Fan Fiction Thread for Lost You Forever

 ZYHLJ:

By the way, I remember a funny conversation between fans I saw before. A girl asked, if Xiao Yao really married Xiang Liu, do you think he would wash the dishes? Then another girl replied: Let Mao Qiu wash. His shape and material are all suitable for the work, and he himself is clean after the washing, hahaha...

It is actually an interesting question. 

When TSJ was YSQ, he did all of his chores and all of WXL's chores, including washing dishes. The lack of balance wasn't healthy. He was acting as WXL's servant, not her partner. In the short term, it might feel like a thoughtful act. But in the long term it frequently left WXL with nothing to do but to laze about, slowly coming to expect and rely on YSQ's servitude. 

Would XL ever act like XY's servant, following her around and doing all of her chores in addition to his? I don't think he would, and I'm glad for it. Would he do his fair share of the work, even if it wasn't pleasant or dignified? From his self-discipline in the remnant army camp and his dedication to XY when he was FFB, I think he would. And in a healthier way without insisting on taking all of XY's chores all of the time too. I like to think that he would be more of a partner, with each contributing and neither of them creating unhealthy or unsustainable expectations that would inevitably be disappointed. 

When YSQ became TSJ, he no longer did any dish washing. It was all done by his servants. If XY had ended up marrying TSJ in chapter 42, I don't think he (or XY) would have washed the dishes in their marriage. 

When TSJ returned from being presumed dead, he was more like YSQ with no status, money or servants. When he married XY, one would hope that the dish washing duties would have been evenly distributed between them and that they had learned, by then, to be more like partners to each other. But when they left for the ocean, they brought Miao Pu (XY's maid) and Left Ear (XY's bodyguard) with them. I hope that Miao Pu would not have washed the majority of the dishes.

 liddi:

Please don't be! Awful dramas need their audience too! Though you would be pleased to know that this time, I opted to watch the well-lauded C-adaptation of Three Body Problem (while concurrently reading the novel). So it's all good.

I haven't read the novels, but just finished watching both the Chinese and Netflix versions.

 AH :

Ooh how are you liking it? I have a friend who wants to watch the netflix adaptation but I'm a bit hesitant. I'd be interested to know if the Cdrama version might be better.

The Cdrama version is better with 30 episodes for the first book.  The Netflix version has more humor (sort of) and gore and moves at a breakneck speed -- especially given it actually covers all of the 1st book and parts of the 2nd book -- in EIGHT episodes.

 liddi:

I am enjoying the C-adaptation a lot thus far. I never read the books previously, so I am in a novel situation where I am reading the book alongside the drama viewing. Have not gotten very far yet (11 chapters, 3 episodes) but very keen to continue. I read great reviews about the C-adaptation, and not so complimentary ones about the Netflix version. What little I know of the Netflix synopsis indicates a focus that diverges from the source material, and having several characters representing an aspect of the original character, among other things. Still, I do intend to check out the Netflix version, but only after I have finished the C-version and the novel. Have you read the novel before?

I heard that the book jumps around more than the dramas, which is why it's always been considered hard to adapt to the screen.

I'm really not sure why Netflix changed what the did, character wise or location -- it didn't improve anything and diminished the main characters in the CDrama version, especially Ye Wen Jie.  There's only one character that's better in the Netflix version -- the leader of the planetary defense forces, who was given short shrift in the CDrama version.  Though the European actors in the Cdrama version were universally bad, which is usual.  

The Netflix version was not as creepy as the CDrama, nor did it have the awesome music.

 nathsketch:

Go for the Cdrama. The Neftlix drama is very underwhelming, and, except for the veteran actors like Jonathan Pryce, Liam Cunningham, and Benedict Wong, for example, the acting is not the best. They changed a lot from the cdrama and the novel. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, most of them were extremely annoying and/or useless.

Also, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. I said wouldn't ever trust them again after Game of Thrones, so my expectations were already low.

I agree.  Those three actors were awesome. 

