Chapter 2
Chapter 2
What happened to my mother taught me one thing.
If I wanted something, I would go and get it.
I would never wait for someone else to hand it to me.
That was why, when choosing among my prospective matches, I put the aloof Xie Jinyan last.
I could not stand cold, affected men.
I met Cui Zhaoyu first. We liked each other at once, and I canceled the meetings that were supposed to follow.
On the day we pledged ourselves to each other, he gave me a flawless piece of white mutton-fat jade. I gave him a seal I had carved by hand from mountain stone.
As we walked through the bustling crowd, emotion after emotion churned inside me.
I could not decide whether to tell him about my mother.
If I did, I might ruin the mood.
If I did not, the story would remain a thorn lodged in my heart.
At last, when we reached a quieter stretch of road, I gathered my courage.
“I know that Heaven and earth, sovereign, parents, and teachers all come before the self,” I said. “But in matters of the heart, I must come first in yours. If you cannot do that, tell me plainly. I will not blame you.”
Cui Zhaoyu smiled.
“What are you saying, Miss Li? Once I have chosen someone, she is the only one for me in this life. I have chosen you, so it can only ever be you. Naturally, you will come first in my heart.”
His answer gave me a little courage, along with the grim resolve of someone about to entrust another person with her whole heart.
“Good. Then you must know that you cannot make me wait. I hate waiting for people.”
“If you make me wait, it means something else matters more to you than I do.”
“If it is an affair of state or family, I will never hold you back. If you go to war, I will guard our home. If you kill a man, I will hand you the blade.”
“But if it is for a private matter, I will wait only three times.”
“The first will honor the joy of meeting you, because knowing you has made me happy.”
“The second will honor the bond of understanding you, because true understanding is rare, and I will not rush to think you a bad man.”
“The third will honor the love we have shared. Falling in love is easy; staying together is hard. Waiting once more will be my final act of loyalty to that love.”
“After the third time, our ties will be severed. We will have nothing more to do with each other.”
“Let us seal it with three claps of our palms and swear never to go back on our word.”
Cui Zhaoyu’s eyes shone that day, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure.
He looked deeply at me, stepped back, and bowed with clasped hands. Every word carried solemn care.
“Hearing you speak, I know you are an extraordinary woman. Meeting you is my good fortune.”
“That you should look on me with favor makes me fortunate beyond three lifetimes.”
“Such a match is a blessing bestowed by Heaven. I would never be foolish enough to cast that blessing away.”
“We will seal the vow. If I betray it, may I die a wretched death.”
He stood smiling, his gaze sincere and ardent.
It wrapped around all my uncertainty like a gentle spring breeze.
Suddenly, I thought being with him might be rather nice-certainly better than staying home and looking at my father’s miserable old face all day.
We struck palms three times and made our vow.