Flight from Marriage

冯玉奇Nov 2025

2.9

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

The story revolves around the half-sisters Xiujuan and Lijuan. Xiujuan's mother died early, and she suffers unkind treatment from her stepmother and her father's weak inaction. Even though her younger sister Lijuan sympathizes with her deeply, Xiujuan ultimately dies with resentment due to illness, missing out on a good marriage. Her fiancé Dingjun, hating the stepmother's cruelty, vents his anger on Lijuan, pretending to agree to marry her while actually harboring revenge. However, when he truly comes to know Lijuan's character, he bitterly regrets it—but alas, Lijuan, like her sister, is ill-fated and dies young.

Editor's review

Feng Yuqi's *Elopement* centers on the fates of the half-sisters Xiujuan and Lijuan, portraying the emotional tragedy wrought by a harsh stepmother and a weak father in a traditional household. The novel's readability lies not in convoluted plotting but in the layered relationships: Xiujuan's forbearance and early death, Lijuan's sympathy and equally tragic fate, and Dingjun's psychological shift from misplaced anger to remorse form an intertwined chain of cause and effect. The author excels at driving tragedy through everyday friction within the family, rendering vividly how resentment is misdirected and misunderstanding leads to irrevocable consequences. For today's readers, the book serves both as a specimen of Republican-era popular fiction—offering insight into how marriage ethics and family structure were written about at the time—and as a mirror for reflecting on how prejudice and revenge harm the innocent. Best read in quiet, continuous sessions, with attention to the turning points in Dingjun's attitude and how Lijuan's character gradually reveals her own kindness and helplessness beyond being merely the target of displaced anger.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Republican-era popular fiction and old-style family ethics themes
Readers interested in portrayals of marital tragedy and psychological transformation
Readers who want to understand Feng Yuqi's style for popular literature research
Readers who prefer short, tightly plotted stories with clear character relationships

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a happy ending or seeking light, pleasant reading
Readers sensitive to depictions of old-style family oppression and death by illness
Literary readers who prefer modern narrative techniques or complex structural experimentation

Reading tips

Map out the relationships among Xiujuan, Lijuan, Dingjun, and the stepmother before entering the text to reduce confusion.
Pay attention to the key plot points marking Dingjun's change of attitude and how misunderstanding leads step by step to remorse.
After reading, compare with other Republican-era popular fiction to identify common patterns in writing family tragedy.

版权信息
第一回碧血儿女春情浓于酒
第二回风雨凄凄遗恨留情天
第三回误认雪雁作爱妻公子情痴
第四回错把素臣当快婿姑娘心酸
第五回一波才平一波来多事之秋
第六回两心相印两心碎返魂乏术

FAQ

What are the main character relationships in this book?

The core is the half-sisters Xiujuan and Lijuan: Xiujuan's mother died early, she suffers unkind treatment from her stepmother, and her father is weak and inactive; Lijuan deeply sympathizes with her sister. Dingjun is Xiujuan's fiancé, who, hating the stepmother, vents his anger on Lijuan, pretends to agree to the marriage, and bitterly regrets it after coming to know Lijuan's true character.

Why does Dingjun vent his anger on Lijuan?

According to the source material, Dingjun hates the stepmother's cruelty but redirects his fury toward Lijuan, pretending to agree to marry her while actually harboring revenge. This displacement is a key starting point of the story's conflict and the reason for his later remorse.

Is the ending comic or tragic?

The source material indicates a tragedy: Xiujuan dies with resentment from illness, missing out on a good marriage; Lijuan, like her sister, is ill-fated and dies young; Dingjun bitterly regrets his actions after truly understanding Lijuan. Readers should be mentally prepared accordingly.

Comments

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About the author

冯玉奇 Author

Feng Yuqi was a writer of popular fiction in the Republican era. Public information about him is limited: neither his dates of birth and death nor his native place are clearly recorded. Yet the 172 works held in our collection attest to the sheer volume of his output. His writing is driven by plot, and his subjects range across wuxia, modern romance, social fiction, and time-travel and alternate-world fiction. Representative works include Chivalrous Five-Flower Chart, Wen Suchen, National Soul: Blood and Flowers, The Understanding Flower, Sea of Blood and Flowers of Love: Favors and Grudges, Soul Broken at the Slanting Sun: The Strange Man of the Desert Island, and Remnant Light on Green Waves. Most of these appeared in Republican-era popular-literature journals and as standalone volumes. His language is plain and accessible and his narrative pace brisk; he excels at interweaving love and hatred, gratitude and grievance, and chivalrous adventure, while also depicting the ways of the world. His work had a certain influence among urban readers of the time. Today his writings are collected in the Feng Yuqi volume of the Republican Popular Fiction Collection, offering a useful sample for studying the generic ecology of Republican-era popular literature.