Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Mother held my hand and rubbed it between hers. “Dani, don’t blame your mother. Hu’er is already fourteen this year, and your cousin insists on a betrothal gift of five taels of silver before she’ll marry him!”

It was bitterly cold in winter. Every day, I had to wash the whole family’s clothes, rinse vegetables, and cook, so my hands were covered in chilblains.

Her rubbing made them itch terribly.

I lifted my head and looked outside.

Father sat on the threshold, puffing away at his water-pipe, without so much as glancing at me.

He had forgotten long ago, hadn’t he?

Before my younger brothers were born, he had once let me sit astride his shoulders and played horsey with me.

He had even laughed and said he would find me a strong, sturdy husband one day.

I lowered my gaze and answered softly, “I don’t blame you. The Ji Family is a good family.”

Because Ji Songzhu’s first two brides had died of illness before they even entered his door, the Ji Family had specially consulted a master this time. The master said the wedding had to be kept low-key, and that they must not alarm the baleful god.

So on the day I was married off, Father simply drove the ox cart and delivered me to the Ji Family.

There wasn’t even a single red flower on the cart.

Halfway there, snow began to drift down from the sky.

I was wearing the new padded jacket Mother had specially made for me, yet I was shivering from the cold.

The jacket looked puffy and thick, but what had been stuffed inside was mostly reed fluff, not cotton.

The winter wind was biting, scraping across my face like knives.

Beside the road was a deep ditch. If I looked too closely, it made me dizzy.

I thought that perhaps, if the ox’s hoof slipped, I would tumble in.

And that would end this short, hard life of mine.

But Heaven did not grant my wish. Close to noon, the ox cart arrived safely at Ji Family Village.

Father, who had been silent the whole way as he drove, let out a long breath. “At least I got you here in one piece.”

My mother-in-law and future husband were already waiting at the village entrance.

Seeing that we were safe and sound, my mother-in-law was overjoyed. “The immortals at the temple were right. You really can withstand Songzhu’s eight characters.”

I secretly glanced at my future husband.

He wore a new robe of deep crimson. The tip of his nose was a little red from the cold, and his figure was tall and lean. He gave me a slight nod.

He stepped forward. “Father-in-law, you’ve had a hard journey. Let me drive the cart.”

Father moved aside, but after Ji Songzhu tugged for a long while, the old yellow ox did not budge an inch.

My mother-in-law smiled awkwardly. “This child has studied since he was young. He’s never done farm work.”

Father took the rope back. “Old Yellow doesn’t like strangers. I’d better do it.”

Although they had not invited guests for a banquet, my mother-in-law had still prepared quite a few dishes.

She ladled me a bowl of hot chicken soup with a large drumstick in it. “You must be frozen from the trip. Hurry and drink something warm.”

I hesitated for a few seconds, then picked up the drumstick and placed it in Ji Songzhu’s bowl.

In a small voice, I said, “Husband, you eat it.”

At the side, Father gave an ingratiating smile. “Dani has been able to endure hardship since she was little. There’s no need to pamper her too much.”