Chapter 2 — Leaving the Jiang Estate

Jiang Ying walked gracefully beside Xia Si Gui, her face radiating pure, unadulterated happiness. I felt my interest instantly vanish. Just as I was about to turn away, they rounded a flowering bush and appeared directly in front of me. In that split second, the corners of Jiang Ying's lips stiffened, and her entire posture froze as if she had turned to stone. Xia Si Gui's gaze, however, swept past the foliage and landed squarely upon me.

Truth be told, this was only the second time I had met him. On the night of the Lantern Festival, my father and mother had taken Jiang Ying out to admire the lights, leaving me alone in the manor to copy scriptures. I had barely finished a single page before the characters on the paper seemed to sprout bones, piercing straight into my heart. As the lamplight flickered, I threw down my brush and said to Chun Dao, "Let's go. We are going to see the lanterns, too."

My mother had forbidden me from going, which only made me desire it more. The main streets were packed with crushing crowds where my parents and Jiang Ying walked. In contrast, the narrow lanes were desolate, with only the occasional passerby. Chun Dao stood guard by my side, acting like a fierce mother hen shielding her chicks. I wandered aimlessly, my gaze catching on something in a dark corner of the wall. Peering through the veil, I saw Xia Si Gui, dressed in rich brocade, lying unconscious on the ground. A large, ugly lump had formed on his delicate brow, the result of some unknown altercation. Just as I reached out to touch him, he suddenly opened his eyes and seized my hand.

That was how Xia Si Gui and I met. It was a fleeting, chance encounter, yet he insisted that I was his savior. He ignored the swelling on his forehead and spent the entire night watching the lanterns with me. By the banks of the Vinh Xuyen River, the crowds were so dense that moving through them was like threading a needle--loving couples with small children mixed with young, bashful lovers. As the lanterns were released into the river, the glowing candlelight mirrored the inverted galaxy above. Xia Si Gui handed one to me.

"They say the lanterns released on the Lantern Festival are the most auspicious," he said. "Young lady, what is it you wish to pray for?"

What did I wish for? I wanted to pray that my mother would treat me with a little more fairness. It would not matter if I never tasted exotic delicacies, nor would it matter if all the fine silks and jewelry were sent to Jiang Ying's Wan Tang courtyard. I only wondered if, when she smiled at Jiang Ying twice a day, she might manage to smile at me just once. My heart had calculated this a thousand times, but my hand remained frozen in mid-air, unable to put pen to paper. Noticing my hesitation, Xia Si Gui gave a soft cough. "Others pray for their parents' health or family harmony. You are of age, surely you aren't wishing for a perfect husband?"

I did not hear the rest of what he said. Everything felt utterly hollow. What was the use of writing wishes on a lantern? The deities of the Vinh Xuyen River clearly had no intention of blessing me. After all, that which does not exist cannot simply be conjured from nothingness. I turned to leave, and Xia Si Gui hurried after me, his expression laced with worry. "Did I say something wrong to upset you?"

I did not wait to hear more. I pulled Chun Dao into the surging crowd and walked further and further away. I only heard his voice calling out from the distance, "Young lady, I am Xia Si Gui of the Ningyuan Marquis estate. Wait for me--I will surely come to find you!"

That hurried meeting had meant nothing to me. How could I have known that he would truly come to the Jiang household? And that he would become Jiang Ying's betrothed? My future brother-in-law.

Now, separated by a garden of blooming trees, Xia Si Gui's eyes rested on my face, which bore a faint resemblance to Jiang Ying's's, yet his eyes held only cold indifference. Jiang Ying's lashes trembled, and she spoke first to shatter the silence.

"A-Hui, have you finally returned?" She stepped forward, attempting to link her arm through mine. "Mother could barely eat a meal yesterday because of you. You must not provoke her any further."

From childhood until now, whenever Jiang Ying spoke to me with such gentle, sugary tones, it meant she was planning to snatch something away from me. What did she want this time? Both my parents stood firmly behind her. In this Jiang household, if she wanted something, there was nothing she could not take. As my eyes drifted to Xia Si Gui, it all clicked into place. I let out a soft, dry laugh. "Eldest sister, you need not worry. I have no intention of competing with you."

Jiang Ying's expression tightened, and she forced a smile. "What nonsense are you saying, A-Hui? I don't understand you." She reached up to massage her temple, feigning dizziness. Xia Si Gui immediately caught her as she swayed, his gaze turning icy as he looked at me. "The rumors outside say that the second daughter of the Jiang family is arrogant and unruly. Seeing how you treat your own flesh and blood, it seems the rumors are true. However, even if A-Ying is willing to yield to you in all things, do not mistake her kindness for weakness."

I said nothing, thinking only of that night beneath the dazzling sea of lanterns. I had finished a bowl of sweet rice wine dumplings, and the warmth of the spirits had surged to my head, compelling me to pour out every bit of grievance I had ever held.