Born in a time of chaos, how can anyone speak of freedom?
Yao'er had made up her mind.
A woman of low status had only one way to survive in this world: depend on a man.
Mother often spoke of how deeply in love her grandparents had been.
Yao'er didn't believe her.
She would never fall in love with anyone.
She would leave the place that had trapped her for more than a decade and might trap her for the rest of her life.
She would leave this place where a naked blade hung above her head and ribbons fluttered, swaying as if ready to fall.
She would leave. She wouldn't let her daughter follow the same path as the three generations of women before her.
She needed help to escape her low status, to shatter her "pardon from death," to climb the mountain heights and admire the flowing waters.
She didn't want to be a bird in a cage.
She didn't need bright, glossy feathers.
What she wanted was something she'd never had before.
Freedom.
Theme: Help me break free from the cauldron
