Qingmei was dressed in a dark moss-green cotton Luo skirt, her hair neatly arranged, adorned with two silver hairpins. Such attire made her look every part the matron, and Muniang found it somewhat unfamiliar to behold. Reflecting on a year ago when Qingmei was nothing more than a timid young girl, Muniang had never even considered her an adult. Yet now, in the blink of an eye, she was married—although to such an unreliable man—that Muniang couldn't help but feel a hollow ache inside.
"Mu," Qingmei softly called out with a hint of pallor on her face that suggested Lord Lu Ziquan had not treated her well.
In fact, Qingmei felt too ashamed to face Muniang. She remembered how Muniang had advised her and sought a good family for her to marry into, all still vivid in her mind. Yet Qingmei, failing to appreciate the good intentions, had stubbornly chosen the most difficult path, ruining not just her own life but also breaking Muniang's heart.