Chapter One: Breaking Off the Engagement

When Lu Yalan heard from a servant that her fiancé had come to see her, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy, overlooking the hesitance in the messenger’s eyes. Though she longed to rush to his side, the upbringing she’d received since childhood reminded her to maintain the poised and dignified demeanor befitting a young lady of her station. She walked toward the garden at a measured pace; only the maid who had been with her since she was a child could tell that her steps were a touch faster than usual.

Waiting in the garden, Zhao Dingsheng regarded Lu Yalan’s expressionless face with a quiet sneer. No wonder she was famed in Salt City as the wooden maiden. Her mature, conservative attire reduced her natural beauty from nine parts to three, making him all the more impatient.

Thus, his words were sharp and unyielding, eager only to finish his message and depart.

“Lu Yalan, we are not suited for each other. Let’s break off the engagement.”

Her cheeks were still flushed when these cold words struck her like a slap. The color drained from her face as she stood frozen, at a loss.

Zhao Dingsheng was now twenty-three, newly returned from his studies in America, tall and elegant, embodying both the refinement of a traditional scholarly family and the vigor unique to foreign-educated youth. He was much admired by young women and wives everywhere he went.

The Zhao and Lu families were old family friends, their engagement arranged since childhood. They were to be married when Lu Yalan turned sixteen, but Zhao Dingsheng’s studies abroad delayed the wedding until now.

When he first returned, Zhao Dingsheng visited the Lu family. At that time, Lu Yalan, urged by her maids, had timidly peeked at him from afar. That single glance had only deepened her anticipation for her future husband.

Though the second concubine reported her to the matriarch for meeting a man unsupervised and she was punished by three days’ kneeling in the ancestral hall—her knees so swollen she couldn’t walk properly—the mere thought of him filled her heart with sweetness.

Never did she imagine that their first formal meeting as adults would bring such a devastating blow.

She wanted to ask, “Why?”

But her upbringing taught her that a woman must obey, never question a man, and that a true lady was dignified and composed; only lowly servants tried to please and flatter.

In the end, she clenched her skirt, her voice calm but laced with humility and caution: “Is it something I have done wrong?”

Zhao Dingsheng, seeing her so timid, couldn’t help but think of the person he held in his heart. That person would have replied with pride and confidence, “You are not worthy.”

At the thought, he couldn’t help but smile, but as his gaze fell again on his ex-fiancée, his lips tightened.

“It’s the Republic now; the pursuit of happiness is everyone’s right and freedom. I have received the most advanced education and embrace progressive ideas. In a nation of oppressed, numb people, I acutely feel the loneliness of being awake among the drunk. I seek a like-minded revolutionary partner, someone who will chase ideals and happiness with me—not a relic of feudalism who barely reads or writes.”

The matriarch would never allow an unmarried man and woman to be alone, not even in the open garden. There were surely maids and nannies hidden nearby, and if she lost her composure now, house discipline would be swift.

Lu Yalan summoned all her strength to clench her fists, her nails biting into her palms, the pain reminding her to maintain her dignity.

In Zhao Dingsheng’s eyes, this was further proof of her wooden nature—unmoved even by a broken engagement.

A puppet, only moving when pulled by strings.

“The times are changing. The Qing dynasty is gone, yet you still cling to those feudal poisons as your creed. If you are discarded by the age, it’s your own fault for refusing to progress. Of course, if you were marrying a die-hard Qing loyalist, there’d be no problem. But our minds are not in sync, and there’s no way to communicate. That’s not your fault, but mine for moving too quickly.”

Zhao Dingsheng spoke with passion, but Lu Yalan couldn’t grasp concepts like rights, revolution, or the times. All she understood was that he despised her.

She’d always been told she had a remarkable fiancé. The Zhao and Lu families were close; even with no effort to inquire, she’d often hear the young master of the Zhao family praised—his essays published in the papers…

The Lu family educated their daughters only in the traditional virtues, and the only books allowed were the Four Books for Women. Lu Yalan clearly remembered the day Spring Date, a maid serving the old matriarch, brought her a newspaper and pointed out Zhao Dingsheng’s article. There were many characters she didn’t recognize, so she begged Spring Date to read it aloud.

She had kept that newspaper ever since, taking it out to look at when no one was around. She worked hard at her lessons, wanting to be worthy of him.

For nineteen years, her life had revolved around this one person. Whatever her original intentions, this had become habit, sinking into her very flesh and bone.

Now, that person told her—even her flesh and blood were not hers to keep, that she was to be skinned and emptied, left only a hollow shell.

How could that not hurt?

How could it possibly not hurt?

Lu Yalan felt as if a blade twisted in her chest, churning her insides, a sourness rising to her eyes until they burned and ached with unshed tears.

But a lady must always be poised and must never lose control, least of all weep. To cry in front of outsiders was shameless, before servants a loss of authority, before a husband a sign of pettiness.