@HeadInTheClouds

If you are asking about the situation of a princess raising lover(s), it was normal in the era before the Song Dynasty. Since the rise of Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, people had paid more attention to ethics, so this situation had become rare. If you are asking about the situation of a princess never marrying for life. This is common in almost all periods. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, there were altogether 221 princesses, 82 of whom were never married. In the Song Dynasty, there were altogether 87 princesses, of which 57 were never married. If you're asking about the reluctance of wealthy families in China to marry off their daughters, this is true in almost any era, even now. In today's China, there are also "son-in-law"s, that is, the bride's family pays the bride's price to the groom(10,000 - 700,000 USD, need to return the majority if divorce), and the groom lives with the bride in her family. The children born to the bride in the future will bear the surname of the bride's family.

Yes, generally speaking, the status of a princess determines that her husband's family is unlikely to disrespect her, but there are still exceptions, such as her mother-in-law's character is very extreme, or the princess herself is not favored by the emperor, etc. But generally speaking, there is few situation where a princess is bullied by her husband's family. As for Xiao Yao's situation, I think one of the reasons is that the Tushan family itself is a big noble with a long history and has probably been related to the royal family by marriage for a long time. Even if the author sets that they don't need to kneel when they meet the emperor, it is still possible. But if they bully a princess like in the drama, it is indeed a risky behavior. But I guess firstly it’s because Jing’s grandma has lived to an age where she is not afraid of any revenge. Before she dies, she just wants to resolve this matter. Secondly, I think the grandma must have perceived that Xiao Yao’s character is that she will not avenge herself for this. Also, in ancient China, the status of the elderly was always higher. People of her age did not need to show humility to anyone.

@AH

Thinking of Xiang Liu's life in the military camp, you convinced me :-). I even thought that he might be able to do needlework, haha, and he might also be a bit mysophobic, which would make Xiao Yao who lives with him have to be more hygienic, hehehe...

Speaking of Xiao Yao and Jing going to folk life and taking Miao Pu with them, I also find it a bit strange. If she was going with them as a friend, who would live with their friend and her husband? She would probably still be their servant, and she needed to serve everything from that day on. Poor Miao Pu, she could have went on with comfortable life in the palace. Does anyone care about her thoughts?

 AH :

My understanding is that the novel was originally published in Mandarin chapter by chapter, and the writer and his editors chose to move the release of the cultural revolution parts from the beginning to the middle of the story due to concerns of censorship.

Ahh thank you for sharing this tidbit. That does make sense. The book covers flashbacks to Ye Wenjie's recollections of the past as narrated to Wang Miao, and I am waiting to catch up to the equivalent episodes in the drama, as well as when the Cultural Revolution is finally depicted.

 AH :

Is TSZ helping these women?

Oh - that scenario didn't occur to me, which seems quite plausible too. 

 AH :

I think this just goes to show that sometime's a reader's imagined explanation for canon events can be as good as, or even better than, the explanation that the author imagined. 

 AH :

I could probably trace my love of bittersweet endings with great self-sacrifice to them. 

And now you have me wanting to check out these books too!

 AH :

I'll have to check those authors out on goodreads! ^^

I have a soft spot for Louise Cooper because she used to chat with us fans on her messageboard and we were devastated when she passed away suddenly in 2009 from a brain aneurysm. Love many of her works, though some are too dark for me. The Time Master series (especially the Star Shadow trilogy), Infanta from the Indigo series, are among my favourites. Among her standalones, do try Louise Cooper's Sleep of Stone if you manage to get a copy. When it was first published, I cried buckets reading it right at the bookstore, and had to be dragged away by my friend, who was thoroughly disgusted by the spectacle I've made of myself!

 ZYHLJ:

So your previous understanding was different. Actually I want to ask a question. You know that English is not my mother tongue, so I am worried that my expressions may not be accurate enough. Do you find any expressions in the story that mislead you? If so, please tell me, so I can change it :-)

I went to re-read the chapter, and I think it was open for interpretation either way. There is nothing wrong with your description. I think the way you worded the scene is just right, without needing to spell everything out. So don't worry about it!

 ZYHLJ:

Hahaha, I imagined Cang Xuan hitting Xiang Liu with a fly swatter. I felt funny and angry at the same time. How can you hit Baby Snake?! He is so cute! And his nine heads are all so cute!

