Xu Caihong must have left home because of this marriage issue; she might even be dead. How could a woman, who had never stepped out of her boudoir, survive independently outside? Unless she was with her beloved, eloping to live a happy, sweet life. Having left home, she naturally wouldn’t want to be found by her family. They might have gone far away, perhaps to the south or north, anywhere they wouldn’t be found.
Xu Caihong left, so why should she, Xu Caitong, take her place? She would not marry that General Liu. How could they possibly communicate or find common ground? They might even struggle to understand each other.
“Cui Lian, would you be upset if I left?” Xu Caitong once asked her maid.
“Miss, what’s wrong? Cui Lian doesn’t want you to leave, nor will I allow it,” Cui Lian replied nervously.
“Cui Lian, don’t you believe that I am from the 21st century?”
“I don’t know.”
Xu Caitong sighed; she had said it countless times, yet no one believed her, leaving her somewhat helpless.
“Although I haven’t been with Miss for long, Miss has treated me like a sister, and I like you. I haven’t seen the 21st century, so I don’t know what it’s like,” Cui Lian explained.
“I think your Miss Caihong was a brave woman, enduring the oppression of this feudal society, yet daring to resist an arranged marriage. Her courage is commendable,” Xu Caitong said.
“Miss, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Cui Lian said in frustration. Recently, her mistress had been talking nonsense, which scared Cui Lian. She had sought medical help, but the prescriptions didn’t seem to work.
“Look closely, I am Xu Caitong, not Xu Caihong. We are different people, from different times, with different educations,” Xu Caitong pressed her face close to Cui Lian’s.
“Miss, I don’t understand why you always say this, but I’ve been with you for three years. If you’re not Miss Caihong, who else could you be?”
“Your Miss’s home?”
“Miss, you’re talking nonsense again.”
“Why do you always think I’m talking nonsense?” Xu Caitong glared at Cui Lian irritably.
“I don’t know,” Cui Lian shook her head and stepped back.
