"Don't forget the friendship between the poor and the lowly, and the wife of the poor will never leave the court." This saying has been passed down through the ages and has become a wise saying for many adult men. However, during the Republic of China, when traditional thoughts and advanced thoughts collided with each other, many literati with lofty ideals had good wives at home. However, after becoming successful and famous, they abandoned their bad wives and married new people outside.

During the Northern Expedition, there was a heavyweight Li Zongren who had outstanding military exploits. He had three wives. Everyone knew that the last wife, Hu Yousong, was the illegitimate daughter of Butterfly. In fact, she had a little-known wife, Li Xiuwen, who, like most innocent women at that time, did not escape the fate of being abandoned.

Born in poverty, married to a general

Li Xiuwen, like many old-school women at that time, was instilled with the idea that "it is virtue for a woman to have no talent" since she was a child. She was from a poor family and did not go to school. Learn in a day. In 1890, Li Xiuwen was born in Cuntou Village, Lingui District, Guilin City, Guangxi. In 1911, when Li Xiuwen was 19 years old, she married Li Zongren under the orders of her parents and a matchmaker.

At that time, Li Zongren was still studying martial arts at Guangxi Army Primary School. After the marriage, Li Zongren, who was dissatisfied with the arranged marriage, discovered that Li Xiuwen was "blind". Although Li Xiuwen was illiterate, she abided by her duty to serve her parents-in-law at home and was considerate of Li Zongren. Li Zongren gradually accepted the gentle and virtuous Li Xiuwen, and their married life was quite happy.

At this time, the political situation was turbulent. Li Zongren was away fighting for a long time and had no time to take care of his family affairs. Li Xiuwen took the initiative to take care of the whole family, so that Li Zongren had no worries.

At this time, Li Zongren's career path was getting higher and higher. After graduating from Guangxi Army Primary School, he soon entered the Army Crash Course. After graduation, he became a warrant officer trainee at the Nanning General School Training Institute. In 1916, as the platoon leader of the 13th Regiment of the 7th Brigade of the Lin Hu Division of the Sixth Army of the National Defense Army, he participated in the National Defense War, the French Defense War and the Guangdong-Guangxi War, and his military talents were revealed.

In 1919, Li Zongren returned to Xinhui County, Guangdong Province, and reunited with Li Xiuwen after a long absence. When Li Zongren served as the county magistrate of Xinhui County for more than a year, Li Xiuwen spent a good time with him. Soon Li Zongren's son Li Youlin was born.

What followed was Li Zongren leaving Xinhui County to continue his war in the north and south, accompanied by Li Xiuwen and his son who was waiting to be fed. Li Zongren, who was running around, was busy leading troops to fight. In the difficult life of being in the army, Li Xiuwen felt tired taking care of the still young Li Youlin alone. But Li Zongren was busy all day long, which made Li Xiuwen often feel helpless. In desperation, she had no choice but to take her children and say goodbye to Li Zongren and return home.

Marry another woman without fighting over her

After returning home, Li Xiuwen devoted herself to raising Li Youlin and serving Li Zongren's parents. In the blink of an eye, Li Zongren has not returned home for two years, and Li Xiuwen often misses Li Zongren at home. Although life at home is very difficult, Li Xiuwen is full of expectations. In the end, what Li Xiuwen was looking forward to was not her husband's triumphant return, but his marriage to another beautiful woman - Guo Dejie.

The name Guo Dejie was given by Li Zongren. Guo Dejie has been extremely intelligent and has a strong personality since he was a child. She has determined to become a new woman since she was a child. In the 1920s, Guoping, Guiping, Guangxi, Guo Dejie's hometown, happened to have a wave of girls going to school. Regardless of the opposition of her family and the ridicule of people around her, Guo Dejie resolutely entered the gate of Guiping Girls' School. Guo Dejie was influenced by progressive ideas during her school days and became a new woman as she wished.

In 1922, Li Zongren led his troops to be stationed in Guiping, Guangxi. Li Zongren met the 16-year-old girl Guo Dejie under the recommendation of Guo Fenggang, the director of the Police Department.

Although Guo Dejie has many suitors, she is arrogant and has never been married. At this time, she sincerely admired the senior general in front of her when they met for the first time. The two chatted happily, and after meeting several times to have dinner together, the spark of love between the two sparked.

As time passed, in 1926, Li Zongren and Guo Dejie entered the wedding hall. After her marriage, Guo Dejie quickly served as a supervisory committee member of the Guangxi Provincial Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang in Nanning, and was subsequently elected as the captain of the "Guangxi Women's Working Team of the Seventh Army of the National Revolutionary Army". The sociable Guo Dejie got along very well with the wives of the Guangxi warlords. She was very popular among the wives and earned Li Zongren a lot of face.

When Li Zongren left Guiping, Guo Dejie specially dressed handsomely, looked heroic, rode a horse and led the women's work team to accompany him all the way. On the day of the expedition, men, women and children from Guiping came out to see off Li Zongren and Guo Dejie as they left the city.

During the Northern Expedition, Li Zongren led his troops to fight bravely against the enemy and made numerous military exploits. Guo Dejie assisted Li Zongren in boosting the morale of the army. Seeing that Guo Dejie could help Li Zongren solve his problems, Li Xiuwen had no choice but to silently accept this fact.

Every time Li Zongren and his wife Guo Dejie returned home, his first wife Li Xiuwen treated them warmly and served them both wholeheartedly. Guo Dejie was grateful for Li Xiuwen's meticulous care, but in her eyes, she hoped that one day Monopolize Li Zongren and become his official wife worthy of the name.

In January 1949, Guo Dejie worked hard to get Li Zongren elected president, and then she tried her best to replace Li Xiuwen's position in the Li family.

Disappointed again, spend your old age in peace

After liberation, Li Zongren said to Li Xiuwen on the eve of going to the United States: Monogamy is the rule there, so you can stay.

Li Zongren then left Li Xiuwen and Guo Dejie to settle in the United States.

Faced with her husband's unkindness, Li Xiuwen felt sad. Fortunately, she still had Li Youlin by her side. Li Youlin has received little love from his father since he was a child. In front of his mother, he was sensible and studied diligently. In the blink of an eye, Li Youlin grew up and studied abroad in the United States. In 1958, Li Youlin brought Li Xiuwen to the United States to live with him and his wife. Li Zongren, who is also in the United States, often comes to visit Li Xiuwen.

One day in 1965, Li Zongren came to say goodbye to Li Xiuwen. He told her with great excitement that he was about to return to the embrace of his motherland. On July 20 of the same year, Li Zongren and Guo Dejie returned to Beijing from the United States by plane. Seeing this, Li Xiuwen was extremely disappointed with Li Zongren and stayed until 1973 before returning to China.

At this time, Guo Dejie died of illness half a year after returning to China that year. Li Zongren passed away in 1969. She spent the remaining years of her life peacefully in China, and finally passed away in 1992 at the age of 102.

Li Zongren cared about the country and devoted his life to serving the country and the people. His career was greatly assisted by Guo Dejie. Facing Guo Dejie, Li Xiuwen has always been tolerant and generous. Li Zongren's achievements are due to Guo Dejie's contribution, and they are also inseparable from Li Xiuwen's silent efforts behind the scenes. She doesn't dwell on the past, and doesn't expect the future. She is just such an ordinary but extraordinary traditional woman.