Flower of Tears and Tribulation

冯玉奇Nov 2025

3.0

Word count: 167K words
Chapters: 19

Summary

In a time of turbulence, Lu Qingchao, a young man whose family has fallen on hard times, unexpectedly meets his gentle and kind cousin Luzhu, and the two quickly fall in love and vow to spend their lives together. Yet fate has other plans: Luzhu's family, despising poverty and coveting wealth, forcibly separates the lovers. Dejected, Lu Qingchao happens to rescue Qiuliu from a life of vice and helps her escape her misery. In the course of this, his third aunt, harboring dishonorable intentions, tries to seduce him, but he rationally refuses. Later, Lu Qingchao meets the warm and generous Miss Fangrong of the Tang family, who generously aids him in his poverty, and the two gradually come to know each other. Caught in the tide of the times, their paths of love are full of twists and turns; the characters struggle amid love and hate, affection and duty, endure misunderstandings and hardships, taste all the sweetness and bitterness of life, and their fates become tightly intertwined.

Editor's review

Feng Yuqi excels at depicting human warmth and coldness through intricate plots. This book takes the separation of Lu Qingchao and Luzhu as its main thread, linking the fates of women such as Qiuliu and Fangrong, juxtaposing family interference driven by contempt for poverty and love of wealth with rescue from vice and assistance in poverty, and presenting a picture of young people struggling between affection, duty, and reality in the old era. The narrative moves at a brisk pace, with misunderstandings and setbacks advancing layer by layer; the episode of the third aunt's seduction and his refusal especially reveals the characters' moral bottom line. It is suitable as a sample for understanding the texture of Republican-era popular romance narrative, and also for experiencing plot tension and period atmosphere in leisure reading. When reading, pay attention to the choices of female characters in difficult circumstances and the author's implicit criticism of the wealth gap and views on marriage and love.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy popular romance and family ethics stories set in the Republican era
Readers concerned with old-era views on marriage and love and the fate of women
Those who want to experience twisty plots and emotional conflict in leisure reading
Readers interested in Feng Yuqi's works and the narrative of popular fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer rigorous historical research or academic analysis
Those who do not accept multi-sided emotional entanglements and plots driven by misunderstandings
Readers who expect happy endings under modern values

Reading tips

First sort out the relationship lines between Lu Qingchao and Luzhu, Qiuliu, and Fangrong, then read the misunderstandings and turning points; the thread will be clearer.
When reading the part where the family separates the lovers, notice how the author uses the wealth gap to drive characters' choices; there is no need to judge the characters hastily.
You can reread the episode of the third aunt's seduction and Lu Qingchao's refusal separately to appreciate how the characters' moral bottom line works with the narrative rhythm.
After reading, you can compare it with popular romance works of the same period and compare the different ways out for female characters in difficult circumstances.

版权信息
第一回遭水灾穷途悲落魄投至戚姑父欺孤儿
第二回怜我怜卿情深若海赠帕赠金义重于山
第三回迫饥寒投考遭骗浇块垒借酒看花
第四回充园丁暂执贱役呼大哥且做西宾
第五回侠义客拯姝出泥污风雨夕游子病缠绵
第六回体贴入微三姨情重压迫到死孽子恨长
第七回效鹑奔惊生意外艳畏多露节全个中人
第八回疑外疑寻珠逅秋柳巧中巧拾笔识芳蓉
第九回坐对名花听雅谑携将西子泛轻舟
第十回趁良宵雪中逢旧雨晤高足灯下探真情
第十一回一室生春围炉把酒三径就荒对影招魂
第十二回为陆郎抛家出走感双美着语温存
第十三回海客言旋承色笑湖滨小驻乐优游
第十四回温而柔并肩话绮语酸又苦携手试芳心
第十五回祝寿星笙歌并作见绿珠啼笑皆非
第十六回有心人果然成眷属多情女毕竟践前盟
第十七回左右为难情敌当面始终如一割爱明心
第十八回割断情根用心良苦传来蜜柬感德莫忘

FAQ

Is this book mainly about love or family ethics?

The two are intertwined. The main line is that Lu Qingchao and Luzhu's love is broken apart by the family's contempt for poverty and love of wealth, after which his interactions with Qiuliu and Fangrong unfold. Family interference, the pressure of poverty, and emotional choices jointly drive the story; love is the thread, while family ethics and the circumstances of the times are the underlying tone.

What role does the third aunt play in the story?

The third aunt harbors dishonorable intentions and tries to seduce Lu Qingchao, constituting a test of the protagonist's character and emotional choices. Her appearance adds a layer of tension to the plot and also sets off Lu Qingchao's rational refusal in the face of temptation, prompting readers to observe the characters' moral bottom line and the complexity of family relations.

What is the difference in how Luzhu and Fangrong are written?

Luzhu is a gentle and kind cousin who vows to Lu Qingchao but is forcibly separated from him by her family, representing a love that passively endures family pressure; Fangrong is warm and generous, generously aiding Lu Qingchao when he is poor, and leans more toward actively supporting him. The two reflect women's choices under different circumstances.

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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.