Late Qing, Gentle Song

“You’re a woman too. How can you marry me?”

“With eight palanquins, in a proper wedding ceremony.”

Lin Qingran’s cheeks flushed. “He just has a way of saying things that sounds harsh. It’s not that bad...”

“It is,” Jiang Wanyin cut her off.

Jiang Wanyin reached out and plucked it off with ease. She peeled the orange and divided it into several pieces.

Gently, Jiang Wanyin fed the orange to Lin Qingran, piece by piece, until she had finished it.

“All right, I’ll do as you say.” Lin Qingran made up her mind, because she knew she could no longer refuse.