She hadn’t cried since she was eight.

She didn’t understand Zhao Dingsheng’s talk of progress and revolution. The only reason she could imagine for breaking off the engagement was that her fiancé loved someone else and didn’t want to marry her.

With wide eyes and a hoarse voice, she asked, “If there is someone you love, you can take her as a concubine. I… I wouldn’t mind.” Clutching her dress, she added, “If you break off the engagement, it may affect the relationship between our families.”

Zhao Dingsheng was furious: “Talking to you is like playing music to a cow!”

He could not tolerate anyone slandering his goddess. “Not everyone is like you people—so base! The pursuit of love is everyone’s right. I am fond of her and will pursue her, but until then, our relationship is one of pure revolutionary comradeship, not to be sullied by anyone. Breaking off our engagement has nothing to do with her. Not all men take multiple wives, nor do all women degrade themselves as concubines!”

People like us… what kind of people…

“Forget it. Why am I even explaining this to you? You don’t understand a word.”

He no longer wanted to look at Lu Yalan, thinking himself foolish for coming in person. Since both families had already agreed, why had he bothered? He’d only brought this suffering upon himself.

Completely forgetting that the girl before him had waited for him for years, her youth slipping away because of him.

Zhao Dingsheng brushed past her. Lu Yalan stood stiffly, making no attempt to stop him. She had already reached her limit; the blow was not just the broken engagement.

In his eyes, there was only disdain and contempt.

Lu Yalan could not read much, but she was not stupid.

Her mother had passed, her father was indifferent; she had lived cautiously in the Lu family mansion, with no one to protect her. She had learned to read people better than most.

When Zhao Dingsheng returned, she thought she would soon have a home of her own—but now, he did not want her.

…

“Did you hear? Second Miss was rejected!” Several maids whispered together.

“Really? I always said such a fortunate man as Young Master Zhao was not a match for Second Miss, who is just too unlucky.”

“You little wretch, who are you to talk about Second Miss?” A younger maid received a pinch. “Even if it wasn’t Second Miss, it would never be you. Best put those thoughts away, lest you bring trouble on us all.”

“Oh, sister, you worry too much! It’s just us girls here. Even if Second Miss heard, that soft-hearted girl wouldn’t do anything.”

“Still talking back? I’ll teach you a lesson…”

As the two seemed about to quarrel, someone quickly intervened, changing the subject: “I heard Young Master Zhao was punished by his father for breaking off the engagement.”

“Really?” The group forgot their quarrel and crowded around.

The maid speaking was Ah Xiang, whose family had served for generations and was well-connected, always the first with news. Her word carried weight.

“It’s true, I swear. My sister’s mother-in-law’s aunt’s son’s sweetheart works at the Zhao house. She said herself that Young Master Zhao was beaten unconscious but never yielded. In the end, his father had to go personally to apologize to the Lu family.”

Everyone sighed, feeling sorry for the refined young master. One of them wondered aloud, “I wonder what kind of beauty has captured his heart? Second Miss may be a little stiff, but her looks are truly exceptional.” The others all turned to her, and she defended herself, “What? Did I say something wrong?”

The group quickly shook their heads. Indeed, for a man to be so determined, he must have found someone else. Poor Second Miss—already considered old, and now abandoned; how would she ever marry?

Ah Xiang beckoned them closer, lowering her voice. “You’ll never guess who Young Master Zhao has fallen for.”

She glanced around, pleased at their rapt attention. “I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t spread it. They say that when Young Master Zhao was unconscious, he called out Third Miss’s name. Apparently, he teaches at her school.”

A gasp ran through the group. Third Miss was not as pretty as Second Miss, but thinking it over, it made sense—these progressive young men liked modern girls. Third Miss’s foreign ways were hard to imitate.

Lu Yalan had sat motionless at her table for nearly an hour. Her maid, Hongxing, was worried and at a loss for how to comfort her. After much thought, she opened the window to let in some fresh air.

The chattering of the maids drifted in on the wind, breaking the deathly silence. Hongxing was relieved to see her mistress finally move, but then watched as she approached the window, tilting her head to listen.

Hongxing was stunned, then furious. “Those girls are out of line! Gossiping about you—let me teach them a lesson.”

She rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm out, but Lu Yalan pulled her back. Her anger turned to tears at the sight of her mistress.

Large tears streamed down Hongxing’s face. “Miss, don’t smile like that. Cry, please cry. You’ll feel better if you do. Watching you like this breaks my heart.”

Lu Yalan embraced her. “There now, don’t cry. If your eyes get red, you’ll be punished. Don’t cry. We must stay pretty, so we can find you a good husband one day…”

As she spoke, her voice broke, and though her eyes remained dry, she could go no further.

Hongxing covered her face, tears leaking through her fingers. “Didn’t we agree that I’d do the crying for you from now on? Miss, I can’t help it.”