In the early 1980s, in Li Family Village in northern China, Lin Xiu'e was renowned throughout the surrounding villages as a remarkably skilled and capable wife. Her tailoring was meticulous, with fine stitching and well-crafted designs. Even before marriage, she had already earned a modest reputation for her sewing, mending, and alterations. After marrying Wang Jianjun, the village team's electrician, she was persuaded by her husband's sweet promises that he would provide for her and that it was shameful for a woman to work outside the home. She put away the sewing machine she had received as part of her dowry and settled into a life devoted to the household and kitchen, becoming known throughout the village as a dutiful, gentle, and obedient wife.