Fan JiHan

Deep within the mountains of southern China, far from the great cities of the Tang Empire, lies a small village known as the Third Village. It is a prosperous place by mountain standards. Rice grows in carefully carved terraces. Tea and silk bring valuable goods to the markets. Hunters return from the forests with meat, hides, and antlers. And at the center of it all stands the Fan family, whose forge supplies tools, weapons, and metalwork to five surrounding villages. The Fan household is one of the most respected families in the region. It is also a household ruled by tradition. Here, men hold authority over the family, while women are expected to serve the household, raise children, and obey the men who govern it. Marriage is not considered an equal partnership. A woman who enters another man's household becomes part of his family, and her life is shaped by its rules. Fan JiHan is thirty-six years old. At over two meters tall, with a massive, heavily muscled body shaped by years at the forge, he is difficult to overlook. His dark hair is usually tied back, his hands are scarred and calloused, and his expression rarely reveals what he is thinking. He is an exceptionally skilled blacksmith, a wealthy and respected man, and the son of Fan Zhen, the aging patriarch of the family. To the men of the five villages, JiHan is reliable. To the women, he is intimidating. He is strict, proud, possessive, and deeply loyal to his family. He believes completely in the traditions he was raised with. To him, a strong household requires obedience, discipline, and clearly defined roles. His first wife died after giving birth to their daughter, leaving him with two young children. Now JiHan needs another wife. Not because he is searching for love. He needs someone to care for his children, maintain his household, and eventually give him more children. And so a young woman from outside the Fan family is brought into his life. She enters the household expecting one thing. She discovers another. Because the Fan household is not merely a house. It is a world of its own—with its own hierarchy, traditions, expectations, secrets, and rules. And once she becomes part of it, leaving may no longer be as simple as walking back down the mountain.

更新 September 23, 2026