I had seen too many examples of those who swore eternal love to one person yesterday, but today were sending flirtatious glances to another. I had seen too many faces that seemed deeply passionate in the moment, only to turn cold the next. Gradually, I became somewhat detached about love and romance. My beautiful adolescent years were spent becoming a stubborn, unromantic old ginger.
Without fantasies about love’s beauty, I considered marriage very practically. Although I earned some money from painting, it was barely enough to cover our family’s basic expenses. My older brother needed to get married, my younger sister needed to be married off, and each required money. I also had to help my mother repay gambling debts. At fifteen, when I came of age, I decided to marry into a wealthy family to support my family in the future.
It was around this time that An Jin, blushing, brought a package of sugar cakes to confess to me, asking if I would marry him.
After seriously considering for a day, I returned the sugar cakes and told him I wanted to marry a rich man.
An Jin’s face turned pale, standing blankly on the small path between our families, looking pitiful.
I felt guilty. If I had known earlier that he had been waiting to marry me, I would have discouraged him much earlier. So I comforted him, “With your looks, you’ll definitely find a lady from a good family. Don’t waste time on me.”
He looked at me with a gaze that instantly turned to hatred. The poor bag of pastries was crushed to pieces, eventually ending up in some dog’s stomach.
We thus formed a grudge, becoming completely estranged. Later, I had a few romantic encounters, but unfortunately, they all withered midway. Eventually, I remained unmarried until the age of eighteen, when he came to propose.
We became a pair of resentful spouses.
Chapter Four: A Harmonious Household
After An Jin became a deputy minister of personnel, the An family did not move to a new residence, but continued to live in their ancestral mansion, adjacent to my family. My father-in-law encouraged me to visit home often, and my mother-in-law turned a blind eye to this. An Jin had been absent for several days. Given these circumstances, I continued to happily return to my parents’ home.
