(This is a review of the drama (惜花芷)  not the book with the same name, because alas it isn’t translated. I just checked and it seems the book is 694 chapters with 18 “extras.” The length is often a bit misleading because the chapters are short and in no way compare to the ones we’re used to.)

ANYWAY! Blossoms in Adversity – LET’S GO!

The series description slightly edited from MDL:

A devastating tragedy of asset forfeiture to the throne suddenly befalls the Hua family. The men are forced into exile, leaving behind the women and children in dire straits. Hua Zhi, the young lady of the family, no longer stays low-key and steps up. She braves hardship and leads the women of her household to manage to avoid starvation and danger. She transforms not only their lives but also the feared Commander of the Security Bureau, Gu Yan Xi, into her beloved “Mr. Yan”. During these lively and heartwarming moments, Hua Zhi rises from a sheltered lady to the head of her family, leading her toward a brighter future.

The native title 惜花芷 actually means more like “Cherish Hua Zi” – I think the original drama title was going to be The Story of Hua Zi but it turned into Blossoms In Adversity which fits even better because 花 means flower, and it’s the family name. I loved the story and how everything made sense. Even when it was so frustrating I loved seeing the growth of the characters and how the family came together. I think it’s important to know that in ancient China society was made up of four classes: (scholar-)government officials, farmers, artisans and merchants. (And slaves). So the Hua family goes from the highest social class to the lowest. I think that helps explain the elders’ resistance to Hua Zi doing business. Also in the first episode, people might miss it, but Hua Zi shouldn’t even show her face on the street because she’s the daughter of an aristocratic house. (In fact she shouldn’t even have left the manor, but she’s an “unusual” girl and was “spoiled” by her grandfather who took her along with him to travel when he was performing his official duties when she was younger.) She goes into business not only to provide for her remaining family members, but also to redeem the menfolk from exile. Hua Zi knows under an obscure law that if she pays 500,000 liang (silver taels) one person can be redeemed. So she needs to make 21.5 million taels to bring back all 43 exiled family members. It is a staggering amount. I don’t know the dynasty equivalent or conversions, but at times one silver tael – a liang – was 1000 wen/copper coins. And I think there’s a scene that said an average family lives on 2-5 taels (though they said coins so 2-5k wen) a month. So … 21,500,000 is just … mind boggling and why her mother and aunts think she’s insane and just an immature child unreasonably dreaming.

Our heroine/FL is Hua Zi, and she’s so badass. I actually wanted to find the novel to see if she was a transmigrator because I felt she had such modern sensibilities. I just tried skimming the first two chapters in Brave using whatever it has to translate and it was hilariously unreadable. Anyway, our practical queen is very sweet and forgiving, but no pushover. She’s determined, fearless (almost too much so), and quite clever. Filial piety was so ingrained in culture, so it explains in part why she doesn’t abandon her family – I liked that they addressed this. Also that she considers leaving them and striking off on her own at one point because her family really are pig teammates. (More harm than help –  her mother is exceedingly useless, her aunts not much better, her (half sister) and cousins still definitely think and act like they’re the rich aristocratic girls they once were, and her brother is only 9 – her other remaining male cousins are all only 10 or younger. Anyone older was exiled. (Any girl in the family is called a “sister” even though some of them are cousins – I don’t understand this label/family thing, but that’s just how it is.) All this to say, I appreciated Hua Zi’s conversation with her fourth aunt (in law) to see what the elders have actually done for her, that she didn’t know about.

This goes into another important point – the character depth and growth. At first some characters just seem like hateful cannon fodder, but as the series goes on we learn more about them and why they are. For example Hua Zi’s third aunt (in law) who at the start is the one managing the household. She seems a bit extra and ridiculous, but Hua Zi’s grandmother explains a bit more of the situation later. (And much later Hua Zi sees more about each person and their personality, realizing they were each their own persons with talents that had to hide or abandon them after getting married and becoming parents.) There’s a scene later where Hua Zi addresses one of her uncle’s concubines by her given name, and the woman (who is upset and crying wails “who is that?” and they have to tell her “it’s you – your identity has been “Concubine Qin” for so long that you’ve forgotten your actual name.” It’s heartbreaking and so very real.

