The protagonist of the story is the wife of a small civil servant who, out of vanity, borrows a diamond necklace from a friend of her wealthy wife. However, after attending a social event, she accidentally lost the necklace. Unable to compensate for the expensive necklace, she and her husband had to take on heavy debts.
In order to pay off their debts, they worked hard for ten years, with great effort and sacrifice. During this decade, their lives have changed a lot, and people have become old and emaciated.
Ten years later, the wife of the little civil servant met Mrs. Kuo by chance on the street. During the conversation, she was surprised to find that the necklace she had lent her turned out to be a fake, worth only five hundred francs at most. Deeply shocked and distressed by this discovery, she realizes that she has paid a huge price for a worthless necklace over the past decade.
The story reveals the impact of vanity on people's lives and the heavy price people pay for their blind pursuit of social status and wealth. At the same time, it also shows the complexity of human nature and the impermanence of life.
Although Mrs. Lu Huaisai was born strangely beautiful, the wife of a junior secretary of the Ministry of Education, she lived an ordinary life. She was married to a petty clerk with a trivial position, so she had little hope in life. The home is poorly furnished, and life is full of worries. Whenever her husband left to go to work, she sat at home silently, staring vacantly at the street scene outside the window. She was tired of this boring life, and her heart was full of helplessness and bitterness.
Watching the little maid doing the rough work hard, she couldn't help but sigh. She dreamed that a beautiful woman like herself should live in a spacious and luxurious living room, surrounded by a group of respectful servants. She imagined noble men and women surrounding her, saying heart-wrenching compliments. However, the reality is so cruel that she can only find a little comfort in such a dream.
As night fell, her husband returned home from work and sat down with her at the table for dinner. However, there were only simple dishes on the table, which could not satisfy her heart's desire. She stopped the knife and fork in her hand and fell into a realm of fantasy. In her imagination, she became the hostess of a lavish banquet, busily entertaining distinguished guests. In this fantasy world, she enjoys endless glory and praise, allowing the emptiness of her heart to be satisfied for a moment.
AhhThis broth is so delicious!It doesn't get much better than this!"She exclaimed. At this time, her husband lifted the lid of the pot, smelled the tempting fragrance, and nodded in praise again and again. However, her illusion was suddenly shattered, and looking at her husband's plain appearance, she sighed softly. Alas, she barely ended dinner, and the gap between her inner desire and reality made her feel helpless and disappointed.
A few days later, the husband returned home in the evening with a smug look on his face. He handed his wife a wide envelope and said excitedly, "Behold, my dear, you have your share here!"The wife took the envelope with anticipation.
She eagerly opened the envelope and pulled out a palatial invitation that read: "The Minister of Education and the Minister's wife invite Mr. and Mrs. Lu Huaisai to attend an evening party at the Minister's Mansion at 6 p.m. on January 18. ”
The husband was full of joy and thought that his wife would be happy about this opportunity, but what he saw was his wife's straight face and the indifference of throwing the invitation on the table. At this moment, her husband's heart was full of confusion and incomprehension.
The husband patiently explained that she rarely went out on weekdays, and this opportunity was rare to allow her to see more people and things, and the invitation from the Ministry of Education was very rare for a small secretary, and she could meet all the important people there. However, when the wife listened to her husband's words, she immediately became seizure.
The husband didn't expect his wife to react like this, and stammered, "Isn't that outfit you wear to the theater pretty good?......Before she finished speaking, two big tears welled up in his wife's eyes and slid down to the corners of her mouth.
The husband was disturbed by his wife's sudden emotion, and he hurriedly asked her why she was like this and if he had said something wrong. The wife tried her best to suppress the grief in her heart, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to explain to her husband calmly. "Nothing!I didn't have decent clothes, so I couldn't attend the party. Send your invitation to a colleague!Other people's wives are better dressed than me, right?”
Her husband was upset and asked her how much it would cost to buy a suitable outfit. She counted it, and hesitated to name a number. "I think it's going to cost four hundred francs!."When the husband heard his wife's answer, his heart sank.
When the husband heard his wife's answer, his face suddenly turned pale. He had saved a sum of money to buy a shotgun so that he could go hunting with his friends. This hobby means a lot to him, not only to enjoy the outdoors with his friends, but also to strengthen friendships.
The husband knows his wife's feelings, and he does not want her to feel sad because of this. So, in the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to give his wife the four hundred francs. He gently told his wife: "Okay, I can give you the money, but you must buy a dress that is both beautiful and suitable." We're going to make you the most beautiful woman at the dinner party. ”
The day of the evening was approaching, and the clothes were ready, but Madame Louwaisey was still sullen. Her husband felt very strange and asked, "Honey, is there anything else you are not satisfied with?".Mrs. Louwysay sighed and replied, "I do have a piece of jewellery that I don't have ready, which makes me a little hesitant to go to the party. ”
The husband advises his wife to buy a few roses to wear to add a little natural beauty. However, the wife was dismissive of this, believing that wearing cheap flowers would make her appear rude among the broad wives. "How about asking your friend Mrs. Fleischie to borrow some pieces of jewelry to wear?"The husband came up with an idea. When his wife heard this, she patted her head and said that the idea was really great, and she didn't even think of it. So she went to Mrs. Fleisch's house at once, and borrowed from her a few pieces of jewellery suitable for the evening.