Don't worry - I'm sure Xiao Yao would never allow that to happen either, even if her own spiritual powers are no match for Cang Xuan's. Perhaps she can immobilise him with her special dose of medicines, and have the fly swatter deftly removed! 

 AH :

I think this just goes to show that sometime's a reader's imagined explanation for canon events can be as good as, or even better than, the explanation that the author imagined. 

Thank you for the kind words. Nonetheless, regardless of text being open to interpretation, ultimately, the reader's interpretation should either be in line with the author's vision or have the author's stamp of approval, since the author is the creator of that [part of the] universe, and would know best what was intended to be conveyed. It is quite mind-boggling when we see fans so entrenched in their own interpretations to the extent of actually accusing authors of not knowing their own works.

 AH :

It gave me closure to write it. I'm glad it gave you some too!

<3

Chapter Six: The Emperor’s Decree

When the sun rose, the sounds of fire and chaos quieted down. However, the charred smell of burnt wood and debris remained, seeping into every corner of Maoqiu's bedroom. As Qingqiu recovered from the debacle of the night before, Fang Feng Wuming fell into a coma and lay in Maoqiu’s bedroom. Sitting across from Wuming, back straight and quietly at his small square dining table, Maoqiu watched until the break of dawn. Strangely, even though Wuming was seriously injured, there were no flesh wounds to tend to, leaving Maoqiu bewildered. Nevertheless, his demon instincts were certain that Wuming was the cause of the previous night's catastrophe. He didn’t know how long he could keep Wuming concealed, and since he was unsure of the extent of the danger, he also understood he needed to piece together a broad picture of the events to determine what he should do with Fang Feng Wuming.

When Lao Ping’s daughter arrived with his breakfast, Maoqiu refused her service before she could utter a word. Instead, he opened the door slightly and said, “Don't ask questions. The less you know, the better.” The daughter understood and merely nodded as Maoqiu quietly slipped her a note, closing the door again. For the past several years, Maoqiu had ensured that the connection between himself and Lao Ping’s family remained ambiguous, carefully masking it as that of a loyal tenant who frequented the inn. He couldn't involve Lao Ping but compromised with his conscience that he would ask them to keep their ears open for town gossip, which he deemed within the boundaries of their arrangements. In his message, he instructed Lao Ping to be vigilant and to keep notes of any strange news regarding the previous night's fires.

Before Maoqiu left, he pricked his finger and left a blood protection formation that would harm anyone attempting to enter while simultaneously transporting Wuming to him. After setting up his trap and double-checking that he hadn't made any mistakes in drawing the diagram, his worries finally eased, and he was able to leave the inn. The neighborhood was starting to busily try to go about their morning, with a looming feeling of anxiety.

After a painstaking walk, Maoqiu stood before the famous brothel where Feng Feng Bei had frequented when he was alive, a place where he pretended to indulge in frivolity, drink good wine, and enjoy the dances of DaHuang's beauties, where Fang Feng Bei actually gathered news and made arrangements for the Shennong army. However, what should have been a grand building was now just a half-burned structure, with the other half reduced to charred remains. Gray silk-like streams of smoke danced lightly among the debris. Stunned prostitutes with blackened faces sat in a row, holding each other, while bewildered servants moped around.

“Well, so much for gathering news,” Maoqiu pessimistically thought to himself. Soldiers were dispatched and on the lookout, while a fat, stunted inspector walked among the debris, delirious and disbelieving, wiping his forehead of sweat. Maoqiu could see the man was in over his head, and he was confident the man didn't earn his position through merit. Maoqiu didn't have time to wonder how much money the man’s family paid for his position when an old maid noticed him staring at the scene. “Did you hear? The gambling den by the old tailor shop also went up in flames.”

“I heard Tu Shan Zhen almost died last night,” another lady carrying a bucket of water chimed in, eager to share her gossip.

A townsfolk remarked in wonder, “What happened?” People's curiosity started to gather slowly again around Maoqiu when moments before his arrival, it had disbursed due to the inspector's arrival.

