Tag Archives: Chinese Novel Adaptation

TBR Challenge Review: 逐玉 (Zhú Yù, Chasing Jade) by 团子来袭 (Tuán Zǐ Lái Xí)

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逐玉 (Zhú Yù, Chasing Jade) by 团子来袭 (Tuán Zǐ Lái Xí)
Chinese historical romance published in 2023

Chasing Jade book coverAfter her parents passed away, Fan ChangYu faced a string of hardships—her childhood sweetheart broke off their engagement, greedy relatives wanted to seize her inheritance, and with a sickly five-year-old sister to care for, she decided to take a matrilocal husband in name only.

Her plan centered on a man she had saved: wounded, with nothing to his name but a strikingly handsome face. They quickly reached an agreement: she would take him in to recover, and he would pretend to marry her, helping her hold on to her family assets.

Once the family business was secure, Fan ChangYu prepared to write the divorce agreement, as promised. However, a war erupted, and soldiers were recruited; her “husband” was conscripted and vanished without a trace.

The next time she saw him, he was drenched in blood, lying in a wounded soldiers’ tent. His handsome face was smeared with blood, while his simple soldier’s uniform was torn to shreds. Seeing the hardship he had endured, Fan ChangYu’s eyes reddened with tears.

“Don’t be a soldier anymore,” she whispered, her voice choked. “Come back. I’ll slaughter pigs to support you.”

He barely opened his eyes, coughing up blood. “You… wanted a divorce…”

Her eyes filled with tears. “No divorce, no divorce!”

[Mini Theater]
Xie Zheng, the Marquis of Wu’an, became renowned at a young age, his achievements in battle granting him the title of marquis before he even turned twenty. His methods in military command were famously strict and ruthless, making him unmatched across the entire Dayin dynasty.

Recently, however, the soldiers noticed something peculiar about their marquis. He no longer resided in his spacious command tent, preferring instead to squeeze into the cramped and shabby tent designated for the wounded.

Though he’d taken a serious injury—a wound deep enough to bleed through his armor—under normal circumstances, he’d be back on his feet within a couple of days. Yet this time, he’d been lying there for over ten days with no sign of improvement.

The camp’s grizzled strategist clicked his tongue after visiting him. “Hmph. If someone is by your side to wipe your brow and feed you medicine, of course the wound takes longer to heal!”

It wasn’t until the marquis’s mysterious wife—who had never shown herself before—snuck into the barracks, wearing her husband’s tattered soldier’s uniform, and took his place on the front lines, fearing her “delicate, sickly husband” might die on the battlefield. Only then did the “gravely wounded” marquis leap up from his bed in shock, hastily don his armor, and rush to chase after her.

As the blood-red sun set, a lone goose cried across the vast sky.

With a butcher knife in hand, Fan ChangYu hacked off the enemy general’s head and squinted toward the distant friendly troops kicking up clouds of yellow dust as they approached. She pulled over a nearby soldier and asked, “The one charging at the front, wearing that bright armor with the Qilin shoulder guards and riding that big horse… why does he look a bit like my husband?”

The soldier: …Isn’t it possible that he actually is?

Naive but fierce Little Sunshine (Female Lead) vs. “That woman is so crude” to “Why doesn’t that woman like me?” Marquis Xie (Male Lead)

Just reading the book blurb/description made me chuckle again. Does it give a lot away? Sure – but actually not that much. (These books are long though this book wasn’t that long at 180 chapters including the extras, and a lot of these cnovel chapters are shorter than you’re used to.)  The author, 团子来袭, is a new favorite for me. In fact immediately after finishing this book I read another fully translated book by [her], and am eagerly waiting for the others in the works to be finished. (And hoping if she has a larger backlist they get picked up!) Anyway the theme for December’s TBR challenge is “it’s a party” and … I guess … there are parties in this book? Nothing is jumping out at me but there are various celebrations and it’s one that feels like it most fits out of my recent reads. (And yikes my reading seems to have really slowed since November which … let’s not get into why 😒.) Continue reading →

TBR Challenge Discussion: (Bananapants!) The Double

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Hi friends! So this isn’t a review since the series hasn’t finished airing yet – but like I said in my previous post – I live here now (thanks).

