喻世明言

Jiang Xingge grows up under his father's careful guidance, learning the ways of commerce while bearing the sorrow of his mother's early loss. When his father dies, the earnest young man is urged by relatives to marry the marquis’s youngest daughter, a striking and cultured woman whose union promises both affection and social standing. Their wedding is celebrated with bright lanterns and hopeful verses, marking a brief moment of joy before the responsibilities of family life take hold.

Soon after, Xingge feels compelled to resume the itinerant trade that once sustained his family, promising his wife a swift return. While he prepares for the journey, his wife waits at their modest home, her days filled with quiet prayers and the occasional counsel of a wandering fortune‑teller who hints at an unexpected encounter on the road. As Xingge departs with only a few valuables and a handful of loyal servants, the story leaves listeners eager to hear how his ambitions and his wife's steadfast hope will shape their intertwined fates.