A horn sounded before anyone could add to the gossip. A pair of high-level officials, carrying a decree, approached the building. The nervous inspector bowed low and inquired how he could be of assistance. The official opened the letter and commanded, “The Black Emperor has ordered all able men to report to the nearest inspection office to be registered for disaster relief and restoration efforts by the end of the week. Men will be paid fifty pieces of gold a month. General Rou Sou will lead the investigation into the series of arsons. Anyone with information is encouraged to report it. Any information leading to the capture of the culprits, dead or alive, will be rewarded one thousand pieces of gold. Anyone withholding information or aiding and abetting the culprits will be put to death without trial.”

The last time Maoqiu saw the Black Emperor was during Master Xiang Liu's attempted assassination, which resulted in Feng Long's death. Even if the Black Emperor hadn't left the palace walls since Xiling Xiao Yao's disappearance, Maoqiu wasn't eager to see him again. Without hesitation, Maoqiu slowly sneaked away, heading back to the inn.

As Maoqiu began traveling as a merchant, he understood how the Tu Shan family controlled commerce throughout DaHuang, especially the illegal dealings of the Li Rong family, which significantly contributed to the Tu Shan clan's comfort. Burning the Li Rong family's business and an attempted assassination of Tu Shan Zhen only meant one thing—destabilization of the Central Plains' economy. What would Fang Feng Wuming gain from destabilizing Dahuang's financial hub? Whatever it was, the highest-ranking and capable general was now here to investigate. As Maoqiu crossed the inn's threshold, he had a strong desire to take Wuming out of the Central Plains and return to Jiuli.

When Maoqiu made his way to his room, Lao Ping’s son-in-law greeted him, “Welcome back, Master Yin. Would you like to have lunch today?” Maoqiu nodded, “Please send it to my room.” The son-in-law answered respectfully, “Yes, sir.”

Inside Maoqiu’s room, he noticed that Wuming was no longer on the bed. He lifted the bed curtain, baffled. Maoqiu's heart started to flutter wildly, wrecking his brain trying to figure out how Wuming, who could cause a fire disaster, had now disappeared too. Maybe if he had been more attentive to Wuming’s affairs, Maoqiu wouldn’t be in this predicament. A knock came at the door, and Maoqiu took a deep breath, cautiously saying, “Yes?”

“Master Yin, your lunch is ready,” the voice of Lao Ping’s daughter softly vibrated behind the door. Maoqiu politely opened the door. “Thanks for the hospitality, miss.” The woman set his food on the small table, carefully laying out a neatly white napkin next to the food. With a slight bow, Lao Ping’s daughter left. Before she closed the door, Lao Ping’s daughter smiled, “Master Yin, your azalea flowers, there seems to be a butterfly cocoon.”

“Cocoon?” Maoqiu looked at his flowers, puzzled, grabbed the pot of white azaleas from the window sill and sat in front of him at the small dining table. Maoqiu grab the white napkin, prick his finger, drenched it in his blood. Slowly, a message emerged from threads.

“Fires appeared across DaHuang. All Li Rong clan members combust into thin air. All records of slaves, debts are gone. Tu Shan Zhen was seriously injured. Fang Feng clan under house arrest. Fang Feng Wuming died with his mother. Great clans infighting, pointing fingers.”

After Maoqiu finished reading the letter, his blood burned it, and the threads on the napkin sizzled into thin air. Maoqiu sat quietly and pulled the azaleas closer to him. He observed the cocoon and noticed there were no spiritual powers; it looked like a normal butterfly cocoon. Yet, this morning there was an injured Wuming and no cocoon, and now there's no Wuming but there is a cocoon. With a deep sigh, Maoqiu contemplated with acceptance—Wuming had found a way to conceal himself and his spiritual powers.

Maoqiu was overcome with a sense of grief, and for the first time, an unexplainable yearning ached in his heart. He had been traveling alone for so many centuries because he didn’t want to have to deal with partings. Yet, quietly, this Wuming dared to creep into his heart, making a habit of companionship. Between Maoqiu instincts and Lao Ping’s letter, he has to figure out a way to get out of Qingqiu. With the army on high alert, Maoqiu cannot conjure up his condor form and fly away. He will have to trend the road toward Juili on foot. Even though security is high, Maoqiu's reputation as a traveling merchant, whose jewelry, has been sought by princesses, he could easily slip by. With Wuming carefully concealed, Maoqiu prepares to leave before nightfall.