Half a Lifetime of Hardship, Half a Lifetime of Tears

Xiufang single-handedly manages the household, caring for her ailing father-in-law and raising three daughters. Her husband Liu Youcai is lazy, chauvinistic, and has an affair with her best friend Li Guilan. When Xiufang discovers their scheme, years of friendship shatter in an instant. She stops tolerating their provocations and bullying. Li Guilan falsely claims she's pregnant with a boy, and Liu Youcai insists on divorce despite his father's objections. After the divorce, Liu Youcai and Li Guilan's relationship crumbles, and the pregnancy lie is exposed. Xiufang lives a stable life with her daughters and father-in-law, and when her sympathetic fellow villager Dachuan proposes, she lets go of her pain and embraces a new, secure life.