After rewatching "Parental Love", I began to understand what the true meaning of love is. The two sisters of the An family gave me two different interpretations of love. An Xin's love is noble and romantic, which makes people intoxicated, as if they are in a dream. In contrast, An Jie's love seems more rational and practical, and sometimes even offensive.
We often laugh at An Jie's pursuit of material things and envy An Xin's determination to pay bravely for love. However, after thinking deeply, we realized that the truth is not as simple as it seems. An Xin's dedication to love is undoubtedly worthy of our admiration. But the price of this dedication is the toil of her life. An Jie chooses material things and marries an officer who seems to be a mismatch for her, and although she is despised by many, she lives a carefree life because of it.
Many men may be more inclined to like women like An Xin, who are romantic and courageous. However, bringing the lives of the two sisters of the An family into reality, it is not difficult for us to understand An Jie's choice. Not everyone can be as crazy about love as An Xin, but most women can pursue their own happiness like An Jie. Because, no matter how romantic love is, after all, you can't get rid of the firewood, rice, oil and salt in life. In the context of that special era, choosing the ideal love often requires paying a heavy price.
An Xin's choice was too idealistic, and she used her irretrievable youth to accompany Ouyang Yi to spend all the good times on Xiaohei Island. And An Jie's choice is more practical, she became Jiang Defu's wife, and even in difficult times, she still lives a comfortable life.
As individuals, we often force the people around us to be what we think they are, but ignore their feelings. As a result, many men hope that their other half is a woman like An Xin, but they forget the complexity and reality of love. True love may not be absolutely perfect and noble, but to find a balance in firewood, rice, oil and salt, and respect each other's choices and differences. Because she dares to give everything for love, we often ignore the huge price she paid behind it. In real life, I hate those who talk about noble love, because their so-called love often imprisons the freedom of the loved one in the name of love. If I had to choose, I would prefer Anjie's choice. Why should she choose a hopeless life when she has the ability to pursue a better life?
An Xin and An Jie, two sisters, did not have much difference in their lives before marriage. An Xin is an office clerk, and An Jie is a hospital cashier, and it seems that An Xin's professional status is slightly higher. However, their married lives have changed dramatically due to their respective husbands and choices. As an idealist, An Xin firmly believes that there will be a rainbow after the wind and rain, and accompanies her husband through the wind and rain. An Jie, on the other hand, is a realist who does not believe that suffering will bring anything better, and she pursues the abundance and beauty of every day.
I admit that life is indeed romantic and colorful, but the reality of firewood, rice, oil and salt often crushes romance. I tend to choose to find my own peace of mind and love in firewood, rice, oil and salt, rather than short-term romance. When An Xin was still working repeatedly in the factory, An Jie was able to enjoy life leisurely as an officer's wife. This is not to say that An Jie's choice is necessarily better than An Xin, but they each chose a lifestyle that suits them.
Real life is not as beautiful as it is described in romance, but full of choices and trade-offs. We can't deny the rich life An Jie chose, but we can't ignore An Xin's courage to stick to love and ideals. Ultimately, everyone is responsible for their own choices and lives the life they want. In life, being by the side of their children, engaging in a decent job, and even enjoying An Xin's care when they need it is undoubtedly what many people yearn for. But in the comparison between An Jie and Jiang Defu, An Jie's choice is particularly successful. She has always been firm in her choice and has never wavered. An Jie's life is like a big gamble, she uses her whole life to gamble on Jiang Defu's eternal love for her. Luckily, she won the bet.
In the whole play, it is impossible to say that An Jie has no feelings for Jiang Defu, after all, they have spent their lives together. Perhaps it was because of Jiang Defu's firm choice of her that she was able to find her true love, which was also the best arrangement of fate for An Jie. When he first met Jiang Defu, An Jie had little interest in this man who was a few years older than him and lacked cultural literacy. However, Jiang Defu fell in love with the young lady of this capitalist family at first sight and was willing to give everything for her.
In those days, capitalism was not an unenviable identity and could even lead to untold suffering. Before meeting Jiang Defu, we can imagine the treatment that An Jie, as the eldest lady of capitalism, might suffer. As the plot develops, we see this manifestation. When the An family lost Jiang Defu's strong support, they fell into trouble again. So, An Jie understood the truth, and finally gave up city life and went to the island to accompany her husband.
