didn't feel ready to face him so unexpectedly.AH :
Her emotion for XL (not FFB) after that 37 year was quite complicated.
Right after woking up, she was super happy to see the sunlight again. But knowing XL didn't show up and didn't want to meet her, she was very disappointed, upset.
In fact, she understood very well what XL did for her during that 37 years. She knew he sacrificed at least 1 live the exchange her life; that he fed her his precious heart blood every single month; he treated her tenderly, paid attention to her feelings. He tightly held her, curdled her long after biting her neck to extract the toxin. From such, she could assumed he might have loved her. But in the end he still refused to meet her. She was confused by his action. in her conversation with CX, when knowing XL recused her in exchange for a peak in Shen Nong moutain, she felt a kind of loss or disappointment
I always think that this moment is a kind of milestone in the relationship. In her view:
- XL didn't want to admit his love
- Then she learnt that Jing didn't want to continue living because of her death. Or in other word, she was the most important one for Jing. "Xiao Yao turned to look at Jing and murmured “You really are so broken over me that you are seeking death?”Xiao Yao felt the shell around her heart shatter completely, all those threads that she tried to cut all those times finally weaved together into a web at last."
After that she seemed to take Jing closer in her heart (than before her assasination). She treated Jing the same way that XL treated her: fed the medicine via mouth, slept next to him. Someone mentioned that she wanted to allocate things/action between her and XL to Jing (e.g, XL forced her to kiss in the water, she refused but then wanted to kiss Jing in the Dragon Bone Prison, she wanted to pass air to Jing while diving in the lake on Shen nong mountain). Therefore, it seems that here is the point where she made the decision to choose Jing (transferthe love that she and XL might have to Jing). Later when Jing became the clan leader, she found the relationship with Jing more obstacle
In the specific scene where she met XL the first time after woking up. She didn't know how to face XL, still confused if XL loved her or not. She had chosen Jing but their relationship seemed to be hopeless. In the drama we saw she was emotional, recalled CX's word about the transaction. Facing FFB is easier and more relieved for her, kind of pretending that there was no special feeling, no special moments over 37 years
Honestly, I cannot with the Jingers' fatuity anymore.
Because of an interview that has been dissected countless times, you know, the one where TH says (1) that Jing is XY's lover (does anyone have doubts about that?), (2) that all characters got what they wanted, therefore the story in her perception is not a tragedy, and (3) that Cang Xuan is the main ML (again, is there anyone still not aware of that?), they somehow think that no further "brainstorm" is needed. Happy ending! Jing! Yay!
They even consider that interview "a must-read" LOL
Imagine being so dense that they take all of this at face value and don't consider the many details and hidden meanings that Tong Hua left in her story.
In short, we have 262 pages of pointless brainstorming.
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