Chapter 16: The Crimson Wedding Dress in the New Room

  I fell silent, my hands caressing the golden threads on my wedding dress. "Is there really no other way?" Perhaps it was the lingering thoughts of this body's original owner that made me hesitate: "Can I bear to see my parents suffer in prison or live a life of poverty and hardship? I am not heartless, but do we have to sell out my entire life just to gain such comfort?"

  Su Yu's tears fell more turbulently, saying: "The Su family has wealth and power. That Second Master Song, Song Tang, is still young and only has a poor body. Once he recovers, his future will be boundless. Father has met that master before, but that master is hot-tempered. After the wedding, you'll have endless good fortune."

  "Don't you know, sister, that the idea of 'rushing happiness' is just a ridiculous rumor spread by ignorant people? If rushing happiness were effective, what would be the use of doctors?" I asked my sister.

  Su Yu saw that I didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, so she closed the door and seemed to want to have a thorough discussion with me: "The Song family is a great general's family in our Nanyue dynasty. The old master is the General of Pacifying Distant Lands, and the eldest son, Song Ming, is the General of Tiger Might. The Song family's madam is even a first-rank lady appointed by the emperor himself! If it weren't for my mother asking the matchmaker to intervene, such a good opportunity wouldn't have come to our family!"

  "What's the point of talking to her about these things? The sedan chair has arrived, whether you want to get in or not, you have to get in!" The door was pushed open and my so-called mother, Wang Shi, walked in. She looked at Su Yu with a slightly contemptuous expression: "She naturally understands these principles, why do you need to intervene, roll over to the side."

  Su Yu shut her mouth and walked quietly to one side, as if such things were a normal occurrence at home, as if it was only natural for her mother to scold her like that.

  "Suer, you should understand your mother. I've raised you to be so big, and all I'm asking of you is this one thing. If you leave now, I fear that your father and I will die without a proper burial." Wang Shi grasped my hand, squeezing out a few tears: "From childhood to adulthood, although you haven't had much good fortune, at least your parents haven't stinted on food or clothing for you. This is the time for you to repay us."

  I slightly raised my eyes and saw Su Su's father also standing at the door, looking at me with a complex expression, both sad and worried, seemingly happy yet sorrowful.

  I hesitated, and I really couldn't bear to abandon this family. Because I was afraid that my body would also have these responsibilities, and I couldn't occupy someone else's body and implicate their whole family as well.