As a woman, Anjie's choices are wise at all times. Although she married a man she didn't like very much, the sacrifice she made was worth it. Jiang Defu is a smart person, he understands that it is not easy to make an eldest lady like An Jie fall in love with him, but he still firmly chooses her. In the play, there is an impressive plot that shows Jiang Defu's deep love for An Jie. Perhaps, Jiang Defu chose to be with An Jie, partly because An Jie, a cultured woman, can provide a better education for the descendants of the Jiang family. But even under this motivation, when Jiang Defu faced a major test, he still chose An Jie without hesitation. This is in stark contrast to his comrade-in-arms Lao Ding. After Lao Ding met An Jie, he was also eager to find a cultured girlfriend.
On the island, he succeeds in attracting a teacher, but upon digging deeper, he finds that the teacher's history is unacceptable to him. Faced with a similar predicament to Jiang Defu, Lao Ding chose to compromise with life, gave up the ideal of marrying a literate woman, and focused on his career. We can't judge Lao Ding's choice, because everyone fights for their own lives. But Jiang Defu was in the same predicament, but he firmly chose An Jie, gave up his superior career prospects, and was even willing to become a farmer and marry her. This obsession eventually led him to marry An Jie. When An Jie learned of his sacrifice from Jiang Defu's sister, her heart was full of mixed emotions. How many people can be like Jiang Defu in the face of love, without hesitation to give up their future and love someone who doesn't like them wholeheartedly? We often say we love someone, but in the face of real trials, we often choose to give up or compromise. Because in most people's minds, career always seems to be more important than love. If there were really so many people in the world who were willing to give up everything for love, then there might be a lot less regret in the love story.
Jiang Defu's firm choice of An Jie undoubtedly made his image in An Jie's heart even higher. Perhaps it is precisely because of such Jiang Defu that An Jie is willing to spend his life with him. An Jie, a daughter who grew up under the influence of capitalism, is willing to spend her life with such an ordinary man. This makes many people confused, what kind of love is the most beautiful? In my opinion, the best love is that you are always my only one, no matter when and where. This selfless love is far more than any romantic words, it is real and profound. Because I love you, I love you all. Jiang Defu's deep affection for An Jie is better than all the sincerity in the world. He loved An Jie so consistently that he did not hesitate to give everything for her. Jiang Defu loves An Jie, which means that he also loves everything related to her.
When people heard the word "capitalism", they avoided it, but Jiang Defu accepted An Jie with open arms. Under his protection, An Jia, who was originally at the bottom of society and oppressed, was finally able to raise his eyebrows. When An Jie learned that her second sister and brother-in-law were working on a small island under her husband's jurisdiction, she didn't even dare to visit her sister in order to avoid causing misunderstanding among others. As Jiang Defu's wife, her behavior is understandable, but as a family member, An Jie, her choice seems to be a little indifferent. However, after Jiang Defu learned about the situation, he not only let his sister stay at An Jie's second sister's house for one night, but also encouraged An Jie to visit her sister. He is not afraid of other people's gossip, but he does not hesitate to recognize An Jie's relatives, all of which stems from his deep love for An Jie.
In the play, we also saw that Jiang Defu did not provide special treatment for his children, but gave his care and preferential treatment to the children of An Jie's brother and sister. Although An Jie sometimes expresses dissatisfaction with Jiang Defu's behavior, deep down in her heart, she is sure and pleased with her husband's approach. She knows that she has married the right person, and this satisfaction is indescribable. As the years passed, recalling the years when An Xin accompanied Ouyang Yi on the island, we couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. Their love has gone through the baptism of wind and rain, but it is still as tenacious as ever. And the love story of An Jie and Jiang Defu is the same, although it is ordinary but full of sincerity and warmth. Little did you know that your husband would start his online dating journey in his later years. An Xin has given everything for love, but the final ending is embarrassing. Relatively speaking, An Jie and Jiang Defu's marriage has no deep emotional foundation, but what is surprising is that An Jie still made Jiang Defu jealous because of dancing with others in his later years. An Jie complained to An Xin: "Jiang Defu is really getting more and more clingy, and he follows me every day, which is really annoying." After An Xin heard this, she couldn't help but glance at An Jie, accusing her of deliberately being angry with herself.
With the passage of time, we realized from "Parents' Love" that there may not be perfect love in this world, and it is only because of mutual love that life is full of love. What is the best love? That is, in any case, I will be your strongest choice. As shown in "Parents' Love", Jiang Defu spent his life promising An Jie that I would love you forever.