Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the fifteenth year of Tianqi, Madam said, “Lianlian, you are already sixteen. I intend to arrange a marriage for you.”

I hurriedly dropped to my knees. “Madam, Lianlian grew up alongside Young Miss. I still wish to remain by her side and serve her for a few more years. Lianlian does not want to marry.”

Seeing me like this, Madam smiled. “When Ah Yan was little, she was once betrothed to the only son of Lord An of Qinghe County in Yunzhou. I was never satisfied with that match to begin with, but Lord An and Master were old friends, so we could hardly refuse.”

“But ten years ago, their family was implicated in Prince Liang’s case and fell apart. The adults of the household are all gone. I thought that marriage agreement had been dropped there and then, yet who would have thought that a few days ago, that boy from the An family had someone deliver a formal notice, saying Ah Yan has already come of age and that he wishes to marry her soon.”

I vaguely understood where this was going. Sure enough, Madam gave a cold snort. “I have long since made inquiries. After the An family declined, that boy went to the capital to seek shelter with his maternal uncle’s family. Now he has set up a pork stall in Baili Village on the outskirts of the capital. After slaughtering pigs for a few years and saving some money, he can hardly wait to come ruin my daughter.

“A toad lusting after swan meat. Fortunately, he has never seen Ah Yan. You will marry in Ah Yan’s place. Consider it the fulfillment of your devotion to your young mistress.”

After that brief shock, I fell silent. I had no strength to resist, and in the end I kowtowed. “Lianlian obeys.”

There was nothing I could do even if I did not obey. I had been sold to the Li Family when I was young and had grown up with Young Miss. Leaving aside the fact that my deed of sale was still in their hands, Young Miss had always treated me very well.

What Madam decided had never been something anyone could defy.

The Li Family was a well-known clan of scholars in Anyang, upright and refined for generations.

Master had opened Qiushan Academy, and it had many students.

I knew what Madam was planning. At the academy, there was a scholar named Lin Sirun whose essays and policy arguments were excellent. Master was hoping he would place high in the palace examination.

After waiting a year, once his name appeared on the golden list, they planned to marry Young Miss to him.

My young mistress was beautiful, educated, and sensible, a true daughter of a noble household.

Half a month later, I boarded the bridal sedan in her place and was first married into the An family in neighboring Qinghe County.

As the new bride, I paid respects to the ancestors and visited my parents-in-law’s graves. Then I followed my husband back to the capital.

My husband, An Yuanqi, was tall and broad-shouldered, with thick brows, large eyes, a full beard, and a scar running from his brow bone toward his ear and cheek.

In truth, if one looked carefully, his features were very proper. His nose was high-bridged, and his face was sharply defined.

It was only because of that scar and beard that he looked somewhat fierce. As a butcher, he also carried a constant air of killing intent, making him seem terribly frightening. At first glance, he was like a cold-faced asura.

On our wedding night, he lifted my veil, and we drank the wedding wine from joined cups.

I was actually terribly afraid of him, and my heart was tight with nerves. Beneath the sleeves of my wedding robe, my hands trembled slightly.

But I knew even better that a woman follows her husband after marriage. From then on, I would have to rely on him to live, so I had to pave myself a good road.

Although he looked fierce, the gaze he turned on me was clear and bright, with a faint smile in it.

So I forced myself to calm down, looked at him seriously, and said in an exceedingly virtuous manner, “Since I have married you, from now on, you will slaughter pigs and I will sell the meat. As husband and wife, we will work together to live well. When we have children, we will send them to a private school and strive to free them from the fate of being butchers.”

He froze. Then the smile in his eyes deepened. Unable to hold back his laughter, he lifted a hand to his forehead, his body trembling slightly.

After he stopped laughing, those pitch-black eyes looked at me, bright as stars. “All right. Everything will be as my wife says.”

His voice was low and pleasant, and he was not as fierce as he appeared. When we performed the rites of husband and wife, he was a little clumsy, and also somewhat gentle.

The next day, my whole body ached, and no matter what I did, I could not get up.

But when I remembered that we still had to pay respects to the ancestors and visit the graves that day, I forced myself to rise.

As soon as I stood beside the bed and reached out to tidy the bedding, I was suddenly swept up into someone’s arms.

I cried out in surprise, only then realizing it was An Yuanqi.

He seemed to have just returned from morning training. He wore only a thin inner robe, sweat beading on his forehead, and the warmth of his body surrounded me.

He smiled. “My wife is awake? Why not sleep a little longer?”

The residence we stayed in belonged to a distant relative of his. Although I knew no one would come to a newlywed couple’s room so early in the morning, my face still flushed red.

“Put me down quickly. It would be bad if someone saw.”

He kissed me on the cheek, his eyes smiling as he deliberately teased me. “I am holding my own woman. Why should I be afraid of others seeing?”

Embarrassed, I buried my head against his chest, and in my heart I truly let out a breath of relief.

At last, the unease I had felt about this marriage settled.

I was a servant girl bound by a deed of sale. Even if I had stayed with the Li Family, I would not have escaped the fate of marrying some steward or manservant in the household one day.

My entire life could be seen to the end in a single glance. I would be a slave and servant all my life, and any children I bore would be house-born servants of a wealthy family, destined to serve others.

Of course, there was another path. Young Miss valued me greatly. I could have accompanied her when she married and, in the future, served her husband as a concubine-maid.

Compared to those two lives, An Yuanqi was actually a good choice.

Before marrying him, I had imagined countless times what I would do if he turned out to be a crude, vulgar butcher, and how I would painstakingly try to change him after marriage.

If I failed to guide him, then how should I make plans for myself?

I had thought about many things. In the end, my luck was good. Although he slaughtered pigs and carried a heavy air of bloodshed, he was truly a decent man.

He was neither savage nor crude, and he was even a little gentle.

More importantly, I had regained my freedom. As long as I was diligent with my hands and feet, there was hope in my days.

In the future, when we were old and the sun was setting, the two of us could stroll hand in hand, with children and grandchildren around our knees. That, too, would count as a complete life.

I was very satisfied with this marriage.