Strong Winds Return Home Review
Danmei Review: Strong Winds Return Home by Yu Xiao Lanshan
The Story
Liu Fushu is the master of Baihe Mountain Village which is renowned for having top notch medical practitioners. It’s said that almost everyone in the village including the servants have medical skills except for his son. His second son, Liu Xian’an is so lazy that all he does is sleep all day. Rumors about the boy have spread far and wide. They say he’s pretty but dumb. They claim that he’s so ridiculous that he once tried to jump into a lake to avoid studying. Are any of these rumours true?
When the emperor decides to play matchmaker and sets a marriage between his younger brother General Liang Shu and Lui Fushu's daughter things get interesting. Liang Shu is a general who’s been responsible for guarding the border for several years. While he’s been successful at defending the country he’s always been criticized by the ministers in court. He’s accused of being bloodthirsty, arrogant, and rude. Due to this image Liu Xian’an’s sister doesn’t want to marry him.
Liang Shu and his men end up overhearing the brother and sister pair as they try to come up with a plan to avoid the marriage. This annoys Liang Shu. Wanting to mess with Liu Xian’an the general takes him along on a small mission. Liu Xian’an doesn’t want to go but takes the opportunity to try and ruin the marriage arrangement.
While on the road they run into a group of men one of whom is injured. When Liu Xian’an steps up to treat the man the general realizes that not all the gossip about this daydreaming beauty is true.
Who’s it for?
The novel is a mixture of romance and adventure in a historical setting. The general and his people go from one place to another investigating strange incidents. There's some wuxia or martial arts elements involved, but the main appeal is the fluff and romance.
The Romance
It’s sweet, but sometimes juvenile. The general is the kind of person to tug on the ponytail of the person he likes. He actually does this several times throughout the story. He’s always trying to wake Liu Xian’an and wants to be the center of the young man’s attention.
The best thing about their relationship is how supportive Liang Shu is towards Liu Xian’an. This is someone whose own family didn’t recognize his talents and yet, Liang Shu is able to see him for who he truly is and to trust him in critical moments. That love and support goes both ways. Liu Xian’an is willing to wake up for the general and to assist him in anyway he can. He’ll also verbally destroy anyone who dares to speak ill of Liang Shu.
The Downsides
The novel is very focused on aesthetics. All the beautiful people are as pale as snow, and a lot of time is spent on discussing how gorgeous some of the characters are. There are times in this story where the only reason people are listening to or following a particular character is because that person is attractive. This isn’t unusual for Danmei and Yaoi. I’m not sure if I should blame the author, the society, or real world values for this, but I noticed it so I’m mentioning it.
The main character also starts out as a salted fish. One of those characters that are too lazy to do anything. Passive protagonists tend to make a story very boring. However, Liu Xian’an’s idle nature doesn’t prevent him from working diligently when necessary.
There are some moments of magical mumbo jumbo and the kind of physically impossible feats of strength that occur in a martial arts story. The type you have to shrug and accept if you want to enjoy this genre.
I have no major issues with the novel. It’s intresting and the romance is fairly indulgent and sweet.
Ultimately, Strong Winds Return Home is a tale about two opposite, but equally misunderstood young men as they find comfort and a home in each other.