This review may contain spoilers
Finding a home in the least expected place ?
I was hooked right from the first episode and completed this 30-episode drama in 3 days. I personally haven't seen or heard of these two main leads before. The only familiar face was the guy who acted as Gu Ran in WIFTY and also the girl from Lighter and Princess. That said, I really enjoyed the acting and casting throughout. No supporting casts felt redundant or extra.I loved that the show also had many life lessons that we could take away. It was not just a feel good drama or one that gives butterflies. The balance of joys, setbacks, pain, and grief made the show so relatable.
The grandma (nai nai) was definitely the heart of the show for me. Her timely wisdom and comfort to her grandchildren always made me tear up. That scene where the FL almost got sexually assaulted and the nai nai embraces her... "You're home now, you're home," she comforts. That meant so much for someone who had lost her mother to illness and had just been abandoned in a place that felt nothing like home. Yet it was in that moment that she experienced love, warmth, and protection.
Even though the FL was initially portrayed as a spoilt brat/princess, and was getting on the ML's nerves, he continued to do his part as a distant relative and care for her. Coming from very different backgrounds and holding different views on money, they initially have a lot of misunderstandings and conflicts. At the end of the day, while money is important, the show also taught how there are things that cannot be resolved with money.
"Will you think if others are hungry if you are starving?" the FL asked her Dad when he made his way into the Xuan Town determined to take her back to Bei Jing to resume back to her normal life. By then, the FL had resolved to stay in this town to get through her high school and apply for university thereafter. She had grown to love the people in this little town. She saw how these people who didn't have much, shared the little they had with her - making sure she always had her fill, and had a shelter over her head.
Having grown mutual affection for each other, I never really understood why they needed to cut off contact completely after the FL departed for BeiJing. But my guess is that if that separation never happened, both of them wouldn't have become the better people they became five years later. The FL encourages the ML by telling him that if he really wanted to see her again, he would find a hundred ways to get there. Fuelled by her belief in him, he also promises the FL, "Keep going forward, don't look back, I'll eventually catch up to you."
This show really captured the reality of growing up pains, figuring out their life's purpose and what happens when you don't give up and keep fighting. Despite several setbacks and loss the varied characters face, there was always hope - light that shone through the cracks, sunshine after the storm. Even for the 'villain', there was also a redemptive arc, to own your mistakes and take charge of your own future.
The writers really wrote the script and directed the show really well. One of my favourite metaphor in the show was: Life is like a box of chocolates - you may have just eaten a bitter one, but the next could be sweet. Truly captured the beautiful perspective on the unpredictability of life.
With its heartfelt storytelling, memorable characters, meaningful life lessons, and stunning cinematography, this is a drama that stays with you long after the final episode. A must-watch!
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