Seriously even if you have no plans of watching this drama YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE TRAILER! IT’S SO GOOD!

The prompt for June is “bananapants” and In a way, the drama is even more bananapants than the book. (Which is a transmigration revenge romance. I’ve heard rumors/people have said transmigration is banned in dramas, someone said because Taoism … but I’m pretty sure that isn’t true because Taoists believe in rebirth/reincarnation, I think? So …) ANYWAY.

In the first episode we have this asshole dude – and his asshole family. She’s this asshole’s wife! His mother and sister (so her mother-in-law and sister-in-law) drug her, and set her up to be found in an “adulterous affair.” In the time and culture that would ruin your life and reputation. (A family might be justified in killing you.) Dude – I call him the “trash ass ex (TAE)” pretends to save her, takes her to a remote mountain, clonks her over the head with a shovel, and buries her alive. *blinks.* I’m also not calling this a spoiler because all this happens in like the first ten minutes of the drama. (I saw someone say technically they’re still married and … my summer child, no. I don’t know who broke you, but if someone tries to murder you by ruining your life and BURIES YOU ALIVE … you’re over. You get to be free now.)

As expected, our heroine makes it out alive, and takes over the identity of another tragic girl. In the book it’s a bit “easier” for her to make a comeback because it’s “just” her soul in an entirely different body. In the drama … heh it’s literally the same person. The girl she “becomes” was abandoned by her family in this remote place for over a decade, with nobody visiting her, so it’s believable they have no idea what she looks like now. If course there are a few loose ends and either the people who notice don’t matter, or they’re addressed later.

We have a poisons expert (loved her character in the book, loathe the actress and the changes in her story line), fake pregnancies, murder – so much murder – illegal salt trades and gold mining, treason, rebellions, fake priests and possessions, along with comedy and sweetness. Great actors too. One of the initial villains – I hated her so much -SO MUCH- and even as I wanted her to die a horrible death I thought “damn she’s good at bringing her character to life.”

 

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I mean come oonnnnn. I do have a few minor complaints but those can be addressed later if I get to it. And as always – you can watch on Youku (which requires a subscription), or Viki (I think if you pay it’s ad free), or Youtube! Which is definitely free!

COME JOIN US! ONE OF US!

I Live Here Now, Thanks (Talking Up The Double)

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Hi all! Since I’ve been convincing people left and right to watch The Double, a currently airing Cdrama, I was like “wait how could I ignore this whole ass site I own?” [I mean >.> answer is “pretty damn easily,” considering *gestures* – BUT ANYWAY.]

I’ve mostly been talking about it on Bluesky which is where I hang out most on the socials now … but I know not everyone is there (JOIN US!) And especially watch The Double!

I mean come ONNNNNN. 😻🤩🥰

You can watch up to episode 11 today … Youku keeps adding them. Live/if you pay for the Youku access the series is up to episode 21 with 2 more to be released at midnight. There will be 40 episodes in total so 😱 we’re more than halfway through! That means you can binge!

If you have Viki you can watch it there too. https://www.viki.com/tv/40573c-the-double

The English subs … *sigh* sadly I’ve noticed a trend where they’re not wrong in dramas, but they’re not right either exactly. Just, you kinda miss a lot. (And 😱😅 sometimes they are straight up wrong – on Viki at least that tends to get fixed. Maybe YouTube too.)

It’s such an excellent story and has fantastic actors! I’ve said watching this makes me want to re-read the book. But my second time around I’d want to wait for the book to be fully translated. Which … if they continue on at the same pace, already taking five years, will take another five. 🫠)

TBR Challenge Review: Blossoms in Adversity

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(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. Continue reading →