Fulfillment

韩雪丽Feb 2025

2.9

Word count: 133K words
Chapters: 54

Summary

He had always been especially content with his life—until one day his beautiful, elegant wife, He Yan, suddenly said, Let's talk. Either we go abroad together, and I'll handle the paperwork, or we separate and stop holding each other back. Of course, in that case, I certainly won't be able to take the child with me, and I won't be able to pay child support in the short term either. Going out there means starting from scratch. I won't take anything from the home—of course, you're the one who earns more anyway, so I won't claim any joint property. Consider it as given to Zhuzhu. In that moment, Li Bida realized that he had never truly understood her. Theirs was a typical marriage of two people who tied the knot simply because they had reached the age for it. She was three years older than him; at the time, she counted as a standard leftover woman. She was from out of town, and perhaps the pressure on her was even greater back then, so the marriage was mutually driven by the wish to marry quickly. Still, they had no real conflicts and seemed never to have quarreled. He thought this was how ordinary people lived—only to find that people are not all the same.

Editor's review

The novel opens on a seemingly calm family: Li Bida is content with his life until his wife He Yan gives him an ultimatum—either emigrate together or separate. The words "Let's talk" pry open a marriage that began as a match of appropriate ages and has been sustained by habit. The author does not turn He Yan into a villain, nor Li Bida into a victim; instead, the circumstances and limitations of both are gradually revealed. She is three years older than her husband and from another town; their marriage back then carried practical considerations on both sides. He assumes that a life without quarrels is a normal life, only to discover that people are not all alike. The book's value lies in breaking "making it work" down into concrete choices: who gives up what, who bears what, what happens to the child, how assets are divided. The narration is restrained, and dialogue drives the plot. It suits quiet reading sessions and tends to make readers pause and reflect on the silences in their own relationships. It does not judge; it lets us see the overlooked differences within a marriage.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of fiction interested in marriage and intimate relationships
Readers who enjoy restrained narration driven by dialogue
People facing a relationship decision or re-examining their partner
Readers drawn to realistic fiction about the emotional lives of ordinary people

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for sweet, romantic, or light love stories
Readers seeking clear right and wrong or moral judgment
Readers who prefer plot-heavy, fast-paced genre fiction

Reading tips

Read it in an uninterrupted stretch and pay attention to the details of the conversation when He Yan proposes separating.
When Li Bida realizes he "never really understood her," pause and consider the assumptions in your own relationships.
After finishing, discuss with a partner or friend: what does silence in a marriage really mean?

版权信息
成全
教师，什么时候都是让人尊重的工作
年轻人，哪都成，挣钱就成
上推三代哪个不是农民
他家是靠他才撑起的
解决问题解决了麻烦，才成了朋友
我没什么面子，不用给人面子
自己孩子的事，我应该的
现在是年轻人的世界，去哪都成，哪都是打工挣钱
不看钱不成，只看钱也不成，你懂不懂，还有个身份的问题
有些人笨还不听话，那才是真傻
那时候婆婆就是长辈，现在的婆婆就成了平等人
舍得就是成全
我喜欢去哪里就哪里，都我做主
真正欣赏一个女人灵魂的太少
经济基础决定上层建筑
他妹妹重读一年，也得上大学，那个气势，她感叹，这才是当哥的
世界太大了，我其实特别的普通
他最爱的人，都爱这里，都在这里，他如何不爱
有钱怎么了，那是本事，你挣多少了
这类歧视，是乡俗，你有什么办法
什么是缘分，合适的时候合适地点才有合适的人
人情比天大，不能不还，欠人家的睡不着觉
都要25左右的小姑娘，都要一个年轻漂亮好生育
只尽义务没有权力，只有傻子才会干
眼下不成，不等于以后不成
想要进入的那个世界
真的是时尚从头开始
人得学习得进步，要不然，得被淘汰
爱情于他们可能都是奢侈品，这一生，不是所有的人都能遇见爱情
工作于他是谋生的手段，不是热爱的梦想，生活，活下来才是第一
一个人，动了感情，就是弱者
说来说去一个打工的
女人也要上学，也要有追求
男人怕老婆，家庭气氛一般都好，孩子的性格都自我发展
女人要是狠起来，对自己也不客气，那别指望她对别人客气了
各家门各家日子，管他们说什么呢
什么事都要拿第一
生活环境不一样，想法肯定不一样
这算成全，可是谁成全他呀
领导的感觉，大于你实际的能力
劝人离婚天打雷劈的
婚姻和爱情有什么关系，婚姻要一个适合，爱情要一个冲动
当了外人得给女儿面子，周盈说了，家里人不给面子，外人笑话
女娃呀，什么不能传宗接代了，好似当她是个空气一样
人比较实在，看上去特别莽撞，这正好
处女座的，你不是最懂星座吗，处女座的人就那样
是要媳妇还是要儿子
不问合理不合理，成全她的任性
家家不同，人也一样
懂事的就得受委屈，他知道这是因为，他是个好人，没办法好人就是受委屈的
一个人混的好不好，看气色就知道
一个人有些规矩，是守给自己的，不让自己太跌份

FAQ

Does the book end with reconciliation or separation?

The material does not reveal the final outcome; the story stops at the point where He Yan presents her choice and Li Bida begins to see his wife anew. The work's focus is not on delivering a result but on showing how the two confront the overlooked differences in their marriage; readers must enter the text and judge for themselves.

Is the book's attitude toward marriage critical?

It is not simple criticism. The author presents the circumstances and limitations of both He Yan and Li Bida: their marriage began with practical considerations and was sustained by habit, and the problem is that neither truly understood the other. The narration is restrained, and neither party is made into a villain.

Why is the book titled Making It Work?

The title points to concrete choices: when He Yan proposes separating, she gives up assets and admits she cannot pay child support in the short term, while Li Bida must face the reality that he does not understand his wife as well as he thought. Who makes it work for whom, and what is being made to work—that is the space the book leaves for readers to think about.

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About the author

韩雪丽 Author

Han Xueli is an author for whom limited public information is available. Eleven of her works are currently known, including such representative titles as Bride Price, Betrayal, Ascending the Tower of Love, Not Like This, The Imperial Son-in-Law, Moonlight in the Corridor, Fulfillment, and All Ordinary People. Judging from these works, her writing falls mainly into two categories: social fiction and modern romance. The former focuses on real-life human relations and family ties, often using everyday issues such as marriage and bride price as entry points to show how ordinary people make choices and face circumstances under social pressure; the latter leans toward emotional narrative, unfolding the concerns of contemporary urban men and women through the ups and downs of personal relationships. Her titles are often drawn from everyday speech or classical imagery, and her style is plain and close to life, with characters who are mostly ordinary people, giving her work a strong sense of realism. As biographical information is currently lacking, the full scope and development of her writing await further material.