I’ve watched the series on Viki, Youku, and YouTube … and I do want to say the translations are pretty good but sometimes a bit disappointing – generally they aren’t wrong but they’re just … that little bit off to make it not quite right. Some scenes lose their oomph. But the biggest “that’s wrong” is when they translate all the concubines as “aunt.” 🤦🏻‍♀️ I think it’s a time/language thing because now [阿]姨 (ā yí) does mean (maternal) aunt currently. But back then 姨娘 (yíniáng) meant concubine. But just … *sigh* (世子 shìzi is often incorrectly translated as “crown prince” – when it really just means heir – to pretty much anything but the throne-  but thankfully I think they fixed it.) Sadly not the “aunt” thing.

Our hero/ML is Gu Yan Xi who is the nephew of the emperor. His father is the emperor’s younger brother. (His father is a titled prince which is why Yan Xi as the heir is also addressed as “shi zi”  which translators put as “your highness.”)  He had been protecting the border for the past ten years or so and I believe has been ordered back to the capital. He’s pretty much the only person his uncle trusts, and he does have a pretty great relationship with the emperor, all things considered. Better than anyone else, anyway. He’s very exacting and doesn’t show mercy in his work as the commander of the “security bureau” – basically the emperor’s personal investigative and enforcement agency, but he doesn’t just blindly follow the emperor’s desires. I liked that there was nuance, and he wasn’t just some rabid dog sent out to do the shit work. He does know right from wrong, and cares about “the people.” He also realizes he’s had a difficult life as a member of the imperial family, but also has lived better than many of his other relatives. His continuous support for Hua Zi was also a delight. He tells her he’ll never act against her, or her family. I love how clear eyed he was, his rational analysis of situations and relationships, and how he always supported Hua Zi.

I so appreciated that Hua Zi and Gu Yan Xi’s  relationship developed naturally. First, they meet by chance – Hua Zi steps out because she sees injustice happening and protects this random man she sees being targeted on the street. Next,  in trying to investigate the suspicious death of his mother Yan Xi finds they might have some information. That’s what (also) has him approaching the Hua family a few times. And then there’s his sister. The chance then choice encounters lead to them enjoying each others company, and relying on each other. It’s all just so sweet and delightful! Also a bit tricky because the day Gu Yan Xi takes over the commander job is the day the emperor orders the confiscation of all the Hua property, which he oversees. (I’m calling him both Gu Yan Xi and Yan Xi because he initially tells Hua Zi his name is Yan Xi. If he let her know his surname is “Gu” she’d immediately know he’s a member of the royal family and want nothing to do with him. And she sees him as a friend first since she has no idea who he is, much less his job.)

I loved watching the success (and natural failures) of Hua Zi trying to rebuild her family and business. And her practicality – when people are like “what about your reputation” – she’s like “can I sell it or eat it? No? Then what’s the use of one at this point?” I also appreciated her “I don’t need a man to live” mentality. (Plus the time(s) the elders tried to rely on some it was a horrific painful failure.)  Not only does her actual family grow and adapt, Hua Zi brings in various other people as well, and there’s a strong “found family” storyline too. Multiple ones, in fact. I joked that Hua Zi collects imperial family members like Pokemon, which you’ll get if/when you watch.

I was also pretty damn satisfied with the ending. Even scenes that had me so frustrated I was yelling at the screen overall I could still understand why it happened. It’s not as if life always goes our way, nor do we act in the best “most rational” manner. We also finally get a series with an actual “happily ever after.” Not some abrupt bullshit two second reunion. If you’re frustrated at first, power through. I think a bit of the difficulty is not understanding Confucian society. The more I’ve read c-novels the more I hate Confucius and Mencius. Just remember the setting is a community focused society not an individual based one. And the background is important – it shows how much Hua Zi  and the girls accomplish.

I loved the little details too like how Hua Zi’s grandfather’s manservant – the one male servant who stays with the family – always calls Hua Zi “Zi Ge’er” because that’s how he’s used to addressing her. “Ge’er” was a way people often affectionately address the young boys in their family – you’ll notice they use it for Hua Zi’s cousins etc. The acting is good, there are great fight scenes, the series is overall bright and cheerful, and very pretty. Even the OST fits so very well – I like it enough to watch the opening credits because the artwork and the song.

I’ve already started re-watching the series and know I’ll be re-watching it again in the future. It’s not all bright shiny glitter and unicorns, but nevertheless still overall very uplifting and delightful, and I loved how healthy the relationship was. Hua Zi and Yan Xi actually communicate and there aren’t any big stupid misunderstandings. So many other characters and couples have their happy endings too and get to live fulfilling lives and I loved it. I highly recommend this series. I’ve already convinced at least three friends to watch it, and they’ve already finished and enjoyed it! Yay!

Grade: A

You can watch it on Viki or on Youtube. And if you have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer them!