Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I heard the news, I tossed my wine cup and chicken leg onto the table and sprinted toward the bridal chamber.

Inside the crimson-decorated room, Miss sat upright on the wedding bed, her face still covered by the red bridal veil.

“Miss-”

I called out to her, but my voice broke with grief before I could continue.

Miss didn’t move an inch.

The world outside was a cacophony of shouting and chaos; she clearly knew everything by now.

A long silence passed.

Then, Miss’s soft voice drifted from beneath the veil.

“It is bad luck to lift one’s own veil. Xiaoman, come and help me.”

“Yes,” I nodded vigorously, stepping forward to carefully lift Miss’s red veil.

Her eyes were slightly lowered, and the light from the wedding candles cast small shadows beneath them.

Then, Miss looked up.

Her eyes were clear, holding a trace of bewilderment and a quiet sadness, yet the underlying layer was as calm as a deep pool.

I had seen this look once before, two years ago.

Knowing his time was short, Master had leaned against his sickbed on a day when his spirits were high and made Miss swear an oath. I had been standing outside the window and couldn’t hear the contents of the oath, but I saw her eyes then.

They looked exactly like this.

Quiet, as if she had much to say, yet also completely empty.

“Xiaoman, I’m tired. I don’t want to talk to anyone else. Help me change so I can rest.”

Miss’s voice remained peaceful and soft.

It was as if this weren’t her wedding night.

As if there were no runaway groom at all.

As if it were just an ordinary evening in the courtyard of the past.

The Chen Family elders, fearing Miss might do something drastic, had arranged for two servants to stand guard at the door.

I sat down by the door as well. After a while, I began to slap myself across the face.

*Slap! Slap!*

I cursed as I struck myself.

“How could you be so blind!”

“How could you say such good things about the Chen Family Young Master!”

“You’ve ruined Miss’s entire life!”

…

The Chen Family Young Master, Chen Bozhou, was a famous young talent in Sangcheng.

He was handsome, had a bright personality, and wrote beautiful prose. He frequently published social commentaries in *New Youth* and the *Morning Post*, making him the secret object of affection for many young ladies and female students in the city.

Although Master didn’t allow Miss to adopt the trendy ways of the outside world, there was one exception: reading the newspaper.

“This period of chaos will eventually pass. You don’t have to participate, but you must not be ignorant of it.”

One day, Miss pointed to a name in the newspaper and said to me calmly, “Look, Xiaoman. This is the man my father has chosen for my husband.”

That name was Chen Bozhou.

Old Master Chen and our Master were from the same hometown. Years ago, when the mistresses were still alive, the two families were close and arranged this childhood betrothal.

To put Miss’s mind at ease, I had secretly gone to see Chen Bozhou a few times.

The first time, I saw him lecturing female students in the Normal School Auditorium. He was elegant and eloquent.

The second time, I saw him step forward when the black-clad police were arresting students, loudly denouncing their various misdeeds.

The third time, I saw him standing soaking wet in a small river, fishing out a shivering kitten.

I felt relieved.

This Chen Bozhou was, arguably, a decent match for my Miss.

Upon my return, I gave Miss a vivid account of my investigation, heaping praise upon Chen Bozhou.

Miss was playing the zither by the window.

She wasn’t listening very intently. When the song ended, she pressed her fingertips lightly against the strings and finally looked up at me quietly.

“Xiaoman, you think he is very good?”

I nodded emphatically.

“He’s handsome, has a good heart, and is both talented and courageous. He’s a top-tier talent. Master didn’t choose wrong.”

Miss lowered her gaze to her fingertips and gave a very faint smile. Her voice was as soft as a sigh.

“Is that so?”

“Then that is good.”

Miss made no sound all night.

The next morning, I was gently tapped awake by a pair of soft hands. Through my bleary eyes, I saw Miss standing there, fully dressed and groomed.

“Xiaoman, don’t catch a cold. Go back to your room and sleep.”

“Miss, where are you going?” I asked nervously.

“On the second day of marriage, I must naturally go pay my respects to my parents-in-law.”

I stood up abruptly. “I’ll go with you!”

She curled her lips into a smile at me.

“Good Xiaoman.”

In the main hall, which was still decorated with the character for “double happiness.”

The Chen Family elders were so moved that they wiped away tears repeatedly as they accepted the daughter-in-law tea from Miss.

“Bozhou is just being stubborn for the moment. We’ve already sent people to the provincial capital to find him; he’ll come back eventually. Ruyi, you’ll have to endure some hardship for a few days. Take care of yourself; don’t worry about us.”

Miss’s eyelids lowered slightly, her attitude submissive.

“Since Ruyi has entered the Chen Family gates, I am a woman of the Chen Family. Whether my husband returns or not, it is my duty to serve my parents-in-law.”

The elders were right.

Chen Bozhou did indeed return.

However.

It was three years later.