Chapter 1
Chapter 1
It has been thirteen days since I married into the Shen Family of Jiangnan.
Since the wedding, I have been plagued by the same recurring dream.
In the dream, a woman dressed in white stands between the sea and a graveyard, beckoning to me.
Her voice is ethereal. “Huaiyi, you have never truly had a name…”
I jolted awake from the dream, only to find the spot beside me in bed empty.
Had Shen Yanlan really woken up this early?
He had clearly stayed up very late last night…
The door was suddenly pushed open.
My mother-in-law walked in, carrying a bowl filled with a dark, murky liquid.
“Huaiyi,” she said, “this medicine is to calm your nerves. It will help you carry on the family line sooner.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sick. I don’t want to take any medicine.”
“Do not defy your elders!”
She pinched my chin, attempting to pry my mouth open while her other hand brought the bowl to my lips.
The black medicinal broth emitted a bitter, acrid stench.
I struggled, accidentally knocking the bowl over.
“Lin Huaiyi, you are far too disobedient!” My mother-in-law’s hand swung toward me in a sharp slap.